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February 2001 Forum Summary
Cancer and Environment Forums

The Ad Hoc Discussion Group meeting took place in Albany on February 14, 2001, with 30 attendees. This meeting began with a forum which BCERF will now continue in each Ad Hoc meeting; ten-minute blocks provided to participants to discuss their interests, activities or concerns. This meeting's forum presenters were Lorraine Pace of the University Medical Center of Stony Brook and founder of Breast Cancer HELP, Inc., Devra Nusbaum of the Legislative Women's Caucus, and Em Armawong and Patricia Miskell of the Massachusettes Department of Public Health.

Bob Haggerty of the NYS DEC provided an update on the Pesticide Sales and Use Registry (PSUR). They are currently processing data from 1999, and hope to have this completed by July 1, 2001. Bob described his work as bringing the program into the second phase now, the first four or five years having a very heavy emphasis on the education of the regulated community. He described an increased understanding of the regulated community: it is a fluid community, with about 3000 per year coming and going. Education is ongoing and efforts to improve the quality of the data are always being increased, with the goal of the data being of most possible utility for health researchers. Also, he reminded the group that the Health Research Science Board was set up with the same legislation as PSUR, and that they make recommendations to the legislature on how PSUR can be made better.

Two complementary presentations by BCERF staff followed. Barbour Warren gave a talk entitled, "Childhood to First Child's Birth: A Critical Period for Breast Cancer Risk." Participants were very welcoming of this overview of why this period is so important for subsequent breast cancer risk. He provided background in the cancer biology and the biology of breast development to enable the non-scientist to understand. Suzanne nedeker followed with an introduction to a very current area of research, premature thelarche (breast development), and a possible environmental connection. This talk coincided with a special edition of The Ribbon on the same theme. In addition, Barbour and Suzanne will be providing these presentations again at the Ad Hoc meeting in Buffalo on June 29, for the benefit of the western New Yorkers with whom we hope to interact then.

The group in Albany also welcomed the opportunity to hear about the cancer mapping activities of the NYS DOH. Betsy Lewis-Michl and Lloyd Wilson were there to discuss these investigations. They covered the five-step process used by DOH to prioritize and investigate "unusual disease patterns," emphasizing the various points for community participation and notification.

Last Update 08.04.05