To the Editor:

For over ten years a solid foundation of scientific knowledge has existed upon which to base the breast cancer prevention message of reduced animal fat consumption so as to lower exposure to carcinogenic persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Carcinogenic POPs implicated in breast cancer causation include: dioxins, PCBs, and DDT.

The American Cancer Society (ACS), the Susan G. Komen Foundation, the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, the New York State Department of Health (DOH) and the county health departments all fail to make this information known to the public. These organizations and government agencies produce and disseminate a large amount of public education materials on the subject of breast cancer awareness, with focus on early detection via self-examination and screening. The only prevention messages set forth in these documents are the recommendations to exercise and eat a balanced diet with increased consumption of fruits and vegetables. POPs exposure reduction is totally missing from the educational outreach of these government and non-government entities.

There is a reason for the failure to include pollution in the cancer awareness education provided by these institutions. The corporations that have contaminated the Earth and the bodies of every animal fat consuming organism on the Earth with dioxins, PCBs, PBDEs, DDT, hexachlorobenzene, and numerous other less studied carcinogenic POPs fully control the federal government. These corporations include companies in the chemicals, agriculture, manufacturing and food sectors of the economy. They use the government public health agencies to create the illusion that no scientific knowledge exists on the subject of pollution and breast cancer. The poisoners are intent upon keeping the poisoned from knowing about the poisoning.

The New York State DOH experiences pressure from the same corporations that control federal government. Under that pressure, the DOH avoids the subject of breast cancer prevention via reducing exposure to pollutant carcinogens.

The ACS and Susan G. Komen Foundation are non-government organizations that are controlled by the same corporations that control government. This control exists in many forms: social prestige, money, and political pressure.

The county government health departments are afraid to step out of line with the federal and state agencies, so they keep a low profile in these matters by just distributing to the public the deceptive education pieces created by the NCI, CDCP, ACS and Susan G. Komen Foundation. In ten years of advocating strongly for county government education on the subject of POPs exposure reduction as a cancer preventive measure, not one county health department has taken up this work.

The corporations succeed in keeping the public in the dark about the role of pollution in causing breast cancer. Women continue to consume animal fat. They continue to bear accumulated body burdens of POPs and as a result they continue to develop breast cancer. The corporations and government are responsible for the breast cancer cases caused by the deceptions that they engage in.

Cancer Action NY declares total, non-violent war against the corporations and the government agencies that allow themselves to be controlled by the corporations. We promise the women of New York State that we will do everything within our power to bring an end to the power of the corporations and the corrupt governments that serve these corporations. Cancer Action NY will continually set the good example of using existing scientific knowledge to prevent breast cancer.

Donald Hassig, Colton