“See these?” said the radiologist pointing to my mammogram results in February 2010, “They are concerning.”
How many women have heard that word and flipped into fear mode? With so many friends hearing false positives, I held my denial near and dear throughout the waiting process. A couple of months later, I nearly fainted at the results of a biopsy. Breast cancer.
I’m not unique. Nearly 300,000 women received the diagnosis this year. There are more than 2.8 million women with a history of breast cancer in the U.S., 85% of which have no family history of the disease. So what is causing it?
As my treatment plans were put in place, I began the arduous and all-consuming task of doing research on the disease. Serendipitously, that month, the President’s Cancer Panel said in their landmark report that “the true burden of environmentally induced cancer has been grossly underestimated.” As the author of The Eco Foods Guide (2002), I was keenly aware of the role of pesticides on public health. During my treatment, the reality hit me of the impact of the 85,000 largely unregulated chemicals used in our marketplace. While I slogged through treatment and recovery from it, the news made me feel sick.
Two days after my last radiation treatment, drained and exhausted, I returned from speaking at the Natural Products Expo to have conversations with students who wanted to help me write a book about the subject. Slowly over time, the team of dynamic young women declared, “We need to share this now!” The book was postponed and an online communications initiative began.
Serendipitously again, I came across applications for a training on this very issue led by high-level scientists – breast cancer and the environment. I applied and was flown across the country to dive in along with other advocates, including staff members from Susan G. Komen, writers, and government officials.
Back on campus, the team expanded and the organization officially launched. Suddenly, hundreds of followers on social media were exposed to these important messages. Serendipity continued when I was introduced to a world renowned endocrinologist studying the effects of many of these concerning chemicals on the body. One of the five international (and only U.S.) authors of the “State of the Science on Endocrine Disruption,” Dr. R. Thomas Zoeller has his lab across the street from my office. With Dr. Zoeller as our science advisor ever since, the importance of staying engaged with the newest discoveries and most up-to-date science on the subject has been possible. We are so grateful to our ongoing advisors who keep us informed.
One more significant thing happened that year that clarified our direction. The Institute of Medicine came out with a report indicating breast cancer was a “life stage” disease. Sharing information with college students who might share with their moms – the women being diagnosed – was important. The idea that it was actually the college women themselves are most vulnerable to chemical exposure, setting themselves up for a diagnosis later in life, was overwhelming on many levels.
My daughter was college-aged. My students, who surrounded me every day, were college students. The newest science clearly shows women are most vulnerable during the years up and through the first full term pregnancy. It is NOT women in their fifties. It is the young women who think nothing of a potential diagnosis that need most to avoid toxins in everyday products now and throughout their pregnancy – for their own health and for the next generation.
We were stunned. Our realization of the importance of our work skyrocketed as we unwrapped the gift of college women sharing with college women. Our directive was made crystal clear: translate the science into messages that young women can apply to themselves now – immediately – to protect their breasts and prevent a diagnosis later in life. Protect Our Breasts was born.
Cynthia Barstow, Founder & Executive Director (she/her)
The 2023-2024 National Executive Board
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 Co-Executive Director | Director | Science Director |
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Creative Director | Commerce Coordinator | Community Co-Coordinator |
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Community Co-Coordinator | Science Coordinator |
Protect Our Breasts (POB) is a program of Breast Cancer Prevention Partners (BCPP), a leader in advocating for
safer, cleaner products to reduce the risk of breast cancer. Breast Cancer Prevention Partners (BCPP) is the leading
science-based policy and advocacy organization working to eliminate toxic chemicals and other environmental
exposures linked to breast cancer. BCPP works on getting carcinogens out of everyday products, from cosmetics to
food packaging. 1 in 8 women today will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and yet fewer than 10% of breast cancer
cases are due to family history. That’s why at BCPP we aim to eliminate the other known risk factors linked to breast
cancer – to save lives and prevent the disease before it starts.
