Madeleine Bird

Two sleepy Decembers ago, in 2004, the McGill Centre for Research and Teaching on Women (MCRTW) approached Breast Cancer Action Montreal with a proposal to collaborate on the creation of a public health education campaign. The idea was to raise awareness about environmental toxins and health risks, through written material and workshops, in order to promote public health and breast cancer prevention: two themes very dear to both BCAM and the feminist community. The proposal was successful, and the MCRTW received funds from the Minister of Education, Leisure and Sport of Quebec to pursue the project, later named the Health and Environment Awareness Project (HEAP), or, in French, Sensibilisation à la santé et à l’environnement.

The project began in September 2005. A very special aspect of the development process was the formation of a Community Consultation Group (CCG) consisting of representatives of diverse community organizations serving Montreal and Quebec. The CCG quickly evolved into a dynamic group of 10 women. With the help of the project’s Academic Advisory Committee and the project coordinator, the CCG met to ensure that HEAP provided information that was accessible, informative, and empowering!

On March 13, a year of hard work culminated in the launch of four 12-page booklets at the joint Lanie Melamed/Muriel V. Roscoe Memorial Lecture co-sponsored by BCAM, the McGill Women’s Alumnae Association, and the MCRTW. Nearly 300 persons attended this lecture given by Breast Cancer Fund’s Executive Director Jeanne Rizzo. The booklets, available in French and English, are:

(1) Breast Cancer Myth Busters;
(2) Pollution Gets Personal: Toxic Pollution and Cancer in Canada;
(3) The Beast of Beauty: Toxic Ingredients in Cosmetics, and
(4) The Dirt on Cleaners: Toxic Ingredients in Cleaning Products.

Pamphlets (2), (3) and (4) cover some of the problems, relevant regulations, and suggested solutions. Pamphlet (1) provides accessible and nuanced explanations of popular myths about the causes of breast cancer, mammography, consumer product safety, breast cancer cause marketing and prevention. The emphasis is on protecting women’s health by providing specific information about simple changes that will reduce exposure to toxic chemicals and, at the same time, stressing the need to hold governments responsible for encouraging stricter toxic chemical regulations. There has been enormous demand for the pamphlets since their introduction.

The project is not over! Interactive workshops are being developed, in French and English, to help local communities engage in discussing and learning more about toxic pollution in the home and its effects on health. The booklets will be provided at the workshops. Why not invite HEAP to your community group for an interactive workshop, or a lecture-style presentation, or a combination of the two? It could be on any of the topics presented in the pamphlets. By learning more, we can all be empowered to engage in breast cancer prevention.

To schedule a workshop contact:

Madeleine Bird, Coordinator
Health and Environment Awareness Project
McGill Centre for Research and Teaching on Women
3487 Peel St., 2nd Floor
Montreal, Quebec H3A 1W7
Tel: 514-398-3911 x 4
Fax: 514-398-3986
Email: madeleine.bird@mcgill.ca

To order booklets contact:
See above, or:
Breast Cancer Action Montreal
5890 Monkland ave, Suite 201
Montreal, Quebec H4A 1G2
Tel: (514) 483-1846
Fax: (514) 483-9221
Email: info@bcam.qc.ca