Cincinnati Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Program

Significant Publications

Hernick AD, Brown MK,Pinney SM,Biro FM, Ball KM,Bornschein RL. Sharing unexpected biomarker results with study participants. Environmental Health Perspectives. Vol. 119, No. 1. 2011.

This article addresses the ethical questions involved with reporting unexpected research findings the Cincinnati Breast Cancer and Environment Research Center (BCERC) encountered when it discovered elevated levels of perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) among a group of study participants, young girls living in a small Cincinnati area community.

Lead Author: Ann Hernick
Hernick was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998 and dedicates much of her time volunteering for various breast cancer organizations. She served as Greater Cincinnati’s Breast Cancer Alliance (BCA) president from 2001 to 2005 and founded the Breast Health Collaborative of Greater Cincinnati. She has been involved with the Cincinnati BCERC and BCERP since 2003. 

Biro FM, Galvez MP, Greenspan LC, Succop PA, Vangeepuram N, Pinney SM, Teitelbaum S, Windham GC, Kushi LH, Wolff MS. Pubertal assessment method and baseline characteristics in a mixed longitudinal study of girls. Pediatrics (online). Aug, 2010.

This article describes methods used in a multisite research project to assess the age at which a group of girls reached puberty. The researchers argue that puberty is a time of susceptibility for developing breast cancer later in life, and research methods that provide reliable, standardized information about the timing of the start of puberty can give insight into this window of susceptibility.

Wolff MS, Teitelbaum SL, Pinney SM, Windham G, Liao L, Biro FM, Kushi LH, Erdmann C, Hiatt RA, Rybak ME, Calafat AM, Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Centers. Investigation of relationships between urinary biomarkers of phytoestrogens, phthalates, and phenols and pubertal stages in girls. Environmental Health Perspectives. March, 2010. 

Researchers found that higher exposure to three common, manmade chemical classes −  phenols, phthalates and phytoestrogens − in young girls may affect breast development, putting them at risk for health complications later in life. The article reports on a study that examined the effects of exposure to these chemical classes on pubertal development.

Windham GC, Pinney SM, Sjodin A, Lum R, Jones RS, Needham LL, Biro FM, Hiatt RA, Kushi RH. Body burdens of brominated flame retardants and other persistent organo-halogenated compounds and their descriptors in US girls. Environmental Research. Jan, 2010. 

A study found higher levels of chemicals that act like hormones in girls in the San Francisco Bay area than in a comparison group in Ohio. The chemicals examined include some brominated chemicals used as flame retardants (PBDEs), pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). 

Ford K, Khoury J, Biro FM. Early Markers of Pubertal Onset: Height and Foot Size. Journal of Adolescent Health. Vol. 44. 2009. 

A precise definition of the onset of puberty is critical in being able to predict physical and emotional changes that will affect adult health behaviors. The authors argue for the need for easy, cost-effective, reliable, noninvasive methods to assess the onset of puberty and report the results of using such a method: comparing the age of maximum foot and height growth with the age of onset of puberty in a group of young, female study participants. 

Biro FM, Khoury P, Morrison JA. Influence of Obesity on Timing of Puberty. International Journal of Andrology. Vol. 29. 2006. 

This article presents a review of the scientific literature examining the relationship between obesity and the timing of puberty, its disease implications and the current factors influencing the rise of childhood obesity worldwide.

Wolff MS, Teitelbaum SL, Windham G, Pinney SM, Britton JA, Chelimo C, Godbold J, Biro FM, Kushi LH, Pfeiffer CM, Calafat A. Pilot study of urinary biomarkers of phytoestrogens, phthalates, and phenols in girls. Environmental Health Perspectives. Oct, 2006. 

Evidence suggests that several common classes of chemicals in the environment may disrupt the balance of hormones needed for puberty to occur in girls. This article reports on the results from a study that measured urine samples from 90 girls from New York City,  Cincinnati and Northern California for 22 agents from three chemical families: phytoestrogens, phthalates and phenols.