OUR MISSIONDefining breast cancer as a politicalissue, the MBCC challenges all obstacles to the eradication of this disease.

NUMBER 41 • WINTER 2009

THE NEWSLETTER OF THE MASSACHUSETTS BREAST CANCER COALITION

Stop the Epidemic!

ORGANIZATIONALGOALS

• Create the public and politicalwill to eradicate breast cancer

• Focus on environmental links to breast cancer that willlead to primary prevention ofbreast cancer

• Reject the concept of breastcancer as a chronic disease

• Dispel myths and misconceptions about the realities of the breast cancerepidemic

• Challenge the commercialization of breast cancer

Visit mbcc.org

LET’S BAN BISPHENOL ABy Laura Spark, Interim Program Director

The Massachusetts Breast CancerCoalition is working with the Alliancefor a Healthy Tomorrow to ban bisphe-nol A (BPA) in products targeted tochildren under 3 and to issue a publichealth advisory to adults. BPA is asynthetic chemical used in the manu-facturing of polycarbonate plastic andepoxy resins. Over 90% of Americanadults have BPA in their urine, andBPA is also measurable in blood, breastmilk, and placental tissue.

Of 115 independently-funded stud-ies of BPA, 94 have found links tohealth problems including breast can-cer, prostate cancer, attention deficithyperactivity disorder, early puberty,and insulin resistance. By contrast,eleven industry-funded studies ofbisphenol A found that the chemicalhas no harmful effect.

What is bisphenol A?BPA is a chemical that is used tomake epoxy resins and polycarbon-ate plastic. Polycarbonate plastic canbe clear or tinted and is often markedwith the recycling symbol “7” or theletters PC. As a component of poly-carbonate plastic, BPA is used inmany things including: • Baby bottles and sippy cups• Plastic water bottles and food

storage containers• Plastic medical devices• Toys• CDs and DVDs• Goggles and bike helmets• Refillable water bottles for

water coolers• Refrigerator shelving• Eyeglass lenses• Clear plastic forks, knives, spoons• Multiple industrial applications

As part of epoxy resin, BPA is usedin the lining of cans for food and bever-ages, including infant formula. BPA is asignificant part of these resins, com-

prising up to 60% of the ingredients inthe resin.

BPA is a component of the dentalsealants painted on children’s teeth andnon-metal dental fillings for childrenand adults. Even pizza boxes madewith recycled paper may containbisphenol A.

When used in items like bike hel-mets and CDs, bipshenol A does notpose a health risk. However, BPA doespose a potential hazard when it is usedfor products that come in contact withfood. BPA leaches into food and drinkfrom bottles and food cans that containthe chemical. When products are heat-ed, leaching increases. For example,most infant bottles are sterilized andthen warmed prior to use. This increas-es the amount of bisphenol A that getsinto infant formula. Leaching alsoincreases as products age.

Why should people be concernedabout BPA?Bisphenol A is ubiquitous.

Almost all Americans have BPA intheir bodies. A 2004 study by theCenters for Disease Control found BPAin the urine of 93% of 2517 subjectsevaluated.Early exposure to bisphenol A is linkedto increased risk of breast cancer.

Mice and rats exposed to very lowlevels of bisphenol A, either prenatallyor shortly after birth, are more likely todevelop breast cancer as adults.Bisphenol A changes the structure ofthe mammary gland and makes thegland more sensitive to later exposuresto estrogen and carcinogens.Bipshenol A is an endocrine disrupter.

Bipsphenol A is an endocrine dis-rupter which mimics estrogen andinterferes with androgen and thyroidhormones. Animal studies link BPAexposure to increased rates of breastcancer, prostate cancer, miscarriage,

Continued on page 2

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insulin resistance, autism, attentiondeficity hyperactivity disorder, anddecreasing sperm counts. The illnesses linked to BPA in scientificstudies have been increasing in humansover the same period of time that BPAhas been in wide use.

In 2007, 38 scientists involved inBPA research met in Chapel Hill, NorthCarolina and issued the Chapel HillBisphenol A Expert Panel ConsensusStatement, asserting that bisphenol Ahad clear health effects, shown in ani-mal studies, wildlife, and in vitro stud-ies. They expressed concern that thehealth problems linked to bisphenol Ain the lab are all increasing in humanpopulations and that this increase hasoccurred during the same years thatBPA use has become widespread. Bipshenol A impedes the effectivenessof chemotherapy on some breast cancercells.

