Top Scientists Talk about Breast Cancer and the Environment

Breast Cancer Network NZ Inc Media Release – 11 July 2012

For immediate release

Top Scientists Talk about Breast Cancer and the Environment

“You have breast cancer!” – the news that more than 2500 New Zealand women receive each year. Just under one quarter of them will die from the disease. Tragically, almost everyone knows someone who has had breast cancer, and the lives of more and more women and men, and their families are affected.

In an effort to reduce the numbers of women (and men) being given this news, the Breast Cancer Network is holding a public seminar – Breast Cancer and Environmental Risks – on the 21st of July, with three internationally renowned scientists, Prof Ian Shaw, Prof Charlotte Paul and Dr Barbara Cohn, discussing the possible environmental causes of breast cancer.

Increasingly, we are coming to understand that lifestyle choices (smoking, drinking alcohol, diet and exercise) and environmental exposures (ionising radiation, toxic chemicals, environmental oestrogens and other endocrine disruptors) are influencing the incidence of breast cancer.

The Breast Cancer Network is the only organisation in New Zealand focusing specifically on reducing the incidence of breast cancer.

“Of course, curing breast cancer is very important,” says BCN chairwoman, Kim Sipeli. “But it would be so much better if we could reduce the number of women being diagnosed.”

The science is not advanced enough to prescribe a lifestyle that we know will prevent breast cancer, but there is sufficient evidence to take steps that may reduce the individual risk of developing breast cancer, and BCN are staunch advocates of the precautionary principle. This is an approach that holds that if an action or exposure has a suspected risk of causing harm, in the absence of absolute scientific proof, that action or exposure should be avoided.

The Public Seminar – Breast Cancer and Environmental Risks – focuses on the question “do New Zealand levels of endocrine disrupting chemicals initiate or promote breast cancer.”

The expert panel includes Professor Ian Shaw from the University of Canterbury, Professor Charlotte Paul of the University of Otago, and Dr Barbara Cohn of the Public Health Institute in California (via video link). The day will conclude with an hour of participants questions for the experts.

“The seminar is open to anyone interested in the issue of breast cancer risk: women, men, mothers, sisters, grandmothers, parents of girls, parents of unborn children,” says Ms Sipeli.

Breast cancer affects our whole community and this seminar is not just for those who have experienced breast cancer, but anyone who wishes to avoid the disease for themselves and their loved ones.

The seminar is being held at The Memorial Hall and Arts Centre at Kings School in Remuera from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm on Saturday the 21st of July. Entry is free but BCN is asking for a koha/donation of $25 to cover the catered lunch, morning and afternoon tea. For more information please contact:

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