A substantial body of evidence links environmental
exposures to increases in breast cancer incidence over
the past decades. State and federal legislative initiatives
that could help prevent breast cancer include: federal
standards to achieve consistency in radiation-emitting
medical and dental equipment; improved state quality
assurance standards for radiation-emitting equipment;
federal and state exposure limits for electromagnetic
radiation; an overhaul of the federal Toxic Substances
Control Act to reduce unsafe chemical exposures;
strengthened premarket health and safety testing and
regulation of pesticides; a federal ban on the manufacture,
distribution and sale of consumer products containing
bisphenol A and phthalates; and strengthened
oversight and regulation of the cosmetics industry. We
recommend public and private investment in research
on low dose exposures, mixtures, and the timing of
chemical exposures, as well as the development of
health tracking and biomonitoring programs designed
to link data from pollution surveillance systems with
disease registries.