welcome to beyond the headlines, i'm cheryl jennings. every week bee focus on a different topic. today we're focusing on the impact of breast cancer and special focus recognizing

environmental influence that has put women at risk. most have heard about bpa a chemical but there is much more at stake. bpa is actually found in about 90% of all americans. a recent report about what may be a mai of source of our bpa intake might surprise you. michael finney filed a report. >> young mothers and mothers to be have become a staple of news reports. >> it shouldn't be my job. i shouldn't have to be a chemicalist to go to the grocery store. >> most focus on plastics containing the chemical but often overlooked is bpa found in the lining of cans. it's used as a part of a coating that keeps food fresh and interacting with the metal. fda has expressed concern but issued no rules.

the breast cancer fund wants that change saying that bpas are dangerous. >> when we take it in, the body reads it as pushing the bottom ons that our hormones do are disrupt how those work. >> they have linked to it health concerns including cancer and obesity but other studies show no linkage. chemical industry says concerns are overblown. >> the data from scientific bodies shows that bpa is safe. >> senator dianne feinstein has been pushing a compromise that would study the impact and ban it in some baby products. >> move aggressively right now in baby cups, in baby bottles and infant form and infant food and then in conjunction with the

fda study get bpa out of canned goods. >> the compromise was voted down just this week. now, california senator is urging them to back away from products that contain bpa. >> but is that really possible? just how correspond is bpas. could it be found in cans taken randomly off of store's shelves. we commissioned our own lab report. >> as the bpa goes three. it is broken into fragments. >> before i showed you the results, you should know that some studies suggest there should be concerns that levels as little as 9 parts per billion of bpa. in our test, richard 10 1/2 parts per billion.

ravioli, over 200 parts per billion. levels of bpa found are considerably higher than other results found for this product line, your findings still do not pose any health risks. >> nonetheless the company is convert to go non-bpa lined cans. we are confident it is safe. we are changing because of consumer interest in bpa. bush brothers and kane says we are and continue to be in full compliance with the fda. >> reporter: joining us in the studio, is jeanie rizzo. thank you for being he. that report was amazing. >> it is amazing. cheryl. we follow that with a recent actual scientific study that was published in the environmental health perspective where we were interested in the bpa in cans in the food. we wanted to know what was

getting into people. we took five groups and tested their urine they had the national average of bpa. >> i remember reading that article and then did you something about that. you took everything away that had bpa in it? >> exactly. we sent them only food that never had any bpa. they dropped and went back storm diets of canned food and containers that had bpa and levels went right back up to the national average. so it demonstrates that the food is not only contaminated with bpa but it's getting into our bodies and we can do something about it. >> you have done something about it. you had a very clever campaign on this. >> it's called kick the can. we need to replace the epoxy lining in food cans. it has it in it. we discussed the fact that bpa

acts like estrogen in our bodies. it's now lining food cans and it's n all kinds of food containers and gets into our body and lowers the age of puberty and it's associated with cancer. so we need to come up with an alternative, a safe alternative in our food and beverage containers. >> you have a right wai that people can get involved with this. >> there are two things. can go to the breast cancer fund.org website. there are requests they can make to companies to come up with alternative and they can pledge to donate to the breast cancer fund to give the money that we need to kick the can. >> i want to let people at home to donate, all have to do is text, 95495 bpa -- and the

amount of money you need to donate. we'll put that on website for you. don't forget the spaces because they are very important. we've got some things that are very important. these are good for you. >> it's good for you to look at any container that number 7 on the bottom has really good chance of having bpa in it unless it tells you it doesn't. >> number 7, if it doesn't say bpa free or this alternative bottle, then it has bpa and it's in this food cans. it's in containers of beverages. it's in your water bottles, use stainless teal. glass with non-bpa containers and eat fresh and don't wreo wave in plastic. >> so best thing, don't wreo wave in plastic and what else. >> the other thing the containers that you store your

food, get and look at our website at breast cancer fund. >> when we come back we'll talk about the challenges facing the african-american community. please stay with us. male annou] using frontline plus shows your pet you care... by unleashing a complete killing force against fleas and ticks. and not just adult fleas.

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welcome back. today we're talking about breast cancer. women were given a very public reminder to get a mammogram. along the third rail line, they urged african-american women to get screening for breast cancer. here is lyanne melendez explains in a report filed last june. >> the light rail is five miles long. women traveling the distance to and from the bay view hunt irs points will be exposed to this, built boards encouraging them to

get a mammogram. in this community, most women are african-americans. health care providers say it's still a challenge to convince them to get screened. >> i have to go pay the pg&e and rent and buy groceries, i am not coming to get a mammogram. so there was a disconnect. >> the billboards were designed by san francisco high school students. this one, the cure is here and so are we was created by her. >> the research is out there that would help anyone at all. >> the artwork displays the sad statistics. more than 40,000 women died last year in the u.s. alone due to breast cancer. >> it's detected earlier and help them out when you can so they don't suffer. >> studies have shown when it comes to breast cancer, african-american women do worse than white women and black women

tend to cancer at an earlier age. >> a university of miami study published found that the likelihood of finding breast cancer in black women at 35 is the same as finding it in white women at age 40. >> there definitely are differences in cancer by ethnicity and the best way for a woman to prevent breast cancer is to get a mammogram. >> an assemblyman convinced at&t to fund the grant to put up the billboards. it displays information on where hou and where to get a mammogram for free. >> joining us in the studio is the program manager of the cancer prevention institute of california and the stanford cancer center, pamela ratliff.

