California Chemicals Policy & Breast Cancer
| Institution: | University of California, Berkeley | ||
| Investigator(s): |
Megan Schwarzman , MD, MPH -
|
||
| Award Cycle: | 2009 (Cycle 15) | Grant #: 15QB-8001 | Award: $159,334 |
| Award Type: | SRI Request for Qualifications-RFQ | ||
| Research Priorities | |||
| Health Policy & Health Services>Health Policy and Health Services: better serving women's needs | |||
Initial Award Abstract (2009)
One of the biggest challenges to understanding how chemicals may contribute to breast cancer is the lack of toxicity information for tens of thousands of commonly used chemicals in consumer products and the environment. Through its Green Chemistry Initiative, California is leading the effort to improve chemicals policy by requiring more information about the chemical make-up of products and the use of chemicals in the manufacturing process coupled with public access to this data. This CBCRP project will provide guidance for this policy reform by outlining measures that take into account the biological pathways that could link chemical exposures with the development of breast cancer. The project will assess both existing toxicological tests and gaps in the availability of testing measures that could be used to prioritize which chemicals are of most concern for their links to breast cancer.
A multidisciplinary team of experts will be convened to evaluate the existing scientific literature on causal pathways and suspected chemicals implicated in breast cancer and to identify significant gaps in current knowledge. They will address the following questions:
1. Which mechanistic pathways (such as endocrine disruption and developmental susceptibility) should be included in testing requirements to identify chemicals likely to contribute to breast cancer?
2. Can data requirements be structured to initially screen large numbers of chemicals to identify the more likely contributors to breast cancer for further data requirements and evaluation?
3. What criteria should be used to prioritize chemicals for testing and biomonitoring?
4. What are the current gaps in toxicological methods and scientific knowledge that limit the ability of consumers, businesses and government to evaluate chemicals for their potential to contribute to breast cancer?
The team will summarize the causal pathways and outline a strategy for identifying chemicals suspected in the development of breast cancer and how toxicity testing methods can be used by California to pursue more effective management of chemicals. They will recommend how to narrow the gaps in chemicals data, testing methods and scientific knowledge about the likely contribution of chemicals to breast cancer, and will propose a plan for disseminating their findings to policy makers, the breast cancer advocacy community, and scientists.
