What type of research does Silent Spring Institute do?

Silent Spring Institute researchers work to identify the links between environmental pollutants and women's health, especially breast cancer. The focus of the Institute's state-of-the-art research is on chemicals in everyday products that cause mammary tumors in animals and that can make breast cancer cells grow in a lab. Silent Spring Institute has created a multidisciplinary research team to identify these chemicals and develop new methods to assess exposure. Information builds incrementally from our studies in which we use new methods to address the complexity of estimating a woman's exposure to chemicals in the years or even decades before her tumor was discovered.

Who does the research?

Silent Spring Institute's research team includes a multidisciplinary staff of scientists with expertise in biology, chemistry, epidemiology, geographic databases, geology, health communications, information science, risk assessment, and toxicology, and co-investigators at Boston University School of Public Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Tufts University Medical School, and Applied Geographics. The Institute's work is reviewed by a Science Advisory Committee and study-specific Public Advisory Committees and also undergoes scientific peer review. The collaborative spirit that characterizes the Institute's work extends beyond the scientific community to include activists and others concerned about women's health.

What are Silent Spring Institute's current projects?

We provide here a list of our on-going projects along with brief descriptions and active links to the project descriptions. We encourage you to follow these links for complete narratives of our current activities.

Cape Cod Breast Cancer and Environment Study

This study examines an area of elevated breast cancer incidence and investigates the links between increased breast cancer risk and exposures to mixtures of target environmental pollutants in wastewater and pesticides.

Environmental Risk Factors for Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS)

This study seeks to identify environmental exposures that contribute to risk of DCIS and to compare risk factors for DCIS and invasive breast cancer.

Soil Sampling on Cape Cod for Pesticides Hypothesized to Affect Breast Cancer

This project develops and implements a soil and sediment sampling program to test for persistent pesticides as a method for verifying historical pesticide application data contained in GIS databases

Tracking Estrogens and Other Hormonally Active Pollutants in Cape Cod Groundwater and Drinking Water

This project investigates the presence of estrogenic pollutants in Cape groundwater, identifies them, and tracks their seepage from Cape septic systems and through the groundwater.

What are some of the early efforts of Silent Spring Institute?

Cape Cod Breast Cancer and Environment Atlas

Based on data in Silent Spring Institute's geographic information system (GIS), the Atlas includes maps of patterns of breast cancer incidence on Cape Cod, locations of large-area pesticide spraying, information about drinking water including water distribution systems and potential sources of contamination to wells, land use and how it has changed since the 1950s, and, demographic data from the US Census.

Development and Application of the E-SCREEN Bioassay as an Exposure Measure for Estrogenic Activity in Wastewater, Groundwater, and Drinking Water Samples

Our development of a method for preparing air samples for testing of estrogenic activity allowed use of the E-SCREEN bioassay which showed that chemicals in such samples could cause breast cancer cells to grow in laboratory conditions.

Newton Breast Cancer Study

This investigation of the differences between higher- and lower-incidence areas of Newton, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston, looked at factors known or hypothesized to affect breast cancer risk.

Social Differences in Women's Use of Personal Care Products: A Study of Magazine Advertisements, 1950-1994

This analysis of magazine advertisements explored whether ingredients in products marketed to women in particular age, ethnic, or socioeconomic groups could affect their risk for breast cancer or other health problems.

What are some of the findings from Silent Spring Institute's research?