Researcher Nira Ben Jonathon,Ph.D., of the University of Cincinnatirecently published an article inEnvironmental Health Perspectiveswhich shows that bisphenol A reducesthe effectiveness of cisplastin, doxoru-bicin, and vinblastine in killing breastcancer cells.

In laboratory studies, Dr. BenJonathon and her team exposed ER+and ER- breast cancer cells to low levelsof bisphenol A for 24 hours and thentreated the cells lines with each of thethree chemotherapies.

In every case, BPA induced chemore-sistance of breast cancer cells, makingthe cells less likely to die in response tochemotherapy agents. According to BenJonathon, her study found that BPA acts

by inducing a protein to protect breastcancer cells from the effects of thechemotherapeutic drugs. The levels of BPA in humans are abovethe levels shown to cause harm in ani-mals.

The Chapel Hill scientists noted intheir 2007 Consensus Statement, thelevels of BPA in people’s bodies aregreater than the levels at which harm-ful effects are seen in animals.

Doesn’t the FDA say that bisphenol Ais safe?

Yes, the FDA released a report inAugust, saying that bisphenol A is safefor use in food packaging. However,the Environmental Working Group, anonprofit advocacy group, raised seri-ous concerns about the assumptionsmade in FDA’s risk assessment.

In October, the FDA’s ScienceAdvisory Board agreed with theEnvironmental Working Group’s con-cerns, concluding that FDA had notproven BPA to be safe and that avail-able evidence pointed to an “inade-quate” margin of safety for currentexposures.

What can you do?1. Call your federal legislators and tellthem to ban BPA in food containers.

Last year, Congressman Ed Markeyintroduced a bill to ban BPA in cups,bottles, food cans, and all other con-sumer products that come in contactwith food and beverages. MBCCstrongly supports this bill and expectsCongressman Markey to reintroduce itin 2009.

Find out who your legislator is bygoing to www.congress.org and enter-ing your zip code.

2. Tell Governor Deval Patrick to banBPA in products marketed to childrenunder three and to issue a public healthwarning to pregnant women andwomen with breast cancer.

Starting in mid-December, go towww.healthytomorrow.org and sign apetition telling Governor Deval Patrickto ban bisphenol A in products market-ed to children under three and issue apublic health warning to pregnantwomen and women with breast cancer,telling them to avoid polycarbonateplastic and restrict their use of cannedfoods.3. Make these changes at home and tellyour friends and family to do the same:

Avoid polycarbonate plastic cups,water bottles, sippy cups, and infantbottles. Polycarbonate plastic has thenumber 7 inside a recycling symbol.Several other types of plastic have thenumber 7, however, because 7 is a“catchall” for all of the plastics thatdon’t fit into the 1-6 recycling categories.To be safe, avoid 7 and especially 7 PC.

Infant bottles: Use glass bottles orBPA-free plastic bottle. Many retailershave started to offer BPA-free plasticbottles in response to recent pressabout the dangers of BPA.

Water bottles: Use a metal bottlethat is not lined with an epoxy resin.Or use a BPA-free plastic bottle. Do notuse single-use bottles (like a soda bot-tle) more than once.

Infant formula cans: use powderedformula or liquid formula in plastic orglass, instead of metal cans.

Canned food: Limit canned foods,substituting fresh and frozen foodsinstead. When you do eat canned food,rinse the fruit, vegetables, or beans toremove the canning liquid. EdenFoods does not use BPA in their cannedbean products.

Tomatoes: Buy tomatoes in boxes orglass jars. Currently, there is no alter-native to BPA in the epoxy linings forhighly acidic foods like tomatoes.

Microwave: Do not use any plasticin microwave ovens, including plasticslabeled “microwave-safe.” Recentmedia reports indicate that even plas-tics that are not polycarbonate canleach BPA.

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LET’S BAN BISPHENOL A . . .Continued from page 1

LESBIAN AND FRIENDS DANCEStart the year off right and join us for the first great party of 2009! The

Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition hosts the 11th Annual Lesbian &Friends Dance on January 24, 2009 at the Brookline Holiday Inn. This lav-ish evening features complimentary hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. DJAnn Rogers will spin the soundtrack to your evening of dancing andsilent auction wins. For tickets and more information, please visitwww.mbcc.org. Tickets are $35 in advance or $40 at the door. Indulgeyourself and come join us for an evening of dancing and fun!

