Health and Environment Alliance

American Medical Association calls for a comprehensive chemicals policy

Monica Guarinoni, EEN staff — 2008-07-02T13:40:35Z

At its 2008 Annual Meeting on 14 June, the American Medical Association (AMA) resolved to call upon the US federal government to implement a comprehensive chemicals policy. They would like to see a chemical policy that is in line with current scientific knowledge on human health and environment, and that requires a full evaluation of the health impacts of both newly developed and industrial chemicals now in use.

The AMA also supports the restructuring of the Toxic Substances Control Act. Their aim is to help federal and state agencies reduce the use of industrial chemicals, and proficiently assess the human health and environmental hazards that result from chemicals exposures. In addition, the AMA will support the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) process leading to the sound management of chemicals throughout their lifecycle so that by 2020 chemicals are used and produced in ways that minimize adverse effects on human health and the environment.

Training of medical students, physicians and other health professionals on the human health effects of toxic chemical exposures has been also identified as an important field of activity to be encouraged.

Further information:

American Medical Association (AMA) website
Reference Committee highlights

HEAL in the media (May - June 2008)

Monica Guarinoni, EEN staff — 2008-07-02T13:13:19Z

Christian Farrar Hockley was quoted in European Voice, 26 June 2008, on flame retardants, which health critics say pose more dangers to health than the fires they prevent. More articles appeared on the HEAL and Chem Trust breast cancer event in April including an article in the European Commission’s “Science for Environmental Policy” newsletter. Press articles also appeared on HEAL’s new nanotechnology fact sheet and Lisette Van Vliet was quoted following the EU’s ban on the exports of mercury. Full report here.

EU Action Plan

Chemicals Watch quoted Genon Jensen in “MEPs attack EU Environment and Health Action Plan”, 28 May 2008. (Not available on open access, write to Hana Kuncova) Breast cancer

Articles continued to appear following our event on 2 April 2008 on breast cancer and endocrine disrupting chemicals.
Science for Environmental Policy, DG Environment newsletter, 5 May 2008
European Society of Medical Oncology website, MEPs urged to act over hormonal chemicals that may cause breast cancer, 16 April 2008
ENDS Report, April issue, “Chemicals may increase breast cancer risk”
Research Review, European Parliament magazine, "Chemical Exposure" appeared on 30 May 2008
CASCADE Newsletter, No. 8, June 2008, “Chemicals may increase breast cancer risk”
Environmental Expert website, New EU research suggests chemicals may increase risk of breast cancer, 15 May 2008

Endocrine disruptors

In an article entitled “Sun lotion threat to children” about chemicals in sunscreen, the UK newspaper, Daily Express, Friday 27 June 2008 quoted both Diana Smith and Elizabeth Salter Green, Chem Trust on the need to ban and avoid endocrine disruptors. (Article not available on the net)

The report followed an announcement from scientists in the Swiss National Research Programme. Tests had shown mothers had traces of UV filters in their breastmilk. It said that endocrine disrupting chemicals, which include pesticides, could be passed on to babies through breast milk. The scientists from the programme are calling for "more studies to find out just how much of this must be absorbed by the human body for it to become dangerous."

Flame retardants

European Voice quoted Christian Farrar Hockley in “Are lobbyists playing with fire?”, a major feature on brominated flame retardants (BFRs), 26 June 2008. Read the article.

Christian Farrar Hockley was quoted on BFR’s in Environmental Science and Technology Online News, 5 May 2008

Mercury

Following the EU vote on mercury, Lisette Van Vliet was quoted in “Agreement reached on EU mercury export ban”, Euractiv website, 22 May 2008.

Euractiv also published a letter from HEAL clarifying the scientific basis of our work on mercury.

HEAL was also quoted on the Environmental Expert website in “EU set to lock down mercury”, 23 May 2008.

