The Draft 2011-2016 New York State Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan is a Document of Corporate Deception

The Draft 2011-2016 NYS Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan is a Document of Corporate Deception

None of the goals and objectives of the draft 2011-2016 NYS Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan address pollutant carcinogen exposure reduction.  The only matters of chemical carcinogenesis addressed in the Draft Cancer Plan are exposure to cigarette smoke and radon.  The Draft Cancer Plan merely promulgates the corporate position that exposure to pollution is not a source of cancer causation.  This corporate position has no scientific basis.  Corporations in the chemicals, agricultural, mining and manufacturing sectors of the economy seek to misinform the public regarding pollutant exposure cancer risk so as to continue to avoid responsibility for the cancers caused by the chemicals that they release into the environment as pollutant discharges and that they have used and continue to use in pursuit of their commercial activities.

A vast body of scientific knowledge exists on the subject of pollutant exposure carcinogenesis.  The current scientific knowledge is sufficient to support the publication of cancer hazard advisories for numerous chemical carcinogens.  The New York State Department of Health was created by New York State government for the purpose of protecting public health.  The New York State Department of Health is responsible for providing warnings of the existence of avoidable health hazards to New York State residents.  The New York State Department of Health has failed to publish and disseminate cancer hazard advisories despite the existence of the scientific knowledge that supports such action.  The Draft Cancer Plan is an example of bad corporate behavior and bad government behavior.  It should be rejected by the people of New York State.

The Draft Cancer Plan demonstrates the lack of integrity and honor that exists in those employees of the New York State Department of Health and the American Cancer Society who are responsible for the content of the draft document.  Mark Cronin, an employee of the American Cancer Society and chair of the New York State Cancer Consortium Steering Committee and Leslie Larsen, an employee of the New York State Department of Health and Director of the New York State Comprehensive Cancer Control Program are two of the people most responsible for the content of the Draft Cancer Plan.  These two individuals should be held accountable for their decision not to make use of existing scientific knowledge on the subject of pollutant carcinogen exposure cancer risk in the creation of the Draft Cancer Plan.  If the Draft Plan had been created by people who were committed to the use of scientific knowledge to prevent cancer, the document would have included cancer hazard advisories for persistent organic pollutants (POPs), carcinogenic metals and emissions from combustion of fossil fuels.  The total lack of content on the subject of pollutant carcinogen exposure reduction is a public health outrage.  Mr. Cronin and Ms. Larsen should be held accountable for their deliberate efforts to deceive the public concerning matters of public health protection and cancer risk.  Ms. Larsen should be charged with deliberate misuse of her position as an employee of the New York State Department of Health.  Her employment with the New York State Department of Health should be terminated immediately.

Cancer Action NY strongly protests the lack of content on the subject of pollutant carcinogen exposure reduction in the Draft 2011-2016 NYS Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan.  We will endeavor to make the people of New York State aware of the failure of the New York State Department of Health and the American Cancer Society to produce a Draft Cancer Plan that uses scientific knowledge to reduce cancer risk imposed by exposure to pollutant carcinogens.  2011 is the forty year anniversary of the War on Cancer.  “The War on Cancer can only be won by waging non-violent all out war against the corporate-government tribe that is responsible for the exposures to pollutant carcinogens that impose a large proportion of total cancer risk.  Cancer Action NY has waged that war since its founding in January 2000.”-Donald L. Hassig

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Draft 2011-2016 New York State Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan

June 1, 2011

GOALS

Health Promotion and Prevention

Goal #1: New Yorkers will have current information, resources, and opportunities necessary to adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle and prevent cancer.

 

Early Detection

Goal #2: New Yorkers will have evidence-based, guideline-driven services that enable the early detection and diagnosis of cancer.

 

Treatment

Goal #3: New Yorkers will have quality services that enable the comprehensive treatment of cancer.

 

Survivorship

Goal #4: New Yorkers will have evidence-based services that support cancer survivors, families, and caregivers.

 

Palliative Care

Goal #5: New Yorkers will have evidence-based and patient-centered palliative care services.

 

Healthcare Workforce

Goal #6: New Yorkers will have an adequate supply of cancer care providers and oncology professionals with demonstrated competency in cancer prevention, detection, treatment, supportive services and palliative care.

OBJECTIVES INVOLVING THE GOAL OF HEALTH PROMOTION AND PREVENTION

• Reduce cigarette smoking by adolescents to 10%. (NYS Baseline, 2006: 16.3%, NYS Youth Tobacco Survey)

• Reduce cigarette smoking by adults to 12%.
(NYS Baseline, 2006: 18.2%, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System)

• Increase the percent of adults that consume at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily to 33%. (NYS Baseline, 2007: 27.4%)

• Increase the percent of adults who engage in some type of leisure time physical activity to 80%. (NYS Baseline, 2006: 74.0%)

• Decrease the percent of adults who are clinically obese (BMI >30) to 15%. (NYS Baseline, 2006: 22.9%)

• Decrease the percent of children and adolescents, ages K-10, who are clinically obese (BMI for age > 95th percentile) to 5%. (NYS Baseline, 2007: 10.9%)

• Decrease the percent of children ages 2-4 years (WIC) who are obese (BMI for age > 95th percentile) to 11.6%. (NYS Baseline, 2004-2006: 15.2%)

• Increase the percent of mothers enrolled in WIC who report breastfeeding at six month to 50%. (NYS Baseline, 2004-2006: 38.6%)

• Decrease the proportion of adolescents in grades 9 through 12 using artificial sources of ultraviolet light for tanning to 14%.(HP 2020 Baseline, 2009: 15.6%)

• Decrease the proportion of adults age 18 and older using artificial sources of ultraviolet light for tanning to 13.7%. (HP 2020 Baseline, 2008: 15.2%)

• Increase the proportion of adolescents in grades 9 through 12 using protective measures to reduce the risk of skin cancer to 11.2%. (HP 2020 Baseline, 2009: 9.3%)

• Increase the proportion of adults age 18 and older using protective measures to reduce the risk of skin cancer to 80.1%. (HP 2020 Baseline, 2008: 72.8%)

• Increase public and provider awareness about prevention studies for persons at high risk of cancer due to family history or genetics to 85% of those surveyed.

• Identify surveillance systems that can track the proportion of women in NYS with a family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer (or other appropriate cancer syndromes) who receive genetic counseling, as tracked at the National level by Healthy People 2020.

• Increase the proportion of females age 13-15 who have received 3 doses of Human papillomavirus vaccine