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THE TRAIL TO BREAST CANCER PREVENTIONMOTIVATIONS FOR ADVOCACY AND ACHIEVEMENTS ALONG THE WAYBy Erin Boles, Associate Executive Director

“Hold the Line at 1 in 9!” Many of you may have been amember of the original group of women to be outraged bythe excessively high rate of breast cancer during the early1990’s, at Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition’s incep-tion. Well, you likely also know that this original goal hasyet to be accomplished and that today, between 1 in 7 and 1in 8 women risk a breast cancer diagnosis. These womenmay include one of your loved ones, or yourself; it is stillvery personal, and still very political. Clearly, our fight toend the breast cancer epidemic contin-ues and we hope that you will join orrejoin the effort to stop the epidemicby taking an active role, like so manyof our members have through theyears, to reverse this trend and givebreast cancer prevention, as well astreatment, the top priority it deserves.

Since 1991, the MassachusettsBreast Cancer Coalition has beenworking to expand breast cancer pre-vention efforts so that not one morewoman is diagnosed with breast can-cer needlessly. We made significantprogress in 2008, with the help ofmembers like you and our friends inthe State House, but we also faced for-midable obstacles and have muchmore to do in 2009.

Here’s an overview of our work in 2008 and our chal-lenges for 2009:

Breast Cancer Prevention: SSI/UML/ MBCC CollaborationIn 2008, Representative Lida Harkins was our champion

in the House, organizing cosponsors to secure State fundingfor the Breast Cancer Prevention Project. The Breast CancerPrevention Project is a line item in the State Budget whichprovides support for a collaboration between Silent SpringInstitute, Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition, andUniversity of Massachusetts Lowell, to research environ-mental causes of breast cancer in Massachusetts. Despiteher work, and the involvement of many MBCC supporters,State funding for the Breast Cancer Prevention Project waseliminated in October by Governor Deval Patrick.

Silent Spring Institute has been investigating the rela-tionship between environmental contaminants andwomen’s health for 15 years. Silent Spring’s research hasfocused on Cape Cod, where breast cancer rates are higherthan the state average. On the Cape, SSI researchers haveanalyzed house dust and air to identify levels of mammarycarcinogens and endocrine disrupting chemicals in averagehomes. Silent Spring has found that many Cape homes con-tain a significant burden of toxic chemicals linked to breastcancer in the air, dust and water. The results of this studycan be found on SSI’s homepage: www.silentspring.org.

However, it is not just women on Cape Cod who need beconcerned about high breast cancer rates. Massachusettsconsistently ranks among the five states in the country withthe highest rates of breast cancer. New mapping informa-tion developed by Silent Spring and research conducted byUniversity of Massachusetts Lowell have identified otherareas in Massachusetts where rates are inexplicably high.

This year, with state funding, Silent Spring planned todo household exposure studies in Chelsea and Marblehead.With the funding cuts, MBCC and Silent Spring are search-

ing for private funding while trying toraise awareness about the importanceof this research so funding can be rein-stated in FY2010.

Safer Alternatives BillMassachusetts Breast Cancer

Coalition has been one of the leadorganizations advocating for the pas-sage of the Safer Alternatives Bill. Inthe United States, the chemical indus-try is largely unregulated. Virtuallyany chemical can be added to a prod-uct or used in manufacturing withouttesting to ensure safety. Massachusettshas already taken important steps tohelp businesses phase out toxic chemi-cals, most notably through passage ofthe Toxics Use Reduction Act (TURA).

However, TURA works with manufacturers on a limited,voluntary basis. Public health advocates, including breastcancer advocates, believe stronger efforts are needed toreduce the use of toxic chemicals shown to adversely affecthealth.

