Sending Warm Wishes and Hope

During this time of year when many are surrounded by loved ones, thousands of families across the country are facing the reality of a breast cancer diagnosis. Now, more than ever, your support is crucial to help us achieve our shared goal of ending the breast cancer epidemic.

To change the legacy of breast cancer, we need more education, advocacy, and research to drive public policy change and improve the health and lives of future generations. Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition (MBCC) is at the forefront of this vital work.

I am reaching out to you for your support in the year ahead as we continue our efforts to reduce exposure to carcinogenic chemicals and work towards prevention. If you’d like to read about some of our accomplishments over the past year, we provide a few highlights below.

We are deeply grateful for your commitment to breast cancer prevention. As the year comes to a close, we kindly ask for you to consider supporting MBCC through a tax-deductible contribution. Your charitable dollars will help drive our mission forward well into the new year and beyond.

We send you our warmest wishes for peace, comfort, and hope this holiday season.

With sincere gratitude,

2024 Highlights:

• PFAS Awareness: MBCC has actively worked to raise public awareness about the risks of PFAS exposure and concerns about how these chemicals may affect health, including increasing breast cancer risk.

• New EPA Drinking Water Standards: On April 10, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized legally enforceable drinking water standards on six types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The new rule sets maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) at 4.0 parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS, and 10 parts per trillion for PFNA, PFHxS, PFBS, GenX, and their mixtures. This new regulation represents a significant step toward protecting public health from PFAS contamination in drinking water.

• Legislative Advocacy: An MBCC delegate attended the legislative briefing at the Massachusetts State House on June 25th to advocate for legislation to protect Massachusetts residents from PFAS. MBCC was joined by Dr. Abigail Bline, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Silent Spring Institute, who spoke about the impact of these chemicals and the importance of this legislation.

• Media Coverage on PFAS Exposure: Cape Cod Times published an article by Jeannette Hinkle on February 29, 2024, titled “‘The word is scary.’ Hyannis residents learning of prior PFAS exposure from blood tests.” The article discusses the ATSDR/CDC Multi-Site Study, with MBCC as a community partner for Silent Spring Institute (SSI), the lead on the project. It features quotes from MBCC’s Executive Director Cheryl Osimo and SSI’s Senior Scientist Dr. Laurel Schaider, highlighting local PFAS concerns and community engagement.

• Documentary Screening – On April 10, 2024, MBCC hosted a screening of The Poison In Us All, a Bloomberg Original Series by Bloomberg Investigates. The screening was followed by a Q&A with Dr. Laurel Schaider from Silent Spring Institute, who is featured in the documentary.

• Published Research on PFAS Solutions: The newly published study, REACHing for PFAS solutions: how two communities responded to drinking water contamination, was featured in the Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences. Cheryl Osimo, MBCC’s Executive Director, is among the authors of this important research, which reflects the collaborative efforts of PFAS-REACH, a community-engaged initiative dedicated to reducing the health impacts of PFAS contamination.

• Media Advocacy for PFAS Education: On July 29, 2024, Nonprofit Quarterly (NPQ) published an article written by Tonie Marie Gordon, titled “Opinion/Your Turn: PFAS are everywhere. Here are some ways to get informed, involved“ which mentions Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition’s partnership on the PFAS-REACH (Research, Education, and Action for Community Health) project.

• Educational Campaigns: In 2024, MBCC’s webinar series featured renowned educators, scientists, and community leaders addressing a range of public health topics and will continue in 2025 — mark your calendars! MBCC also continues its robust Let’s Talk Prevention educational campaigns, utilizing materials like the Actions You Can Take Student Modules and Let’s Talk Prevention: Reducing Toxic Exposures (available in 11 languages) to raise awareness about the health risks of environmental toxins and PFAS. These efforts empower individuals to reduce exposure and advocate for stronger regulatory policies to limit harmful chemicals in everyday products.