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Interview with CHE Partner, Jeanne Rizzo, RN, Executive Director, Breast Cancer Fund
 Steve Heilig: What first brought you into the environmental health movement?
Andrea Martin, founder of the Breast Cancer Fund (BCF) recruited me to produce the San Francisco film screening premiere of Rachel's Daughters: Searching for the Causes of Breast Cancer in 1997 and then to orchestrate and produce a film about women with breast cancer and young women climbing Mt McKinley. "Climb Against the Odds: Mt McKinley" aired on public television stations and screened at film festivals around the country. It brought art and social change messages together.
Having been a practicing nurse and then a music, film and theater producer engaged in social change work over decades, I found Andrea's vision and leadership in the emerging environmental health movement compelling.
We began a strategic partnership to advance the work of BCF. Andrea herself had joined the Commonweal/Environmental Working Group/Mt Sinai cohort being biomonitored for the "Body Burden” study and was exploring the environmental links to breast cancer. In May of 2001, Andrea was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor even as the results of her biomonitoring revealed the presence of 59 carcinogenic chemicals in her own body. She immediately had to step down from her work at BCF. I accepted the privilege and daunting task of stepping in to carry on her work.
What is the primary goal/mission of your organization/project?
In 2002, BCF adopted a bold, focused mission: In response to the public health crisis of breast cancer, BCF identifies - and advocates for elimination of - the environmental and other preventable causes of breast cancer.
What have been the most significant obstacles and successes you have encountered and achieved in this work to date?
Breast cancer “prevention” has traditionally been considered to be breast cancer screening/detection. Introducing evidence of the link between toxic chemicals and radiation to the increased incidence of breast cancer post World War II and advancing the discussion of reducing exposure as means to reducing/preventing some breast cancers has been a formidable challenge. The obstacles include significant chemical industry and mainstream cancer organization opposition to the scientific evidence, public policy advocacy and marketplace campaigns that we advance to educate and protect the public.
However, BCF's work, including the publication of State of the Evidence: What is the Connection Between the Environment and Breast Cancer?; efforts with colleague organizations in the successful passage of legislation in California including the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2005 and Radiation Quality Assurance Act of 2005; and the Environmental Contaminant Biomonitoring Act of 2006, which establishes the first statewide biomonitoring program in the country; as well as the San Francisco Precautionary Principle and Purchasing ordinances have advanced our mission. The market initiative Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (safecosmetics.org), an international coalition of environmental health and justice organizations has had a significant impact in educating the public about toxic chemicals in personal care products (Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep report); generating market place change through the Compact for Safe Cosmetics (adopted by over 450 companies in several countries). BCF's participation in CHE and the formation of the Breast Cancer and Environment Working Group contributed to the 2006 Consensus Statement on Breast Cancer and the Environment and development of strategies for legislation, research and communications to address the growing concern about environmental health.
What is the number one change you would like to see for the future of environmental health?
Establishment and support of a robust federal agency initiative that addresses broad environmental health concerns though chemicals policy reform; advancing research that serves public health and corporate accountability.
What or who continues to inspire you in your work?
The women with breast cancer who continue to climb mountains to bring attention to this devastating disease and who want to leave a legacy of change for the next generation and the next and the next...
Do you have any comments/suggestions regarding CHE itself?
CHE is a catalyst for the essential and well-established environmental health movement because the environmental health movement wanted to happen – was ready to happen. It is the community of the concerned that is growing - exponentially.
CHE is like an uber powerful magnet – drawing us all together to work collaboratively in ways that simply did not exist five years ago, providing leadership, serving as a motivator, sometimes our conscience, always our safe meeting place for collaboration. It models a culture that nurtures our values – the ones about the right to a safe and healthy home and work place; sustainability of the planet and all of us living on it; the basic human right to know what we are exposed to that is making so many of us sick and the responsibility of government to protect public health and the most vulnerable amongst us. TOP
Posted: 11 December 2006
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