October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but each year it seems to be a month washed in more and more pink, and increasingly from companies and groups that claim to be leaders in eradicating breast cancer and yet promote or engage in the activities that may be contributing to the rising rates of the disease! Seventy to eighty percent of women with breast cancer have none of the "official" risk factors: family history (5-10%), hormonal and reproductive factors and a high fat diet. However, breast cancer rates are increasing all over the world and may be but the tip of the iceberg of other environmentally linked diseases.
Finding a cure is an important part of the solution, but we'd like to remind you that Taking Action for Prevention is also very important.
Check out the record of the companies that are branding their goods in pink. Do your own research in to what a company stands for, and what their environmental record may be.
Read labels or use the Skin Deep guide to see if there are known or suspected carcinogens buried in that ingredient list of your favorite "pink" product.
Get informed. Read Pink Ribbons, Inc. - Breast Cancer and the Politics of Philanthropy by Samantha King which reveals the truths behind cause-related marketing.
Start your own discussion. Use our film, Exposure: Environmental Links to Breast Cancer to learn about the implications of our contaminated world on the health of women. Host a screening in your own home, or join us at our screening this month.
Make your voice heard! Let your government know that you think consumers should be told what's in the products they use and that known toxins should be eliminated from use.
WHEN is a non-profit, charitable organization that works with communities on prevention initiatives addressing environmental links to health. To learn more about WHEN, click here.
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