Lincoln Chafee: “this month we observe National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and reflect on a disease that has touched countless…”

“this month we observe National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and reflect on a disease that has touched countless American lives. There are more than 3 million women living with breast cancer in the United States and tens of thousands of women die from breast cancer each year. Breast cancer is now the second leading cause of cancer deaths in American women. While important advances have been made, the causes of this disease and the means to prevent it are still unknown. Scientific evidence about what aspects of the environment play a role in the initiation and development of breast cancer also remains scarce. Although it is generally believed that there is a correlation between environmental factors and the prevalence of breast cancer, the extent of the environment's role is not well understood. Given the clear need to explore the potential relationship between the environment and breast cancer, I have introduced S. 757, the Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act. This bill would authorize $30 million per year for 5 years for the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, NIEHS, to award grants to study the relationship between environmental factors and breast cancer. Under a competitive, peer- reviewed grant making process, the Director of NIEHS would award grants for the development and operation of up to eight centers for the purpose of conducting multidisciplinary research.…”