Health and Environment Alliance

HEAL action at Parma - DAILY UPDATES

Gillian Erskine — 2010-03-08T16:31:06Z

Ministers of health and the environment, experts and non-governmental organisations from the 53 WHO European countries gather this week in Parma to discuss progress on the Environment and Health process in Europe. The presence of experts and NGOs is of crucial importance to drive Europe�s agenda on emerging environmental health challenges for the years to come.

Each day we will update this page with the lastest news from the Parma conference. To receive the hour by hour updates, you can follow HEAL on twitter.com/HealthandEnv.

HEAL is leading a delegation of NGOs to the 5th Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health of the WHO European Region, takeing place in Parma, Italy, this week.

The health and environment NGO delegation will be among about 600 participants brought together to review progress on agreements by European ministers of health and environment, and make new pledges to improve people�s health and the environment.

HEAL will be urging ministers to take action against emerging health and environment threats such as climate change, pesticides, hazardous chemicals and nano materials; highlighting areas where progress is slow; awarding winners of a nongovernmental good practice in children’s environment and health competition; and highlighting why youth participation is so important in environmental health. Read more

10th March - 1st Day

The conference opened today with a 1000 delegates � including ministers from over 27 countries throughout the European region. The opening plenary address was conducted jointly by the Italian minister for the Environment and the Italian minister for health. It�s encouraging to see such a huge and diverse NGO turnout � we estimate there are well over 100 individual organisations being represented here.

Today, HEAL have been contributing to the process and shaping the discussion through two well attended side-events and continuing to highlight the work of the NGOs at national and international level through our exhibition stand. The latter has allowed for some very interesting debates during to coffee breaks. Thank you so much to all our members who have been helping staff the stand, if you haven�t visited us yet you can find us beside the standing coffee area.

Side events

9 - 10.15 - Human Bio-monitoring and E and H policy

Lisette (HEAL�s toxics policy officer) attended the symposium on how human-biomonitoring (HBM) supports environment and health policy. The session presented a forthcoming European feasibility study of mothers and children (funded by the EU). The work looked specifically at how HBM is being supported by the WHO Parma declaration and commitment to act. Really interesting discussion about how HBO can help us achieve environment and health goals in the EU and the wider European Region.

10.45-12.15 - Environmental influences on children’s respiratory health

Anne Stauffer (HEAL�s policy manager) was part of the panel discussion for the European Respiratory Society side event promoting the Year of the Lung campaign. Leading respiratory specialists talked about the increasing threat of climate change and air quality on lung health.

Emerging messages-

1.Research shows us that preventative policies (inc. implementation of the WHO air quality guidelines) are needed now.

2. The health community needs to make their expertise know, medical professionals can influence policy in ways that others cannot.

It seems that there is enough evidence to take action now!

Lung health under threat from climate change and deteriorating air quality. Read the press release here.

10.45 - 12.15. - Youth Participation in the CEHAPE process

Genon Jensen (HEAL�s executive director) was part of the panel for the symposium on youth participation. 5 youth representatives spoke of projects currently happening in their areas to actively improve environment and health � all really inspiring stories, illustrating just how much is possible to achieve community level. There were some brilliant films too � all of which are available here.

The session was packed out, it was a brilliant opportunity to really gain a better understanding of the capacity of young people and how important their work is to their community and the wider decision-making processes � keep up the great work!

Thursday 11th - 2nd Day

8.30 � 10 CEHAPE Awards for good practice in environment and health.

The winners have been announced � spirits are high! Awards were presented by ministers European ministers in a fantastically upbeat session - all to the theme tune from Star trek! Such inspiring projects from all corners of the European region.

You can read the PR here. We also now have copies of the Awards booklet - very snazzy!

Many congratulations again to all the winning projects. Information about all of them will be available on the CEHAPE website shortly.

18.00 - 19.30 BPA raised at EFSA symposium:

At a side event in Parma on Thursday evening organised by the European Food Safety Authority and World Health Organization (WHO), the results of a cost-benefit analysis of eating fish were discussed. This gave HEAL member, Andre Cicolella, RES, an opportunity to ask why the adverse health effects of Bisphenol A, an endocrine disrupting chemical, had not been considered in this analysis. Anyone eating canned fish would be exposed to BPA, which is found in the synthetic lining of tins. He called on the EFSA to address the human data showing that fetal contamination takes place through maternal exposure to BPA.

We are currently compiling a full update from Parma for the Editorial of the March edition of HEAL news. Watch this space!

WHO Publications:

"The Journey to Parma: a tale of 20 years of environment and health action in Europe," WHO Europe, March 2010, with contributions from Genon Jensen, HEAL and Sascha Gabizon, Women in Europe for a Common Future.

The Future of the European Environment and Health Process, from Frankfurt to Parman and beyond � Roadmap for the future for the European Environment and Health Process.