Throughout 2008, MBCC worked to educateRepresentatives and Senators about the Safer AlternativesBill. The Safer Alternatives Bill requires businesses toreplace toxic chemicals in consumer products with saferalternatives. The Bill provides financial and technical sup-port to help businesses make the transition. It uses an incre-mental approach, prioritizing 2-5 chemicals per year forreplacement with safer alternatives. With MBCC’s leader-ship and the support of allies at Clean Water Action,MassCosh, Massachusetts Council of Churches, the ARC ofMassachusetts, and 150 other organizations, the SaferAlternatives Bill attracted enormous support in 2008. TheBill passed the Senate in December. By summer, over half ofMassachusetts Representatives supported the Bill. But, theBill never came for a vote in the House, which meansMBCC and its allies must start over next session, passingthe Bill in both the Senate and the House.

However, the Bill is in a fantastic position to be passednext session, beginning in January 2009. This year, MBCC

Continued on next page

Governor DevalPatrick’s 9c cuts eliminated State

funding for MBCC.Your gift will help

us continue our important work.

needs the voices of our over 12,000supporters to pass the SaferAlternatives bill. This bill will breakground nationally and encourageother states and the federal govern-ment to reform outdated chemicalpolicies. Please visit our website orthat of the Alliance for a HealthyTomorrow(www.healthytomorrow.org) for moreinformation on this bill and the issueof toxic chemicals and our health, andfor ways to get involved.

Join UsAt MBCC, we continue on the trail

toward breast cancer preventionbecause we consider it outrageous thatso many women are diagnosed withbreast cancer and that little is beingdone to discover what causes the dis-ease or to make changes to stop theepidemic in its tracks. MBCC is one ofthe few organizations nationwide ask-ing for these vital changes. It is withthis passion that we engage in ouradvocacy work every day. We hopethat you will join, or rejoin, this trekwith us.

An increasing body of scientific evi-dence supports a link between highbreast cancer rates and environmentalfactors. Imagine where we would be ifbreast cancer research funding wasincreased so that an equal amount ofresources were devoted to primary pre-vention of the disease as is dedicated tofinding a medical cure for the disease.None of us who have been personallyaffected by this disease can be satisfiedwith the idea that breast cancer isinevitable and that our only hope is togrin and bear a diagnosis and sitthrough long and, as many of us know,

challenging treatments. Preventing thedisease in the first place needs to be atop priority as well!

In 2009, let’s move forward. Withas little as a few minutes a year or asmuch time as you have to contribute;we can make change together. You canhelp make real change with a phonecall, an email, or a letter to the editorof your local paper. You can drop byyour legislator’s office hours or bringyour neighbors together for a districtmeeting. You can join us at the StateHouse for advocacy days. Please callus at (617) 376-6222 or email us atinfo@mbcc.org to become more active.

We are in the process of updatingour website to make it easier to navi-gate. We will be sending out a survey,first via email and then regular mail,to find out what members are mostinterested in. If you are not signed upfor action alerts, please send us anemail at info@mbcc.org so that we cansign you up for the latest updates. Butmost of all, make your passion to pre-vent this disease be heard. After all,PREVENTION IS THE CURE!

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Stop the Epidemic!Published by the Massachusetts BreastCancer Coalition. Direct all inquiries to:

MASSACHUSETTSBREAST CANCER

COALITION1419 Hancock Street, Suite 202

Quincy, MA 02169Toll Free (800) 649-6222

Ph. (617) 376-6222 (MBCC)Fx. (617) 376-6221

Email info@mbcc.org Website: mbcc.org

BOARD OF DIRECTORSJanis Lippman, President

Cathy Freedberg, TreasurerDiane Savitzky, Secretary

Harriet BermanLiz Carver

Margo GoldenEllen R. GrubertHope F. White

SCIENTIFIC ADVISORSusan Troyan, M.D.

STAFFDeborah Shields, Executive Director

Erin Boles, Associate Executive DirectorCheryl Osimo, Event Coordinator

Marianne Hutchings, Office AdministratorCandace Shockley, Account Administrator

NEWSLETTER PRODUCTIONKristen vonHentschel

THE TRAIL TO PREVENTION.. .Continued from previous page

2008’s Annual Against the Tide event was a complete success! For the past 16years, thousands of women supported by multitudes of individual and corpo-rate sponsors have come together for a one-mile swim, two-mile kayak, three-mile fitness walk or all three. This year’s event raised over $189,200 for theMassachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition. Your efforts have helped MBCC makebreast cancer prevention a priority. Thank you for your continuing support ofthis fundraiser. We welcome you to visit http://www.mbcc.org/swim/ as wegear up for the 2009 event on June 20th in Hopkinton and August 15th inBrewster. Hope to see you then!

