Make October Breast Cancer Prevention Month

Posted by Siel in environment (Friday October 15, 2010 at 11:58 am)

For evidence that environmental pollutants are linked to breast cancer, look no further than this report from the Breast Cancer Fund that links the two: State of the Evidence: The Connection Between Breast Cancer and the Environment.

State of the Evidence is an annual publication published by Breast Cancer Fund, a nonprofit that works to combat the environmental causes of breast cancer. Basically, the report summarizes all the research that’s come out in the previous year and adds it to the body of scientific evidence we already have linking environmental pollution to breast cancer.

The forms of this pollution run the gamut — from harmful particulates in the air we breathe to the BPA in the canned food we eat to the nail polish we put on our toes. Each year, Breast Cancer Fund points out with this report that a woman’s risk of breast cancer has increased dramatically in recent decades — in tandem with the number of mostly-untested or undertested synthetic chemicals used in the U.S.

The State of Evidence is rather depressing to to get through (and rather long too, at 132 pages), but Breast Cancer Fund’s twitter feed is more uplifting — focused mostly on quick tips about what you can do reducing your environmental risks for breast cancer.

And on an even more sanguine note: Breast Cancer Fund wants to turn October from Breast Cancer Awareness Month to Breast Cancer Prevention Month. Because while I do support the search for a cure, I would really prefer not to get breast cancer in the first place.

And if you want better regulation and testing of chemicals before they’re allowed into our products and environment at large, push for policies that help reduce breast cancer risk for everyone. Breast Cancer Fund’s put together a handy list of actions you can take, ranging from calling for safer cosmetics to keeping pthalates out of children’s toys.