>Or its not even true. A few years ago women claimed that Long Island had a >much higher breast cancer rate than average. This based on many some women >claiming they knew so many that had it. They claimed the environment was >more toxic there. Much money was then allocated for a study and it was >found that the rate was the same as elsewhere. Well, the article includes this: >"They tend to be about 40 percent higher than the >national average and about 30 percent higher than the >rest of the Bay Area," said Tina Clarke, an >epidemiologist with the Northern California Cancer >Center, who has been studying breast cancer in Marin >County since the mid-1990s. -- so there seems to be some objective evidence for this one. I do recall reading that a British study had showed that vegetarianism increases risk of breast cancer. This was a few years ago (irnonically enough, about the time Linda McCartney passed away). One study doesn't prove it, of course; but still, it's annoying to read that article, and see that people are looking at all sorts of environmental factors. I think I'm gonna try to send a message to Ms. Clark, and give her a heads-up.