October 2019 Featured Interview
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Interview with
Julia Brody, Ph.D.
Executive Director of the Silent Spring Institute
About Julia:
Julia Brody, Ph.D., is executive director and senior scientist at Silent Spring Institute. She is a nationally recognized expert on environmental chemicals and breast cancer as well as a leader in community-engaged research.
Julia’s research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, the California Breast Cancer Research Program, and the National Science Foundation. Along with other Silent Spring scientists, she published a landmark 10-year review of epidemiological studies of environmental chemicals and breast cancer, including evidence about early life exposures to DDT, air pollution, and solvents at work.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognized Julia’s research with an Environmental Merit Award in 2000. In 2002, she presented one of the Distinguished Lectures at the National Cancer Institute and spoke at the 2009 President’s Cancer Panel where she highlighted the need to integrate biological evidence with human studies to prevent cancers.
Julia has served on the National Advisory Environmental Health Sciences Council and is currently an advisor to the California Breast Cancer Research Program and breast cancer activist organizations. She is an adjunct assistant professor at the Brown University School of Medicine.
Julia Brody, Ph.D., is executive director and senior scientist at Silent Spring Institute. She is a nationally recognized expert on environmental chemicals and breast cancer as well as a leader in community-engaged research.
Julia’s research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, the California Breast Cancer Research Program, and the National Science Foundation. Along with other Silent Spring scientists, she published a landmark 10-year review of epidemiological studies of environmental chemicals and breast cancer, including evidence about early life exposures to DDT, air pollution, and solvents at work.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognized Julia’s research with an Environmental Merit Award in 2000. In 2002, she presented one of the Distinguished Lectures at the National Cancer Institute and spoke at the 2009 President’s Cancer Panel where she highlighted the need to integrate biological evidence with human studies to prevent cancers.
Julia has served on the National Advisory Environmental Health Sciences Council and is currently an advisor to the California Breast Cancer Research Program and breast cancer activist organizations. She is an adjunct assistant professor at the Brown University School of Medicine.
About Silent Spring Institute:
The Silent Spring Institute, a nonprofit founded in 1994, is the leading scientific research organization dedicated to uncovering the links between chemicals in our everyday environment and women’s health, with a focus on breast cancer prevention. The institute’s groundbreaking studies produce new knowledge about the health risks associated with cancer-causing chemicals where we live, work, and play. The institute is also developing new technologies and methods for reducing exposures to hazardous chemicals and helping manufacturers create safer products. Silent Spring’s pioneering, community-based approach to research, in which communities partner with scientists to answer critical questions, has transformed the field of environmental health. Since the Institute’s founding, its science has played a pivotal role in strengthening numerous policies at both the state and federal levels to protect consumers from dangerous chemicals. |
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Myrna Beth Haskell, managing editor, had the opportunity to talk with Julia Brody, Ph.D., about the Silent Spring Institute’s cutting-edge research which draws light on environmental links to breast cancer rates.
I read that members of the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition were alarmed by elevated breast cancer rates in Cape Cod, MA. They saw a need to investigate environmental causes after realizing that prior clinical research had not helped to decrease the rise in cancer rates. Can you explain?
The Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition founded The Silent Spring Institute because they saw a need to focus on prevention and to look more closely at environmental causes. They hoped to shift the conversation. Their advocacy led the Massachusetts legislature to commit funds for a study on breast cancer and the environment. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health selected Silent Spring Institute to conduct the study.
Even now, there is very little funding going to the causes of breast cancer.
I read that members of the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition were alarmed by elevated breast cancer rates in Cape Cod, MA. They saw a need to investigate environmental causes after realizing that prior clinical research had not helped to decrease the rise in cancer rates. Can you explain?
The Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition founded The Silent Spring Institute because they saw a need to focus on prevention and to look more closely at environmental causes. They hoped to shift the conversation. Their advocacy led the Massachusetts legislature to commit funds for a study on breast cancer and the environment. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health selected Silent Spring Institute to conduct the study.
Even now, there is very little funding going to the causes of breast cancer.
You were the principal investigator for the institute's Cape Cod Breast Cancer and Environment Study which became a national model. Could you tell me why it is considered a national model?
There are a number of reasons it’s a national model. One important reason is that all research is conducted in a spirit of partnership with the public, women (both with and without breast cancer), clinicians, scientists, and public health officials. If you invoke everyone from the beginning and keep them in the loop, you get a better study and better implementation of the findings. It was also the first time that endocrine disrupting compounds (those that mimic estrogen)* were measured. [This was a comprehensive assessment of exposure to endocrine disrupting compounds in homes.] *Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that may interfere with the body’s endocrine system and produce adverse developmental, reproductive, neurological, and immune effects in both humans and wildlife. A wide range of substances, both natural and man-made, are thought to cause endocrine disruption, including pharmaceuticals, DDT and other pesticides. Endocrine disruptors may be found in many everyday products - plastic bottles, metal food cans, detergents, flame retardants, food, toys, cosmetics, and pesticides. (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences) |
Scientist Working in the Lab at Silent Spring
(Photo Courtesy: Silent Spring Institute) |
Julia Speaking at the Silent Spring Gala, 2018
(Photo Courtesy: Silent Spring Institute) |
What did you generally find to be the problem with the environment out on the Cape?
