Science Corner

News on Cancer and the Environment

Pesticide DDT linked to increased breast cancer risk generations after exposure

Groundbreaking study finds women whose grandmothers had high DDT exposure are more likely to be obese and have early menstruation—both breast cancer risk factors.

Breast Cancer Rates Higher Among African American Women from Disproportionate Chemical Exposure

A University of Michigan study finds a link between elevated rates of breast cancer incidents and chemical exposure from pesticides among African American women.

Gretta Monahan Bravely Opens Up About Her Emotional Breast Cancer Journey

Gretta opens up about her journey — from diagnosis through the beginning stages of treatment — to help educate, raise awareness and inspire others affected by breast cancer

A quick, accurate way to determine if a chemical causes cancer? Researchers say they’ve got one

A group of researchers from the Boston University schools of medicine and public health has developed what it calls a “fast, accurate and cost-effective approach” to test whether certain chemicals increase people’s cancer risk.

Dioxins Point to Targets for Treating Breast Cancer

SPH’s David Sherr follows toxins’ trail to understand aggressive cancers.

For Cosmetics, Let the Buyer Beware

Cosmetics can be sold solely on manufacturers’ tests and claims for effectiveness and safety – meaning that the ingredients don’t have to be filed with the government. With chemicals unregulated, the contents of our cosmetics are more dangerous than ever.

‘Inflammatory Diet’ May Boost Breast Cancer Risk

Eating an “inflammatory diet” as a teen may increase a woman’s risk of breast cancer, a new study suggests.

Monsanto and the EPA have been lying to us for years about Roundup

Groundbreaking news of a new lawsuit regarding Monsanto’s collusion, cover ups, and corruption inside the EPA is a part of a long string of unraveling safety claims.

Major journal sounds alarm over global mass poisoning

Multiple papers flag serious issues with chemical regulation and public health failures. Julian Cribb reports.

Hold the plum pudding: US food sampling shows troubling pesticide residues

New data released recently by the FDA shows a rise in the occurrence of pesticide residues detected in thousands of samples of commonly consumed foods.

Toxic chemicals cause more than cancer

Poor diet and physical inactivity are not the only factors leading to weight gain. Research shows that chemicals in the environment are also making you fat!

Household dust is laced with toxic chemicals, study finds

Household dust does more than collect in corners and on bookshelves full of novels you haven’t gotten around to reading. A new study shows it can expose people to a wide range of potentially toxic chemicals.

Heading in the Right Direction

A “Micro-Ounce” of Cancer Prevention

Precision medicine holds great promise for managing and treating cancer. Yet an underfunded and underutilized breakthrough is already available: cancer prevention.

BPA breakthrough: New treatment takes controversial chemical out of water.

As water treatment plants struggle to keep up with the chemical cocktail heading into our pipes, researchers say they’ve come up with a solution to remove one of the most ubiquitous contaminants—BPA.

McClellan base polluted drinking water supply, districts say. They want $1.4B from feds

The public is taking back local water supplies in Sacramento by suing the Federal Governement for tainted water.

Wal-Mart Puts Chemicals in Spotlight by Joining New Program

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has joined a new program that rates companies on their use of chemicals, a move that puts fresh pressure on the consumer-products industry to police its ingredients.

Costco begins monitoring chemicals in their products

Costco’s new “Smart Screening” program addresses toxic chemicals in some of the products the company sells. The company is now testing products for certain toxic chemicals of “regulatory and social concern” and keeping products containing other harmful chemicals off its shelves entirely.

Senate Bill 258 embraced by environmental groups, consumers and manufacturers – will lead to disclosure of hazardous chemicals and allergens in household and workplace cleaners

Unilever announces new ingredient transparency initiative for its home and personal care brands

Unilever announced a new transparency initiative to provide people with access to additional ingredient information about its home and personal care products.

Stories We are Following

Robert Bilott’s battle against Dupont

The Lawyer Who Became DuPont’s Worst Nightmare

Rob Bilott was a corporate defense attorney for eight years. Then he took on an environmental suit that would upend his entire career – and ecpose a braze, decades-long history of chemical pollution.

The Story Behind the E.P.A’s Contaminated Water Revelation

Rob Bilott has been demanding that the E.P.A. take action on PFOA, a carcinogenic chemical, since 2001. After exposing the dangerous chemical, officials are finally listening.

DuPont hit with $2 million verdict over Teflon-making chemical

A U.S. jury in Ohio on ordered DuPont (DD.N) to pay $2 million to a man who developed testicular cancer from exposure to a toxic chemical leaked from one of the company’s plants, according to the plaintiff’s lawyer Robert Bilott.

Watershed by Tracy K. Smith

Tracy K. Smith’s 2017 poem, Watershed, provides an artistic, yet accurate, telling of the DuPont water contamination in West Virginia. Smith tells the complete story of the contamination, showing how posioned cattle led to posioned people.

DuPont settles lawsuits over Teflon-making chemical leak

Following Bilott’s case, DuPont and Chemours Co have agreed to pay over $671 million in cash to settle several lawsuits related to the leak of a toxic chemical, used to make Teflon, that has been linked to cancer and other diseases.

Citizen Groups will Sue DuPont and Chemours for Contaminating Drinking Water in North Carolina

DuPont and Chemours may have stopped using PFOA due to recent lawsuits, but citizens groups are now suing the companies again for trading the harmful chemical for an equally unsafe replacement, GenX.

The Devil We Know

A documentary about a group of citizens in West Virginia, championed by attorney Rob Bilott, challenges a powerful corporation to be more environmentally responsible.

Dark Waters

‘Dark Waters’ star Mark Ruffalo, real-life attorney who fought chemical giant discuss environmental crisis affecting people across the country

Investing in Prevention Consortium Published Papers

As part of the Consortium’s deliverables, scientists in all 4 laboratories have disseminated the results of their breast cancer prevention work through peer-reviewed publications, abstracts and papers delivered at national and international scientific conferences, and at invited lectures. A listing of these efforts and some metrics on the impact of the respective work are provided in the link below:

Published Papers