Targeted exposure assessment to study the role of environmental chemicals on the development of breast cancer among Iranian women
PI(s): Mohammad Rafiee, Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Masoud Younesian, Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.Date Published: 04/06/2026
Project Start: 01/03/2026 | Project End:
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License: Restricted Access - Data is not openly available and can only be accessed under specific agreements or conditions
Breast cancer is the most prevalent malignancy and the primary cause of cancer-related mortality among women worldwide. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) report (2022), Iran records approximately 15,000 new female breast cancer cases annually, and this number is projected to increase by about 47% by 2050. Despite well-established genetic and hormonal risk factors, the rising incidence of breast cancer underscores the need to identify additional modifiable determinants. Growing evidence suggests that exposure to environmental pollutants, including heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs), among others, may contribute to the development or progression of breast carcinogenesis. A major challenge, however, is the complexity of real-world exposure patterns, which typically involve mixtures rather than single exposures. Nevertheless, many epidemiologic studies have predominantly evaluated individual pollutants, whereas integrated assessment of combined exposures has received limited attention. Moreover, substantial gaps remain in elucidating the cellular and molecular mechanisms linking chemical exposures to breast cancer development. Gut microbiota has been proposed as a potential mediator linking environmental exposures to breast cancer. The intestinal microbiota, known as the “second genome,” represents one of the most complex and dynamic microbial ecosystems within the human body, comprising trillions of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa. This microbial consortium plays a profound and multifaceted role in host health by participating in the regulation of a broad spectrum of biochemical and physiological processes. Nevertheless, gut microbiota dysbiosis has been strongly associated with the onset and progression of numerous diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders, cardiovascular events, diabetes, and cancer. In particular, the gut microbiome has emerged as a key contributor to breast carcinogenesis. Recent studies suggest that alterations in its composition and function can influence breast cancer initiation, metastasis, and treatment response through multiple mechanisms, including immune modulation, estrogen metabolism, metabolic homeostasis, and direct genotoxic effects. Conversely, exposure to various chemical pollutants can induce gut microbial imbalance, potentially activating inflammatory, hormonal, and metabolic pathways and thereby increasing the risk of breast cancer. However, the contribution of microbial dysbiosis to breast carcinogenesis associated with environmental exposures has been largely overlooked. This issue is more pronounced in countries with a high environmental pollution burden, including Iran, where environmental contamination constitutes a major public health challenge. Across the country, large urban and industrial areas experience recurrent episodes of degraded air quality, resulting in chronic exposure to elevated levels of particulate matter (PM₂.₅ and PM₁₀) and gaseous pollutants (e.g., NO₂/NOx, SO₂, and CO). Beyond inhalation pathways, multi-compartment contamination may sustain long-term exposure through drinking-water pollutants (e.g., nitrate and arsenic), incomplete removal of persistent and emerging contaminants in conventional wastewater treatment, and widespread soil contamination from industrial and agricultural chemicals (including heavy metals and pesticides) and inadequate municipal waste management, with subsequent transfer into the food chain. Collectively, these mixture exposures may increase internal dose to potentially carcinogenic compounds and elevate the risk of malignancies, underscoring the need for integrative, combined-exposure assessment in this setting. This study thus aims to investigate the associations among exposure to chemical pollutants, gut microbiota alterations, and breast cancer risk. To address this objective, a matched case–control study has been designed. Specifically, the study will: (1) quantify the association between combined exposure to selected chemicals and breast cancer risk; (2) characterize gut microbiota diversity and composition in breast cancer cases compared with matched controls; and (3) evaluate whether gut microbiota alterations mediate the associations between chemical exposures and breast cancer risk, thereby providing deeper insight into potential underlying biological mechanisms. The study will enroll approximately 200 breast cancer cases and 200 controls, matched on age (±5 years), residential address, and menopausal status. Participants will be women aged 18–65 years recruited from the Cancer Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, and classified as cases or controls according to predefined study criteria. Biological samples (hair, stool, and blood) will be collected from all participants. Exposure to chemical pollutants will be assessed by quantifying their concentrations in hair samples using validated analytical methods (LC–MS/MS, GC–MS, and MP-AES). Gut microbiota profiles will be characterized in stool samples using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The findings of this study are expected to provide novel insights into the functional pathways linking environmental exposures to mammary tumorigenesis and to inform the development of innovative approaches for breast cancer prevention and early detection. Moreover, the results may contribute to establishing a conceptual framework to advance precision therapeutic strategies for breast cancer treatment.
