Ugly Truth About the American Cancer Society

American Cancer Society argues new findings, that dangers from environmental toxins are greatly underestimated.

Images from various sources including earthfirst.com.

(SALEM, Ore.) - The jig is up on the real danger of contracting cancer from environmental contamination; it is as real as the struggle of every servicemember in the nation who has fought this deadly affliction. The same as every mother, father, son and daughter.

I am not a doctor, nothing close. However, I am a news reporter who happens to keep company with some fantastic physicians and scientists who know a great deal about this. In recent years, along with a team of experts and cancer survivors, I have studied the effects of various carcinogenic toxins and their relationship to cancer. I was a Marine at a base in California, the now-closed El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, which is an environmental monster; an EPA Superfund site - that has contributed to the deaths and illnesses of more Marines than we can, as of yet, adequately tabulate.

Those who had to live with chemicals known as TCE (trichloroethylene) and PCE (perchloroethylene), benzene and other toxins, as we Marines did, do not question whether cancer is caused by deadly particulate matter that is contacted through both air and water. We have seen and known personally, too many of the often deadly results.

Semper fi brothers, you are not forgotten.

So now President Carter convenes a panel that finally, once and for all, states that this is the case; environmental hazards cause cancer, and I have a feeling reaching this conclusion wasn't rocket science.

Follow the Money Trail

Who stands to lose? How could a group stand to lose? Here is the dirty secret of the big cancer groups; they receive funding from the polluters who are kind enough to wreck our environment and make it dangerous in the first place. They hide behind "positions" that state in essence, that the deadly polluters are somehow not at fault, and as a result the financial support continues, and their mission erodes.

Some would call it "hush money".

Our Environmental Reporter in Laguna Beach, Roger Butow, has a theory about groups like the American Cancer Society that make a great deal of sense. That is that almost every time, their effectiveness is limited by years. Roger believes ten years is about it, after that groups lose sight of their missions, and make great compromises to maintain revenue flows, which is a completely self-defeating process.

I have had one particular question about the American Cancer Society and their figures relating to male breast cancer. Interestingly, their figures coincide with the figures offered by the Marines, in their explanation of a very unusual problem at another Marine base, Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, which is currently active and very busy.

At this base, more than 55 men have developed breast cancer. Most people will live their lives without ever knowing a man with breast cancer. Several dozen cases out of one particular place is extremely unusual by any standard. Still, if you take the numbers and analyze them with ACS figures, it more or less adds up. If their figures were correct, there would be a men everywhere suffering from breast cancer, yet there are not.

I had an in-depth conversation with a member of their public affairs team several months ago, and this individual from the American Cancer Society could not explain, and my questions were met with agreement, "huh?'s" and "wow!'s", and other small things to let me know that my eyes were not the only ones seeing these seeming inconsistencies. A return call with more information from the American Cancer Society never came.

In our report a few days ago about President Carter's Cancer Panel, it was stated that the growing body of evidence linking environmental exposures to cancer in recent years finds that the true burden of environmentally-induced cancer is greatly underestimated.

The Panel’s report, “Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk: What We Can Do Now,” concludes that while environmental exposure is not a new front on the war on cancer, the grievous harm from this group of carcinogens has not been addressed adequately by the National Cancer Program.

President James Carter, still a major force in the world, courtesy: snydertalk.com

LaSalle D. Leffall, Jr., M.D., chair of the Panel, said, “There remains a great deal to be done to identify the many existing but unrecognized environmental carcinogens and eliminate those that are known from our daily lives – our workplaces, schools and homes.”

Of course this ultimately could mean responsibility, and God forbid, liability for these grand scale polluters. I'll bet the phone calls started flying when the Carter Panel report came out.

The American Cancer Society's Michael Thun, V.P. Emeritus, Epidemiology & Surv. Research at the ACS National Home Office, almost immediately criticized these unpopular findings of the Carter Panel. Regarding these top level researchers, convened by a U.S. President, Thun said, "the perspective of the report is unbalanced, in that it communicates that pollution is the major cause of cancer and that the impact of pollution on cancer has been greatly underestimated."

Apparently unwilling to accept these long awaited findings, Thun said, "In fact, the precise proportion of cancers related to environmental exposure has been debated for nearly 30 years. And while there is no doubt exposure to chemicals has some bearing on cancer risk, the level of risk is certainly far below other identified cancer risks, like tobacco, nutrition, physical activity, and obesity."

While Thun says, "There is no doubt that environmental pollution is an important issue to address to improve the lives of Americans," he continues by stating, "it would be unfortunate if people came away with the message that the chemicals in the environment are the most important cause of cancer at the expense of those lifestyle factors, like tobacco, physical activity, nutrition, and obesity, that have by far the most potential in reducing cancer deaths."

So Thun thinks it is more important to eat three squares and walk every day, than to avoid drinking water inadvertently laced with a killer chemical like TCE, a known cancer causing agent.

The sad twisted little joke we El Toro Marines now toss back and forth is, "Would you like a bit of TCE with your perchlorate today?" Perchlorate is an ingredient associated with military ordinance, another lovely spectacle at the old Marine air base.

Mr. Thun would well serve groups like the Marines by doing everything possible in his position, to expose the problems that are causing cancer in this country. I don't mind speaking for Marines, since so many are no longer here to state their own case.