Cape Cod was the only place in Massachusetts where elevated breast cancer rates were not due to typical risk factors. The rates have been elevated since the registry [Massachusetts Cancer Registry] was founded. Because Cape Cod was an isolated peninsula, there was a notion that gypsy moths could be eradicated. DDT and other pesticides were widely used inside homes – on window screens and on shelf paper. These chemicals were also used on crops.* There is a higher breast cancer risk when exposure to DDT happens early in life. The windows of susceptibility when women are more vulnerable are: prenatal exposure, exposure during puberty, and exposure during first pregnancy. Ground water was also studied. On sandy peninsulas, such as the Cape, drinking water is just below the surface, and sandy soils are highly permeable, so the water is vulnerable to contamination.** *All of Cape Cod was sprayed with DDT in 1948-1950 and again in 1955 with the intent to eradicate the gypsy moth. (Silent Spring Institute) |
**Groundwater is the source of nearly all of Cape Cod’s drinking water and most supplies show some wastewater impact. Septic systems were designed to prevent bacterial contamination of neighboring water supplies and do not appear to be effective at removing these types of contaminants from wastewater. (Silent Spring Institute Report, 2006)
Long Island, NY is also a place that has shown elevated rates. Its topography is similar to Cape Cod. Is there something about these narrow stretches of land that cause higher rates of breast cancer than inland areas?
I was not involved with studies conducted on Long Island. I do know that a Long Island study showed links to PAHs* [Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are a group of more than 100 chemicals that are also called polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons. PAHs are released from burning coal, oil, gasoline, trash, tobacco, and wood.]
*The Long Island Breast Cancer Study Project, November 2004, found that PAHs were associated with a modest increased risk for breast cancer, which will need to be confirmed in studies of other populations. It also found that PCBs** may be associated with an increased risk for recurrence of breast cancer, which is being investigated further. (US Department of Health and Human Services)
**PCBs are man-made chemicals resistant to extreme temperature and pressure which were widely used in electrical equipment, lubricants, plasticizers, and as components of surface coatings and inks.
What puts us more at risk – things we cannot control, such as family history and age, or things we can control, such as exposure to chemicals, diet, reducing alcohol consumption, etc.?
It’s important to know that only five to ten percent of breast cancer occurrence is due to high risk BRCA genes (BRCA1 and BRCA2).* Age is a risk factor. [According to the Centers for Disease control, most breast cancers are diagnosed after age 50.] Longer lifetime menstruation is also a risk factor; for example, early menstruation (onset before age 12) and late-onset menopause (onset of menopause after age 55).
We also know that we have control of some risk factors. Reducing alcohol consumption, increasing physical activity, and avoiding hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) are ways to decrease risk.
Keeping dust levels low is also important. Dust contributes substantially to exposure to chemicals. We tested in-home air and dust from residences and established the presence of phthalates, alkylphenols, and other hormonally active compounds that may affect health. To reduce risk, use wet wipes or damp cloths to remove dust and use a high efficiency vacuum. (Kids are more susceptible because they put things in their mouths and eat the dust.)
*The BRCA gene test is a blood test that uses DNA analysis to identify harmful changes (mutations) in either one of the two breast cancer susceptibility genes - BRCA1 and BRCA2. People who inherit mutations in these genes are at an increased risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer compared with the general population. (MayoClinic.org)
I was not involved with studies conducted on Long Island. I do know that a Long Island study showed links to PAHs* [Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are a group of more than 100 chemicals that are also called polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons. PAHs are released from burning coal, oil, gasoline, trash, tobacco, and wood.]
*The Long Island Breast Cancer Study Project, November 2004, found that PAHs were associated with a modest increased risk for breast cancer, which will need to be confirmed in studies of other populations. It also found that PCBs** may be associated with an increased risk for recurrence of breast cancer, which is being investigated further. (US Department of Health and Human Services)
**PCBs are man-made chemicals resistant to extreme temperature and pressure which were widely used in electrical equipment, lubricants, plasticizers, and as components of surface coatings and inks.
What puts us more at risk – things we cannot control, such as family history and age, or things we can control, such as exposure to chemicals, diet, reducing alcohol consumption, etc.?
It’s important to know that only five to ten percent of breast cancer occurrence is due to high risk BRCA genes (BRCA1 and BRCA2).* Age is a risk factor. [According to the Centers for Disease control, most breast cancers are diagnosed after age 50.] Longer lifetime menstruation is also a risk factor; for example, early menstruation (onset before age 12) and late-onset menopause (onset of menopause after age 55).
