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.

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.

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.

Did you know that eating poorly and not exercising are not only bad for your health, but for your wallet as well? A study conducted by the University of Sydney found that "physical inactivity costs the global economy $67.5 billion a year in healthcare and productivity losses" (Voice of America, 2016). Some common risks that are elevated with lack of activity include heart disease, diabetes, and cancer and the overall lack of exercise is estimated to cause almost as many deaths as smoking this year. However, it is important to remember that many of these tragedies can be avoided by practicing prevention!

This year, ZBC recognizes three up and coming leaders who are making a big investment in our community. JT and Jake Peterson and colleague Marcus Hall run Ripped Body Fitness in Mill Valley. These young men are the best of their generation: they work hard, play hard and focus on healthy living in every respect, including giving back to the community in many generous ways. We are excited to honor them and tell their story at our upcoming Honor Our Healers event on May 10th. You can learn more here.

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).

Trying to lose weight? Think about changing to a positive focus on more exercise and/or healthy eating habits, rather than a number on the scale. A fascinating new study shows that even if you are at a healthy weight, feeling bad about your weight seems to cause the same diseases as being overweight, like diabetes!

Sadly, weight dissatisfaction and poor body image can start early in girls and actually discourage healthy behaviors.

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.

Speaking to Arbella Parrot, you naturally latch on to her every word and get inspired by what she shares given her sincerity and enthusiasm. A licensed clinical psychologist for eighteen years, Arbella joined the ZBC board just over a year ago and has been an invaluable member of the organization ever since. We took some time to catch up with her as part of a Get to Know the ZBC Board series and are so honored to share her story with you.

It is such a pleasure to speak to JT Peterson and get motivated to do good in the world! As a personal trainer, coach, and co-owner of Ripped Body Fitness, he exudes positive energy and a “you can do it” attitude. JT has been a wonderful member of the ZBC board for almost two years and we took some time to talk to him as part of our Get to Know the ZBC Board series. We are honored to share his insights with you!

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.

Kevin Gay shares his enthusiasm for Zero Breast Cancer in this month’s Get to Know the Board interview. In his second year as a board member, Kevin’s financial management expertise and knowledge of nonprofit governance have been invaluable to advancing the ZBC mission. 

Next up in the Get to Know the ZBC Board series is Lexi Mele-Algus. Lexi got to know Zero Breast Cancer as a pro-bono business consultant through the Taproot Foundation. Once that assignment was completed, Lexi jumped at the opportunity to join our board. In her year and a half as a board member, she has continued to draw upon her expertise in the field of healthcare systems to support and advance the strategic mission of ZBC.

Board President Melissa Felder discusses the significance of Zero Breast Cancer in this month’s Get to Know the ZBC Board interview. She has been a member of the Board of Directors for the past three years and is toward the end of her first year of a two-year term as president. Building on her initial engagement with ZBC as a Taproot Foundation consultant, Melissa has helped ensure our organization fulfills our goals to prevent breast cancer in the next generation. She will help oversee exciting new developments that will be made possible by Marjorie Bonner’s generous bequest.

Next up in our Meet ZBC Partners series is Barbara “Bibi” Gelfand Summer of Barbara Gelfand Summer Design. Bibi been ZBC’s main designer since 2015. Working with our style guide and color palette, she has designed a wide variety of materials for us, including all of our 13 Ways to Reduce Your Risk of Breast Cancer collateral, donor appreciation brochures, and much more. Bibi has helped us to ensure our materials are simple but not simplistic and feel genuinely high quality and inclusive. We love that she has learned about breast cancer risk reduction from ZBC while she has taught us some of the secrets of how good design powers effective communication.

GIS for Community Impact: From Technology to Translation

Scientists will continue research on groundbreaking discoveries by the pioneering Marin Women’s Study following a fundraising campaign that won a $77,000 Avon Foundation grant.

We’re expanding our pre-puberty materials! In addition to the Girls’ New Puberty resources directed at parents/caregivers, we now have an activity booklet for girls (and all kids) ages 5+. Download and print our Healthy Activity Booklet: Being Healthy is About Feeling Our Best!

The booklet promotes lifelong health and wellness by providing healthy action ideas to color and asking girls to draw what they like to do. There’s also a bingo activity at the end that encourages girls to follow some of the actions suggested. Topic areas include moving more, eating healthy, getting enough sleep, managing stress, and limiting exposure to chemicals. While it was made with girls in mind, it is not exclusively for girls. All kids who snap a picture of their favorite completed page and email it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. will receive a certificate and, with a parent/guardian's permission, have the image posted on our Girls' New Puberty Facebook page.

A new study suggests eating fruits, vegetables and whole grains in adolescence could reduce breast cancer risk later in life. This maybe especially true for pre-menopausal cancer, which affects more women of color and is often more aggressive.

Not Too Late!

Even in early adulthood, for every additional 10g of fiber eaten (~ 1 apple & 2 slices whole wheat bread) there was a 13% drop in risk.