European framework for action on health and climate change. WHO advocates for policy makers to protect people’s health from the health hazards associated with climate change.

HEAL takes part in WHO talks on children’s health

Gillian Erskine — 2010-03-08T16:19:52Z

10th - 12th March. HEAL lead a delegation of NGOs to the 5th Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health of the WHO European Region, taking place in Parma, Italy, last week.

The health and environment NGO delegation was among 1000 participants brought together to review progress on agreements by European ministers of health and environment, and make new pledges to improve people�s health and the environment.

- DAILY UPDATES from the conference are available here and on the HEAL Twitter page twitter.com/HealthandEnv.

French youth prepare for Parma

Gillian Erskine — 2010-03-08T08:44:29Z

Appel de la Jeunesse (Youth call to action) held the first youth and decision-maker conference on health and environment in the National Assembly in Paris on Thursday 26 February in preparation for the Parma conference.

Martin Rieussec and Pascal Conges of the Collectif Appel de la Jeunesse have been part of the Europe-wide development of a declaration that was/will be signed in Parma by the ministers of health and environment present at the meeting.

The five associations which make up the Appel de la Jeunesse collective include an association for osteopath students (Regards Croises) who recently organised a conference on the causes of cancer following the death of one of their fellow students. They discovered that the causes of the illness were inked to an industrialised food chain, intensive agriculture, pollution, different types of ionising radiation and so on.

The collectif aims to bring together student organisations and young people interested in health and environment and encourage lifestyles and consumerism that is respectful of health, societies and ecosystems.

Martin Rieussec, President of the Collectif Appel de la Jeunesse and founder of Regards Croises told the meeting: "We do not think that our generation et those to come can be in good health on a sick planet."

Addressing the launch event, Genon Jensen, Executive Director of HEAL welcomed the new group as an important contributor to raising awareness on environment and health for future generations.

Members of the scientific advisory group for Collectif Appel de la Jeuness include Andre Cicolella, Reseau Environnnement Sante and Dominique Belpomme, ARTAC, both organisations are HEAL members.

Contact: Martin Rieussec, President, martinrieussec@gmail.com, www.appeldelajeunesse.org

In defense of citizens’ voices; French courts rule in favour of environment group�s legal suit on pesticides in wine

Gillian Erskine — 2010-02-26T10:22:29Z

In a recent article in the Parliament magazine 22 February 2010, Corinne Lepage MEP describes a court case she has been defending of behalf of HEAL partner NGO in France, Mouvement pour les droits et le respect de generations futures (MDRGF).

MDRGF came under attack from the French grape growers’ association following a report published by MDRGF on pesticides and grapes. Ms Lepage, who has since won the case, considers that it to have been a test case against whistleblowers.

She says that not-for-profits need to be protected from this type of attack from industry. It quotes the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) as saying that "not-for-profit groups bring the evidence of independent scientists and consumers affected by pesticides to key debates.. so that the industry voice does not go unchallenged."

The full article is available here

In the spotlight

Xavier Dutoit — 2010-02-08T16:45:11Z

Making waves on pesticides in France and UK

2010 will be a decisive year for our Sick of Pesticides Campaign, which aims to highlight the adverse health effects of pesticides and provide educational, advocacy and legal tools for local groups, schools and farmers to become involved in policy change.

The new EU pesticides package (for authorisation and use of pesticides) has great potential for better health protection, yet it really depends on how governments will develop and follow-through on national pesticide reduction action plans. First steps will be setting up plans by 2012, and making sure that they include quantitative objectives, targets, measures and timetables to reduce risks and impacts of pesticide use, and to ensure public participation. We are urging all Member States to report on how they are minimizing or completely banning pesticide use in public spaces.

The UK is one of the countries soon to launch its public consultation on the National Action Plan. The results of our UK School Survey as part of HEAL�s Sick of Pesticides Campaign underline the need to phase out the use of pesticides in schools as a priority issue. Responses to the HEAL and PAN UK survey from local authorities are quite alarming: Children may be exposed to at least four potentially cancer causing pesticides in their schools (the final report is available here. We encourage individuals and organisations to use the survey to find out which pesticides are being used in their local schools (for more information please contact Anne Stauffer).

The survey also highlights the use of hazardous biocides and the need for more control. The EU Biocides Law is now being revised with important discussions in the European Parliament (and the Council of Environment Ministers). HEAL is working together with partners PAN Europe, Women in Europe for a Common Future and others to ensure that there are strict exclusion criteria for hazardous biocides, that the specific needs of vulnerable groups are recognised and that biocidal products with nano-silver are subject to a health-check before being allowed onto the market (read more here).

