A solvent found in varnishes, paints, dyes and fuel additives and which is used in the semiconductor industry may raise the risk of cancer among women taking hormone treatments, say researchers. They found the chemical, ethylene glycol methyl ether (EGME), boosted the activity of hormones used in HRT and the contraceptive pill. This may increase the risk of breast or ovarian cancer for some women.

Susan C Nagel, Phillippa J Miranda, Edward K Lobenhofer, Cynthia A Afshari  and Donald Michelle S Jansen, P McDonnell. Short-chain fatty acids enhance nuclear receptor activity through mitogen-activated protein kinase activation and histone deacetylase inhibition, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, volume 101, number 18, pages 7199-7204, 2004.