February 4 is National Cancer Prevention Day and February is National Cancer Prevention Month. Did you know that cancer is the leading cause of death by disease among children in the United States? While it’s true that fewer children are dying of cancer than in the past, the rate of children being diagnosed with cancer has actually increased by 34% since 1975.
Because of the important work of leading scientists and health professionals, we know that toxic chemicals in the environment and in the places where children live, learn, and play are important risk factors for cancer, and that genetics alone cannot explain the rate of increase.
Due to the significant increase in the rate of childhood cancers, a team of over 60 stakeholders and leaders in the health, science, business, policy and advocacy sectors have collaborated on
This coalition seeks to establish a National Childhood Cancer Prevention Research Agenda and Plan to reverse the upward trend in childhood cancer incidence through a dramatic reduction of toxic chemicals, with a strong “all hands on deck” cross-sector approach to childhood cancer prevention.
“We do not know which of these 85,000-plus chemicals may be driving increases in the incidence of childhood cancers,” said Dr. Philip J. Landrigan, MD, MSc, FAAP, director of the Program in Global Public Health and the Common Good at Boston College. “We are flying blind with no instruments. We must act now on the urgent need to confront the rising incidence of cancer in America’s children. We need to launch a National Cancer Prevention Plan—a second front on the War on Cancer—a powerful program of intervention against the root causes of childhood cancer that will complement and sustain the great advances we have made in cancer treatment.”
Individuals can sign the CCPI letter of support here.
Organizations can sign the Joint Statement on Cancer Prevention here.
Read and share the report: http://bit.ly/ChildhoodCancerPrevention
Watch our recent webinar featuring Dr. Landrigan, Global Human Health & Ocean Plastic Pollution.
Download our free Healthy Pregnancy Guide or Healthy Baby Guide.
