Avis Antel

It seems that almost every time we listen to the news or read the papers we hear about the cancer-causing dangers all around us – pesticides, herbicides, carcinogens and mutagens in products we use daily; electromagnetic fields; water and air pollution, and on and on and on. Is there anything positive within all this discouraging news?

As BCAM approaches its twentieth year, we can look back on the accomplishments of almost two decades in the areas of breast cancer activism, advocacy and education. The task that we and other like-minded organizations continue to face is to involve the general public, the scientific community and the government in our struggle to raise awareness of the role that environmental toxins play in the genesis of breast cancer.

Has anything been accomplished?

Labelling laws in cosmetics. In November 2006, Canada enacted a law requiring cosmetic companies to list ingredients on product labels. Prior to this important date, Canada did not require ingredient declarations on cosmetics labels; such information had been considered confidential. Now, cosmetics are one of the only consumer products for which the Canadian public has a legal right to know about chemical ingredients.

Canada’s Chemical Management Plan was unveiled in December 2006. Its goal is to regulate chemicals that are harmful to human health or the environment. A key element in the plan is the collection of information concerning the properties and uses of approximately 200 ­high-priority chemical substances that have already been identified through a categorization process. This information will be used to make decisions that will protect Canadians and their environment from risks these substances might pose.

The Precautionary Principle was recently embraced by the European Union (EU) when it banned some worrisome ingredients from cosmetics; the ban will remain in place unless companies can provide proof the ingredients are safe. REACH, the new EU chemicals policy (Registration, Evaluation and Authoriza­tion of Chemical substances; June 2007), established regulations that now put the onus on manufacturers to prove products are safe, but also require that chemicals failing the toxicity test must be phased out within a decade. The Compact for Safe Cosmetics, a voluntary pledge initiated by the Breast Cancer Fund (U.S.), requires all cosmetics and personal care products – that are made by a signing company anywhere in the world – to meet or exceed the formulation standards and deadlines set by the European Union Directive 76/768/EEC. Therefore, products must be free of chemicals that are known to cause – or are strongly suspected of causing – cancer, mutation or birth defects.

Manufacturers are beginning to react to public demand for safer products. Although already making safer products for the European market, OPI was initially unwilling to do the same elsewhere. However, in response to a public awareness campaign initiated by Breast Cancer Action (San Francisco), the company has removed toluene, DBP, and formaldehyde from its nail polish products sold in North America. In the U.S., Proctor & Gamble recently announced that it will reformulate its Herbal Essences products. The new formulation will be much more restrictive in its use of 1,4-dioxane, a petrochemical carcinogen. FemmeToxic, along with Environmental Defense and the Canadian Women’s Health Network and others, has mounted a letter writing campaign to the Canadian head office of Proctor & Gamble to get the same changes adopted here in Canada.

Quebec led the way in banning cosmetic pesticide use. In July 2002, the Quebec government announced a province-wide ban on the cosmetic use of pesticides which was to be phased in over a three-year period. Soon after, many other provinces followed this example. Organically farmed products are becoming more popular alternatives for Canadians because of their increasing awareness of the connections between food and health.

Other organizations are now recognizing or looking for a link between environmental exposure and breast cancer. In 2008, the Canadian Cancer Society organized a groundbreaking two-day, science-based conference about pesticides and cancer entitled, Exploring The Connection: A State of the Science Conference on Pesticides and Cancer, which was attended by scientists and representatives of organizations from around the world. Also, the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) and the David Suzuki Foundation are just two of several organizations that have acknowledged a link between environmental toxins and cancer.

Bisphenol-A. In October 2008, Canada became the first country in the world to ban the importation and sale of polycarbonate baby bottles containing bisphenol-A. The federal government also announced it would devote $1.7 million over three years to study the chemical. Mountain Equipment Co-op, the country’s largest outdoor-goods specialty retailer, pulled from its shelves most food and beverage containers made of polycarbonate plastic. Other companies such as Lululemon and Whole Foods did the same.

Although not directly related to breast cancer, other scientists are recognizing environmental links to health problems. A recent study by Maryse F. Bouchard, a researcher at the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health (University of Montreal) and the Sainte-Justine Hospital Research Center, has shown a link between ADHD and pesticides used on fruits and vegetables. (Pediatrics. 2010 Jun;125(6):e1270-7. Epub 2010 May 17)

The President’s Cancer Panel (U.S.), the “mainstream” voice regarding cancer issues, recently adopted a position on environmental causes of cancer that BCAM and other like-minded organizations heartily support. As summarized by Medscape Medical News, the President’s Cancer Panel reported “exposure to environmental contaminants has a stronger impact on cancer risk than previously believed.” Reporting that 300 contaminants have been detected in umbilical cord blood of newborn babies, the study states, “to a disturbing extent, babies are born ‘pre-polluted.’” Years of advocating for a healthier world are now resulting in calls for action at the highest levels!

BCAM has changed over the years. BCAM worked hard to be allowed to participate in the planning of the First World Breast Cancer Symposium held in 1995 and to lead a workshop; this led to the participation at subsequent conferences of women who have experienced breast cancer. Now, BCAM is invited to submit abstracts and to make presentations at similar conferences. We have also become more focused in our efforts, emphasizing the dangers of carcinogens and mutagens in personal care products and working to engage young people in our projects.

BCAM has become a “go to” source for others wanting information. Because BCAM is held in high ethical regard, the media turn to us as a resource for responses to questions about environmental links to breast cancer. We are also working more closely with other similarly-minded groups such as the David Suzuki Foundation, Environmental Defense, Prevent Cancer Now, and Breast Cancer Action to make our voices heard.

Although there has been progress, there is still more to be done. Unfortunately, the Precautionary Principle is still not universally accepted. For example, a recent study on a link between cell phone usage and brain cancer was inconclusive; the general response of the scientific community was that, until there is conclusive evidence, people should not panic about using mobile phones. Additionally, many cosmetic companies have not yet signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics. Cosmetic ingredient lists can be difficult to understand and they can lack clear warnings about cancer-causing substances and other established health and environmental threats.

What more can we do? BCAM and other like-minded activists will continue to advocate for increased environmental safety and encourage other groups and individuals to do the same. We believe that education, public forums and focused letter writing campaigns to newspapers, politicians, and non-compliant companies can have a measurable effect – and we can look forward to a day when breast cancer does not have to happen.