As part of our French Sick of Pesticides Activities, HEAL together with our member organisation �Mouvement pour le droit et le respect des generations futures� (MDRGF) launched what is probably Europe�s first network for people with health problems related to pesticide exposure, Victimes des Pesticides. At a recent meeting, French pesticide victims joined forces for better legal recognition and compensation and to highlight the need for better protection against hazardous pesticides ( Read more here)

This year, HEAL will be extending the Sick of Pesticides Campaign to three further countries � the Netherlands, Belgium and Hungary � to bring health concerns and expertise to the National Action Plans, and to advocate for ambitious reduction targets and pesticide-free zones. We want to ensure that patient and health groups are included in all discussions and decisions on pesticide reduction measures. A variety of activities are planned through a coalition of our members and groups. Please let us know if you�re interested in working together with us.

This year�s �Week without Pesticides� from 20 � 30 March offers the perfect opportunity to become involved in the call to reduce pesticide use for better health protection.

Health and Environment Alliance News - February 2010

Gillian Erskine — 2010-02-08T16:18:58Z

A monthly update for the health and environment community in Europe Making waves on pesticides in France and UK

This year�s �Week without Pesticides� from 20 � 30 March offers the perfect opportunity to become involved in the call to reduce pesticide use for better health protection.

Air quality policy update - February 2010

Gillian Erskine — 2010-02-08T15:59:28Z

Air Quality and health Policy developments - An overview of policy developments in the EU. For more information please contact Anne Stauffer

The EU Commission has rejected 11 out of 12 requests by Italy to have more time to comply with air quality targets for Particulate Matter PM10. Only the region of Campania is allowed a time extension. The firm stance of the EU Commission is good news for all those suffering from high air pollution levels.

Seven new substances were recently added to the Protocol on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) to the UNECE Convention on Long-range transboundary Air Pollution. The Protocol on POPs was signed in 1998 and entered into force in 2003 to curtail and eliminate POPs. Three of the substances which now fall under the Protocol are to be phased out in the 29 countries which have signed the Protocol. However, 20 countries need to ratify the changes for them to enter into force.

The US Environmental Protection Agency EPA has introduced a new national one-hour Air Quality Standard for Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2). The new standard is designed to prevent short-term exposures in high risk NO2 zones like urban communities and areas near roadways, to protect from NO2 exposures which are linked to respiratory illnesses. Compared to the EU, the new one-hour standard is stricter. The deadline for monitoring the new standard is 2013.

HEAL and HEAL members’ action on air quality and health

HEAL featured in the Parliament Magazine

A breath of fresh air? Strong progress in the treatment and management of allergic conditions should not cause us to overlook possibilities for prevention. Read the full article

European Launch of the Year of the Lung 2010 held in Marseille on February 1st by HEAL member, the European Respiratory Society. Hundreds of millions of people suffer every day from lung diseases, and they cause almost 20% of all deaths in the world. Increased awareness about lung diseases is vital, because they are killing more and more people every year and account for a socioeconomic burden of �102 billion due to health care costs and lost working days in Europe alone. The �Big Five� lung disorders are lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pneumonia, tuberculosis (TB) and asthma. Read the press release here. Join the Year of the Lung initiative

Pesticide "victims" fight for justice

Gillian Erskine — 2010-02-08T15:46:28Z

Two articles about individuals and groups claiming recognition for the effects of pesticides on their health have appeared recently.

Last week, the UK Ecologist published an article about the work of HEAL and partner organisation in France, MDRGF in bringing together a "victimes de pesticides" network � Pesticides and cancer: victims fight for justice, 4 Feb 2010. Three French farmers, who are members of the network, have won legal claims that their cases of cancer and Parkinson’s disease were cause by working with pesticides.

An article by UK pesticides campaigner Georgina Downs appeared in The Guardian, a leading national newspaper, not long before. It describes why Georgina is taking her campaign to protect the public from pesticides to the European courts. Why I’m taking my campaign to protect the public from pesticides to Europe, 25 January 2010 .

The article attracted 64 readers’ comments - all in support of her efforts. One message is from Kelly Franklin in Canada "where 154 municipalities have implemented pesticide by-laws. Quebec and Ontario have province-wide bans with others in the works and a Canada-wide ban on the cosmetic use of pesticides is on the horizon." She says the Canadian policy is creating a living laboratory. "What if it emerges � that the bees stop dying in droves, if cancer rates decline, if sex-ratios return to normal, if fish stocks rebound - what then?" she asks.

Research: Many air pollutants are higher indoors than outdoors

Gillian Erskine — 2010-02-08T11:59:27Z

Levels of many harmful air pollutants are higher indoors than outdoors, according to new research conducted within the European Union, released this week (8th February).

These latest findings, which identify the main polluters and map their geographical distribution, come from the European Indoor Air Monitoring and Exposure Assessment Project (AIRMEX), an EU funded project. The importance of the health impacts of indoor air pollution is officially recognised in the European Environment and Health Action Plan (EHAP) � a strategy which is designed to give the EU the scientific information to reduce the adverse health impacts of environmental factors and to endorse better cooperation between actors in the environment, health and research fields.

