Silent Spring Institute

Silent Spring Institute The only scientific research organization specifically dedicated to uncovering the environmental causes of breast cancer

The Institute’s research agenda is defined by these priorities:

* Focus on the environment, an under-studied area that can lead to the discovery of preventable causes of cancer, particularly in communities with higher risk;

* Make women’s health, especially breast cancer, a central rather than peripheral research priority;

* Support innovation, including new research methods and pilot studies t

o test new hypotheses;

* Foster multidisciplinary teams of researchers to integrate their strengths;

* Foster true collaboration among scientists, physicians, and community members. Silent Spring Institute began in 1994, after members of the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition called for a scientifically sound investigation into elevated breast cancer rates on Cape Cod. They founded “a laboratory of their own” and named it Silent Spring Institute in tribute to Rachel Carson, whose landmark book, Silent Spring, launched the modern environmental movement. Carson died of breast cancer just two years after the book was published. Be part of the movement http://silentspring.org/.

"What began as a small research question uncovered a much larger public health threat."With a long history of PFAS resea...
04/27/2026

"What began as a small research question uncovered a much larger public health threat."

With a long history of PFAS research, Silent Spring is leading the way in understanding the health impacts of these chemicals in drinking water--and driving solutions--through the Massachusetts PFAS & Your Health Study.

Learn more:

Support WBURPaid for by Silent Spring InstituteMassachusetts PFAS and Your Health Study: Protecting residents through science and community engagementThis post was paid for and produced by our sponsor, Silent Spring Institute, in collaboration with WBUR’s Business Partnerships team. WBUR’s edito...

04/23/2026

Scientists from Silent Spring Institute were among hundreds of professionals in attendance for the Northeast Waste Management Officials’ Association (NEWMOA) conference on the Science of PFAS.

Research presented by Silent Spring included:
🥗 Yuting Wang, PhD - the role of diet on the associations between PFAS and blood pressure
💧 Laurel Schaider, PhD - the impact of past PFAS exposures from contaminated drinking water in US communities
🍳 Emma Ryan, MPH - the impact of PFAS-contaminated drinking water treatment on children’s PFAS blood levels over time and other exposure pathways

Check out the PFAS Exchange and the Massachusetts PFAS and Your Health Study on our website to learn more about our PFAS research!

Join us on Wednesday, May 13th for our next Science Café!☕“The Secret Chemistry of Hair Extensions”: A virtual conversat...
04/14/2026

Join us on Wednesday, May 13th for our next Science Café!

☕“The Secret Chemistry of Hair Extensions”: A virtual conversation on the intersection of environmental health, culture, and personal care products, and how science can inform safer choices and more health-protective policies.

Featuring:
🔬 Dr. Tamarra James-Todd, Professor of Environmental Reproductive Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
🔬 Dr. Elissia Franklin, Research Scientist, Analytical Chemistry and Exposure Science, Silent Spring Institute

Save your spot today 📅— register by following the link:
https://silentspring.org/event/science-cafe-secret-chemistry-hair-extensions

Silent Spring’s Summer Institute is a great way for high school students to explore how scientific methods can deepen ou...
04/08/2026

Silent Spring’s Summer Institute is a great way for high school students to explore how scientific methods can deepen our understanding of the connections between the environment and our health.

Hear what last year's students had to say!

Program Details:

📆 July 6-10, 2026 (virtually)
💡 Free and open to high school students
⌛ Registration closes June 5th

🔗 Register here: http://silentspring.org/summer

Powerful stories that put a human face on an alarming trend: the rise in early-onset cancers. A reminder of why we must ...
04/06/2026

Powerful stories that put a human face on an alarming trend: the rise in early-onset cancers. A reminder of why we must invest in uncovering the environmental drivers behind this growing crisis.

At Silent Spring Institute, our Safer Chemicals Program is working to identify chemicals in our everyday environments that are likely to cause breast cancer—so we can reduce harmful exposures, reduce risk, and reverse this troubling pattern.

Read more: https://silentspring.org/our-science/how-do-we-identify-chemicals-cause-breast-cancer

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/04/04/well/early-onset-cancer.html

Hundreds of New York Times readers shared their experiences with early-onset cancers. Here are seven of their stories.

04/01/2026

✨Silent Spring’s research is driving real-world change!✨

Oral-B removes PFAS from its Glide dental floss.

In 2019, scientists at Silent Spring Institute published the first study to show a link between flossing with Oral-B Glide and elevated levels of toxic PFAS chemicals in the body.
Product testing by the same team also revealed evidence of PFAS in Glide and similar floss products, reinforcing concerns about the use of Teflon-based materials in personal care products.

