BREAST CANCER SCREENING RECOMMENDATIONS
The American Cancer Society Recommends:
- For women age 40 and over:
- Annual mammogram and Clinical breast exam
- Monthly Self Breast Exam
- For women age 20-39:
- Clinical breast exam every three years
- Monthly breast self exam
- Precautionary Guidelines
The precautionary principle asserts that the burden of proof for
potentially harmful actions by industry or government rests on
the assurance of safety and that when there are threats of serious
damage, scientific uncertainty must be resolved in favor of prevention.
The precautionary principle has provoked a
spirited debate among environmentalists worldwide, but it is equally
relevant to public health and shares much with primary prevention.
Its central components are:
(1) Take preventive action in the face of
uncertainty.
(2) Shift the burden of proof to the proponents
of an activity.
(3) Explore a wide range of alternatives to
possibly harmful actions.
(4) Increase public participation in decision
making.
Precaution is relevant to public health, because
it can help to prevent unintended consequences of well-intentioned
public health interventions by ensuring a more thorough assessment
of the problems and proposed solutions. It can also be a positive
force for change. Three aspects are stressed: promoting the search
for safer technologies, encouraging greater democracy and openness
in public health policy, and stimulating reevaluation of the methods
of public health science.
