Fax number: 916/319-2101

Aug. 19, 2002

Assembly Member Strom-Martin
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0001

To: Assemblymember.Strom-Martin@assembly.ca.gov
Subject: Bill AB 2823
Date: Tue, 20 Aug 2002 09:43:02 -0700
The Hon. Virginia Strom-Martin,

I have just learned from one of your constituents that you are sponsoring Bill AB 2823. The contents and spirit of the proposed Bill are indeed gratifying news.

The mission of our organization, Cancer Research Center of America, Inc., is to reduce the high incidence of breast cancers by conducting case-control, epidemiological studies aimed at finding the major sources and causes these diseases. In many instances, so goes California on certain environmental health issues so goes our nation. Accordingly, we could not be more pleased if this Bill (or a future Bill) was expanded to include cosmetics and personal care products that contained known carcinogens that are in widespread use by girls and women.

Like organic guidelines regulating foodstuff, we believe that the same should also be applied to cosmetics and personal care products. The reasoning is that harmful ingredients not only enter the body through ingesting foods but also by applying topical agents to human skin as well. Many of the harmful organic ingredients contained in cosmetics and personal care products cannot be metabolized or excreted by the body. Consequently, they are stored in fat cells of the body for a lifetime, and thus lead to cancers and other aliments over time. (well documented studies in humans) As you may know, the Cosmetics Act of 1938 is woefully inadequate and the changes made in the law thereafter have not kept pace with advances realized in scientific knowledge and technology. Moreover, toiletries and other personal care products are not covered under the Act. Therefore, we mut rely on environmentally conscience legislators such as yourself to do whatever you can to protect the public health in this regard.

You can learn more about our organization and its mission by visiting our web site at http://www.CancerResearchAmerica.org Our Education page at http://www.CancerResearchAmerica.org/edu.html might be of special interest to you. While I am a resident of Kentucky, I will do whatever I can to assist you in your efforts. Cancers have no geographical boundaries, so why should we.

Thank you kindly for your time and attention to these public health issues.

Sincerely,

CANCER RESEARCH CENTER OF AMERICA, INC.

s/James W. Coleman, Ph.D.
President/CEO
8622 Blackpool Drive
Louisville, KY 40222-5667

Tel (502) 339-1282
Fax (502) 339-1134

http://www.CancerResearchAmerica.org

Return to EHN's Action Letters Index
http://ehnca.org/www/actnletr/acletin.htm

EHN at http://www.ehnca.org

Visit EHN's FDA Citizens' Petition logged in by the FDA as Docket Number 99P-1340. Learn of toxic chemicals found in popular scents through analyses.
http://ehnca.org/www/FDApetition/bkgrinfo.htm