Projects

Annual General Meeting 2007
PLUS An Evening with Lyn Swinburne & Raelene Boyle

STOP CANCER WHERE IT STARTS

• Health Committee recommends moves to reduce breast cancer incidence.
• 1st National Conference wants environmental and lifestyle influences on breast cancer addressed.

Press releases and reports – BCN petition

Breast Cancer expresses delight with Health Committee report to Parliament - 24 January 2008
Health Committee considers submissions - 7 September 2007
Oral Submission Sept 2007
Written Submission Feb 2007
Petition Nov 2006

Stop Cancer Where it Starts has seen some milestones in the last few months. Our 2006 petition has been heard by the Parliamentary Health Committee, who recently made important recommendations to Parliament. The Environment and Breast Cancer presentations at the First National Conference revealed a high level of interest in this topic and a similarly strong interest in taking action towards reducing the incidence of breast cancer. As a result, BCN is working on new moves to address lifestyle and environment effects with education and advocacy.

Health Committee recommends moves aimed at reducing breast cancer incidence.

Chairman Sue Kedgley, MP, delivered to Parliament in December 2007 the following recommendations as the outcome of the BCN petition
Petition 2005/80 of Barbara Mason and Gillian Woods on behalf of the Breast Cancer Network (NZ) Inc and 10,969 others Recommendations

The Health Committee makes the following recommendations to the Government:

that research into breast cancer prevention, particularly in the area of endocrine disruptors, be accorded high priority in the allocation of Government research funds
that the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Act 1996 and regulations be amended to require the inclusion of endocrine disrupting effects in the registration and reassessment of hazardous substances.

The majority of us recommend the following:

that an expert advisory panel of two or three scientists with expertise in this area be established to initiate research into breast cancer prevention, particularly in the area of endocrine disruption
that the panel report to the Cancer Control Council, the Ministry of Health, and the Environmental Risk Management Authority New Zealand (ERMA)
that the panel be subject to periodic review by the Health Committee
that the panel and council develop a list of priority chemicals to be reassessed by ERMA and advise on how the links between chemicals and the development of breast cancer and other cancers fit into the Cancer Control Strategy
that the panel and council work to raise public awareness of the steps that can be taken to limit exposure to potentially harmful chemicals used in daily living.
The National Party believes that the expert advisory panel should be established under the Cancer Control Council.

Read the full report of the Health Committee including transcript of submissions here: Click here

What is Stop Cancer Where it Starts?

This Breast Cancer Network project is long-term and works towards measures to reduce breast cancer incidence in New Zealand. First steps were to share information about what women can do to make beneficial lifestyle changes for themselves and the next generation.

Two leaflets providing this information are available. Send for these risk reduction leaflets to admin@bcn.org.nz or you can view and download here:

Leaflet 1
Leaflet 2

Even with the best of efforts, individuals cannot easily change the wider environment. Synthetic and oestrogen-mimicking chemicals are very widespread so that action is needed from governments to adequately assess their impact and reduce exposure. Therefore our project will have a focus at both central and local government level.

There are examples of overseas local bodies and governments tackling the problem of cancer-causing and hormone-disrupting chemicals. In Canada more than 80 cities and towns have banned "cosmetic" spraying of lawns, in an effort to reduce their citizens' exposure to toxic chemicals. In Europe the REACH programme has been signed and is designed to protect people from harmful chemicals and those which have not been fully tested. The European Cosmetics Directive is working to reduce harmful chemicals in cosmetics. In UK there is an informative website at http://www.nomorebreastcancer.org.uk . In USA, two large breast cancer organisations are raising awareness of the environmental links to breast cancer, and taking long-term action to get this risk reduced. The Breast Cancer Fund website can be accessed at www.breastcancerfund.org and Breast Cancer Action at http://www.bcaction.org. These groups have funded a major report called State of the Evidence 2006, edited by Nancy Evans, available on the Breast Cancer Fund website. We recommend the report for being thorough, well-referenced and up-to-date.

Underlying Stop Cancer Where it Starts is the knowledge that less than 10% of breast cancers can be attributed to faulty inherited genes. Researchers have stated that environmental factors are probably responsible for well over half the incidence of breast cancer. Modern industrialised nations have the highest incidence. While people can reduce their risk to a degree by making personal life-style changes, they cannot easily control their exposure to carcinogens (cancer-causing materials) and synthetic oestrogen-disrupting chemicals in the modern, industrialised environment. Stopping cancer where it starts involves a precautionary approach. If there is accumulating evidence that a factor is harmful, action is needed now, rather than waiting for many years for fully documented evidence to accumulate.

In San Francisco, an area of very high breast cancer incidence, women from Breast Cancer Action decided to take on a new slogan for breast cancer awareness month - "We're already aware, it's time to act - Stop Cancer Where it Starts." Working first with the Berkeley City Council the group was instrumental in a resolution being passed, endorsing many clean-up guidelines for the city. The Council also resolved to develop fact sheets outlining the links between cancer and the environment, promoting alternatives, and raising awareness by signage of pesticide-free zones. Breast Cancer Action successfully took the project to other councils following the initial success at Berkeley. Read about the project on their web site at http://www.bcaction.org..

Would you like more information. Please see "Insidious Oestrogens" and "Breast Cancer and Chemicals" You could check out our newsletters on this site for furher articles here or contact BCN to discuss further.

Above left to right: Gillian Woods & Sue Kedgley MP

Presenting the BCN petition to parliament