MBCC would like to THANK YOU for yourparticipation the 2008 Against The Tide event.We look forward to seeing you again next year!

Sarah Dunagan, MA, Silent SpringInstitute

We all want to protect ourselves andour families from fires. But are the veryregulations intended to protect us unin-tentionally exposing us to toxic chemi-cals?

A new study led by Silent SpringInstitute suggests California’s strict fur-niture flammability standard – thestrictest in the world – may be leadingto elevated levels of flame retardantPBDEs (polybrominated diphenylethers) in California homes and resi-dents, compared to other locationsacross the country and the world.

PBDEs have been added to every-day household items like foam furni-ture and electronics since the 1970s. Agrowing body of evidence shows thatPBDEs can drift out of those productsinto air and dust, where people canbreathe or ingest them. Children areespecially vulnerable because, as par-ents know, they spend a lot of time onthe floor and like to put things in theirmouths. A recent report by theEnvironmental Working Group showsyoung children have levels of PBDEs intheir blood three times the levels foundin their parents.

Although the human health effects

of PBDEs remain uncertain, animal testssuggest these chemicals cause thyroidhormone disruption, and reproductiveand developmental problems. Addingcause for concern, PBDEs are close rela-tives to PCBs – banned industrial chem-icals used in electrical equipment –which have been linked to breast cancerand impaired brain development inhumans.

The Silent Spring Institute studyfound levels of penta-BDE, a commer-cial mixture of PBDEs used in furniturefoam, in California house dust thatwere 4 to 10 times higher than otherareas in the US and 200 times higherthan in Europe. The most contaminatedhomes had the highest levels everdetected in indoor dust. Theresearchers also found penta-BDE in theblood of California residents at levelstwice as high as the national average.

The good news is that penta-BDEmanufacturing has already been phasedout due to health concerns. But thechemical lingers in older products, theenvironment, wildlife, and humans.Lead study author Ami Zota comment-ed, “Virtually all the penta-BDE pro-duced globally was used to meet thisfire standard, and now these chemicalshave been detected in nearly every

species across the globe.” Also troubling is that in order to

meet California’s stringent standards,new chemicals have been substitutedthat are similar in form to PBDEs – andthus suspected to be similarly toxic –but that haven’t been tested for safety.These alternative flame retardantsinclude the widely used but little stud-ied Firemaster 550, and TDCP (tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl)phosphate), a proba-ble human carcinogen.

“Concerns about safety gave PBDEsa bad name so the US manufacturerstopped making them. The problemnow is that one hazardous chemical isbeing traded for another,” said studydirector, Ruthann Rudel, senior scientistat Silent Spring Institute.

California is now consideringexpanding its fire standards to includebed coverings, and the federal govern-ment is considering adopting similarstandards – measures that would likelyincrease the use of potentially harmfulflame retardants.

Zota noted, “We need to shiftchemical policy in this country so thatchemicals are fully tested for environ-mental and health effects before theyare used widely in everyday consumerproducts.”

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SCIENCE NEWS FROM SILENT SPRINGINSTITUTE: HIGH LEVELS OF TOXIC FLAME RETARDANTS INCALIFORNIA SPARK CONCERN

SPROUTS OF HOPEThe Sprouts of Hope – a Cambridge-based

Roots & Shoots group – donated $150.00 inhonor of Shari Zimble, the mother of one of itsmembers, 12-year old Risa Paley-Zimble. Risaand her fellow Sprouts raised this money in aYard Sale/Bake Sale. Some Yard Sale fundswill also purchase a flowering bush for theKing Open School garden. Shari had a greatlove for gardening, and she made the KingOpen School garden a special place of learn-ing, exploration, and fun. With the donationsto King School and MBCC, the Sprouts ofHope honor Shari Zimble and her extraordi-nary contributions.

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FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE UPDATESay Goodbye to Toxic ToysConsumer Product SafetyImprovement Act of 2008: A huge success!

“With this bill, our children’s toys willbe tested in the laboratory before they aretested by our children on the living roomfloor.” Representative Joe Barton (R), Texas.

In August, Congress passed theConsumer Product Safety ImprovementAct of 2008. The Act bans six types ofphthalates and most lead from toys andchildren’s products. It requires manu-facturers to certify that their productsare safe and requires mandatory thirdparty testing of some products. This is ahuge victory for parents and publichealth advocates.

