Without the
Report on Carcinogens, we would not have an unbiased, scientific federal government list of chemicals linked to cancer. And that's exactly why the chemical industry is trying to get Congress to defund it.
The National Toxicology Program has produced the Report on Carcinogens every few years for the last three decades. The Breast Cancer Fund bases our prevention work in part on the chemicals listed in the report, including the banned pesticide DDT, hormone replacement therapy and vinyl chloride. The RoC is one of the foundational sources for our
State of the Evidence report, which, in turn, directs our
public policy efforts and corporate campaigns.
In short, we need the Report on Carcinogens in order to protect public health.
The chemical industry, on the other hand, would like it to go away to protect profits. In fact, this latest attack on the RoC stems from
last year's listing of styrene and formaldehyde, which of course industry opposed.
Today members of Congress received a letter signed by organizations representing thousands of parents, consumers, veterans, and environmental health advocates—including the Breast Cancer Fund—opposing this latest de-funding tactic. Breast Cancer Fund Director of Science Sharima Rasanayagam also signed on to a similar letter from scientists.
We'll continue to do everything we can to protect the Report on Carcinogens, for our health's sake.
For more on the chemical industry's latest maneuver, check out our colleague
Jennifer Sass's post from the National Resources Defense Council's blog.
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