by Janet Nudelman, MA and Sharima Rasanayagam, PhD THE GIST What is the problem? Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine disrupting chemical used in the lining of many food and beverage cans. Studies have shown that BPA can leach from the lining of cans into the food and then into people. Growing consumer concern over … Read more…
Today the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a list of the initial 10 chemicals that the agency will review for safety under the new Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) law. Issuing the list starts the clock for EPA evaluation of the safety of these high priority chemicals, and implementation of steps to protect the … Read more…
In November of 2010, at the age of 35, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. It had spread to my lymph nodes but thankfully not to the rest of my body. I endured five months of physically and mentally debilitating chemo, a mastectomy, and five weeks of daily radiation. All the while we taught my … Read more…
The Breast Cancer Fund’s single focus on preventing breast cancer by eliminating our exposure to toxic chemicals is what sets us apart from any other breast cancer organization. Together, we have worked to protect those we care about from these dangerous exposures. After all, prevention starts with what we put on and into our bodies. … Read more…
Sharima Rasanayagam, Ph.D., the director of science at the Breast Cancer Fund, has been elected chair of the California Breast Cancer Research Program (CBCRP) Council, and begins her one-year term on September 1. For nearly a decade, the Breast Cancer Fund has played a leadership role in CBCRP, which is the largest state-funded breast cancer … Read more…
By Breast Cancer Fund Director of Science Sharima Rasanayagam, Ph.D. A new study, published in JAMA Oncology, found that aggressive treatments (surgery followed by radiation therapy) of ductal carcinoma in situ, or DCIS, did not lead to a reduction in death. While the study sparks questions about how DCIS should be classified and treated, … Read more…
by Lauren Trambley Do you know the chemicals that are lurking in your cosmetics bag? How about the ones hiding in the suds of your shampoo? What’s in the deodorant that seeps into your sweat glands? Okay, I’ll admit it. These are unfair questions. I can’t possibly imagine you read the labels of every product … Read more…
The San Francisco Chronicle editors are weighing in on the Toxic Substances Control Act in an editorial published April 27, 2015. They’re coming out swinging on the right side of history– that is, in opposition to the industry-sponsored Udall-Vitter bill, and in support of the Boxer-Markey bill, which offers up REAL reform of TSCA. Full … Read more…
Happy Earth Day! When we make protecting Mother Earth from toxic chemicals a priority, we are also prioritizing prevention of breast cancer and numerous other health issues. Here are our top five tips to protect people and planet: 1. Find safe ways to fight germs. These days it seems like everything claims to be antibacterial—soaps, … Read more…
[View the story “Could 2015 be the year of a new & improved chemical safety law? ” on Storify]