Hidden dangers: The cancer risks of environmental injustice
Justin Colacino
Associate Professor, Environmental Health Sciences and Nutritional Sciences
Cancer disparities manifest as differences in cancer incidence, outcomes, or deaths across various demographic groups—whether by gender, age, location, sexual orientation, race, or ethnicity. Through my work at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, where we study environmental and dietary factors leading to chronic diseases, one truth has become increasingly clear: Your ZIP code may be a better predictor of health outcomes than your genetic code.
One of the most pressing public health challenges we face is understanding breast cancer disparities. Black women in the US are significantly more likely to die from breast cancer than white or Asian American women. They're also more likely to be diagnosed with an aggressive subtype called triple-negative breast cancer, which is particularly difficult to treat. While genetics plays a role—accounting for 10 to 15% of breast cancer risk—environmental factors significantly influence cancer development.
My lab focuses on understanding how pollution and environmental exposures impact these disparities. We examine how carcinogenic exposures can trigger key characteristics of cancer development, like uncontrolled cell growth, tissue invasion, and metastasis—the process where cancer cells spread throughout the body to organs like the lungs, brain, or bones. This metastatic process is often what makes cancer fatal.
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The evidence is increasingly concerning. Air pollution, which we can track through sophisticated monitoring systems, has been linked not only to lung cancer in non-smokers but increasingly to other cancers, including breast cancer. We're also finding troubling connections with endocrine-disrupting chemicals—compounds that mimic hormones in our bodies. These include pesticides and chemicals from plastics, which we now find as microparticles throughout our environment and, disturbingly, in our bodies.
Of particular concern are PFAS compounds—per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances found in products like common household cooking utensils and cleaning solutions. These are sometimes called “forever chemicals.” Research has shown that even extremely low exposure levels to certain PFAS compounds during early development can alter breast tissue formation in ways that may increase cancer risk later in life.
Through the Michigan Cancer and Research on the Environment Study (MI-CARES) at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, we're examining communities that have faced historical environmental injustice. Our colleagues at the University of Michigan’s School of Environmental Sustainability have mapped environmental injustice across the state, revealing that communities in Detroit, Kalamazoo, Flint, Saginaw, Lansing, and Grand Rapids all show higher risks of environmental injustice—including greater exposure to environmental pollutants, traffic pollution, and hazardous waste sites.
But there is hope. We can take action both individually and collectively. On a personal level, testing well water for PFAS contamination, installing home air filters to reduce indoor air pollution, and regular vacuuming to reduce dust can make a difference. The dust in our homes often contains high levels of flame retardants and other chemicals that leach from electronics and furniture. Additionally, maintaining good sleep cycles—which regulate the enzymes that process pollutants—eating a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables, and regular exercise can help our bodies remain resilient against environmental exposures.
More broadly, this is our moment to make significant changes. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently investing heavily in environmental justice initiatives and remediation efforts in communities facing environmental injustice. It's our chance to address these historic inequities while there's political momentum to do so.
The path forward requires both individual action and systemic change. Through our environmental epidemiology studies, which examine chemical exposures across thousands of individuals, we continue to identify these links between disproportionate pollution exposure and cancer, providing the scientific evidence needed for regulatory action. Just as the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act have had substantial impacts on everyone's health in the US, new policies can help protect our most vulnerable communities from environmental harm.
Our work in environmental health sciences isn't just about understanding exposures—it's about identifying who's most affected, why they're affected, and translating that knowledge into policy changes that can reduce exposures in these communities. Because when it comes to cancer risk, your ZIP code shouldn't determine your destiny.
About the author
Justin Colacino is an associate professor of Environmental Health Sciences and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. His research focuses on understanding environmental and dietary factors in the development of chronic diseases like cancer. Specifically, the goal of his research is to characterize the susceptibility of normal stem cell populations to environmental stress, and to understand the link between dysregulated development and disease.