En Zero Breast Cancer desarrollamos recursos educativos multilingües que traducen eficazmente la investigación científica en información práctica para promover la salud y el bienestar. Nuestro compromiso radica en crear materiales que no solo sean fáciles de entender, sino que también aborden las prioridades y preocupaciones de las comunidades a las que servimos. Esta dedicación se ve reflejada en el desarrollo de nuestra campaña Generations, que educa a los adultos jóvenes y a la comunidad en general sobre los efectos dañinos y multigeneracionales de los disruptores endocrinosen nuestra salud.

Health risks from plastics come primarily from food storage, preparation, and purchasing. When heated, plastic containers and/or wrap can leach harmful chemicals into your food. These chemicals, bisphenols and phthalates, are known endocrine disruptors and are implicated in numerous health challenges like diabetes, cancer, and obesity. Plastic Pollution Coalition is currently a co-investigator on a pilot study, ReThink Plastic, funded by California’s Breast Cancer Research Fund (CBCRF). PPC is working with Child Health and Development Studies (CHDS) to test an intervention strategy that reduces plastic use through educating trainers about toxic chemicals in plastics.

My name is Akilah. I am a 33 year old black woman in the Bay Area. About six years ago, I received a short email from my mom. It said 

“Hey Akilah, Consider participating in this study. I participated so you would be part of the 3rd generation cohort. Love Mommy” 

Big news: More Californians should be able to find local, healthy nail salons thanks to AB 2125 which Governor Brown signed into law 9/27/16. It establishes a statewide program for Healthy Nail Salon Recognition (HNSR), setting standards to reduce exposure to toxic chemicals for workers and for customers.

Some chemicals used in nail salons are linked to reproductive and developmental problems, asthma and cancer. Human hormones can be affected and people are especially vulnerable when their body’s hormones are most active, as during pregnancy and puberty. The mostly women workers who handle these products for many hours every day are at particular risk.

Making water more available in New York City public schools through self-serve water dispensers in cafeterias resulted in small—but statistically significant—declines in students' weight, according to new findings.

Clearya’s journey began in 2018 when Chen Rosner, following a cancer recovery, decided with her husband Amit Rosner to create a solution to keep toxic chemicals out of their home. After two years of research and software development, Clearya came into existence and has since partnered with renowned nonprofit organizations and governmental agencies that harness science, policy, and grassroots action to foster the transition to a healthy environment. Clearya is available for free as a computer browser extension for Chrome and Edge,  and can also be downloaded as a mobile app from the Apple Store and Google Play Store. Keep reading to learn more about how Clearya can positively impact your daily choices for a healthier lifestyle. 

Like many health conditions, the risk of breast cancer can be impacted by exposure to harmful chemicals. As scientists have learned more about these problems, new resources have been developed. Detox Me is a free smartphone app that provides “…a personalized guide to reduce your exposure to toxic chemicals.” It has simple, research-based tips on how to avoid chemicals that affect our hormones and choose safer products. For those of us seeking to reduce harmful chemicals from our daily lives, it will track our progress and offer rewards!

Have you ever wondered about the safety of the products you use every day? The EWG’s Healthy Living app was developed by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving chemical safety in the US, to provide you with answers. EWG pushes industries to adopt their standards and to say no to harmful chemicals. They also educate consumers with actionable information to inspire demand for safer products. Let’s take a closer look at how this app works and why it’s a handy tool for your everyday choices.

The 2016 Francine Levien Activist Award will be presented to the Tampalpais High School Breast Cancer Awareness Club for their ongoing support of the mission of Zero Breast Cancer and for being role models in the way they engage their peers in efforts to ensure progress towards preventing this disease. The award will be accepted by club president Maddie Stoops, along with fellow leaders Ali Merkl, Colette Lowry and Hans Glader at this year’s Honor Our Healers event coming up on May 10th. You can read about it here.

At Zero Breast Cancer, we develop multilingual educational resources that effectively translate scientific research into practical information for promoting health and wellness. Our commitment lies in creating materials that are not only easy to understand but also address the priorities and concerns of the communities we serve. This dedication is reflected in the development of our Generations campaign, which educates young adults and the broader community about the harmful, multigenerational effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) on our health.

Mike Kemp/Blend Images/Getty Images

What happens when the products we use to stay healthy are actually doing more harm than good? According to recent news, “the FDA says there's no evidence that antibacterial soaps do a better job cleaning hands, and chemicals in them may pose health hazards” (National Public Radio, 2016).

Do you know what a family of four in North Carolina eats in a week? Do you know how the proportions of items vary between fresh produce, dairy products, animal protein, processed and junk food between families in the United States and Kuwait? Have you ever thought about the different packaging our weekly groceries come in? Where would you suppose the weekly shopping bill is the highest? Where would you suppose it is the lowest? Do you think there are correlations between health and different eating habits/cost of food?

I recently had the privilege of attending the Society of Public Health Education (SOPHE) conference.  So many researchers and community organizations are doing work relevant to ZBC! I want to summarize what I learned about two topics that are particularly timely: Health Inequity and Health Resources & Media Literacy.

In this month’s Get to Know the ZBC Board interview, Judy Wetterer shares her wisdom as a survivor and advocate for breast cancer risk reduction. She has been involved in ZBC from the very beginning of the organization when it was Marin Breast Cancer Watch, later served as a member of the ZBC Teen Initiative Task Force and is now in her third year as a member of the board.

For the first interview of our new series, Get to Know ZBC Partners, we spoke with Helaine Alon, ZBC’s Communications Coordinator. Helaine started working with ZBC in October 2017. In her time with us, she has helped to overhaul the website, revitalize our social media pages, and write numerous book reviews and blog articles. We wish her well as she is moving on to new opportunities and are very grateful for the important work she has accomplished during her time with ZBC. 

On Tuesday, February 12, 2013 the federally mandated Interagency Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Coordinating Committee (IBCERCC), released its report, Breast Cancer and the Environment: Prioritizing Prevention.

About the course

The Anticancer Lifestyle Program is a free online evidenced-based lifestyle transformation course that offers cancer survivors and those of us interested in prevention the tools and information we need to reduce the odds of cancer and cancer recurrence. It can also help prevent or manage other chronic illnesses, like heart disease and type II diabetes.

Several months ago, our colleagues at Breast Cancer Over Time (BCOT) asked us to help recruit for their study on the Impact of Chemical Exposure on the Human Breast. Like ZBC, BCOT focuses on preventing breast cancer in the next generation. They address the issue by championing and coordinating research into the environmental causes of breast cancer, while ZBC focuses on engaging communities in translating research into actionable steps that can reduce the risk of breast cancer. This study investigates the risks of chemicals in personal care products (PCPs), a topic ZBC actively addresses.

As complementary organizations, promoting BCOT’s study was an obvious decision. While sharing information about the study it, I also discovered that it was personally relevant to me. Read on to learn more about the study and my experience with it.

A new article published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology shows that breast cancer survivors who quit smoking after their diagnosis had a 33 percent lower risk of death as a result of breast cancer than those who continued to smoke.

The statistics are staggering, everyone knows of a person that has been touched by breast cancer and with all the advancements in medicine hopefully they survived. Karl Huie of Pacific Heights Cleaners climbed Mt. Shasta to create awareness for breast cancer as well as raise funds to support Zero Breast Cancer.