Federal Policy

The Breast Cancer Fund engages in federal policy efforts to identify and eliminate the environmental causes of the disease. Here's what we're working on now and how you can get involved.

Bisphenol A in Food and Beverage Containers

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. introduced legislation in March 2009 aimed at banning bisphenol A from food and beverage containers. BPA is used in hard plastic bottles, food can linings, dental sealants, CDs and other consumer products, and is linked to an increased risk of breast cancer. It was originally developed as a synthetic estrogen, and is now one of the most widely-produced chemicals in the world.

Take action: Ask your senators to co-sponsor the BPA Act »

Learn more about the bill »

Safe Cosmetics for Everyone

Along with our partners in the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, the Breast Cancer Fund has been working for the last five years to get toxic chemicals out of personal care products – everything from shampoo to lipstick, baby wash to aftershave. Left unregulated by the federal government, the cosmetics industry has been allowed to put unlimited amounts of chemicals in products, even if those chemicals are linked to cancer, infertility or birth defects.

The Breast Cancer Fund led efforts to secure passage of the nation's first safe cosmetics law, the California Safe Cosmetics Act, in 2005. In 2009 we'll support efforts in Congress to address cosmetics safety. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.) and reps. Jan Schakowsky (Ill.) and Edward Markey (Mass.) voiced their concern for the issue following product testing by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, which found two carcinogenic contaminants in kids' bath and body care products.

Read news »

Breast cancer and cosmetics »

Victory! No More Phthalates in Kids' Toys

In August 2008, President Bush signed into law a major toy safety bill, including a ban on toxic phthalates in toys other plastics products for children that was championed by the Breast Cancer Fund. The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act also bans lead in kids' products.

Phthalates make plastic toys and teethers soft and flexible, but have been linked to a number of serious health problems including breast cancer.

In the coming year, Breast Cancer Fund will work to ensure that the phthalates ban is enacted in an effective and meaningful way.

Learn more about the bill »

Tracking on Better Health for All

For nearly a decade, the Breast Cancer Fund has been working with Congress to create a national health-tracking program that would give us better data about environmental links to disease. Today, our efforts have new legs.

In July 2009, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Louise Slaughter introduced the Coordinated Environmental Public Health Network Act in the U.S. House. In addition to advocating for the House legislation, we continue to work with Senate allies, including Sen. Orrin Hatch, to find ways to move the legislation in the Senate. The program would combine disease registry, environmental pollution and biomonitoring data to help us understand the links between toxic exposures and diseases like breast cancer. Communities would then be armed to act on or even prevent tragedies like cancer clusters.

Ask your Representative to co-sponsor the health tracking bill »

Kid-Safe Chemicals Act

The Kid-Safe Chemicals Act aims to overhaul U.S. policy concerning toxic chemicals for the first time in decades. Currently, there is no health and safety data for the majority of manmade chemicals in use. This bill, to be reintroduced in 2009, proposes to compile the information on industrial chemicals, to protect the most vulnerable populations – including children, women of child-bearing age and workers – and to establish a national program to assess human exposures to chemicals. The Kid-Safe Chemicals Act also aims to support the innovation of safer alternatives by investing in green chemistry and other long-term solutions.

KSCA fact sheet from Pew Charitable Trust »