Susan Hertzberg

On January 13th this year, Breast Cancer Action Montreal held a press conference to announce the launch of the French translation of the full text of State of the Evidence: The Connection Between Breast Cancer and the Environment (5th Edition; 125 pages). At the same time, BCAM called on the government to phase out harmful chemicals in personal care products.

BCAM presented a panel consisting of: Dr. Michael Pollak, MD, FRCPS, Professor of Medicine and Oncology, McGill University; Nancy Guberman, professor at UQAM, who has had breast cancer; and Michel Gaudet, Vice-President of The Allergy and Environ-mental Health Association of Quebec. Moderator for the event was Francine Pelletier, filmmaker, journalist, and honourary board member of Breast Cancer Action Montreal.

The event was well attended. The launch—and the topic of environmental links to breast cancer—received extensive media coverage. Reports appeared in The Gazette, La Presse and Le Devoir. Television coverage was part of Radio Canada's evening, late, and morning news, RDI's noon show, and TVA's evening and late news. Panelists were interviewed by Paul Arcand and Benoit Dutrizac of "L'apres-midi" on Radio 98.5, and reports were aired by CBL Radio Centre Ville and Radio Montreal.

As a result, BCAM was contacted by numerous individuals and interested organizations looking for further information. Twenty copies of the translated booklet were sold and we gained two very welcome new members.

State of the Evidence was first published in 2002 by two San Francisco-based organizations, the Breast Cancer Fund and Breast Cancer Action. The publication of the 2008 edition was courtesy of the Breast Cancer Fund which donated funding to BCAM to support a translation that makes relevant and difficult-to-find information available in French. (BCAM also has information available in French and English from our Health and Environment Awareness Project, researched and developed by Madeleine Bird.)