child on way, so you are interested in this issue? >> absolutely. >> so how is this impacting women? >> african-american women actually get breast cancer less but they succumb to the disease 37% more than the white counter parts. in addition, african-american women are diagnosed at later stages of breast cancer in more aggressive forms. women under 40 are also being impacted by breast cancer because it's larger than any other racial group. >> what are the reasons? >> what are the reasons is lack of quality health care as well as women just not having the proper information or knowledge about the disease. >> your organization helps african-american breast cancer conference in may? >> yes. we conduct the program each

year. it's designed to raise awareness about breast cancer and early detection and survival and provide women with information and resources to help them to make more informed decisions about their health care and empower them and to make decisions as well as loved ones. >> what that phrase means? >> it means information that they can relate to their connectedness with our political community. there are certain similarities in terms of background, in terms of certain lifestyles. we do want to point out the group is not on omogoous group. so we have people that come from everywhere around the world. from ethiopia and the caribbean

as well as those born in the u.s. >> so you have a presentation that you are will be making at a conference? >> we are very excited. we are honored to be invited to be do a presentation on the work we've done at the african-american conference. i will be discussing the importance of developing cancer education programs around the actuallyly appropriateness and community partnership. it's very important to understand how it impacts african-americans and other populations. thank you so much for what you are doing. we do have to take another break. when we come back. we're going learn how the age and publicer at thiselates to breast cancer in young girls.

>> all new. oprah: the only child of sonny and cher. when did it fully occur to you, i'm in the wrong body? >> oprah's world exclusive with chaz bono. oprah: how did you tell your chaz bono. oprah: how did you tell your mom?

welcome back to beyond the headlines. today we're talking about breast cancer. in 2009 a ten-year-old california girl received national attention as she became the youngest person ever in america to face the difficult fight against breast cancer. she had an extremely rare adult form of breast cancer. she had her first chemo treatment in 2009. she knew it would make her hair fall off so she had her hair shaved off in front of family and friends. >> she stood up after we talked. >> as a show of solidarity. the family also shaved their

heads. as of october 2009, tests show her cancer was no longer detectable. janice barlow joins us. and you've work where there are highest rates of breast cancer in the country? >> they do. and the incidence rates of breast cancer to be significantly high. unless the bay area. the statistics that came out in 2008, among women, non-hispanic white women, 146 women per 100,000 were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. that is comparison on to the california rate of 121 women her hundred thousand. so it's still pretty high and there was drop in 2002, 2003 when women in marin and all around the country stopped

taking estrogen therapy but it didn't slow down. even in canada and we've seen a gradual increase. >> you do a lot of research and one area you are working on is early puberty. tell us about that? >> it's new kind of way of looking at breast cancer and breast cancer research. earlier we were researching women between the ages of 35 and 64. we weren't finding a lot of new risk factors. so that we decided to look at puberty as a period of time when the breast is developing rapidly and may be more susceptible to dietary factors. and we're part of the bay area breast cancer environment and we are looking at age of onset of puberty. >> how young? >> the study that was published,

maybe some of the viewers heard about in pediatrics washington is we showed that girls seven-year-old girls were beginning breast development. among the girls in the study 10% of the white girls were developing breasts at the age of 7 and 23% of african-american girls and 15% of hispanic girls. >> you're seeing the numbers of higher ins donates in ethnic cultures. what is your recommendation to families and girls? >> there are some things that parents can do to decrease the risk of early onset of puberty. one is maintain a healthy weight.

and two, healthy levels of physical activity and three, to avoid exposing your daughter even your whole family to some of these environmental chemicals like thise that we discussed early. >> janice, thank you so much. we've run out of time. thank you. we do have to take another break. we're going learning how each of you can help out on the fight against the cancer. we'll be right back. [ male announcer ] nature is unique... ...authentic... ...pure... and also delicious. ♪ like nature valley. granola bars made with crunchy oats and pure honey. because natural is not only good,

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breast cancer program. you are all decked out. >> i am. >> it's on the 9th and 10th, its two day walk and get together to raise money and awareness for breast cancer. we walk 32 miles over the course of the two days. >> have i done this? >> i have. i walked back in 2009. i walked in honor of my mom. she has bottled breast cancer twice and we lost our grandmother to the disease. what is so incredible about the avon walk. when loved ones are going through it but you can get out there and really with the avon walk and do something.

you can make a difference and save lives. there is something to fight this disease. >> it sound like a lot of fun, too. >> it is. >> i want to ask you, you work with a wonderful organization. you are going to be a beneficiary of the walk. so tell me how it works and how it helps people? >> our program is great from avon because we are able to provide this that keeps women from they really need to get that treatment as we heard earlier. oftentimes there are so many areas to get treatment. so what our organization does is help connect women who don't have advocates who don't necessarily have friend or family and link them in communities, women who have limited english proficiency to access all of those resources that will actually help complete

treatment. for example, helping them get transportation to chemotherapy and radiation which is every day and helping people get through to be healthy during that time. connecting them with volunteers so they have somebody to support them often and going to appointments with them. definitely. we provide translation service who you are unable to speak english. all of those things help people go from screening through diagnosis into treatment and survival. >> that is fantastic. >> how do people can get involved and raise money?ely chk >> definitely check out avon.org and you can also call us 1-888-541-walk and we're here to

hip you and get involved. >> we would love to see you out there. >> thank you so much. >> good luck on the walk. >> that is going to do it for us. for now, i want to say a special thanks to all of our guests today. that is it for this week's edition of beyond the head lines. find information about our show or our guests also at our website at abc7news.com. if you are looking for community resources in your neighborhood, dial 211 for help. thanks for joining us. have a great week and we will see you next time. bye for now.