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Dear

In this Breast Cancer Awareness month, I am supporting the call for the major breast cancer charities to acknowledge the ever growing body of scientific evidence that links environmental and occupational risk factors to breast cancer. For more information please visit this page at From Pink to Prevention, where you can find a listing of the current state of the evidence. http://www.frompinktoprevention.org/resources/scientific-evidence/

Breast Cancer Charities continue to focus solely on ‘lifestyle’ risk factors such as diet and exercise, while ignoring the potential 60% of breast cancer cases for which they have no explanation.

But what about the role of chemical, environmental and occupational exposures in this?   And why, when the World Health Organisation states that prevention (which is not the same as early detection) offers the most cost-effective long-term strategy for the control of cancer, do we not see this reflected in our cancer plans and strategies?

I would like to ask your organisation the Big Question:

WHY it persists in refusing to acknowledge the role of environmental and occupational toxicants by ignoring decades of evidence up to the present day on the link between our lifelong (womb to grave) exposures to toxics and the escalating incidence of breast cancer?

I support those who argue that seeking better diagnostics and treatment is not mutually exclusive with looking at how our profoundly polluted environment, homes and workplaces impact on our bodies and health and that Precautionary Principle must applied to this issue.  All women need and deserve a full understanding of all potential risk factors for the disease that threatens women’s lives and health.

I look forward to your reply.

Yours sincerely,

_____________

 

Notes:

World Health Organisation Asturias Declaration:
http://www.who.int/phe/news/events/international_conference/Call_for_action_en.pdf

For more information on the evidence linking breast cancer and environmental and occupational risk factors: http://www.frompinktoprevention.org/resources/scientific-evidence/