By Marj Plumb, Interim Executive Director
We did it! Thank you for raising your voice, sharing your stories, and taking action during our We Can’t Be Pink’d Think Before You Pink® campaign. Your voice is powerful, and in response, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has agreed to share information on the links between environmental exposures and breast cancer risk on their patient breast cancer prevention webpage.
This is a big deal – but there’s more work to be done. In addition to the hundreds of emails from breast cancer activists like yourselves, Breast Cancer Action sent a letter endorsed by over 100 public health and advocacy organizations, federal-level leaders, scientists, doctors, and public health professionals, which clearly outlined five key next steps. The NCI only responded to one of these calls to action, which is why we need you to help keep the pressure on!
Take action now: send a letter to the NCI today urging them to respond to all five action items that will ensure environmental exposures remain a priority in breast cancer prevention.
In addition to our request to publicly share the extensive research linking chemical exposure and breast cancer risk, BCAction also made the four following requests: the NCI should diversify their editorial board to include toxicologists and environmental epidemiologists, update their approach to analyzing environmental risks, broaden the sources of information they use in their reviews, and meet with breast cancer advocates and researchers to develop an action plan to implement these solutions.
We are on the cusp of making a fundamental change in how the leading cancer agency understands and explains breast cancer prevention, which could re-shape the national approach to prevention-oriented public health policy – and we need your help to get there!
There is urgency in this moment. Add your name now.