Great news about breast cancer & environment

[OzarkDem]

The Breast Cancer & Environmental Research Act (BCERA), after years of being stalled in the Senate HELP Committee, is being "marked up" today and may finally be passed out of the Senate. The bill already has 65 co-sponsors in the Senate and its companion bill HR 2231 in the House has 246 co-sponsors. The GOP has been bottling it up in this committee for years, here's hoping it will finally move out and get approved.

Senators on the HELP Committee who have co-sponsored BCERA:

Mike DeWine (OH)
Orrin Hatch (UT)
Ted Kennedy (MA)
Christopher Dodd (CT)
Tom Harkin (IA)
Barbara Mikulski (MD)
Jeff Bingaman (NM)
Patty Murray (WA)
Jack Reed (RI)
Hillary Rodham Clinton (NY)
James Jeffords (VT)

[OzarkDem]

1. It passed out of committee!

First time that's happened. Very good news!

[cally]

2. My Rep. Woolsey has helped get funding for several of these studies

I went to a workshop where researchers reported their findings on breast cancer and the environment. I found the results startling since a major risk factor is delayed/not having children. The environmental risk factors pale in comparison to that.

[OzarkDem]

3. Nulliparity is an important risk factor

but environmental pollutants are considered to possibly be much more prevalent.

The longer your body is exposed to high levels of estrogen, the more likely you are to get breast cancer, whether from not having children, being exposed to environmental toxins that mimic or stimulate estrogen production, hormone replacement therapy, or hormones in foods, there's a lot to be concerned about and certainly a lot more research that needs to be done.

U of Cincinnati is doing some research, following young girls through puberty to adulthood and measuring their diet, exercise, environmental exposures, etc. Its thought that some breast cancers are caused by events that happen early in breast development, during puberty. Prevention studies take a long time but are worth the effort.

Let's hope the BCERA gets passed!