Environment and Breast Cancer: Science Review

Overview | Publications | Epidemiology Reviews Database | Mammary Carcinogens Review Database

Air pollution can contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Based on a relatively small number of studies, the evidence to date generally supports an association between breast cancer and PAHs

Review Article

Animal mammary gland carcinogens (pdf)

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Originating list The list(s) or database(s) in which the chemical was identified as showing an increase in mammary gland tumors. CPDB: Carcinogenic Potency Database, IARC: International Agency for Research on Chemicals Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risk of Chemicals to Man summaries, NTP TR: National Toxicology Program (NTP) Technical Reports, NTP 11ROC: NTP 11th Report on Carcinogens, CCRIS: Chemical Carcinogenesis Research Information Service.
International Agency for Research on Cancer Evaluation
IARC classification Overall evaluation: Group 1: The agent is carcinogenic to humans. Group 2A: The agent is probably carcinogenic to humans. Group 2B: The agent is possibly carcinogenic to humans. Group 3: The agent is not classifiable as to carcinogenicity in humans. Group 4: The agent is probably not carcinogenic to humans. NA: not evaluated by IARC (9).
Evidence in humans Strength of the evidence in humans (summary of epidemiologic evidence) and animals: sufficient, limited, or inadequate. If IARC has not reviewed the chemical, this field will be labeled "NA".	Evidence in animals Strength of the evidence in humans (summary of epidemiologic evidence) and animals: sufficient, limited, or inadequate. If IARC has not reviewed the chemical, this field will be labeled "NA".

National Toxicology Program Study Conclusions The National Toxicology Program Technical Reports include a determination of the carcinogenicity of the test chemical in each sex and species tested. Designations prior to 1983 are "positive" or "negative". After 1983, NTP assigned designations of "clear evidence of carcinogenicity," "some evidence of carcinogenicity," "equivocal evidence of carcinogenicity," "no evidence of carcinogenicity," or "inadequate study of carcinogenicity." The words "of carcinogenicity� are removed from the field in this database to conserve space. "NA" indicates no NTP technical report for the
Female Rats	Male Rats
Female Mice	Male Mice

Mutagenic This field draws from two summaries of evidence of mutagenicity: the Carcinogenic Potency Database and the Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances Database. "Yes" denotes mutagenic or weakly mutagenic in both sources. "Conflicting" means one source recognized mutagenicity and the other did not. "No" denotes a negative finding in both and "NA" means not listed in either.

Major use We assigned each chemical into one of the following groups based on its major sources and uses: industrial chemicals, chlorinated solvents, products of combustion, pesticides, dyes, radiation and drinking water disinfection, pharmaceuticals, hormones, natural products, and research chemicals.
Widespread exposure If a chemical is a High Production Volume chemical, added to food, found in air pollution or consumer products, or causes greater than 5000 women to be exposed occupationally, it was judged to cause a likely widespread exposure to women in the United States.
High production volume chemical Chemicals are classified "Yes" or "No," based on 2002 production volume information submitted to the US EPA in: "Yes" for >1 million pounds produced; "No" for < 1 million pounds produced.
Air pollutant Chemicals classified as "Likely" air pollutants are those likely to be found in indoor or outdoor air, including products of combustion and industrial chemicals that may offgas from consumer products, leading to human exposure.	In consumer products "Likely" indicates that the chemical is contained in consumer products or traces of the chemical are present in products, including food and water, resulting in likely exposure for the general population. For some chemicals marked as "likely," consumer product uses have been discontinued, and this will be indicated in the "Use in Consumer Products" field.
Females occupationally exposed Whether >5,000 women were potentially exposed as determined from the National Occupational Exposure Survey (NOES) 1981-1983. Note: NOES does not include farm workers.
Food additive in US Chemicals are classified as "Listed" or "Not listed" in the Everything Added to Food in the United States database developed by the US Food and Drug Administration.(22)