The AIRMEX study monitored indoor, outdoor and individual exposure to selected chemical compounds across the EU. The researchers found that levels of many harmful air pollutants are greater indoors than outdoors, and even higher when measured on the individual themselves. The levels of the chemical compound benzene � a known carcinogen - were found to be worryingly high and indicate higher exposure than what is normally expected with the annual EU limit values for ambient air quality.

The study examined the impact of mixtures of chemicals on human lung cells. Results indicate that chemical compounds interact and the effects on human health will alter depending on the other chemicals present. The findings suggest that the multiple affects of indoor air pollutants depends on other factors unique to the individual, such as gender, stress, and genetic background.

Kit launched to make NGOs media-wise

Monica Guarinoni — 2010-02-08T09:44:03Z

Brussels, 11 July 2005 - The European Public Health Alliance Environment Network (EEN) and the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) are releasing today a brand new guide to help non-governmental organisations and other health communicators become more active and effective in their relations with the media. This pocket-sized 98-page guide is aimed at those working in the health and environment sector but it will prove useful in many other sectors.

In the foreword, G�non Jensen, EEN Director, says that the decision to sponsor the guide was based on a widely acknowledged recognition among NGOs of the need for closer ties with journalists and editors. NGOs often feel that working with the media will be too difficult or require resources and skills that are simply not available. This guide is aimed at helping to overcome those challenges. “The guide provides a simple roadmap that outlines the basic tasks that are likely to bring the biggest rewards,” Ms Jensen says.

The inspiration for the guide came from Franklin Apfel, former Director of Communications at the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe and now Managing Director of World Health Communication Associates. "Our aim in producing this guide," he says, “is to help health communicators to become more media-wise, to work actively and effectively with the media to advocate for healthier behaviours, choices and policies."

Available in 5 languages (English, French, German, Russian and Spanish), the guide is divided into 12 chapters, the first five of which focus on strategy, policy and skills.

Chapter 1 provides the questions that need to be resolved when devising a media strategy and policy. It offers an outline of an NGO media strategy and policy.
Chapter 2 gives an insight into how the media operate.
Chapter 3-5 describe the practicalities of writing press releases and preparing for press conferences and media interviews.

Chapter 6-9 deal with the responsibilities associated with providing the public with reliable information on what are important and often sensitive issues via the media.

Chapter 6 addresses ethical issues and provides some guidelines. Chapter 7 defines “media advocacy” and the role of “messages”. Chapter 8 provides hints on how to sensitise the media, e.g., against stereotyping Chapter 9 deals with the difficult issue of raising awareness without causing undue fear.

The last three chapters deal with campaign planning and evaluation, and social marketing.

Chapter 10 describes how to make a campaign newsworthy. Chapter 11 offers a checklist to evaluate campaign success. Chapter 12 provides an introduction to cause-related commercial marketing, known as “social marketing”.

The final pages of the guide contain a list of useful web links and ready-to-complete “Media contact sheets”, which offer prompts to NGO communicators making their first contact with key media personnel.

“Working with the Media” is a joint publication of World Health Communication Associates, the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA), EEN and The Media Wise Trust. It was written by Mike Jempson (MediaWise), edited by Franklin Apfel and Carinne Allinson (World Health Communication Associates) and reviewed by Tamsin Rose (European Public Health Alliance) and G�non K. Jensen (EPHA Environment Network).

Printed copies of the English language version are available free of charge from EEN. If you would like to receive a copy, or copies, please send an email to Monica Guarinoni, Information Officer, European Public Health Alliance Environment Network (EEN), 39-41 rue d’Arlon, 1000 Brussels, Belgium. Tel: +32 2 233 3875. E-mail: info@env-health.org. Website: www.env-health.org.

The other language versions are available only in PDF format, and can be downloaded below.

Although all rights are reserved, up to 10 photocopies of the document may be made for non-commercial, personal use provided that credit is given.

Publication details: “Working with the Media”, WHCA Action Guide, 2005 Copyright 2005, Mike Jempson, the MediaWise Trust and World Health Communication Associates Ltd. ISBN 0-9547620-2-9

EPHA Environment Network (EEN) provides non-governmental organisations, professional representative bodies of doctors, nurses and other health professionals, academic institutions and other not-for-profit organisations with a platform from which the links between growing health problems and environmental factors can be brought to the attention of Europe’s policy makers. For more information, please visit www.env-health.org.

The European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) is the largest network of NGOs and not-for-profit organisations working on health in Europe. It has more than 100 member organisations, including 35 European networks, all of which are committed to improving the health of citizens and increasing their participation in decision-making related to health. For more information, please visit www.epha.org.