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Dear Friends in Prevention,
Earth Day is an annual reminder of the importance of our environment — our earth. It is a global celebration demonstrating support for continued environmental protection. The Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition (MBCC) is dedicated to this coordinated effort for higher environmental standards that protect the ecosystem and human health. For MBCC, every day is Earth Day.
 Since the first Earth Day in 1970, this yearly event has seen many improvements, including the enactment of the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and the Endangered Species Act. Most relevant to MBCC’s mission was the passing of the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 (TSCA). Unfortunately, due to several major flaws, TSCA has not been very successful at reducing human exposure to chemicals of concern. In fact, only five substances have been restricted or banned since 1976.
Now, over four decades later, the tradition of taking a day to celebrate the earth continues — but we are still plagued by our outdated chemical regulatory policy. Carcinogens and endocrine disrupting compounds are widely used in consumer products, and detectable levels of these chemicals have been found in our air, our water, and in our bodies. These exposures have been linked to cancer, reproductive disorders, respiratory symptoms, and many other negative health consequences.
Since 1991, MBCC has advocated for reducing environmental contaminants linked to breast cancer and other diseases. Not only do we continue our work as strong political advocates for legislative change, but we also provide you, our supporters, with steps to take now to reduce exposure to contaminants of concern. We present an “Action Item” section in our bimonthly newsletter, plus the Reduce Your Exposure section on our website. This June, we will launch the first of our MBCC Research Updates video series to bring scientific research findings to the public and translate them into steps for reducing exposure.
But we need your help to expand the reach of our message for the common good of our health and our earth.
This Earth Day, we invite you to join the modern environmental movement with a contribution to our new community education campaigns. The Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition does not receive government funding for any of our projects. Instead, we rely on the generous donations of our supporters. Please click the link below to help fund our efforts this Earth Day.
Sincerely, Cheryl Osimo
Executive Director
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