The Social Context of Science: Cancer and the Environment

Abstract

Science remains an eminently social institution, though the interactions between science and society are often poorly understood. This article addresses the context of recent efforts to identify environmental contributions to cancer. The authors first examine cancer incidence and discuss how incidence patterns may be related to air pollution and occupational and general toxic chemical and xenestrogen exposures. They then discuss the social context in which cancer research and treatment occurs, including the dominating role of the biomedical model and socioeconomic factors, including regulatory strategies that address single chemicals, corporate conflicts of interest, and the manipulation of public opinion. Last, they consider the broad context out of which cancer arises and discuss the merits of applying the precautionary principle to sustainable social policies. Progress in reducing cancer may be fruitfully made by returning our attention to broad-scale factors such as those affecting the quality of air, water, workplace, household environments, and the global climate.