A monthly update for the health and environment community in Europe

Editorial: New scientific report on breast cancer and chemicals urges policy-makers to “prevent the preventable”

Around 1 in 10 women in Europe will develop breast cancer. Bringing down this figure cannot be achieved without reducing exposure to certain chemicals, according to a report launched by the Health & Environment Alliance (HEAL) and CHEM Trust during a lunchtime event in the European Parliament on April 2. The report entitled: "Breast cancer and exposure to hormonally active chemicals: An appraisal of the scientific evidence" was written by a leading EU researcher on endocrine disrupters, Professor Andreas Kortenkamp, Head of the Centre for Toxicology at the School of Pharmacy, University of London. This scientific review focuses on the role of hormone disrupting chemicals, with particular reference to early life and multiple chemical exposures (read more).

With the EU chemicals legislation REACH being implemented, policy-makers have a concrete opportunity ahead of them to translate the scientific recommendations into policy action and to reduce chemicals’ contribution to the breast cancer incidence rate. For example, EU member states and the new European Chemicals Agency, at the instruction of the European Commission, can ensure that hormone-disrupting chemicals are placed on both the candidate this year and the priority list next year for the authorization procedure. Another political opportunity is provided for by the EU pesticides policy reform. “Cut-off criteria” should be introduced to ban from sale on the market any pesticide that acts as a hormone disruptor or as a carcinogen, mutagen and reproductive toxic (CMR).

The report’s message that tougher controls are needed on man-made chemicals resonated across the European media, with coverage on Euronews and several national television stations, a feature on the largest German public radio Deutchlandfunk (DLF) and articles in the Guardian on-line, Le Monde, Euroactiv and the British Medical Journal among others.

As part of their breast cancer and chemicals work, HEAL and CHEM Trust also launched a series of educational and advocacy resources available in several EU languages on the Chemicals Health Monitor project website, or in hard copy upon request.

Highlights and coming up:

 Apply for the good practice awards on climate change and health BY 15 MAY
 HEAL/EUREGHA Conference: “Climate change and the challenges for public health: engaging the regions”, 24 June 2008
 Become a HEAL individual supporter: Do you share HEAL’s goal of improving people’s health through better environment policy? It is now possible for individuals who share HEAL’s vision of a healthy planet for healthy people to become supporters of HEAL. Read more.