Action on the Bill followed a year ofhighly publicized product recalls.According to AP reports, forty five mil-lion toys were recalled in 2007-8, manybecause they contained lead. TheConsumer Product Safety ImprovementAct bans lead in more than traceamounts in all products targeted to chil-dren younger than 12. The Act bans sixtypes of phthalates in toys. Three arebanned permanently and three arebanned temporarily, pending furtherstudy. All six of these phthalates havealready been banned by the EuropeanUnion.

Phthalates and lead are often foundin toys made out of PVC plastic, alsocalled polyvinyl chloride or just vinyl.Vinyl is used in many children’s prod-ucts, including dolls, toys, inflatablepools, balls, rain coats, bath books,lunchboxes, back packs, rubber ducksand teethers. The bond between phtha-lates and plastic is not highly stable.

This means that phthalates easily leachout of products and into children, espe-cially when children chew or suck ontoys.

Phthalates are of concern to breastcancer advocates, because phthalateshave been linked to early puberty--arisk for breast cancer.

The provisions of the new law gointo effect in February, 2009. However,the Bush Administration has recentlyissued a legal ruling that allows chil-dren’s products manufactured beforeFeb 2009 to be “grandfathered in”.This means non-compliant toys now inwarehouses will continue to be sold instores. As this newsletter goes to press,advocates are challenging this ruling.To be safe, avoid all vinyl toys and chil-dren’s products (#3 plastic)and restrictuse of polycarbonate plastic (#7 plasticor PC). Go to www.healthytoys.org tosee if your children’s toys have beenassessed for safety.

Looking Ahead to 2009In 2009, MBCC will be working to:

Get toxic chemicals out of cosmetics.MBCC is a founding member of the

Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. TheCampaign has been working to edu-cate consumers on the lack of safetytesting in cosmetics and personal careproducts like shampoo, soap, tooth-paste, and makeup. Virtually anychemical can be put in these productswithout any safety documentationfrom manufacturers, and increasinglyscientists are raising questions aboutthese chemicals. The European Unionbans 1,000 chemicals from personalcare products; in contrast, the U.S.

bans 9. In 2009, look for the Campaignto introduce legislation to require bet-ter federal oversight of the $50 billioncosmetic industry.Ban bisphenol A

In 2008, both Massachusetts SenatorJohn Kerry and MassachusettsRepresentative Ed Markey introducedproposals to ban bisphenol A. BySeptember, the end of the federal leg-islative session, neither Bill had passed.Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalitionsupports the Markey bill, which bansBPA in all “food contact” products.Look for updates once this bill is intro-duced. And please call your legislatorsand tell them to work withCongressman Markey to ban BPA.Build support for the Kid-SafeChemicals Act

The Kid Safe Chemicals Act is amajor piece of legislation. The Actreforms the 1976 Toxic SubstanceControl Act (TSCA), the law that gov-erns how toxic chemicals are regulatedin the United States. Environmentalhealth groups, including MBCC, believethat TSCA has not done enough to keepus safe. When the law was passed,62,000 chemicals were already on themarket and they were allowed to stayon the market with no evaluation. Anadditional 20,000 chemicals have comeonto the market since 1976, with little orno pre-market testing to assure safety.

Science has advanced since 1976,and we can now test for the presence ofsynthetic chemicals in our blood, urine,even in cord blood. We now know thatbabies are born “pre-polluted” withhundreds of chemicals in their bodieswhen they enter the world. Many ofthese chemicals have been linked tocancer, birth defects, and other serioushealth problems.

The Kid Safe Chemicals Act wouldcompletely change the regulation ofchemicals in the United States. It wouldrequire that chemicals be tested beforethey come to market. And it wouldrequire safety assessments of the 80,000chemicals now on the market. TheEnvironmental Working Group is a leadadvocate for Kid Safe and EWG expertsexpect it will take at least 2-3 years topass the Act. This year, we can begin tobuild support for change by lettingeveryone know about the hazards ofuntested chemicals and the need forfederal policy reform.