Nanotechnology

HEAL position on European Commission’s current approach to regulation of nanotechnology and references HEAL fact sheet on "Nanotechnology and health risks" appeared in The Environmental Health Practitioner, EU News section, “Fine words but no action”, June 2008 and was featured in Chemicals Watch, “NGOs lay out demands for safety on nanomaterials”, 6 May 2008. (Not available on open access, write to Hana Kuncova for a copy)

Presidential cancer panel addresses environment

Monica Guarinoni, EEN staff — 2008-07-02T13:05:30Z

This year’s President’s Cancer Panel in the United States focuses on cancer and the environment.

Starting in September 2008, the US National Cancer Institute will hold a series of four public meetings of the President’s Cancer Panel. The role of the President’s Cancer Panel is to monitor the development and execution of the activities of the National Cancer Program, and to report directly to the President of the United States.

The meetings entitled “Environmental Factors in Cancer” will be held over the course of five months during 2008-2009, in four cities across the US. The overall question to be addressed is the role of the environment in cancer. The discussion will include a review of the general lines of evidence that establish the idea that environmental exposures are important in cancer etiology, the role of “avoidable” or “preventable” factors, and the magnitude of the role of the environment.

The four meeting themes are industrial and manufacturing exposures; agricultural exposures; indoor/outdoor air pollution and water contamination; and, nuclear fallout, electromagnetic fields, and radiation exposure. Discussions will focus on governmental regulations/policies on workplace protection, the effectiveness of current US regulatory system, which industries and populations are disproportionately affected, how agricultural chemicals affect water sources and food, the health effects of air pollutants produced by countries with little or no environmental regulations, and the health risks associated with increased exposure to ionising radiation used for medical diagnosis and treatment.

The official flyer for the President’s Cancer Panel is available at http://deainfo.nci.nih.gov/advisory/pcp/agenda.htm.

HEAL’s US partner, the Collaborative on Health and Environment (CHE) believes that these meetings and the associated actions that they are planning provide an opportunity to strengthen the science base of the official report of the Panel to the next President. If you are interested in attending any of the four meetings, please contact Eleni Sotos, CHE Program Director, email: eleni@healthandenvironment.org.

Access to environmental justice for NGOs and individuals still restricted

Audrey Parizel — 2008-07-01T13:37:42Z

On 13 June, the French Journal de l’Environnement, reported that despite the Aarhus Convention celebrates this year its 10th anniversary, access to environmental justice for individuals and NGOs is still very limited.

Journalist Claire Avignon reported that proceedings costs are still too high. For individuals and small NGOs, environmental justice is therefore virtually inaccessible. Proceedings in the UK, Germany, Malta, Austria and Hungary are the most costly within the EU.

In 2003 member states rejected the adoption of a directive which would have lowered significantly the cost of environmental proceedings for NGOs and individuals. ]

HOwever, the European Commission still wants the directive to be adopted and hopes to include it in the French presidency agenda. The Commission also plans to set up inter-member states dialogue platforms for national judges in order to facilitate communication on the Aarhus Convention.

For more information:

Read the full article � L’acc�s � la justice toujours aussi peu ais� en Europe � only in French
Read the Aarhus Convention "Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters”

Argentina bans phthalates in baby products

Audrey Parizel — 2008-07-01T08:38:03Z

On 11 June, the Argentinian Ministry of Health banned manufacture, import and export of baby products and toys containing concentrations higher than 0.1% of DEHP, DBP, BBP, DINP, DIDP or DNOP phthalates.

The government of Argentina decided to ban phthalates from baby products in order to protect public health and baby safety. In its resolution, the Ministry of Health stated that children and babies in particular are very fragile organism as they are in a critical development phase. They are all the more significantly vulnerable to chemicals and can suffer long term conditions due to early exposure.

The Ministry of Health quotes infertility and endocrinal system perturbations. Those exposures are also of concern as babies and young children are quick to introduce toys and other products in their mouth. They are preventable though. That is why the Argentinian Ministry of Health is taking radical action to protect baby and children development.

For more information:

Read Argentina Ministry of Health resolution only in Spanish

ELF new fact sheets on lung health in Europe

Audrey Parizel — 2008-07-01T08:35:28Z

The European Lung Foundation (ELF), a HEAL member, released earlier this year a couple of new fact sheets directed at the general public, patients and policy-makers. The first one deals with work-related lung diseases, the second one focuses on asbestos-related lung diseases.

