Cancer Society Trivializes Risks

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America Cancer Society Trivializes Cancer Risks in Blatant Conflict Of Interest

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CHICAGO, IL, May 7, 2010 –/WORLD-WIRE/– The May 6 report by the
President's Cancer Panel is well-documented. It warns of scientific
evidence on avoidable causes of cancer from exposure to carcinogens
in air, water, consumer products, and the workplace. It also warns of
hormonal risks from exposure to Bisphenol-A (BPA) and other toxic
plastic contaminants, says Samuel S. Epstein, M.D., Chairman of the
Cancer Prevention Coalition (CPC).

Concerns on avoidable causes of cancer have been summarized in a
January 23, 2009 Cancer Prevention Coalition press release, endorsed
by 20 leading scientists and public policy experts, who urged that
President Obama's cancer plan should prioritize prevention. These
concerns were further detailed in a June 15, 2009 press release.
Warnings of the risks of BPA are also detailed in a May 6, 2010 CPC
release.

Some of the more startling realities in the National Cancer
Institute's (NCI) and the "non-profit" American Cancer Society's
(ACS) long-standing failure to prevent a very wide range of cancers
are illustrated by their soaring increases from 1975 to 2005.

These include:

Malignant melanoma of the skin in adults has increased by 168
percent due to the use of sunscreens in childhood that fail to block
long wave ultraviolet light;

Thyroid cancer has increased by 124 percent due in large part to
ionizing radiation;

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma has increased 76 percent due mostly to
phenoxy herbicides; and phenylenediamine hair dyes;

Testicular cancer has increased by 49 percent due to pesticides;
hormonal ingredients in cosmetics and personal care products; and
estrogen residues in meat;

Childhood leukemia has increased by 55 percent due to ionizing
radiation; domestic pesticides; nitrite preservatives in meats,
particularly hot dogs; and parental exposures to occupational
carcinogens;

Ovary cancer (mortality) for women over the age of 65 has increased
by 47 percent in African American women and 13 percent in Caucasian
women due to genital use of talc powder;

Breast cancer has increased 17 percent due to a wide range of
factors. These include: birth control pills; estrogen replacement
therapy; toxic hormonal ingredients in cosmetics and personal care
products; diagnostic radiation; and routine premenopausal
mammography, with a cumulative breast dose exposure of up to about
five rads over ten years.

Criticisms by the American Cancer Society that the President's
Cancer Panel's report exaggerates avoidable cancer risks, reflect
reckless indifference, besides narrow self-interest, warns Dr.
Epstein.

In 1993, the nation's leading charity watch dog, The Chronicle of
Philanthropy, warned against the transfer of money from the public
purse to the private hands of the American Cancer Society. The
Chronicle also warned that, "The ACS is more interested in
accumulating wealth than saving lives."
 

These warnings are fully supported by the track record of the ACS
for well over the last four decades.

1971: The ACS refused to testify at Congressional hearings requiring
FDA to ban the intramuscular injection of diethylstilbestrol, a
synthetic estrogenic hormone, to fatten cattle, prior to their entry
into feedlots prior to slaughter, despite unequivocal evidence of its
carcinogenicity, and the cancer risks of eating hormonal meat. Not
surprisingly, U.S. meat is outlawed by most nations worldwide.

1977: The ACS opposed regulating black or dark brown hair dyes,
based on paraphenylenediamine, in spite of clear evidence of its
risks of non-Hodgkins lymphoma, besides other cancers.

1978: Tony Mazzocchi, then senior international union labor
representative, protested that "Occupational safety standards have
received no support from the ACS." This has resulted in the
increasing incidence of a wide range of avoidable cancers.

1978: Congressman Paul Rogers censured ACS for its failure to
support the Clean Air Act in order to protect interests of the
automobile industry.

1982: The ACS adopted restrictive cancer policies, rejecting
evidence based on standard rodent tests, which are widely accepted by
governmental agencies worldwide and also by the International Agency
for Research on Cancer.

1984: The ACS created the industry-funded October National Breast
Cancer Awareness Month to falsely assure women that "early
(mammography) detection results in a cure nearly 100 percent of the
time." Responding to question, ACS admitted: "Mammography today is a
lucrative  highly competitive business." Also, the Awareness
Month ignores substantial information on avoidable causes of breast
cancer.

1992: The ACS supported the Chlorine Institute in defending the
continued use of carcinogenic chlorinated pesticides, despite their
environmental persistence and carcinogenicity.