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Environmental exposures and reproductive health of males in Jinhua, China
PI(s): Wen-Jing Deng, The Education University of Hong Kong. Wen-Jing Deng, The Education University of Hong Kong.Date Published: 01/06/2026
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biomarker study in adult male in Jinhua, a medium-sized inland city in Zhejiang Province, China
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Petrochemical chemical complex and health in Taiwan
PI(s): Chang-Chuan Chan, National Taiwan University. Tzu-Hsuen Yuan, National Taiwan University.Date Published: 01/06/2026
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License: Restricted Access - Data is not openly available and can only be accessed under specific agreements or conditions
The No. 6 Naphtha Cracking Complex located in Mailiao Township in Yunling County is the largest petrochemical complex in Taiwan, with an area of 2603 ha. This complex is the main source of industrial emissions in our study area. There are 64 plants in this petrochemical complex, including 3 oil refineries with an oil production capacity of 25 million tons per year, 1 coal-fired power plant with an electricity generating capacity of 1.8 million kW per year, 3 co-generation plants with a total electricity capacity of 2.82 million kW, 2 naphtha cracking plants that produce 160 million tons of ethylene, and several petrochemical processing plants
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Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO)
PI(s): Evelyn Xiu Ling Loo, National University of Singapore. Evelyn Xiu Ling Loo, National University of Singapore.Date Published: 01/06/2026
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Project Website: https://gustodatavault.sg/home
License: Restricted Access - Data is not openly available and can only be accessed under specific agreements or conditions
It is a major collaborative research effort involving partners across Singapore from healthcare and research alike. This includes the National University of Singapore (NUS), KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH), and A*STAR's Institute for Human Development and Potential (IHDP). The purpose of GUSTO cohort study is to understand how conditions in pregnancy and early childhood influence the subsequent health and development of women and child.
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Pediatric studies in Hong Kong
PI(s): Wen-Jing Deng, . Wen-Jing Deng, .Date Published: 01/06/2026
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Multiple studies / biomarker measurement in children in Hong Kong
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Singapore PREconception Study of long-Term maternal and child Outcomes (S-PRESTO)
PI(s): Evelyn Xiu Ling Loo, National University of Singapore. Evelyn Xiu Ling Loo, National University of Singapore.Date Published: 01/06/2026
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Project Website: https://gustodatavault.sg/home
License: Restricted Access - Data is not openly available and can only be accessed under specific agreements or conditions
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nEonicotinoid Insecticide exposuREs
PI(s): Alison Connolly, University College Dublin. , .Date Published: 23/04/2026
Project Start: 01/11/2022 | Project End: 30/11/2026
Project Website: https://www.ucd.ie/phpss/research/eirestudy/
License: Restricted Access - Data is not openly available and can only be accessed under specific agreements or conditions
The EIRE study is a study of exposures to neonicotinoid insecticides among the Irish population using a human biomonitoring strategy. Neonicotinoid insecticides and neonicotinoid-like compounds (NNIs) are the most widely used type of insecticides worldwide. An insecticide is a pesticide that kills insects and prevents insect infestations. We will use human biomonitoring (HBM) to quantify overall exposure to NNIs in both environmental and occupational settings. This means that we will analyse urine samples from selected groups for NNIs and their metabolites (break-down products).
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Test proj2
PI(s): Shaz Rashid, . , .Date Published: 05/02/2026
Project Start: 01/03/2026 | Project End: 31/10/2026
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PFAS exposure collected from the internet
PI(s): Egon Willighagen, . , .Date Published: 16/02/2026
Project Start: 16/02/2026 | Project End:
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License: CC0 - Data is dedicated to the public domain and can be freely reused without restriction
Data from a recent study about PFAS in human samples in The Netherlands.
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Test proj1
PI(s): Shaz Rashid, IOM. , .Date Published: 25/11/2025
Project Start: 27/11/2025 | Project End: 29/05/2026
Project Website: https://platform.vhp4safety.nl/
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Test Project with restricted metadata
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