ELF publications are reviewed by the authoritative European Respiratory Society and are available for free in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Polish and Greek.

For more information:

Read ELF fact sheet on work-related lung diseases
Read ELF fact sheet on asbestos-related lung diseases

HCWH article on effective alternatives to mercury-based medical devices

Audrey Parizel — 2008-06-30T11:00:26Z

The May issue of the World Medical Journal featured an article on mercury-free health care by Health Care Without Harm. It draws attention on the heavy use of mercury in health care devices despite international scientific evidence on mercury neurotoxicity. The article’s authors are Josh Karliner, Peter Orris and Jamie Harvie.

According to Health Care Without Harm, safer, affordable and effective alternatives exist and public health institutions and professionals should replace mercury-based devices with these alternatives.

You can read the article online.

OECD publication on Environment and Health

Audrey Parizel — 2008-06-30T10:49:01Z

In April 2008, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Developement (OECD) published online a synthesis paper on health and environment. The paper is in French and focuses on the environmental impacts on health. It also highlights the kind of public policies that are needed to reduce the impacts of environmental pollution on health.

For more information:

Read the OECD Synthesis on Environment and Health, in French only

New French study on air pollution impacts on mortality risk

Audrey Parizel — 2008-06-30T10:32:06Z

On 19 June, the French Institute For Public Health Surveillance (InVS) published the result of a new report on air pollution and health in France. The results show that the risk of mortality increases by 2.2 percent with an increase of 10�g/m3 of particulates (PM 2,5 et PM 2,5-10).

The report aimed to provide up to date information on the link between air pollution and the risk of mortality with different causes. The report studied 9 French cities from 2000 to 2004 and highlighted an epidemiological link between particulates (PM 2,5 et PM 2,5-10) in ambient air and risk of mortality. People over 65 are the most vulnerable.

For more information:

Read InVS press release, available only in French.
Visit the InVS website.

ETUC wants precautionary principle applied to nanotechnologies

Monica Guarinoni, EEN staff — 2008-06-30T10:30:05Z

On 26 June 2008, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) adopted a first resolution on nanotechnologies and nanomaterials. The key demand: the precautionary principle must apply to nanotechnologies.

Nanotechnology is a fast-growing field of activity in many sectors of industry, especially the chemical, pharmaceutical and electronics industries. As a result, the number of workers coming into contact with nanomaterials - objects whose size is measured in billionths of a metre - is set to rise sharply in the coming years.

The ETUC is convinced that nanotechnologies and manufactured nanomaterials might have considerable development and application potential. However, the ETUC notes that significant uncertainties revolve around both the benefits of nanotechnologies to our society and their harmful effects of manufactured nanomaterials on human health and the environment.

The resolution sets out a series of demands on different aspects of nanotechnology development:

Marketing:

REACH’s “no data, no market” principle must apply: nanometre forms of chemicals should not be allowed on the market unless sufficient data are supplied to show no harmful effect for human health and the environment;
All nanomaterials, including those produced or imported in quantities below 1 tonne per year, must come within the REACH registration requirements;
A chemical safety report must be produced for all REACH-registered substances for which a nanometre scale use has been identified.

Worker protection:

Amend Chemical Agents Directive 98/24/EC to require employers to implement risk reduction measures for substances not proven to be harmless;
Involve workers and their representatives in the assessment and reduction of nanomaterial-related risks;
Improve worker information about nanomaterials that may be present in products to which they are exposed: safety data sheets must state whether nanomaterials are present;
Provide training and health surveillance for workers exposed to nanomaterials.

R & D:

Earmark at least 15% of public research budgets for health and environmental aspects;
Make health and safety at work aspects a compulsory part of all research projects.

The ETUC calls on the European Commission and Member States to ensure real participation by European citizens in the debate on these new technologies.

For more information:

See ETUC resolution on nanotechnologies and nanomaterials.