Nancy Norman, M.D., M.P.H., MedicalDirector at the Boston Public HealthCommission, was the afternoon keynotespeaker at the Black Women and BreastCancer Conference: Prevention,Disparities, and Wellness. Sponsored bythe Massachusetts Breast CancerCoalition and Fenway CommunityHealth Center, the Oct 18 conference atSimmons College was held in conjunctionwith the Audre Lourde Breast CancerAwareness Brunch. Dr. Norman spoke on“Understanding and Addressing RacialDisparities in Breast Cancer.”

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The MBCC Gratefully Acknowledges its Contributors

IN HONOR OF...Jill & Kaitlin AnelauskasPaul HolzmanBetsy BowmanLaurie Hershberg & Nancy La Fountain

Cindy BrickleyMuriel HigginsDianne CeplikasLuann AngeloneLucille ColeSharon GriffithJoyce FriedmanJanet BuchwaldKatherine Frigault & AnnM. Hartner HarLiz Hartner-Frigault

Nancy GertzCynthia Shulak-RomeJulie GilchristChristine GaleuciaEllen Grubert & Janis Lippman

Anne DavisCarol KossMark LippoltKevin McMahonFrancine PickusJill HarmsworthSally WaldronSarah IsenbergJanet IsenbergCarol KabisaitisMelissa McGrath

Karen LowrieKristin PepplerMBCCManhasset Women’sCoalition Against BreastCancer

Kimberly McCarthyJane HealyCarolyn MichaeliDaniel & Laura MichaeliTrudy O’NeillBarbarajean DaneCheryl OsimoPaulette Caron-AndreasCheryl OsimoEllen Parker & Amy PresentArmando & Seena ParellaRichard Parella

Ellen Parker & Amy PresentNancy PresentVanBroekhoven

Joan PoehlerGeorge PultzPhyllis PoorSally DubrowAmy PresentSamuel BaderDeborah QueenPatricia Hinckley- KilmainLouise RussellMargery ArnoldTricia SchmidtAndrew AzingerIra & Florence SeldinDolores Kleinberg

Lynn SiegelJude GoldmanSusan SkinnerMary FrielMaureen StellaKathleen FarrellArlene VitelloJennifer KoentopMartha VokeyEdith VokeyJanice Gould WestSusan and Rodney HassDenise WillinghamSuzanne RiccoMerrill WithersSuzanne Ricco

IN MEMORY OF...Betty AdamsCasey SandersonMichelle AsperiSandi-Jo Malmon & Beth LevinSusan AtkinsSusan Atkins Walk TeamSusan BailisKathryn, Josh & Savannah PhillipsGerry BakerJen Austin OrganizationEleanor BarronConnie Morton-EwbankNoreen BeckArlana RomanTerry CroteauTerry’s TeamBarbara DalyPaul DalyKaren PalazzoLucy DiPaolaLucy’s Dreamers’ TeamMary DoyleKatherine BenoitCarol Dulaski Jennifer Haynes

Madelyn DunhamLaya SteinbergRobin Fenn ElbotRobert L. FennSandra Brandmark FowlerRuth & Joel WinettMarla FrazinCathy & Richard FreedbergFrances & Carl SousaRobert FreedbergShirley FreedbergCathy HawkesJudith & John GrocottAudrey MayerWalter & Hannah LevyPatricia McConnellKathleen & William O’ConnorTodd McCulloughPatricia JannacoJennifer MansfieldMary WittigJames WittigKaren McKenzieNancy NogueiraMelissa McNeelyChristina Soltis

Lea MurphyDavid CuneoAnne QuarmbyHenry StewardKathleen RobertsJoel AdlerMel SimmonsFriends of Mel FoundationRuth WadsworthAnn WadsworthDonna Ann WolfsonMarilyn & Arnold WolfsonShari ZimbleEugenya AleskerSemyon & Yelizaveta AleskerEmilie AthanasoulisDavid & Carol AtkinSusan & Stuart BrennerBarbara CaseyCharlotte & Richard ChaffinSheila & Herbert CohenMike DerricoSally DubrowShimon EdelhausMarilyn FlynnLeona Friedman & Paul Lauenstein

Nancy GertzDavid & Mina GoldbergMargo & Steve GolderPatricia & Robert GrahamElise Hauenstein & Norman Abram

David & Nina HenrySusanne, Alan, Rachel & Miriam Henry

Heritage on the GardenMarjory JacobsonBebel KalickaKen & Joanie KarofskyAnne KarpVeronica LaknerHelen & Milt LauensteinStephen LevyKelsey MurphyAdam PatonMary & Geoffrey ReulandNancy RobertsLouis Rudolph & Faye Goldberg

