October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

History and mission
The first National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM) took place in October 1985 and was intended to increase awareness of breast cancer issues, especially the importance of early detection.

During NBCAM, women are encouraged to educate themselves about the disease, perform regular breast self-examinations, and schedule an annual mammogram.

The pink ribbon symbol
The first known use of the pink ribbon was in the fall of 1991, when the Susan G. Komen Foundation had handed them out to participants in its New York City race for breast cancer survivors. In 1993, Evelyn Lauder (of Estée Lauder Inc.) founded The Breast Cancer Research Foundation and used the pink ribbon as its logo, popularizing the symbol and its association with the disease.

Events
Many events take place during October to call attention to breast cancer sufferers and raise funds for research. Some of the more popular events include:

Breast cancer walks and races - Participants ask friends, family, and coworkers to pledge money on their behalf, with proceeds going to breast cancer organizations. Some employers. have donation-matching programs.

Popular walks and races include the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer and Relay For Life, and the Breast Cancer 3-Day.

Global Illumination - Landmarks and monuments around the world are illuminated pink to draw attention to breast cancer awareness. This was started by the Estée Lauder company in 2000.

Pink Days - these are generally small fundraisers put on by schools or employers. Participants usually wear pink and raise money for breast cancer charities in a variety of ways, such as with raffles, bake sales, or by charging admission to the event.

Criticism of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Focus on detection rather than prevention
Some organizations, such as the The Cancer Prevention Coalition, criticize that NBCAM focuses too much on detection of the disease rather than prevention. AstraZeneca, manufacturer of several breast cancer drugs, is a principle sponsor of NBCAM, and has been accused of promoting detection in order to increase sales of its medications.

Marketing of pink ribbon products
During October, many companies make special pink products and advertise that they will donate a percentage of sales to breast cancer organizations. However, if you read the fine print, you will find that the majority of these products only donate an extremely small percentage of the purchase price. It is not uncommon to find that an expensive purchase yields only a dollar or less for cancer research. Some manufacturers spend more money marketing these so-called charity products than they actually donate to charity.

Worse, some of these companies promote pink ribbon campaigns while manufacturing products that have been linked to the disease. This practice has been dubbed "pinkwashing" by the organization Breast Cancer Action. Companies accused of pinkwashing include yogurt, cosmetic, and car manufacturers.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

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