The U.S. has made tremendous strides in reducing overall death rates from cancer, but overall incidence rates have not declined. An analysis by researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed, “By 2050, we predict the total number of incident cases to increase by almost 50%…” and noted that “a greater emphasis on cancer risk reduction is needed to counteract these trends.”
Despite the CDC’s Healthy People 2030 goal focused on promoting healthier environments, we often fail to apply existing knowledge to reduce environmental and occupational exposures associated with greater cancer risk. Most state cancer plans focus primarily on addressing cancer risk factors such as tobacco cessation, UV radiation, nutrition, and vaccinations; very few address the reduction of environmental and occupational chemicals. Moreover, despite increased attention to health equity in state cancer plans, there is a missed opportunity to address cancer disparities by engaging with organizations focused on environmental injustices, particularly regarding the disproportionate exposures to toxic chemicals that impact communities of color, low-income populations (including working populations), and Indigenous peoples.
Public health officials understand that control over carcinogenic exposures in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the products we use, and the places we work requires collective action. In 2012, the World Health Organization issued the Asturias Pledge—a call for the primary prevention of environmental and occupational contributors to cancer. Among the actions, the Pledge urges:
“Governments to include environmental and occupational preventive measures as part of national cancer control programs and ensure intense application of national and international standards for environmental and occupational carcinogens.”