Activist/Scientist Connections

In the early 1990s, breast cancer activists were frustrated. After decades of the war on cancer, breast cancer risk was still going up. With the focus on detection and treatment, few resources were dedicated to finding the causes of breast cancer and how to prevent the disease. And women felt shut out of the scientific discourse.

Demanding change, activists on Long Island, New York, won federal money for a breast cancer study there. In Marin County, California, activists and scientists began meeting to deconstruct whether established risk factors could explain higher incidence. In Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition (MBCC) decided it needed a “lab of its own” and created Silent Spring Institute, a unique research organization with activists in leadership positions.

Today, Silent Spring Institute is a forum where activists’ and scientists’ concerns are shared to create a common research agenda. The Institute publishes in peer-reviewed journals and its scientists advise activists and policymakers on issues as diverse as parabens in cosmetics and flame retardants in furniture and home electronics.

The blending of activist-driven research questions with scientific rigor has yielded important firsts that have advanced our understanding of links between the environment and health. While research is ongoing, Silent Spring Institute works with its activist partners to create a safer, healthier environment by encouraging precautionary practices.