[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 18]
[Senate]
[Page 24111]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                BREAST CANCER ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH ACT

  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness 
Month and 2005 marks more than 20 years that National Breast Cancer 
Awareness Month has educated women about early breast cancer detection, 
diagnosis, and treatment.
  Yet, more than three million women currently live with breast cancer 
and the causes of this disease are still mostly unknown. While we have 
made significant advances in treatment, so much more needs to be done 
when it comes to prevention of this often fatal disease.
  The Breast Cancer Environmental Research Act, S. 757, would enhance 
breast cancer environmental research across the country. This bill 
which is modeled after the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research 
Program, would over 5 years, invest $30 million through a peer-reviewed 
grant process to establish a multi-disciplinary approach.
  At this time, four research centers study prenatal-adult 
environmental exposures that may cause breast cancer. And while this is 
a good start, we need a nationally focused, collaborative and 
comprehensive strategy to approach this and the Breast Cancer 
Environmental Research Act would do just that.
  This country has great resources when it comes to medical and 
scientific research. I believe this bill would provide an efficient and 
effective strategy for developing research in the environmental causes 
of this tragic disease.

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