Dear Parents:

I am writing you as someone concerned that high cancer rates may be influenced by radioactive emissions from nuclear power plants.

I became personally involved with this issue after meeting families in Long Island, New York, whose children had developed and, in some cases, died from rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of cancer - a cancer whose cause has been linked to radiation exposure. These families are living at "ground zero" of America's cancer epidemic. For them, the American dream has become a nightmare.

I am a native of Long Island, which has a breast cancer rate so high that federal researchers have invested millions of dollars to find a cause. Each year, over 2000 Long Island women are diagnosed with this dreaded condition. My mother, who lives in Long Island, is a breast cancer survivor.

One reason behind high cancer rates may be radioactive leaks and releases from nuclear power reactors. These releases get into the air, drinking water, and food, and enter the human body. But the U.S. government does not measure just how much radioactivity gets into the body, or whether it is harmful.

To document a possible radiation/cancer connection, the Radiation and Public Health Project (RPHP) needs only one of the baby teeth that your child has lost. RPHP is collecting baby teeth as part of a national, scientific study to measure levels of radioactive Strontium-90 in these teeth. So please help. Every tooth is a clue!

I know that cancer is an overwhelming issue to confront. Yet, we have already spent $25 billion on a "War on Cancer" without any significant decline in America's cancer rates. It is only through public education, supported by solid scientific research, that we will be able to create a safe environment and healthy future for our children.

Thank you in advance for supporting the "Tooth Fairy Project."

Yours sincerely,
Alec Baldwin

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