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Is Being Too Clean Making Us Sick? |
January 2013Dear Get In Front Supporter,Happy New Year! We are delighted to have you with us as we begin another year of work that helps us all Get In Front of cancer. With an eye to the new year, we’ve focused this issue of In Front on the future of many topics related to cancer. From the most cutting-edge research to help you and your loved ones lower your risk to work that will expand resources for those who are living with the disease now, this issue of In Front will give you a glimpse into some of CPIC’s most promising areas of advancement on cancer. We’ve also featured my response to the just-released national annual report on cancer. CEO of CPIC Responds to National Report on Cancer
Read the National Cancer Institute’s press release on the report Is Being Too Clean Making Us Sick?
Read Dr. Clarke’s blog post: “Cow Manure, Coughing Co-Workers & Cancer Prevention” The Pipeline: Contributing Expertise in Studying Neighborhood Factors Where it Can’t Yet Be Prevented: The Impact and Future of CPIC Community Education![]() For the past 39 years, CPIC’s Community Education Program has been an invaluable resource to the community, offering conferences and seminars, websites, print materials, and individual assistance to cancer patients and their loved ones. “The amount of cancer information that’s now available online and from other sources, as well as the number of medical specialists patients have to see, is overwhelming” says program director Pam Priest Naeve. “We help individuals understand which questions are the most important to ask, and provide them with critical information about cancer that is current and comes from credible resources.” The Community Education Program has enabled thousands to advocate for themselves, to make informed decisions about their health and healthcare, and to navigate a complex medical system. Community education staff will be working toward offering more programs, expanding the distribution and translations of print materials, and keeping registration fees low so that cancer education is accessible to all who need it. Watch a new video featuring Community Education program director Pam Priest Naeve Do Flame Retardants Increase Breast Cancer Risk?![]() In September, the New York Times ran a story on the potential danger of flame retardants in furniture, revealing the tension between perceived fire safety and exposure to toxic chemicals. Part of the problem with chemicals used as flame retardants – such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) – is that while they help manufacturers meet fire safety regulations, they may harm people who are exposed to them, as the overall endocrine disrupting properties of these compounds is well documented. CPIC’s Peggy Reynolds, Ph.D., David Nelson, Ph.D., and Pamela Horn Ross, Ph.D., are leading the first large-scale study of breast cancer risk and exposure to fire retardants. Their investigation is based on specimens from California Teachers Study participants and is in collaboration with the California Department of Toxic Substances Control for the measurement of contaminants in human tissues. This work is essential to inform public health practices and regulatory action to curb unnecessary exposures to the toxins. |
© Cancer Prevention Institute of California |