Newsletter June 2008

About us & our members

HEAL in the media (May - June 2008)

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 (...)

ARTAC expresses concern over French "Grenelle de l’environnement"

In the June issue of the Paris Appeal newsletter, the Association for Research and Treatment Against Cancer (ARTAC), a HEAL member, analyses the French roundtables on environment policy, known as “Grenelle de l’environnement”, held one year ago. ARTAC expresses its concern that environmental health issues were absent from the discussions and that no health professional was consulted.
The “Grenelle de l’Environnement”, a unique stakeholder consultation, triggered high (...)

ECSA letter to Parliamentary committee on Toys Safety Directive

In June 2008, the European Child Safety Alliance, a HEAL member, sent a response on the Toy Safety Directive to the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee.
Through its letter to the Committee, the European Child Safety Alliance advocates for a more stringent children safety regulation in order to avoid injury leading to accidental death, the first cause of children mortality in Europe.
According to the Alliance, the current proposal is not ambitious enough and important gaps (...)

ELF new fact sheets on lung health in Europe

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 (...)

EPHA successful action on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)

On 5 May 2008, the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA), a founding member of HEAL, sent a letter to all EU Commissioners, informing them of EPHA’s position regarding Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).
EPHA’s letter was one of a number of awareness-raising activities undertaken by NGOs, and subsequently the European Commission delayed their decision on whether to allow European farmers to grow numerous types of genetically modified crops, including the Amflora potato
This genetically (...)

HEAL Secretariat News June 2008

The Health & Environment Alliance has become a member of the European Environmental Citizens Organisations for Standardisation (ECOS), a consortium of Environmental NGOs created to enhance the voice of environmental protection in the standardisation processes.
New publications
Public Health and Climate Change brochure
Climate change and health awards - competition entries
HEAL You Tube channel, including video clips from climate change and health conference.
Press releases
26th June (...)

HEAL/EUREGHA Conference: “Climate change and the challenges for public health: engaging the regions”, 24 June 2008

On 24 June 2008, the Health and Environment Alliance co-organised a conference on “Climate change and the challenges for public health: engaging the regions” with the EUropean REGional Local Health Authorities (EUREGHA), the Veneto Region Brussels Office and North West of England Regional Health Office.
The objective of the conference, taking place in Brussels at the Committee of the Regions, was to provide a forum for discussion on the health implications of the proposed (...)

Initiativ Liewensufank paper on breastmilk biomonitoring published in the Environmental Health Journal

On 5 June, Maryse Arendt from the Initiativ Liewensufank (IL), a HEAL member, had an article published in the Environmental Health journal on breastmilk biomonitoring and communications issues. The article is entitled “Communicating human biomonitoring results to ensure policy coherence with public health recommendations: analyzing breastmilk whilst protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding”.
This publication is part of a supplement especially dedicated to ethics and (...)

Lilian Corra from ISDE awarded IFCS prize

On 27 May, Dr Lilian Corra, member of the Chemicals Health Monitor steering committee and past president of HEAL member the International Society of Doctors for the Environment (ISDE), was announced as the recipient of the Intergovernmental Forum on Chemicals Safety (IFCS) Special Recognition Award.
Dr Lilian Corra, as a founder and current president of the Asociación Argentina de Médicos por el Medio Ambiente (AAMMA) focuses primarily on raising awareness about chemicals and human (...)

New study on the combined effects of air pollutants published in ERJ

The European Respiratory Journal, the official journal of the European Respiratory Society, a HEAL member, featured a new study showing the combined effects of air pollutants on people’s health. For the first time, the study took into account diesel and ozone exhaust fumes together instead of separately as it was previously done.
The study results showed that “when healthy people are exposed to air pollutants they are likely to show increased levels of cells in the airway that cause (...)

PAN Europe, CPES and ISDE President against UK government lobbies

PAN Europe, a HEAL member, put out a press release on 2 July against an industry media initiative in the UK attacking the proposed EU legislation on the ground that the cut-off criteria are not scientifically based.
Commenting on the UK’s official position, Professor Vyvyan Howard, President of ISDE, toxico-pathologist at the University of Ulster, and a member of the Government’s Advisory Committee on Pesticides, said, ‘It has been my position for many years that a precautionary reduction (...)

WECF reports on German SAICM conference

On 6 June, Women in Europe for a Common Future, a HEAL member, attended a conference organised by the German Environment ministry and other German authorities on the Strategic Approach to an International Chemicals Management (SAICM) process. The goal of the conference was to inform stakeholders (national and regional authorities, industry and NGOs) about SAICM and the national strategy towards the 2020 goal to minimise healthrisks.
Many authorities, who are working on issues related to (...)