Natalie SaladinoSprouts of HopeDonald StantonJanet & Gary VaconLinda & Bill Zammer

SEEKING NEW BOARD MEMBERS - JANIS LIPPMANCurrently, I am the Board President of the Massachusetts

Breast Cancer coalition. I got involved with the coalition a fewyears after I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 33.While undergoing treatments (radiation and chemotherapy) atBeth Israel Deaconess, I met one of the founding members ofthe coalition who was acting as a liaison with newly diagnosedpatients. She introduced me to the organization and, as soonas I was physically able to, I began to volunteer my time atMBCC events. After several years of volunteering, I was askedto sit on the board. Both I and my partner of 25 years, EllenGrubert, have been on the board for the past six years. It has

been a rewarding and at times a challenging experience.MBCC’s work in education and advocacy around the

environmental, economic, and political issues of breast can-cer is critical to every women’s health. It is critical thatpeople have access to research and information aroundthese issues, and MBCC is leading the grassroots advocacythat is important to realizing the policy changes necessaryto eradicate breast cancer.

The MBCC is actively seeking new board members. Ifyou, or anyone you know, would like to get involved, pleasecontact us at: www.mbcc.org.

MBCC receives contributions throughout the year, some are in honor or memory of someone special and are listed below. Listing represents donations between April 1, 2008 and December 31, 2008

NON-PROFITORGANIZATIONU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDBOSTON, MA

PERMIT NO. 59816

1419 Hancock StreetSuite 202

Quincy, MA 02169

Printed on 50% recycled, 30% post-consumer, 100% chlorine-free Rolland paper using soy-based inks.

DEVELOPMENT NOTES

Seven

Blues fans got a rare treat at the third annual Blues AfterHours Tribute to Mai Cramer. This event was a huge suc-cess, featuring Ronnie Earl, Jody Williams, Tony LynnWashington, David Maxwell, Greg Piccolo, 2120 SouthMichigan Avenue, Neil Gouvin, and Mudcat Ward. Mai’sfriend, Holly Harris, acted as emcee.

Mai Cramer was the host of Blues After Hours. Hershow was broadcast every weekend on WGBH radio for 24years. In an article posted to the Boston Blues Society website, Karen Nugent wrote, “Many of us remember impa-tiently waiting for 9 pm on Friday to arrive, just to see whatgreat songs Mai would play, or who she might have in thestudio for a live interview and set. She was extremely cool,and quite adept at making her guests comfortable. She alsohad unsurpassed taste in blues music.”

Mai Cramer died of breast cancer in 2002. Thank you toPeter Ward and all of Mai’s friends for supporting MBCCwith this annual event in honor of Mai Cramer.

Huge thanks to the Essex County Sheriff’s Departmentfor its donation to MBCC. The Sheriffs’ Department held agolf tournament and donated the proceeds, $4757, toMBCC.

Wheelock College’s AALANA organization (AfricanAmerican Latino Asian Native American) sponsored a GotJeans? Day. Wheelock students paid $2 for the privilege of

wearing jeans on the Got Jeans? Day and all of the moneyraised was donated to organizations, including MBCC, thatimprove the lives of children and families. Thanks to theWheelock students for their kind support.

The Thoreau Club held a tennis tournament in April anddonated the proceeds, $2,200, to MBCC. Thank you to theClub for their support of MBCC and the fight against breastcancer.

In June, Brookline Oriental Rug Company in Needhamhad a special month-long event to benefit MBCC. For everyrug cleaned in June, the company donated a percentage toMBCC. Thank you very much to Levon Beklekian andBrookline Oriental Rug for sponsoring this event, whichraised $1,082 for MBCC.

In October, our good friends at the East Coast HauntClub and Team Halloween held their second annual NewEngland Haunter’s Gathering. The second annual silentauction raised double the amount last year, and all proceedswere donated to MBCC to continue its work in the commu-nity.

The Dedham Family Moose Lodge had a Clink for PinkHorseshoe Tournament in August, raising $1300 for MBCC.Special thanks to tournament chairperson Susan Sullivanand the entire Dedham Family Moose Lodge for organizingthis special event.