As summer closes out, BCPP’s advocacy and science-backed policy work continues to ramp up. September always means a lot of activity, as we prepare for October’s Breast Cancer Prevention Month. See below for updates on both current and new projects you might not have heard of yet.
Federal Cosmetics Legislation
Momentum continues to build for stricter federal cosmetics safety legislation. BCPP is championing a Safer Cosmetics Federal Bill Package to address key areas of cosmetic safety: 1) protections for women of color and salon workers, 2) mandatory fragrance ingredient disclosure, 3) supply chain transparency, and a 4) national ban on the “worst of the worst” chemicals in beauty and personal care products. With bills authored by four diverse, passionate, and powerful female members of Congress, there are now over 100 NGOs and businesses supporting this package. This legislation could play a critical role in reducing our daily exposure to chemicals in the products we use every day and prevent breast cancer and the other chronic diseases that are on the rise. We anticipate that the bill package will be introduced the week of September 20. View the Press Briefing here.
On to the Governor! CA Safer Food Packaging & Cookware Act
The BCPP-sponsored California Safer Food Packaging & Cookware Act of 2021 (AB 1200 – Ting) continues progressing efficiently through the legislature. Over the past 10 months, we wrote the bill, recruited 4 co-sponsors and 53 organizations, 3 public agency associations and 6 companies/industry organizations to sign on in support of the bill. We negotiated a series of 12 amendments to ensure that the bill language was precise and clear enough to address the concerns of 8 industry associations, from the chemical and paper industries to the Chamber of commerce and retail and restaurant associations.
In tandem, we met with CA legislators and their staffers on both sides of the aisle to ensure that these lawmakers understood this bill’s potential to protect our health by reducing our exposure to PFAS chemicals linked to breast cancer, other diseases, and environmental harm. As a result of all of our outreach, advocacy and negotiations with opposition, AB 1200 passed the Senate floor with near-unanimous bipartisan support and will be moving on to the Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk in the next coming weeks. If passed, AB 1200 would – for the first time in the nation – force disclosure of toxic chemicals in bakeware and cookware and drastically reduce our everyday exposure to toxic PFAS pollution. Learn more about AB 1200.
Advancing Safer Black Beauty
BCPP is in the midst of a collaborative project, working with scientists and leading non-profit organizations working to improve Black women’s health to develop a list of “safer” Black-owned beauty brands that make/sell/market beauty and personal care products to Black women. Beauty products marketed to women of color contain the most toxic ingredients commonly used by the cosmetics industry, including chemicals linked to breast and ovarian cancer, uterine fibroids, reproductive harm, and more. This toxic exposure is of particular concern to Black women because they purchase and use more beauty products per capita than any other demographic and face many health disparities, including the highest breast cancer mortality rate of any U.S. racial or ethnic group. In addition to creating a list Safer Black Beauty List, we will also create a Retailer Red List of toxic chemicals to avoid in the products retailers sell and work with our partners to conduct outreach, education, and dissemination of the Safer Black Beauty List to local leaders and Black women throughout California. Through this project, we will raise awareness about the hazardous chemicals in ethnic products, equip Black women with a resource they can trust and empower them to make safer choices, train community leaders on how to share the issue and resource with their constituencies, and elevate companies that create safer beauty and personal care products for Black women.
Paths to Prevention Anniversary & Resources
This month is the one-year anniversary of our action plan: Paths to Prevention! While 2022 will be a big year for implementation of the Plan, we continue to develop and promote resources to better serve communities across the state and beyond. Check out our new website buildout on breast cancer risk factors and our published fact sheets on Race, Power & Inequities, Alcohol, and our newest: Breastfeeding.
Feeling creative? Submit a Grit & Grace quote!
A longtime partner of Breast Cancer Prevention Partners, Balega has partnered with us each year to debut a new line of Grit & Grace socks. With inspirational phrases like “Brave Badass,” “Embrace Kindness,” “Defy Gravity,” and “You Are Enough,” Balega imparts its motto that in life, light reflects light, and so do some extraordinary people. Balega is on a mission to prevent breast cancer by encouraging active lifestyles, and for each pair of Grit & Grace socks purchased, $1 goes back to BCPP! Get your pair of this year’s annual Grit & Grace collection.
Peak Hike Kick-off
The wheels are in motion as we get ready for our first hybrid virtual/in-person Peak Hike. To continue building excitement among our hikers, we hosted a free, short Zoom event on Tuesday, September 14, where participants learned more about Peak Hike and how hitting the trails helps save our bodies (and the environment) from toxic chemicals linked to breast cancer. Re-live the party here. It’s not too late to join the team – in person on October 16th, at the Point Bonita YMCA or a favorite trail near you.
With October’s Breast Cancer Prevention Month right around the corner, we’re preparing to finish the rest of the year with a big bang. Thank you for being a big part of our journey and for all that you do to move prevention forward!
