Breast Cancer: Prevention is Better than Cure

By The Editors

The Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) is a leading European not-for-profit organization addressing how the environment affects health in the European Union. With the support of more than 65 member organizations, HEAL brings independent expertise and evidence from the health community to different decision-making processes.

According to HEAL, “the role that environmental factors play in cancer causation, specifically carcinogenic substances and other cancer-related chemicals, is increasingly recognized. Consequently, reducing exposure to hazardous substances is gaining prominence as a key approach to cancer prevention.”

On October 23, 2013, HEAL member Breast Cancer UK (BCUK) launched its Manifesto ‘Prevention is better than cure: 5 pledges for 2015 and beyond’ calling on the UK Government ’to stop breast cancer before it starts’.

Breast Cancer UK’s 5 manifesto pledges are:

1. Prioritize the primary prevention of breast cancer;
2. Improve the regulation of chemicals;
3. Protect the unborn child by offering advice to pregnant and breast feeding women;
4. Ban the use of Bisphenol A in food and drinks packaging;
5. Improve labelling laws and implement the ‘right to know’ what chemicals are in products.

Results from recent studies show that Bisphenol A (BPA) is a complete mammary gland carcinogen.

Breast Cancer UK believes much more can be done to help prevent people from getting breast cancer in the first place – but currently the Government’s failure to address the chemical causes of the disease fundamentally weakens breast cancer prevention policy.

The launch of the Manifesto is one necessary step for increasing awareness of the risk factors associated with breast cancer.