⚠️Although the company recently reformulated its floss, other manufacturers can still sell products made with Teflon (or PTFE–a PFAS polymer).⚠️

You can avoid PFAS by looking for nylon or silk dental floss that is either uncoated or coated in a natural wax.

For more healthy living tips, download Silent Spring’s Detox Me app.

Read more about it by following this link: https://silentspring.org/news/oral-b-stops-using-teflon-its-popular-glide-dental-flos

04/01/2026

✨Silent Spring’s research is driving real-world change!✨

Oral-B removes PFAS from its Glide dental floss.

In 2019, scientists at Silent Spring Institute published the first study to show a link between flossing with Oral-B Glide and elevated levels of toxic PFAS chemicals in the body.
Product testing by the same team also revealed evidence of PFAS in Glide and similar floss products, reinforcing concerns about the use of Teflon-based materials in personal care products.

⚠️Although the company recently reformulated its floss, other manufacturers can still sell products made with Teflon (or PTFE–a PFAS polymer).⚠️

You can avoid PFAS by looking for nylon or silk dental floss that is either uncoated or coated in a natural wax.

For more healthy living tips, download Silent Spring’s Detox Me app.

Read more about it by following this link: https://silentspring.org/news/oral-b-stops-using-teflon-its-popular-glide-dental-floss

✨Behind the Scenes at Silent Spring: Meet Research Associate, Katherine Franz✨Katherine is making science more interesti...
03/18/2026

✨Behind the Scenes at Silent Spring: Meet Research Associate, Katherine Franz✨

Katherine is making science more interesting, understandable, and actionable for everyone. Many of her projects center on “report-back,” the practice of sharing individual study results with participants.

Katherine works with Silent Spring’s DERBI tool to develop reports to help people interpret results for environmental exposure measurements such as contaminants in well water, chemicals measured in blood, and radon levels in homes. She also supports Silent Spring’s PFAS exposure studies by collecting samples of dust, air, soil, and home-grown produce from homes across Massachusetts.

Katherine holds a BS in Environmental Sciences and Anthropology from the University of Notre Dame.

Do not miss this great opportunity to attend Silent Spring Summer Institute! Throughout this week long, virtual program,...
03/10/2026

Do not miss this great opportunity to attend Silent Spring Summer Institute! Throughout this week long, virtual program, high school students will learn important topics such as:
1. Research methods
2. Exposure science
3. Toxicology &
4. Environmental justice

📆 July 6-10, 2026 (virtually)
🔗 Register here: http://silentspring.org/summer

🏡✨ Help Us Improve a Healthy Homes App! ✨🏡You’re invited to participate in usability testing for a healthy homes app cur...
03/02/2026

🏡✨ Help Us Improve a Healthy Homes App! ✨🏡

You’re invited to participate in usability testing for a healthy homes app currently in development by Silent Spring Institute.

💻 Participation includes a 1-hour Zoom session
🎁 Receive a $50 gift card as a thank-you for your time!

Interested? Fill out this form to get started:

🔗 https://bit.ly/TestHomeApp

We’ll follow up by email. Depending on the level of interest, we may not be able to respond to everyone — but we truly appreciate your willingness to help! 💚

Curious about science, the environment, and health? Silent Spring’s second annual Summer Institute is now open for regis...
02/28/2026

Curious about science, the environment, and health? Silent Spring’s second annual Summer Institute is now open for registration!

🧪Led by Silent Spring Institute’s Executive Director, Mary Beth Terry, a world-renowned cancer epidemiologist
🔬Students will learn a range of topics including toxicology, exposure science, chemistry, and community engaged research.

📆 July 6-10, 2026 (virtually)
💡 Free and open to high school students
⌛ Registration closes June 5th

🔗 Find the registration link here: http://silentspring.org/summer

Address

320 Nevada Street, Ste 302
Newton, MA
02460

Telephone

+16173324288

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Silent Spring Institute posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Silent Spring Institute:

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Because no one should get breast cancer because of toxic chemicals...

The Institute’s research agenda is defined by these priorities: * Focus on the environmental and preventable causes of breast cancer, particularly in communities with higher risk; * Make breast cancer prevention a national research priority; * Support innovation, including new research methods and pilot studies to test new hypotheses; * Foster multidisciplinary teams of researchers to integrate their strengths; * Foster true collaboration among scientists, physicians, and community members. Silent Spring Institute began in 1994, after members of the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition called for a scientifically sound investigation into elevated breast cancer rates on Cape Cod. They founded “a laboratory of their own” and named it Silent Spring Institute in tribute to Rachel Carson, whose landmark book, Silent Spring, launched the modern environmental movement. Carson died of breast cancer just two years after the book was published. Be part of the movement http://silentspring.org/.