The Impact of Proposition 65 on Chemical Exposures Relevant to Breast Cancer
Creators: name: University Of California Office Of The President
Publisher: name: University of California Office of the President
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/00dmfq477
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2024

description: The research team for this project includes:-
 Megan Schwarzman, MD, MPH, UC Berkeley School of Public Health-
 Claudia Polsky, JD, M. App. Sci., UC Berkeley School of Law-
 Purba Mukerjee, JD, MS, UC Berkeley School of Law-
 Ruthann Rudel, MS, Silent Spring Institute-
 Robin Dodson, ScD, Silent Spring Institute-
 Jennifer Ohayon, PhD, Silent Spring Institute
 
 
 
 Non-technical overview of the research topic and relevance to breast cancer: 
 California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (commonly known as Proposition 65) requires the state of California to publish a list of chemicals that cause cancer, birth defects, or reproductive harm. The law also requires businesses to notify California consumers, residents, and in some cases workers if products contain significant amounts of one or more of the chemicals that appear on the Proposition 65 list. Warnings are also required if the chemicals are found in people’s homes, or if they are released into the environment in significant amounts. The Proposition 65 chemical list now includes over 800 chemicals. However, in the 30 years since its enactment, no study has measured what effect the law has had on Californians’ exposure to chemicals on the list. We will assess the law’s impact by evaluating its influence on business practices, public knowledge, and chemical exposures, focusing specifically on chemicals that may increase breast cancer risk. We hope to determine whether the law has resulted in lower exposures to these chemicals and to identify further actions policymakers can take to protect public health under the law. 
 
 
 
 Research question(s) or central hypotheses: 
 We will address the following questions: 1) Have levels of breast cancer-related chemicals in Californians’ bodies changed since the chemicals were included in Proposition 65?; 2) Has the amount of these chemicals released into California’s air and water changed?; 3) How have consumers and workers responded to Proposition 65 warnings?; 4) How have businesses changed their products or manufacturing practices in response to Proposition 65?; and 5) How have lawsuits under Proposition 65 changed the chemicals used in consumer products? 
 
 
 
 General methodology: 
 We will: 1) Analyze data from biomonitoring—the measurement of toxic substances in people’s bodies through urine or blood samples—to understand changes in Californian’s exposure to breast cancer-related chemicals listed under Proposition 65; 2) Conduct focus groups with a diverse subset of California residents and workers to understand how people respond to Proposition 65 warnings; 3) Evaluate businesses’ response Proposition 65 chemical listings by conducting interviews, product testing, and tracking environmental releases; 4) Conduct a legal analysis of Proposition 65, including collecting information on lawsuit outcomes and interviewing attorneys; and 5) Analyze aspects of the law that could be improved to reduce public exposures to chemicals linked to breast cancer. 
 
 
 
 Innovative elements: 
 Although the goal of chemical regulation is generally to improve public health, rarely has research been conducted to understand whether regulations have their intended effect. We will use multiple approaches to investigate the influence of Proposition 65, including direct measurements of chemicals in people, product testing, interviewing people about their responses to Proposition 65 warnings, and a close look at changes in business practices. Furthermore, we will study whether the law has equally impacted California’s diverse residents, for example, by comparing chemical levels in Californians with different racial, ethnic, and income backgrounds. By focusing on breast cancer-related chemicals, we hope to understand the law’s effect on public health. While the majority of breast cancer research focuses on treatment, this project aims to contribute to prevention by investigating how to reduce exposure to chemicals linked to breast cancer. 
 
 
 
 Advocacy involvement and relevance to the human issues associated with breast cancer: 
 We expect to identify additional actions decision-makers can take to increase the effectiveness of Proposition 65 in reducing exposure to chemicals linked to breast cancer. We will partner with several California advocacy organizations for input in selecting chemicals to analyze, for instance, and in recruiting participants for focus group that reflect the state’s economic, racial, and ethnic diversity. Our advocacy partners will help translate our research findings for decision-makers and the media and will distribute the findings via their networks. Input from our partners will ensure that the research reflects priorities of the diverse communities served by these organizations, including workers in industries that are at a higher risk for breast cancer.