Hello! It's time for another installment of Breast Cancer Action's monthly e-newsletter-- a collection of news, notices and action alerts for people concerned about the breast cancer epidemic. Welcome to any new e-alert members! If you think you've been added by mistake, please follow the directions at the bottom of the email to unsubscribe.
SPREAD THE WORD - if you like this e-alert, please help us by sharing it with your friends and family. Forward this message and let them know that they can subscribe at
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In this issue...
1. NEW AT BCA: July/August newsletter online; BCA welcomes new Office Coordinator
2. MEET BARBARA BRENNER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF BCA: Speaking in Montreal 9/28; House Party Washington D.C. 10/6
3. PARADE OF PINK: Be a savvy consumer during Breast Cancer Awareness Month
4. IN THE NEWS: BCA/AB 2012 Safer Cosmetics Bill on KPFA; Samsung embraces the Precautionary Principle
5. BCA VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: Power to the Peaceful Festival, 9/11; San Francisco Race for the Cure, 9/26
6. CA LEGISLATIVE ACTION AND UPDATE: Proposition 72 - the employee health coverage law; AB 2012 - the Safer Cosmetics Bill
7. WALK THE HILL FOR PUBLIC HEALTH: Advocate for Public Health at Capitol Hill, 11/9
8 FAQ of the MONTH: What are microcalcifications?
9. BCA BENEFITS: Catherine Jane Benefit Kickoff Party, 9/23; Laugh Till You Heal, 9/30
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1. NEW AT BCA: July/August newsletter online; BCA welcomes new Office Coordinator
Hot Off the Virtual Presses
Check out the July/August newsletter for articles on the fight for universal health care coverage in California, including a report back from the Avon Symposium: Delivering the Continuum of Breast Cancer Care to the Underserved. The newsletter also addresses the scary reality of pesticide testing on humans, and BCA executive director gets real about how the media, drug companies, and the National Cancer Institute spin the facts about breast cancer.
Read it online: http://www.bcaction.org/Pages/GetInformed/CurrentNewsletter.html
Or download the PDF: http://www.bcaction.org/PDF/82.pdf
BCA Welcomes Angela Carrier to our Staff
Hello all! I feel very fortunate to be a part of the Breast Cancer Action team and I am eager to contribute the skills I have to the organization. I graduated from UC San Diego in June 2003 with a degree in Communication and worked at UC Berkeley for a year. I will be the new Office Coordinator at BCA, and am excited to be at a place where it is clear we are making a difference. I look forward to working with the amazing people here and hopefully utilizing my fluency in Spanish to reach out to the Latina community. I have so much to learn and so much to gain here at BCA. -Angela
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2. MEET BARBARA BRENNER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF BCA: Speaking in Montreal 9/28; House Party Washington D.C. 10/6
Breast Cancer Action Montreal Event, Guest Speaker Barbara Brenner
Tuesday, September 28th, 7:30pm
Main Concordia Campus, 1455 deMaisonneuve West in Montreal
Barbara will be addressing the politics behind 'pink ribbon' causes — causes that often divert the buying public from the central objective of stopping breast cancer before it starts. BCA's interest in the causes of breast cancer necessarily leads to an interest in toxic substances in our air, water and food, and the lack of public policies to deal with them.
For more information go to http://www.bcam.qc.ca/brenner.html
BCA House Party in Washington, D.C.
Wednesday, October 6th, 7-9 pm
Special guest Barbara Brenner will attend and speak at a house party in the home of a BCA Member in Washington, D.C. on 10/6. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP by September 24. For more information or to RSVP contact Celeste Janssen at 877-2STOPBC x17 or CJanssen@bcaction.org
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3. PARADE OF PINK: Be a savvy consumer during Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Breast Cancer Awareness Month is on its way. More and more companies are linking themselves with breast cancer each October. From pink-lidded Yoplait yogurts to Avon’s “kiss goodbye to breast cancer” lipsticks, companies are raising vast amounts of money in these cause-related marketing campaigns. This year, 3M Corporation is jumping on the wagon with plans to reveal the World’s Largest Pink Ribbon in Times Square covered with Post-It Notes for Breast Cancer Awareness. See http://www.3m.com/us/office/postit/research/donation.jhtml
If you’re getting forwards from your friends about 3M’s campaign and would like to reply to them with the facts about pink ribbon marketing, email Brenda at bsalgado@bcaction.org to get a copy of BCA’s complete response.
