Breast cancer is the most prevalent kind of cancer in the world, and medical practitioners are keen to stress the role diet, exercise, and environmental pollution play in its development. However, there is an increasingly popular theory that anxiety, depression, and stress also contribute to breast cancer. Traumatic life events can lead to depression, which in turn increases the risk of developing breast cancer. This is the central premise of Foiled Creative Fire by Heather Goodare.
Continue reading The Lives of Historic Women Demonstrate a Link between Mental Health and Breast CancerCategory Archives: Breast cancer
MAKE THE CONNECTION
An Exhibition of Original Work by Diana Ward, marking Breast Cancer ‘Prevention’ Month launched on Wednesday 17 October.
On Wednesday 17 October UNISON hosted with a reception a new exhibition of 23 original cartoon works by From Pink to Prevention co-founder Diana Ward. Diana’s art-work is a unique way into the subject of the politics of breast cancer and it reflects on the decades of scientific evidence linking environmental and occupational risk factors to breast cancer. Continue reading MAKE THE CONNECTION
Why we need to keep REACH and progressive EU regs for breast cancer prevention
Brexit and Breast cancer an event to mark the end of Breast Cancer Prevention Month Portcullis House Westminster, October 2017
Organisers: From Pink to Prevention, Alliance for Cancer Prevention & the National Alliance of Women’s Organisations.
Speakers: Helen Hayes MP, Nick Mole, Hilda Palmer and Helen Lynn.
Chair: Deborah Burton.
We need to say; no to deregulation, say yes to staying under REACH including current and future EU chemical and pesticides regulation, yes to the polluter must pay and we need enshrine the precautionary principle in any future chemicals policy after Brexit. These were the main conclusions of the Brexit and Breast Cancer event to mark the end of what we are renaming, Breast Cancer Prevention month.
Sponsored by Helen Hayes MP, the event explored why there was so little discussion, in those pre Brexit negotiations, about the huge benefits the UK enjoys by being a member of the European Union? Benefits that ensure our rights and protections, protect us at work, underpin trade, and prevent industry from indulging in harmful environmental and working practices to feed the ever growing desire to undercut others and make higher profits. Continue reading Why we need to keep REACH and progressive EU regs for breast cancer prevention
Celebrating A Visionary Citizen Scientist
RACHEL CARSON DAY 27th MAY
Man has put the vast majority of carcinogens into the environment and he can, if he wishes, eliminate many of them. The most determined effort should be made to eliminate those carcinogens that now contaminate our food, our water supplies, and our atmosphere, because these provide the most dangerous types of contact – minute exposure repeated over and over throughout the years.
Silent Spring 1962
RACHEL CARSON marine biologist, writer and conservationist
In the year 1962, Rachel Carson was not only another breast cancer statistic, but the woman whose writing skills and scientific acumen shocked the world upon publication of ‘Silent Spring’ in which her research findings of irreversible reproductive and genetic damage to aquatic-life forms resulting from the use of pesticides and endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) were presented in her signature narrative style. Her attention to smaller aquatic life forms at the bottom of the food-chain revealed the multiplier effect for life forms at higher levels, with major predictable effects for we humans in our position at the top of the chain. The changes being observed and recorded by Carson were an early warning of the future scenario for all life forms. As such they still stand as the first scientifically-based predictions of both real and potential harm to life from manmade chemicals.
Fifty years on and the shocking difference between then and now is that there are many thousands more manmade chemicals being produced and released into the environment than the number developed by the smaller scale post-war chemicals industry of Carson’s time. Many of these are linked to breast cancer risk such as EDCs and right now there is a battle to ensure that post-Brexit UK remains within existing EU chemicals legislation (REACH), which is regarded as the best in the world.
Continue reading Celebrating A Visionary Citizen Scientist
Early Day Motion: Caroline Lucas MP has tabled an EDM drafted by From Pink to Prevention.
Early Day Motions (EDMs) are formal motions submitted for debate in the House of Commons. While very few are actually debated, EDMs allow MPs to draw attention to an event or cause. MPs register their support by signing individual motions. Our EDM calls upon the Government to act upon the urgent inclusion of environmental and occupational risk factors into all National Cancer Plans and strategies.
We would like to get as many MPs signing as possible, so please email your MP and ask them to support it! Our EDM can run until spring 2017.
Continue reading Early Day Motion: Caroline Lucas MP has tabled an EDM drafted by From Pink to Prevention.
October event: Inviting you to the book launch of So Much to Be Done.
From Pink to Prevention supported by Unison, the Alliance for Cancer Prevention and the Breast Cancer Consortium are very pleased to invite you to the launch of So Much to Be Done, a book of writings by the late Barbara Brenner, with readings by her partner of 38 years Susie Lampert. The London event is part of a series of events across the UK and the EU.
Barbara was an influential writer, activist and campaigner. She spent 15 years as the director of the organisation Breast Cancer Action based in San Francisco. Her passionate, insightful and challenging commentary on the commodified world of the pink ribbon and the resulting ‘pinkwashing’ of breast cancer changed the conversation around the issue forever.
The event runs from 6pm – 8pm on October 31st. The event is free but places must be booked by contacting Tracey Ayton Harding at UNISON healthandsafety@unison.co.uk or From Pink to Prevention at info@frompinktoprevention.org to reserve your place. Tea, coffee and snacks will be provided.
Continue reading October event: Inviting you to the book launch of So Much to Be Done.
From Pink to Prevention 