Turn Awareness Into Action Says Breast Cancer UK

For immediate Release: London, 30 October 2012:

“Turn Awareness into Action” says Breast Cancer UK

As Breast Cancer Awareness Month draws to a close, Breast Cancer UK (BCUK)has launched a petition calling on the Government to ban the use of the chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) in food and drinks packaging, because it disrupts hormones and has been scientifically linked to breast cancer and other diseases. (1)

Chair of Breast Cancer UK, Clare Dimmer said:“I urge everyone to turn awareness into action and help prevent breast cancer by signing Breast Cancer UK’s petition. A Government ban on BPA in food and drinks packagingcould help to reduce our daily exposure to this hormone disrupting chemical, which could be at the bottom of why breast cancer is fast becoming an epidemic.”

The petition(2) was launched today with a short film (3) which illustrates how substances, such as asbestos, which were once thought to be safe, have since proven to have disastrous effects on human health, and warns that precautionary action should be taken on BPA to protect public health.

“Our film highlights that we ignore the lessons of history at our peril. Breast cancer rates have almost doubled in England since records began in the 70’s – that cannot be down to lifestyle choices and genetics alone. The Government must acknowledge all causes of breast cancer andcut cancer causing chemicals,” added Dimmer.

BPA was banned in baby bottles throughout the EU in 2011, following a campaign spearheaded by Breast Cancer UK, yet it is still routinely used in a wide variety of consumer products, including tin cans, plastic food packaging, water bottles and lunch boxes. Scientists agree that an important route of human exposure to BPA is through diet, because the chemical leaches from the packaging and into food and drink. (5)

Today’s launch follows the release of the first EU wide human biomonitoring project. The study, which measured levels of environmental pollutants in humans, found that BPA and other chemicals which disrupt our hormones are present in our bodies. (6)

Experts from EFSA’s CEF Panel, other European scientific advisory bodies and Member States are meeting together with EFSA staff in Parma today to discuss a safety assessment of BPA. This meeting is part of the scientific discussions contributing to the development of EFSA’s new assessment of human health risks associated with BPA, scheduled for completion in May 2013. (7)

Contact: Lynn Ladbrook, Campaign Manager: 07786 393181

Notes to Editors:

1.Further information on the links between BPA and breast cancer can be found in Breast Cancer UK’s‘No More BPA’ report, see

Examples of effect of Pre-natal exposure to BPA see:

Examples of low dose effect of BPA on the mammary gland: Vanderberg et al.; Hormones and Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals: Low dose effects and non monotonic dose responses, p 17 – 20.

2.Sign the petition on

3.Watch Breast Cancer UK’s film on

4.Clare Dimmer has been short listed for the Daily Mail’s ‘Inspirational Woman of the Year Award’. The winner will be announced on 12 November 2012.

5.World Health Organization, Toxicological and Health Aspects of Bisphenol A, Report of Joint FAO/WHO Expert Meeting 2-5 November 2010 and Report of Stakeholder Meeting on Bisphenol A.

6.DEMOCOPHES is a human biomonitoring pilot study involving 16 countries in Europe. It aims to determine levels of key environmental pollutants in people across Europe, including members of the UK population. The UK studied levels of Cadmium, mercury, phthalates and cotinine. Results were discussedon 22 – 25thOctober at an international conference in Larnaca, Cyprus.