Resource Information for Cancer and the EnvironmentNational Cancer Institute 1. What is the National Cancer Institute's role in protecting the public from The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is the largest government cancer research organization in the country. Its $4 billion budget supports ground-breaking efforts in the fields of cancer biology, causation, prevention, detection, treatment and survivorship. Regulatory agencies use results from NCI's research programs to formulate public policy.  Several kinds of environmental projects are currently a part of NCI's research portfolio. These include large population studies to determine whether certain factors in the environment contribute to high cancer rates, as well as laboratory projects to study the cellular mechanisms underlying the development of specific tumors after exposure to environmental toxins. This year, as described in the new budget proposal, http://2002.cancer.gov/, exciting new research initiatives support gene-environment studies where scientists will use the tools of molecular genetics in epidemiologic studies to understand how variations in a person's genes combine with environmental factors to cause cancer. NCI's extramural and intramural research portfolio is searchable at: http://www-commons.cit.nih.gov/crisp/. 2. How much money does NCI spend on environmental research? In fiscal year 2000, NCI's support of environmental carcinogenesis studies totaled about $521 million. Estimates for spending in 2001 are about $573 million.
- Fact Sheets available on http://cis.nci.nih.gov/fact/index.htm: Asbestos, 1996 - NCI Publications • NCI's on-line publications ordering service: http://cissecure.nci.nih.gov/ncipubs. Cancer Rates and Risks: A comprehensive summary of the risk factors for the most common forms of cancer, 1996 http://rex.nci.nih.gov/NCI_Pub_Interface/raterisk/index.html Atlas of Cancer Mortality in the United States: 1950-1994: Color-coded maps for over 3,000 counties across the United States that describe the geographical differences in death rates of about 40 cancers. http://www.nci.nih.gov/atlas - Long Island Breast Cancer Study Project (LIBCSP) – A multi-study investigation of possible environmental causes of breast cancer on Long Island. http://www-dccps.ims.nci.nih.gov/LIBCSP Geographic Information System (GIS-H) – Information on the development of an advanced computer tool to support research on breast cancer and the environment on Long Island. http://www.healthgis-li.com - Press Releases are available on NCI's main Web site: http://www.cancer.gov - NCI's SEER Program is the most authoritative source of information on cancer incidence and survival in the United States. http://www-seer.ims.nci.nih.gov - NCI's Toll-Free Cancer Information Service – for information about cancer and to request publications: 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237), (1-800-332-8615 (TTY)) 4. Where can I find out which chemicals cause cancer? - The International Agency for Cancer Research: http://www.iarc.fr/pageroot/database.html - The National Toxicology Program: http://ntp-server.niehs.nih.gov/ 5. What other government resources are available? - National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) – NIEHS is the chief federal agency responsible for research on the environment and health. http://www.niehs.nih.gov. NIEHS Office of Communications for public inquiries: (919) 541-3345. - Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) – An agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) that advises the Environmental Protection Agency. It is the principal federal agency involved with hazardous waste issues and has fact sheets on various chemicals/agents. http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov. ATSDR Information Center: 1-888-422-8737. - Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – A government regulatory agency charged with protecting human health and safeguarding the natural environment. http://www.epa.gov. Within EPA: - Envirofacts Warehouse http://www.epa.gov/enviro - Enviromapper http://www.epa.gov/epahome/comm.htm - Environmental Atlas http://www.epa.gov/ceisweb1/ceishome/atlas - National Pesticide Telecommunications Network http://www.ace.orst.edu/info/nptn - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – An agency of the Department of Health and Human Services which promotes health and quality of life by preventing and controlling disease, injury, and disability. http://www.cdc.gov Within CDC: - National Center for Environmental Health ((NCEH) Health Line: - For information about the National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals, March 2001. Call 1-866-670-6052 or www.cdc.gov/nceh/dls/report - National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS): Collects data to monitor the nation's health. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/about.htm - GIS and Public Health Web site - National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH): A Federal Agency responsible for making recommendations for the prevention of work-related disease and injury. http://cdc.gov/niosh or call 1-800-356-4674. 6. What additional services are available? - Agricultural Health Study (AHS) – A multidisciplinary investigation of environmental causes of cancer and other diseases among farm families in Iowa and North Carolina. http://www.SRA-lifesciences.com/ag - National Action Plan on Breast Cancer (NAPBC) – Public/private partnership dedicated to speeding progress toward eradicating breast cancer. Coordinated by the DHHS Office on Women's Health. http://www.napbc.org - Cornell University Program on Breast Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors (BCERF) in New York State. http://www.cfe.cornell.edu/bcerf/default.cfm/ - Toll-Free Telephone Information Services - EPA National Pesticide Telecommunications Network: 1-800-858-7378 - EPA Superfund Hotline for hazardous waste: 1-800-535-0202 - National Center for Environmental Health Health Line: 1-888-232-6789 - NIOSH: 1-800-356-4674 - NCI's Toll-Free Cancer Information Service: 1-800-4-CANCER General Health Information - National Institutes of Health (NIH) – A single access point to consumer health resources at the NIH, the DHHS agency responsible for biomedical research. - Healthfinder – A Web site created by DHHS to help consumers quickly find health and human services information. http://www.healthfinder.gov/ - Medline – The world's most extensive collection of published medical information, coordinated by the National Library of Medicine, DHHS. http://www.nlm.nih.gov
For more information, or to contact National Cancer Institute, see their website at: www.cancer.gov |
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