Study
of Elevated Breast Cancer Rates in Long Island
Public Law 103-43, June 10, 1993
Sec. 1911. Potential Environmental and Other Risks Contributing
to Incidence of Breast Cancer
(a) REQUIREMENT OF STUDY
(1) IN GENERAL — The Director of the National Cancer Institute (in
this section referred to as the "Director"), in collaboration with the
Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences,
shall conduct a case-control study to assess biological markers of environmental
and other potential risk factors contributing to the incidence of breast
cancer in --
(A) the Counties of Nassau and Suffolk, in the State of New York,
and
(B) the 2 counties in the northeastern United States that, as identified
in the report specified in paragraph (2), had the highest age-adjusted
mortality rate of such cancer that reflected not less than 30 deaths
during the 5-year period for which findings are made in the report.
[Schoharie County, NY, and Tolland County, CT]
(2) RELEVANT REPORT — The report referred to in paragraph (I)(B) is
the report of the findings made in the study entitled "Survival, Epidemiology,
and End Results", relating to cases of cancer during the years 1983
through 1987.
(b) CERTAIN ELEMENTS OF STUDY — Activities of the Director in carrying
out the study under subsection (a) shall include the use of a geographic
system to evaluate the current and past exposure of individuals, including
direct monitoring and cumulative estimates of exposure, to --
(1) contaminated drinking water;
(2) sources of indoor and ambient air pollution, including emissions
from aircraft;
(3) electromagnetic fields;
(4) pesticides, and other toxic chemicals;
(5) hazardous and municipal waste; and
(6) such other factors as the director determines to be appropriate.
(c) REPORT — Not later than 30 months after the date of the enactment
of this Act, the Director shall complete the study required in subsection
(a) and submit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of
Representatives, and to the Committee on Labor and Human Resources of
the senate, a report describing findings made as a result of the study.
[An amendment rescinded the 30-month deadline.]
(d) FUNDING — Of the amounts appropriated for fiscal years 1994 and 1995
for the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National
Cancer Institute, the Director of the National Institutes of Health shall
make available amounts for carrying out the study required in subsection
(a).
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Conference Report Language
House Report 103-100
Nassau and Suffolk County Breast Cancer Study
The House amendment but not the Senate bill contained a provision requiring
a study to assess environmental and other potential factors contributing
to the incidence of breast cancer in the counties of Nassau and Suffolk,
in the state of New York, as well as in the two counties of the Northeast
having the highest breast cancer mortality rates as identified by the
Surveillance, Epidemiology, End Results program of the National Cancer
Institute (NCI). The Senate recedes with an amendment extending the deadline
for completion of the study. The study is to be conducted by the Director
of the NCI in collaboration with the Director of the National Institute
of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). The study is to be funded jointly
from among annual appropriations available to the two national research
institutes. The Conferees have identified NIEHS to participate in the
planning and funding of this study because of the agency's contributions
to research on the adverse health effects of environmental pollutants.
The expertise will be of invaluable assistance in identifying and evaluating
environmental risk factors associated with elevated incidence and mortality
of breast cancer. The Conferees expect NIEHS to work closely with NCI
in the design of this study and in the division of funding and programmatic
responsibility between the institutes.
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