Breast cancer is a complex disease that occurs in an environmentally complex world. For a variety of reasons, studying the relationship between breast cancer and environmental exposures has proven difficult. As a result, there is little, and often conflicting, information about this relationship. While it is generally believed that the environment plays some role in the development of breast cancer, the extent of that role is not currently understood. This issue is of utmost importance to the National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC), because understanding the causes of breast cancer is requisite to understanding how to prevent the disease.

The goal of NBCC's Environmental Initiative is to further the understanding of the relationship between breast cancer and the environment and to educate the public on the complexities of this issue.

NBCC's Environmental Initiative has two components:

Education - NBCC educates its membership and the public on breast cancer and environmental issues through this Web site, quarterly newsletter, annual mailings and Annual Advocacy Training Conference. NBCC creates press releases, position statements, background papers and scientific analyses as important issues arise related to breast cancer and the environment.

NBCC's Background Paper on Breast Cancer and the Environment provides background information on what is known and what is not known about the relationship between breast cancer and the environment. It also explains why studying this relationship is difficult.

Legislation - Each year, NBCC fights for increased funding for innovative breast cancer research into the causes of, and treatments and cures for breast cancer. In addition, NBCC advocates participate in peer review panels to decide how the funding is spent.

In 1999, NBCC worked with members of Congress to draft the Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act. This legislation would authorize the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to make grants for the development and operation of multi-disciplinary research centers to study the environmental factors that may be related to the development of breast cancer. Passing this legislation remains a top legislative priority for the Coalition. For more information, visit NBCC's Legislative Activities page.

Other Resources:

Cornell University's Program on Breast Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors in New York State is an excellent source of evidence-based information. The program's Web site provides bibliographies by topics, critical evaluations, fact sheets and much more. Check it out if you are interested in understanding the evidence behind the relationship between breast cancer and specific environmental exposures.