[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 57 (Thursday, May 11, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E805]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              BREAST CANCER AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN E. SWEENEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 11, 2006

  Mr. SWEENEY. Mr. Speaker, Sunday is Mother's Day. In honor of all of 
our Mothers, I rise today to urge all my colleagues to push for passage 
of the Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act (H.R. 2231) this 
year.
  One out of eight women in the United States will develop breast 
cancer at some point in her lifetime. It afflicts our mothers, our 
daughters, our sisters, our wives. It currently afflicts three million 
women--including one million women who do not yet know they have breast 
cancer. In New York alone, there is expected to be 14,400 new cases in 
2006 and over 2,700 deaths due to breast cancer.
  The human toll of this disease is staggering. All women are at risk 
of getting breast cancer. In some way, breast cancer will directly or 
indirectly affect you or someone you know. Breast cancer takes a life 
every 14 minutes. Another woman will receive a life altering diagnosis 
of breast cancer every 3 minutes.
  Passing the Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act would help 
get to the bottom of what causes breast cancer and how to prevent it.
  H.R. 2231 authorizes $30 million a year for five years to establish 
these multi-institutional, multidisciplinary centers. The centers would 
include institutions with different areas of expertise working together 
to look at different aspects of the same issue.
  This bill creates a new mechanism for environmental health research, 
and provide a unique process by which up to 8 research centers are 
developed to study environmental factors and their impact on breast 
cancer. Modeled after the DOD Breast Cancer Research Program, which has 
been so successful, it would include consumer advocates in the peer 
review and programmatic review process.
  This Federal commitment is critical for the overall, national 
strategy and the long-term research investments needed to discover the 
environmental causes of breast cancer, so that we can prevent it, treat 
it more effectively, and cure it.
  It is generally believed that the environment plays some role in the 
development of breast cancer, but the extent of that role is not 
understood. More research needs to be done to determine the impact of 
the environment on breast cancer, which has been understudied in the 
past.
  Less than 30 percent of breast cancers are explained by known risk 
factors; however, there is little consensus in the scientific community 
on how the environment impacts breast cancer. Studies have explored the 
effect of isolated environmental factors such as diet, pesticides, and 
electromagnetic fields, but in most cases there is no conclusive 
evidence. Furthermore, there are many other factors that are suspected 
to play a role but have not been fully studied. These could provide 
valuable in understanding the causes of breast cancer and could lead to 
prevention strategies.
  We must all work together to find a cure for breast cancer. As we 
work to achieve that goal, we must continue to create comprehensive 
programs to study the disease, increase awareness and ensure early 
detection takes place. We must make a commitment to women who have or 
will be affected by breast cancer. I am proud to support efforts that 
will help so many of our sisters, daughters, wives and mothers.

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