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The Ad Hoc Discussion Group meeting took place on October 18, 2002 at the new office of the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester (BCCR). Holly Anderson, BCCR Executive Director warmly welcomed the group, as did Aide to Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, Patty Larke. Ms. Larke provided a very thoughtful opening to the meeting, with remarks on the status of research on breast cancer and environmental risk factors, with special reference to that area of research which the meeting would focus upon, early exposures.
Activities in the Rochester area. Several presentations from local participants provided a picture of related community activities in the Rochester area. Holly Anderson of BCCR described the scope of activities of this dynamic group. Many BCCR members were in attendance, and some had an opportunity to describe additional projects they were involved in; for example, with regard to carcinogens in the community. Drs. Dina Markowitz and Katrina Smith Korfmacher of the Community Outreach and Education Programs of the University of Rochester Environmental Health Sciences Center described their activities and publications. For example, they shared their newsletter, Choices: Bringing Environmental Health into the Classroom, one of several initiatives which helps teachers and students address complex environmental health issues. Participants learned a lot about efforts to address health and safety problems for the farmworker population in the region. James Schmidt of Farmworker Legal Services of New York, Inc., and Michel Attia, of Rural Opportunities, Inc. described their respective work, emphasizing those projects which address reducing pesticide exposures among this at-risk population.
Research focus: early life exposures and breast cancer risk. The afternoon was organized around the theme of early life exposures and breast cancer risk. BCERF's Barbour Warren set the stage for the subsequent presentations by providing an introduction and overview of this area of research. Dr. Warren explained the biology of "windows of vulnerability;" that is, why certain periods of life present unique susceptibility with regard to problematic exposures. Dr. Tom Gasiewicz, the Deputy Director of the University of Rochester Environmental Health Sciences Center, contributed to the day with his presentation on "The Effect of Dioxin Exposures on Developing Tissues, with Emphasis on the Immune System and Cancer Response." Dr. Gasiewicz presented many "knowns" with regard to dioxin exposure effects, as well as emerging data and research gaps. He described effects that his research was revealing that are specific to the exact day of prenatal development on which an exposure occurs.
BCERF's director Rod Dietert then spoke on federal government research activities with regard to fetal and childhood exposures. For example, he described the National Children's Study,which will examine the effects of environmental influences on the health and development of 100,000 US children, to be followed until age 21. He also described activities taking place on the federal level relating to revisions of guidelines for setting "reference doses," emphasizing the complexity of this process with regard to latency concerns; that is, how little we know about early exposures that may cause changes not obvious until much later in life.
Program on Breast Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors
Cornell University, College of Veterinary Medicine
Vet Box 31, Ithaca, NY 14853-6401
Phone: 607.254.2893; Fax: 607.254.4730
Email: breastcancer@cornell.edu
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