What We Do

Since our founding in 1997, the Wellesley Cancer Prevention Project (WCPP) has initiated several activities that have influenced the way that residents and the Town of Wellesley address their health. Specifically, the Wellesley Cancer Prevention Project:

  • Successfully lobbied for the creation of a Town Pesticide Awareness Coordinator;
  • Published many articles in the Wellesley Townsman highlighting some of the health risks related to various chemicals in our personal lives;
  • Assisted in the creation of Wellesley’s Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program prohibiting the use and application of toxic chemical pesticides on school grounds;
  • Provided guidance to the Natural Resources Commission which resulted in their decision to avoid using herbicides in Morses Pond;
  • Served on the Sprague Fields Task Force, providing guidance in the areas of artificial turf and health & safety;
  • Alerted Wellesley residents to the dangers of perchloroethylene, a dry-cleaning solvent which has since been listed as a substance “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen” in the Eleventh Report on Carcinogens published by the National Toxicology Program;
  • Participated in the Wellesley Public Schools Eco-Expo educational forum;
  • Participated in the 2011 Sustainable Wellesley Expo;
  • Participated in the MetroWest Medical Center’s Green Fair;
  • Provided seminars and forums to educate community members about the potential hazards of water, dry-cleaning, personal care products, plastics, car idling, and other areas of health concern;

By 2003, the WCPP had become a well-established resource in the town, and received its 501(c)3 status as a non-profit organization.

The Wellesley Cancer Prevention Project also worked with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to continue its research and to release the results of a second (and more up-to-date) study of cancer incidence among Wellesley residents. The results of that second study indicate that Wellesley has cancer rates that are equal to or comparable to statewide rates for some types of cancer. A copy of the entire report can be found at the Wellesley Library.

Our first town-wide forum in was held in 2000. Since then, the Wellesley Cancer Prevention Project has sponsored a series of town-wide forums in an effort to make our community more aware of potential environmental health risks. These forums are free and open to the general public.

The Wellesley Cancer Prevention Project continues to work with the Wellesley Natural Resources Commission and the Wellesley Board of Health to provide venues for education and prevention efforts to minimize cancer risks in our community