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State of
the Evidence 2006:
What Is the Connection Between the Environment
and Breast Cancer?
 Breast
cancer rates have been climbing steadily in the
United States and other industrialized countries
since the 1940s, amounting to more than one
million cases per year worldwide. In the United
States, a woman’s lifetime risk of breast cancer
has nearly tripled during the past four decades.
Less than one out
of every 10 cases occurs in women born with a
genetic predisposition for the disease, and as
many as half of all breast cancers occur in
women who have no known risk factors for the
disease.
This State of the
Evidence report demonstrates that a significant
body of scientific evidence links exposure to
radiation and synthetic chemicals to an
increased risk of breast cancer. It summarizes
the findings of more than 350 experimental,
epidemiologic and ecological studies and
describes some of the ongoing controversies in
breast cancer research. The report recommends
new directions for future research and includes
a 10-point plan to act on the evidence and
reduce human exposure to radiation and synthetic
chemicals. This plan is based primarily on the
precautionary principle, which in part states
that indication of harm, not just proof of harm,
is grounds for action.
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