BCA urges you to ask some critical questions before opening your wallet for these marketing campaigns: How much money goes to the cause? What is it supporting? How is it being raised? And will it truly affect the fight against breast cancer? Many companies spend more marketing their pink ribbon products than they end up giving to "the cause." Some companies try to look pretty in pink while they manufacture toxic products that may be linked to breast cancer. Will shopping really make a difference? What the breast cancer movement needs is political involvement and action to create real change - and we don't mean the kind you keep in your pocket.
For more information about how to be a savvy consumer go to: http://www.ThinkBeforeYouPink.org
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4. IN THE NEWS: BCA/AB 2012 Safer Cosmetics Bill on KPFA; Samsung embraces the Precautionary Principle
BCA/AB 2012 Safer Cosmetics Bill on KPFA Radio
8/26 on 6 pm Evening News
Brian Edwards of KPFA Evening News interviewed Brenda Salgado, BCA's Program Manager, for information on AB 2012 - The Safer Cosmetics Bill. To listen to the broadcasts go to http://www.kpfa.org/archives/archives.php?id=8 and click on August 26, 2004.
Please note they only post broadcasts for previous 10 days, so it will be removed on Sept 5. AB 2012 Cosmetics Bill coverage starts at 42 min 12 seconds into the program.
Samsung Embraces the Precautionary Principle
Seeing its products graded red (containing hazardous chemicals) on a Greenpeace database prompted electronics company, Samsung, to phase out the use of certain hazardous substances in its products, including brominated flame retardants, phthalates, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and organotin compounds. By January 2005 it will also ban some applications of mercury and lead. The commitment is "our way of embracing the precautionary principle," the company says. "The basis of the principle is in our view not a legal or juristic one, but a scientifically and technologically sound way to take responsibility." BCA applauds Samsung for recognizing that the precautionary principle makes good business sense and is an important way for companies to take responsibility for the safety of the products they make.
The Scoop – Samsung commits to phase out hazardous chemicals
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0406/S00108.htm
Learn more about the precautionary principle:
http://www.takingprecaution.org
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5. BCA VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: Power to the Peaceful Festival, 9/11; San Francisco Race for the Cure, 9/26
Power to the Peaceful Festival
Saturday, September 11, 11 am – 5 pm
Speedway Meadow, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
Michael Franti & Spearhead will headline the 6th annual Power-To-The-Peaceful Festival (
http://www.powertothepeaceful.org ). BCA will have a booth along with many other social, environmental and political organizations. This free festival will also feature an open-air art gallery of visual artists, a healing arts tent, guerrilla theater, alternative fuel sourced vehicles and demos, and a kid’s zone. We need volunteers for two-hour shifts all day. You don’t need to be an expert on breast cancer or BCA, you just have to have enthusiasm for sharing information with others. Contact Brenda at 415-243-9301 x14 or bsalgado@bcaction.org for more information and to volunteer.
Race for the Cure
Sunday, September 26, 7:30 am – noon
Crissy Field, GGNRA, San Francisco
This is a great place to reach a ton of people who care about breast cancer. Share BCA's message by helping to staff our booth. You don’t need to be an expert on breast cancer or BCA, you just have to have enthusiasm for sharing information with others. We need volunteers for two-hour shifts starting bright and early. Contact Kendra at 415-243-9301 or kklein@bcaction.org for more information and to volunteer.
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6. CA LEGISLATIVE ACTION AND UPDATE: Proposition 72 - the employee health coverage law; Update AB 2012 - the Safer Cosmetics Bill
Vote Yes on Prop 72
Did you know that 80 percent of Californians who lack health care are in working families? By requiring that large and mid-sized companies pay for health insurance for employees, Proposition 72 places health care within reach of an additional 1.1 million working people and their children. BCA's board feels Proposition 72 is an important step in the right direction as we work to secure universal health care for all Californians and Americans. Read the New York Times op-ed, ‘American’s Failing Health,’ to learn more: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/27/opinion/27krugman.html?th
TAKE ACTION
Vote YES on 72 on November 2, 2004.
Find out how you can support the Yes on 72 campaign: http://www.yesonprop72.com
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The Safer Cosmetics Bill
Our efforts to pass the Safer Cosmetics Bill (AB 2012) ended in the California Assembly Health Committee last Thursday. AB 2012 would have closed a Food and Drug Administration loophole that allows hazardous chemicals in cosmetics to hide behind vague ingredient labels. Despite support from Health Committee Chair, Rebecca Cohn, and Assembly Members Chan, Laird and Lieber, the numerous cosmetics industry lobbyists and consultants that were flown in to fight the bill had the ear of the other committee members. It's appalling that important protections for consumers and beauty care workers were not supported in, of all places, a Health Committee.
