By Erika Wilhelm, Director of Marketing & Communications
Thanks to your steadfast, recurring support, BCPP reached significant milestones this season in policy wins, scientific achievements, and public education this past quarter. Below, we share key highlights from these accomplishments—made possible by your consistent commitment to our mission—as we work together to build a future free from breast cancer.
Legislative Round-up: DEHP, PFAS, & more!
BCPP’s California legislative work has been non-stop this year. We are proud to have developed, co-sponsored, advocated for, and secured passage of the Toxic-Free Medical Devices Act (AB 2300), which bans the toxic phthalate DEHP, and replacement with any other phthalate, from IV bags and tubing. AB 2300 unanimously passed both the Assembly (52-0) and the Senate (40-0). BCPP also cosponsored the Reducing Toxics in Packaging Act (AB276), which would ban toxic PFAS chemicals and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in all packaging, and the Ending Forever Chemicals Act (SB 903), which would ban all uses of PFAS by 2030, unless a use is found to be “essential.” And finally, we actively supported (testified or helped negotiate) three CA bills tackling PFAS ban enforcement (AB 347), PFAS in menstrual products (AB 2515), and bisphenols in children’s products (AB 1266) – all of which were signed into law this September!
Toxic-Free IV Campaign
The Toxic-Free Medical Devices Act (AB 2300) is the first law of its kind in the nation and will (eventually) ban the manufacture, sale, and use of DEHP from IV bags and tubing. However, because of heavy opposition lobbying, it gives industry an unreasonably long timeframe for the transition even though safer alternatives already exist and are readily available. It also doesn’t ban PVC, which still presents serious health risks.
The large majority of DEHP-containing IV bags are supplied by one global corporation, Baxter. However, comparably priced, nontoxic IV bags and tubing widely are available across the U.S. Three of the four major manufacturers already have a large portfolio of FDA-approved DEHP-free IV bags, including B. Braun, Fresenius-Kabi, and ICU Medical.
Patients deserve toxic-free medical devices now – not 5, 7, or 10 years in the future. That’s why BCPP doubled down on our efforts to accelerate this transition by launching our Toxic-Free IV Campaign. We created a dedicated landing page housing this multi-year project; wrote and published a 22-page report and executive summary covering the issue; secured 8 traditional media features; reached 170M people through a national PR campaign and 60k people across social media; and launched a hospital pledge to get hospitals nationwide to switch to safer alternatives, and have already secured the signatures of two health systems!
NEW RESOURCE: Breast Cancer Risk Factors Hub
As part of our work elevating the primary prevention of breast cancer, BCPP developed, designed, and launched a brand-new breast cancer risk factor hub on 16+ breast cancer risk factors for consumers, survivors, NGOs, and beyond. We distilled the scientifically dense Paths to Prevention chapters into easy-to-digest, engageable messages reworded for a general lay audience. Each dedicated risk factor page covers a science summary; what an individual can do to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their communities; and ways we can navigate systemic barriers and advocate for change to reduce that risk factor. We also created downloadable factsheets in English, 16 in Spanish, and 8 in Chinese and Tagalog, and video versions on the content sized for web and social. Our dissemination efforts as of August 2024: 1.9M women reached, 220k engagements, 86k thru video plays, and 26k link clicks to risk factor pages.
Asian American & Pacific Islander Beauty
Thanks to generous funding from the Pham Family Foundation, BCPP expanded our beauty justice work to investigate cosmetic safety concerns experienced by the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. The AAPI community encompasses a diverse range of cultures and people, who represent a significant market share of the beauty and personal care products space – especially skincare. This project assessed the safety of beauty and personal care products targeting the AAPI community, drawing insights from scientific literature, popular culture, and market research. We developed a dedicated project landing page covering the history of AAPI beauty, project analysis and findings, and educational resources; and will further disseminate our findings in late 2024/early 2025.
RELIVE: Hike for Prevention
Our 2024 Hike for Prevention National series wrapped up with an incredible show of support! Across four states—Utah, Texas, Oregon, and California—200 hikers gathered, raising over $130,000 for breast cancer prevention. We’re deeply grateful to every hiker, walker, sponsor, supporter, and volunteer who joined us in taking bold steps toward a world free from preventable breast cancer. View photos.
Know someone who would like to start their own local Hike for Prevention event? Please learn more about our Ambassador program.
Save the Dates
The new year is right around the corner! Get involved in-person with BCPP at these 2025 events:
· 2025 Luminary Gala: May 8th in San Francisco, California.
· Ridge Hike 2025: April 27th in Danville, California. (Kick-off Party, November 12th.)
· Sacred Treks, Dolomites: June 21-29 in Dolomites, Italy.
Science Corner: Impact Fellow at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health
BCPP’s Director of Science, Dr. Rainbow Rubin, has been selected as one of the inaugural Impact Fellows at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. This fellowship is a unique opportunity to collaborate with an incredible community of public health practitioners, policymakers, and changemakers. Together, we will work on innovative projects, shape social impact strategies, and mentor the next generation of public health leaders.
Help sustain our work!
Thank you for supporting this crucial work. Advancing the primary prevention of breast cancer truly takes all of us. We are a 501c3 nonprofit funded by people like you. You make this lifesaving work possible. Please give generously today so we can continue to push prevention forward, together.