It isn't just TCE, PCE, benzene and perchlorate either... those who served in Vietnam have had to fight tooth and nail for years for just a taste of justice regarding Agent Orange contamination, that wonderful gift of Monsanto that keeps on giving, death and birth defects in Vietnam. These criminal bastards have never had to atone for their sins, and groups like ACS have accepted their dirty blood money.

It seems a simple case of protecting your own interests, that is what author Kevin Trudeau states in his book, More Natural Cures Revealed: Previously Censored Brand Name Products That Cure Disease.

"Because these associations are dependent on the money they receive from Monsanto, they have made a deal with Monsanto to not criticize aspartame to the food industry and, more shockingly, they are actually required to endorse Monsanto's products! Can you see why you can never believe anything you hear from any of these "associations"? Every single association, from the American Medical Association, the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the American Diabetic Association, and on and on and on all receive money from special interest groups."

I'm not even mentioning something Monsanto is behind that may be the scariest thing of all; genetically modified patented food.

I think the American Cancer Society is entering what you might call, 'an inspired act of new, real transparency'. But it isn't because they are trying to make things better, it is because President Carter's panel lifted the veil off the operation. Jill McElheney is a mom who has stood by her son as he has fought his own battle with cancer. She wrote to Thun and communicated her disappointment with his reaction to these new findings.

Seven-year-old Jarrett McElheney sits in a hammock with his mother, Jill, on a recent afternoon. At an Atlanta symposium this week, the head of the Centers for Disease Control's National Center for Environmental Health recognized Jill McElheney for her persistence in looking for a cause for his leukemia, now in remission. Courtesy: Online Athens

"My deep distrust is not only with American Cancer Society. The tentacles of poisoned profits are far reaching. On our journeys in life, if we seek the truth with all our hearts, I think the truth continues to present itself. As I have discovered, our life long images of reality can be shattered and painful, but we have a Creator whose expertise is resurrection."

Jill concluded her note by stating, "In surveying history, a common thread of goodness is weaving throughout time bringing darkness to light. In that light and goodness, I think we find our purpose and being."

Thun responded to McElheney by stating, "Your deep distrust of the American Cancer Society saddens me."

Denying that her concerns about a lack of transparency and secret meetings had validity, Thun stated, "The idea that we are hiding something that would bring about an important reduction in cancer is incorrect and insulting."

While Thun worries about nutrition and the tobacco industry, McElheney is worried about a somewhat unknown place called Anniston, Alabama, the is very likely the most polluted town in America, largely due to racism and economic disadvantage. I spent a couple of hours with a young man who was instrumental in bringing the story into the light, and I had an attorney in Memphis share the horror story of this place with me a few years ago. I will rely on Wikipedia for this though:

They explain that Anniston in 2002, became the scene of an investigation by 60 minutes. The program revealed Anniston had been among the most toxic cities in the country. The source of local contamination was a Monsanto chemical factory, which closed years ago. The EPA description of the site reads in part:

"The Anniston PCB site consists of residential, commercial, and public properties located in and around Anniston, Calhoun County, Alabama, that contain or may contain hazardous substances, including polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) impacted media. The Site is not listed on the NPL, but is considered to be a NPL-caliber site. Solutia Inc.'s Anniston plant encompasses approximately 70 acres of land and is located about 1 mile west of downtown Anniston, Alabama. The plant is bounded to the north by the Norfolk Southern and Erie railroads, to the east by Clydesdale Avenue, to the west by First Avenue, and to the south by U.S. Highway 202. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were produced at the plant from 1929 until 1971."

McElheney replied to Thun by citing an article, Anniston Star, Alabama that states, "Medical studies performed in Anniston have determined many residents have higher concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in their blood than most other people in the world." That was published just days ago, on 8 May 2010.

She said to Thun, "Thank you for your response. Given the support ACS received from the people of Anniston, AL in their Relay for Life this week, maybe ACS could financially support research there? In doing so, ACS will commit to a better understanding of environmental exposure to cancer, and embrace the Presidential Cancer Panel's call to action?"

We'll be monitoring this situation to see what happens, there is no need for the mainstream media to hold back in this area. There are too many Americans sick from Monsanto for this to go on a single day longer.

President Carter's Cancer Panel consists of three members appointed by the President. Current members include LaSalle D. Leffall, Jr., M.D., F.A.C.S., Howard University; and Margaret L. Kripke, Ph.D., University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. The Panel, established by the National Cancer Act of 1971, is charged with monitoring the National Cancer Program and reporting annually to the President on any barriers to its execution.

Learn more by visiting: pcp.cancer.gov

Here is the report on the panel's findings:

May-06-2010: President's Cancer Panel Report Finds True Burden of Environmentally Induced Cancer Greatly Underestimated - Salem-News.com

Here is an article about Jill:

Expert notes local mother's cancer inquiry - Lee Shearer Online Athens

Tim holds numerous awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing, including the Oregon AP Award for Spot News Photographer of the Year (2004), first place Electronic Media Award in Spot News, Las Vegas, (1998), Oregon AP Cooperation Award (1991); and several others including the 2005 Red Cross Good Neighborhood Award for reporting. Serving the community in very real terms, Salem-News.com is the nation's only truly independent high traffic news Website. You can send Tim an email at this address: newsroom@salem-news.com