Silent Spring Institute

02/25/2026

Friendly reminder! We're coming together on March 4 for our next Science Café ☕“All About Prevention”: A virtual conversation on how emerging science on everyday chemicals and breast cancer risk is shaping prevention strategies.🧘‍♂️

Featuring:

🔬 Marybeth Hans, MS, PA-C, Clinical Director, Comprehensive Breast Care Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
🔬 Dr. Mary Beth Terry, Executive Director, Silent Spring Institute

Save your spot today 📅— register at: https://silentspring.org/event/science-cafe-all-about-prevention!

02/24/2026

As we close out February—honoring both National Cancer Prevention Month and Black History Month—we are reminded that prevention and health equity must go hand in hand.

At Silent Spring Institute, we study cancer-causing chemicals in personal care products commonly used by Black women, who are disproportionately affected by aggressive forms of breast cancer and other health issues.

Our research doesn’t stop at discovery. It drives policy change to remove harmful ingredients from products and protect consumers nationwide.

You can help power this work all year long. Become a Silent Spring Sustainer and join us in building a safer, more just world.

Start your monthly gift today at silentspring.org/sustainer 💛

02/18/2026

Join us on March 4 for our next Science Café “All About Prevention”: A virtual conversation on how emerging science on everyday chemicals and breast cancer risk is shaping prevention strategies.

Featuring:
- Marybeth Hans, MS, PA-C, Clinical Director, Comprehensive Breast Care Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
- Dr. Mary Beth Terry, Executive Director, Silent Spring Institute

Save your spot today! Register at: https://silentspring.org/event/science-cafe-all-about-prevention

02/11/2026

02/11/2026

A new study, led by Silent Spring's Dr. Elissia Franklin, identified dozens of hazardous chemicals in hair extensions, including products made from human hair, providing the strongest evidence yet of the potential health risks associated with this largely unregulated category of beauty products that disproportionately affect Black women.

“This is an industry that has long overlooked the health of Black women, who should not have to choose between cultural expression, convenience, and their health,” says Dr. Franklin.

“These findings make clear that stronger oversight is urgently needed to protect consumers and push companies to invest in making safer products."

The study was published today in the journal Environment & Health.

Learn more: https://silentspring.org/news/hair-extensions-contain-many-more-dangerous-chemicals-previously-thought

02/09/2026

Consumer Reports breaks down what to look for when choosing healthier personal care and beauty products.

Our research shows that people who avoid products with certain toxic ingredients have lower body burden: https://silentspring.org/news/consumers-who-avoid-products-harmful-chemicals-label-have-lower-body-burden

But avoiding ingredients only goes so far.

Take PFAS, for example. These chemicals usually aren’t listed, but they’re often used in products labeled “waterproof” or “long-lasting." So steering clear of those claims is one way to reduce exposure, says Silent Spring's Dr. Robin Dodson.

Learn more: https://silentspring.org/news/many-eco-friendly-childrens-textiles-found-contain-toxic-pfas-chemicals
https://www.consumerreports.org/product-safety/concerning-ingredients-in-cosmetics-beauty-products-a1142118686/

How to avoid chemicals like PFAS, parabens, phthalates, and lead that may be in your makeup, shampoo, and other cosmetics and personal care items.

02/05/2026

February brings together both National Cancer Prevention Month and Black History Month—a powerful moment to focus on health equity and prevention.

At Silent Spring Institute, our scientists are studying cancer-causing chemicals in personal care products commonly used by Black women, who are disproportionately affected by aggressive forms of breast cancer, among other health issues.

This research is essential for changing policies to protect consumers from harmful ingredients.

Support this work with a monthly gift at silentspring.org/sustainer

02/02/2026

Watch Silent Spring's Dr. Laurel Schaider talk about PFAS on PBS News Hours' weekly science show, Horizons.

01/30/2026

Tune in tonight to watch William Brangham, anchor of PBS News Hour’s weekly science show Horizons, explore PFAS and how we can protect ourselves with investigative journalist Mariah Blake and Silent Spring Institute's Dr. Laurel Schaider.

What do non-stick pans, firefighting foam and many of our couches, carpets and cosmetics have in common? They’re all made with PFAS. The so-called forever ch...

01/27/2026

Happening tomorrow 1/28 at noon ET: Clinical perspectives on PFAS health effects, patient concerns, and translating science into practice. Register now!

Please join STEEP for Webinar 5 of "PFAS on Cape Cod – Connecting Communities with Science for Solutions"

As PFAS research continues to expand, questions about implications for human health and clinical care are increasingly common. This session brings together a toxicologist and a clinician to share complementary research and clinical perspectives on PFAS health effects, patient concerns, and translating evolving science into practice.

You will hear from Dr. Jill Oxley, a breast surgeon at Cape Cod Healthcare with nearly three decades of clinical experience, and Dr. Angela Slitt, a Professor at URI's College of Pharmacy investigating PFAS effects on liver function, metabolism, and related health outcomes.

This webinar will be moderated by Dr. Laurel Schaider, Senior Scientist at the Silent Spring Institute whose research focuses on PFAS in drinking water and community-based environmental health.

Register for FREE here:

https://uri-edu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Y2f7TUeAT26IaOBDhRbnUw #/registration

01/21/2026

“Whether it’s highway safety, job safety or consumer product safety, the biggest benefits of regulations are from saving lives. If saving lives is made irrelevant, it will undermine the justification for all forms of protective policies.”

The Environmental Protection Agency has stopped estimating the dollar value of lives saved in the cost-benefit analyses for new pollution rules.

01/17/2026

We rely on countless products every day — but are they safe? This story highlights 4 science-backed government actions that are making a difference in protecting consumers from harmful chemicals in their daily lives.

How science-backed regulations protect people from toxic chemicals in their everyday lives.