Declare Cancer Prevention Month

Senate Resolution No. 449 BY: Senator BIAGGI MEMORIALIZING Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim February 2019, as Cancer Prevention Month in the State of New York WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize official months that are set aside to increase awareness of serious health issues that affect the lives of citizens of New York State; and WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim February 2019, as Cancer Prevention Month in the State of New York, in conjunction with the observance of National Cancer Prevention Month; and WHEREAS, Each February, kicked off by World Cancer Day and National Cancer Prevention Month, represents an effort to promote global cancer prevention by raising national awareness; and WHEREAS, There were approximately 17 million new cancer cases globally in 2018, and this number is predicted to rise to 27.5 million per year by 2040; and WHEREAS, Furthermore, 40 percent of all cancers diagnosed and nearly half of all deaths from cancer in the United States can be attributed to preventable causes; and WHEREAS, By quitting smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, protecting your skin from the sun, and getting screened for cancer, among other steps, individuals can dramatically reduce their risk of certain cancers; and WHEREAS, The United States has made great strides to reduce cancer deaths through policymaking and public education on common cancer risks; key initiatives such as smoke-free laws and hard-hitting mass media campaigns have lowered smoking rates more than twofold from 1965 to

1.5 percent for women between 1999 and 2015, with lung cancer seeing the greatest decline in mortality; and WHEREAS, To achieve widespread public focus on the prevention of cancer, it is important the general public understands all the risks involved; and WHEREAS, In addition to natural causes like age, genetic mutation, and other chronic health conditions, the Mayo Clinic lists the environment as an important risk factor we can and should protect ourselves from, the most notable of which today is asbestos; and WHEREAS, This National Cancer Prevention Month comes amid state petitions to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for more reporting around uses and imports of the toxic mineral, which contributes to almost 40,000 American deaths yet still enters the country in droves; and WHEREAS, The United States not only remains one of the only developed countries to neglect banning asbestos, but also makes little effort to regulate it, putting Americans at increased risk of rare, asbestos-caused cancers like mesothelioma; and WHEREAS, It is imperative that there be greater awareness of this serious disease, and more must be done to increase activity at the local, State and national levels; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim February 2019, as Cancer Prevention Month in the State of New York; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of New York.