In 1969 President Richard M. Nixon declared war on cancer – intending to wipe out the disease in our generation. Despite billions of dollars financing this war, cancer has become the number one killer of Americans under age 85.
Breast cancer has gotten special attention with the pink ribbon campaign. What most people don’t know is that “October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month” was the brainchild of the Zeneca Corp. (now Astra Zeneca), which pays for and controls all radio and TV ads, pamphlets, and most other information related to this campaign. Little if anything is mentioned of the environmental risk factors from toxic pesticides, chemicals, or other environmental pollutants. Astra Zeneca was once part of the British company, Imperial Chemical Industries. They also produce tamoxifen, the most widely prescribed breast cancer drug in the world. . Zeneca also produced acetochlor, a carcinogenic herbicide, increasingly suspected as a risk factor for developing breast cancer. Zeneca has also been buying up cancer clinics around the country.
Their slogan “early detection is the best protection” is misleading. If something has been detected, then you have not been protected.
On the other hand, the Breast Cancer Action Fund is the only non-profit national organization that focuses solely on identifying and advocating for elimination of environmental and other preventable causes of breast cancer. This is truly the best protection. So when October rolls around this year think before you pink.
Terry Pfau DO HMD