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7. WALK THE HILL FOR PUBLIC HEALTH: Advocate for Public Health at Capitol Hill, 11/9
The American Public Health Association invites you to walk the halls of Capitol Hill on November 9, 2004 with thousands of others to advocate on issues important to public health. The day will start with a rally and briefing about the current outlook for public health, then advocates will visit legislative offices to voice public health concerns. For more information go to
http://www.apha.org/legislative/walkhill/index.htm or contact Lakitia Mayo at lakitia.mayop@apha.org or 202-777-2515.
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8. FAQ of the MONTH: What are microcalcifications?
Microcalcifications are tiny calcium deposits in your breast that may indicate cancer, even when no lump is felt. Microcalcifications are not the cancer itself. As a result of improved x-ray technology and broader mammographic screening, more women are now dealing with diagnostic and treatment decisions related to a finding of microcalcifications. Most breast calcifications [approx. 80 percent] are associated with benign conditions; these calcifications are usually large, few in number, widely dispersed, and round. The term microcalcifications is often used for the smaller calcifications that are associated with malignancy; microcalcifications are usually more numerous, clustered, and variously shaped (rods, branches, teardrops). Between benign and suspicious calcifications is a gray zone of "hard to tell" calcifications which are often labeled indeterminate. Since physicians' recommendations regarding indeterminate calcifications differ, women need to inform themselves about diagnostic options.
When calcifications are thought to be associated with benign conditions, a routine mammogram is called for in one or two (or more) years, depending on a woman's age and risk factors. When suspicious micro-calcifications appear on a mammogram, but no lump is felt, either a needle-localization biopsy or a sterotactic core biopsy is recommended, so that breast tissue can be removed and examined under a microscope by a pathologist. These two kinds of biopsies are the only ways to find out whether indeterminate microcalcifications are associated with cancer.
-- Excerpted from the Women’s Cancer Resource Center article ‘Breast Calcifications: Beware If a Six-Month Mammogram Follow-up is Recommended.’ To read the full article go to: http://www.wcrc.org/articles.htm#bcal
-- YOUR INPUT WANTED: Is there a question you want answered, or an issue that you want BCA's opinion on? Send it to kklein@bcaction.org and we'll try to answer it personally or feature it in a future e-newsletter!
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9. BCA BENEFIT: Catherine Jane Kickoff Party, 9/23; Laugh Till You Heal, 9/30
Catherine Jane Benefit Kickoff Party
September 23, 7-9 pm
1234 Ninth Ave, San Francisco
Join us for a free reception and party at the fabulous clothing boutique to kick off a month-long benefit for Breast Cancer Action. We need volunteers to setup, greet, and serve. To volunteer, to RSVP, or for more information contact Celeste Janssen at 415-243-9301 or cjanssen@bcaction.org.
Laugh Till You Heal: From Comedy to Tragedy and Back Again
September 30th, 7-10 pm
Hyatt Rickey's, Palo Alto, CA
cost: $100 (60 percent of net proceeds go to BCA)
This is a fun, interactive writing workshop for people living with breast cancer where you'll learn how to use comedy to transform tragedy into positive creative results. The workshop will be presented by BCA members Devorah Cutler Rubinstein and Wendy Cutler and is part of Hollywood by the Bay 2 - a conference for screenwriters and authors. For more information or to register for the workshop or conference, call 650-595-1702 x17 or toll-free 877-801-9477 or visit
http://www.hollywoodbythebay.com
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That's it for this edition! Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments about this listserv.
Thanks for your continued support of BCA. Until next time,
Kendra Klein, Community Organizer
Toll free at 877-2STOPBC (278-6722)
http://www.bcaction.org
http://www.thinkbeforeyoupink.org
Our members are the driving force behind our efforts to end the breast
cancer epidemic. Because Breast Cancer Action does not accept funding from
the government or the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, we need
your support. You can donate on-line at
http://bcaction.org/Pages/SupportUs/Donate.html, or call 415-243-9301, or
toll-free at 1-877-278-6722. All gifts are deeply appreciated.
Breast Cancer Action is funded in part by a grant from the California Wellness Foundation (TCWF). Created in 1992 as an independent, private foundation, TCWF's mission is to improve the health of the people of California by making grants for health promotion, wellness education and disease prevention programs.
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