Senate Resolution No. 1698

BY: Senator BIAGGI

MEMORIALIZING Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim
February 2022, 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 Kathy Hochul to proclaim February 2022, 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
2017; and

WHEREAS, The government's 2018 Annual Report to the Nation on the
Status of Cancer showed cancer deaths dropped by 1.8 percent for men and
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 Kathy Hochul to proclaim February 2022, 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 Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New
York.