We also know that we have control of some risk factors. Reducing alcohol consumption, increasing physical activity, and avoiding hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) are ways to decrease risk.
Keeping dust levels low is also important. Dust contributes substantially to exposure to chemicals. We tested in-home air and dust from residences and established the presence of phthalates, alkylphenols, and other hormonally active compounds that may affect health. To reduce risk, use wet wipes or damp cloths to remove dust and use a high efficiency vacuum. (Kids are more susceptible because they put things in their mouths and eat the dust.)
*The BRCA gene test is a blood test that uses DNA analysis to identify harmful changes (mutations) in either one of the two breast cancer susceptibility genes - BRCA1 and BRCA2. People who inherit mutations in these genes are at an increased risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer compared with the general population. (MayoClinic.org)
How can we reduce exposure to cancer-causing chemicals?
You can make a difference just by making a few changes. Some simple tips:
You can find a whole list of tips from our Detox Me app, ** a free mobile application that offers tips to avoid toxins in personal products, food, and the environment. It contains buying guides to decode product labels and helps you find alternative, healthy products. *PFAS: a family of human-made chemicals that are found in a wide range of products used by consumers and industry. There are nearly 5,000 types of PFAS, some of which have been more widely used and studied than others. Many PFAS are resistant to grease, oil, water and heat. For this reason, beginning in the 1940’s, PFAS have been used for many different applications, including stain-resistant and water-resistant products. (FDA.gov) |
Click Above Image to Access Information about Silent Spring's Detox Me App
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**Silent Spring Institute’s Detox Me app draws on more than 20 years of research on the health risks associated with toxic chemicals in our everyday environment, turning this vast knowledge into practical advice for healthier living
Richmond, CA: Silent Spring Researchers and Community Members
Involved in the Household Exposure Study (Photo Courtesy: Silent Spring Institute) |
What else can we do? Your vote matters. The adoption of environmental laws, such as the Clean Air Act of 1963 (to control air pollution), help to decrease the population’s exposure to toxic chemicals. A recent success story is when we discovered that Californians had significantly higher levels of PBDEs, a common class of flame retardants, in their homes (used in furniture) and bodies than the rest of the nation. This was likely the result of a unique statewide furniture flammability standard. We collaborated with other organizations, even firefighters supported our mission to make these chemicals illegal. That same year, California banned two commercial PBDE flame retardant mixtures, PentaBDE and OctaBDE. We were able to make change through advocacy. Find more information about the Silent Spring Institute’s "Household Exposure Study (California)" by clicking HERE. |
What is the Detox Me™ Action Kit?
It’s a crowd-sourced biomonitoring study. The participants collect their own urine samples and pay for their personal lab analysis. The urine is tested for common endocrine disruptors. The participants receive a full report that compares their personal results with the results of all others in the study. The results are folded into our research and the data is analyzed.
It’s on hiatus right now. It will re-open later this year.
For more information and to be notified when enrollment begins again, click HERE.
Are there any future projects or research studies the organization is planning?
We are developing ultra-fast, chemical screening methods that will allow researchers to test large numbers of chemicals at once and zero in on those most likely to increase breast cancer risk. There are thousands of chemicals that haven’t been studied yet. We want to be able to quickly evaluate chemicals and determine those that shouldn’t be in consumers’ homes.
The next step: Organize the data so that we can alert manufacturers, retailers and policy makers.
See more about BCScreen HERE.
Anything else you’d like readers to know?
I feel really privileged to work at this institute. It’s a women-led team. This group of scientists is extremely dedicated to the mission.
Where do you find sanctuary? (#WheresYourSanctuary)
In my garden. I love being out there. It’s very calming for me. Laughing. I have a great cucumber crop out there right now.
It’s a crowd-sourced biomonitoring study. The participants collect their own urine samples and pay for their personal lab analysis. The urine is tested for common endocrine disruptors. The participants receive a full report that compares their personal results with the results of all others in the study. The results are folded into our research and the data is analyzed.
It’s on hiatus right now. It will re-open later this year.
For more information and to be notified when enrollment begins again, click HERE.
Are there any future projects or research studies the organization is planning?
We are developing ultra-fast, chemical screening methods that will allow researchers to test large numbers of chemicals at once and zero in on those most likely to increase breast cancer risk. There are thousands of chemicals that haven’t been studied yet. We want to be able to quickly evaluate chemicals and determine those that shouldn’t be in consumers’ homes.
The next step: Organize the data so that we can alert manufacturers, retailers and policy makers.
See more about BCScreen HERE.
Anything else you’d like readers to know?
I feel really privileged to work at this institute. It’s a women-led team. This group of scientists is extremely dedicated to the mission.
Where do you find sanctuary? (#WheresYourSanctuary)
In my garden. I love being out there. It’s very calming for me. Laughing. I have a great cucumber crop out there right now.