1993: Anticipating the Public Broadcast Service (PBS) Frontline
special "In Our Children's Food," the ACS trivialized pesticides as a
cause of childhood cancer and charged PBS with "junk science." The ACS
went further by questioning, "Can we afford the PBS?"

1994: The ACS published a highly flawed study designed to trivialize
cancer risks from the use of dark hair dyes.

1998: The ACS allocated $330,000, under 1 percent of its then $680
million budget, to claimed research on environmental cancer.
 

1999: The ACS trivialized risks of breast, colon and prostate
cancers from consumption of rBGH genetically modified milk. Not
surprisingly, U.S. milk is outlawed by most nations worldwide.

2002: The ACS announced its active participation in the "Look
Good…Feel Better Program," launched in 1989 by the Cosmetic
Toiletry and Fragrance Association, to "help women cancer patients
restore their appearance and self-image following chemotherapy and
radiation treatment." This program was partnered by a wide range of
leading cosmetics industries, which recklessly, if not criminally,
failed to disclose information on the carcinogenic, and other toxic
ingredients in their products donated to unsuspecting women.

2002: The ACS reassured the nation that carcinogenicity exposures
from dietary pesticides, "toxic waste in dump sites, "ionizing
radiation from "closely controlled" nuclear power plants, and
non-ionizing radiation, are all "at such low levels that cancer risks
are negligible." ACS indifference to cancer prevention became further
embedded in national cancer policy, following the appointment of Dr.
Andrew von Eschenbach, ACS Past President-Elect, as NCI Director.

2005: The ACS indifference to cancer prevention other than smoking,
remains unchanged, despite the escalating incidence of cancer, and
its $ billion budget.

The ACS's indifference to cancer prevention also reflects major
conflicts of interest with regard to public relations, Dr. Epstein
emphasizes.

*PUBLIC RELATIONS*

1998-2000: PR for the ACS was handled by Shandwick International,
whose major clients included R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Holdings.

2000-2002: PR for the ACS was handled by Edelman Public Relations,
whose major clients included Brown & Williamson Tobacco Company, and
the Altria Group, the parent company of Philip Morris, Kraft, and
fast food and soft drink beverage companies. All these companies were
promptly dismissed once this information was revealed by the CPC.

*INDUSTRY FUNDING*

The ACS's indifference to cancer prevention reflects major industry
funding. ACS has received contributions in excess of $100,000 from a
wide range of "Excalibur Donors," many of whom continue to
manufacture carcinogenic products, points out Dr. Epstein.

These include:

Petrochemical companies (DuPont; BP; and Pennzoil)
Industrial waste companies (BFI Waste Systems)
Junk food companies (Wendy's International; McDonalds's;
Unilever/Best Foods; and Coca-Cola)
Big Pharma (AstraZenceca; Bristol Myers Squibb; GlaxoSmithKline;
Merck & Company; and Novartis)
Biotech companies (Amgen; and Genentech)
Cosmetic companies (Christian Dior; Avon; Revlon; Elizabeth Arden;
and Estee Lauder)
Auto companies (Nissan; General Motors)

Nevertheless, warns Dr. Epstein, in spite of this long-standing
track record of flagrant conflicts of interest, as reported in the
December 8, 2009 New York Times, the ACS responded that it "holds
itself to the highest standards of transparency and public
accountability."

Samuel S. Epstein, M.D. is professor emeritus of Environmental and
Occupational Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago School
of Public Health; Chairman of the Cancer Prevention Coalition; The
2005 Albert Schweitzer Golden Grand Medalist for International
Contributions to Cancer Prevention; and author of over 270 scientific
articles and 20 books on the causes and prevention of cancer,
including the groundbreaking The Politics of Cancer (1979),
Cancer-Gate: How To Win The Losing Cancer War (2005, Baywood
Publishing), and Toxic Beauty (2009, BenBella Books).

To read Dr. Epstein's columns in the Huffington Post, go to:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/samuel-s-epstein

*CONTACT:*

Samuel S. Epstein, M.D.

Chairman, Cancer Prevention Coalition

Professor emeritus Environmental & Occupational Medicine

University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health

Chicago, Illinois

Tel: 312-996-2297

Email: epstein@uic.edu <mailto:epstein@uic.edu>

http://www.preventcancer.com <http://www.preventcancer.com/>

Please join CPC on Facebook
 

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Shelley Penney is a RN (retired) with a keen interest in health, peace and abundance.
Shelley has penned several e-books, currently runs several successful business ventures
from her home office, and has time to write, meditate, travel, and spend time with her
family. Visit Shelley at http://www.shelleypenney.com for interesting articles and
stimulating discussion.
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