Has Europe’s Safer Chemical Policy Translated to Lower Breast Cancer Rates?

When advocates point to Europe’s more protective chemical regulations, a natural question arises: have these policies actually resulted in lower breast cancer rates compared to the United States? The answer, as with most public health questions, is more complex than a simple yes or no.

The Chemical Policy Divide

The regulatory philosophies governing chemicals in Europe and the United States couldn’t be more different. In the U.S., the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) operates on a principle of “innocent until proven guilty”—chemicals are assumed safe until proven otherwise, often requiring extensive evidence of harm before restrictions are imposed. This approach has left tens of thousands of chemicals in commerce with little to no safety data.

Europe’s REACH regulation (Registration,