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The CHE Toxicant and Disease Database is a searchable database that summarizes links between chemical contaminants and approximately 180 human diseases or conditions. Diseases and or toxicants can be viewed by utilizing the search options below. In 2025, we have also added links to information available in the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD). See a full description of the database and our methodology.
See also our compilation of other Databases and Resources.
For questions or comments about the database, please contact us through our Contact form.
Breast cancer
Causes Grouped by strength of evidence
Strong Evidence | Good Evidence | Limited Evidence |
Notes
+ - Group 1 human carcinogen, # - Group 2A human carcinogen, ^ - Group 2B human carcinogen (IARC) Occupational exposure to vehicular exhaust was associated with an increased risk of breast cancer in males. Cigarette smoke, especially second-hand smoke, contains high levels of PAHs. Eleven constituents of cigarette smoke have been found to cause mammary gland carcinogens in animals. These chemicals include benzo[a]pyrene, dibenzo[a,l]pyrene, 2-toluidine, 4-aminobiphenyl,2-amino-3-methylimidazoquinoline, 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazopyridine, butadiene, isoprene, nitromethane, ethylene oxide, and benzene. % - secondhand smoke exposure in pre-menopausal women has been associated with breast cancer, but not in post-menopausal women. *-Genetic polymorphisms in the estrogen metabolizing enzyme, CYP1A1, may predispose some women to breast ca after PCB exposure. Women with a genetic variant in the NAT enzyme system (slow acetylators ) have a 70% increased risk of breast cancer if they smoke. In contrast, the opposite genetic variant, or fast acetylators , have a doubling of breast cancer risk from exposure to second hand smoke.
ADDITIONAL DATA: The toxicant–disease relationships shown above were last updated in 2011. The relationships shown here are still valid, but additional research has been conducted since that time. Additional research on this disease can be found at this link:
COMPARATIVE TOXICOGENOMICS DATABASE: CURATED RESULTS
Breast Neoplasms
This link will direct your search to an external database, the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD). This database is different from, and complementary to, our database.
More information about sources and methods
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CHE’s Toxicant and Disease Database evaluates existing evidence and categorizes that evidence based on its strength. It is constructed using expert judgment and epidemiological causal inference.
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The CTD, in contrast, is a continually updated resource that presents information on a broad range of literature on chemical-disease relationships. It also provides data on genes, biological processes, and phenotypes related to chemicals and diseases. It does not categorize information based on strength of evidence, include an expert judgment process, or draw causal conclusions about toxicant-disease relationships.
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The link we have provided on this page goes directly to CTD's curated results, which are a subset of the information available through CTD. Curated results in CTD are those for which studies are available on the toxicant-disease relationship.