Environment and Health Policy

European Conference on Human Biomonitoring, 4-5 November

On 4 and 5 November 2008, the French Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS) will hold a conference on human biomonitoring in Paris. The conference will gather stakeholders in the area of biomonitoring to debate on the following topic: “From biomarkers to human biomonitoring as a policy support tool in environmental health”.
Human biomonitoring programs in the EU, US and Canada will be examined and participants will discuss the added value of human biomonitoring. (...)

French Presidency unveils priorities on health and environment issues

France has taken over the rotating EU presidency from July to December 2008. The main health and environment priorities for the French presidency will revolve around sustainable development, climate change and the Common Agriculture Policy. A final agreement on the EU pesticides policy reform is also likely to be found during this period.
The French Presidency work programme is part of a 18-month programme of the Council of the European Union jointly established by the French, Czech and (...)

OECD publication on Environment and Health

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 (...)

World Environment Day 2008

World Environment Day is held every 5 June and is a means for the United Nations to draw attention on the urgent need to take individual and collective action to protect our planet. 2008 World Environment Day slogan was “Kick the Habit! Towards a low carbon economy”.
Through the “Kick the Habit” slogan, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) asked public authorities, civil society and industry to preserve our environment. Several initiatives took place to (...)

Mercury and health

European Commission Scientific Committees conclude on the safety of dental amalgams

On 6 May 2008, the two scientific committees adopted their final reports on dental amalgams. The Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) adopted a report on the safety of dental amalgams and alternative dental restoration materials for patients and users. The Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risk (SCHER) adopted a report on the environmental risks and indirect health effects of mercury in dental amalgam.
Safety of dental amalgams for (...)

HCWH article on effective alternatives to mercury-based medical devices

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 (...)

Journal of Environmental Research special issue on mercury and health

In its May 2008 edition, the Journal of Environmental Research, Volume 107, Issue 1, pages 1-138, published a special issue entirely dedicated to the Eighth International Conference on Mercury as a Global Pollutant: Human Health and Exposure to Methylmercury.
The Conference took place in Wisconsin, US, from 6th to 11th August, 2006 and offered a unique forum for discussion dealing with the most recent scientific evidence and research on environmental mercury pollution.
The Journal of (...)

New study on heavy metals contamination in Russia and Ukraine

In June 2008, Eco-Accord Centre - Russian Centre for Environment and Sustainable Development, in partnership with MAMA-86-Kharkov and Volgograd Ecopress NGOs, respectively from Ukraine and Russia, published a new study on toxics contamination.
The study entitled “The Problem of Environmental Contamination by Cadmium, Lead and Mercury in Russia and Ukraine: A Survey” provides a sheer amount of data and information on heavy metals contamination from different sources in Russia (...)

Chemicals

American Medical Association calls for a comprehensive chemicals policy

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. (...)

Argentina bans phthalates in baby products

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 (...)

New study: the smell of PVC shower curtains may be toxic

On 12 June, the US Centre for Health, Environment and Justice reported on a new study showing that PVC shower curtains sold by some US retailers contain hazardous chemicals. The study entitled “Volatile Vinyl - The new shower curtains chemical smell” found that the smell of the curtains comes from toxic chemicals. These include volatile organic compounds (VOCs), phthalates, organotins and metals. Some of these substances are volatile. Therefore they can be released in the air (...)

REACH milestone: public comments sought for the first proposals for the ‘Candidate List’

One of the central pillars of REACH is the so-called Authorisation process, where individual uses of chemicals of ‘very high concern’ are examined and either permitted or prohibited. The chemicals which go through this process are those which have been previously nominated to the Candidate List. The European Chemicals Agency published the first nominations for this list on July 1st. The list includes three phthalates and the brominated flame retardant HBCDD.
What has happened?
EU member (...)

Pesticides

Agriculture Ministers approve pesticide blacklist

On 23 June, Agriculture Ministers from across Europe approved the creation of an EU-wide pesticides blacklist. The deal represents a landmark in European health policy and could see some of Europe’s most hazardous pesticides removed from food products grown in the EU.
Meeting in Luxembourg, Ministers agreed to target pesticides linked with cancer, DNA mutation, reproductive toxicity, and hormonal disruption - which together contaminate up to 22% of food items tested under the Community food (...)

Ontario adopts new law banning the sale of lawn and garden pesticides

On 5 June, the David Suzuki Foundation reported the adoption of a Cosmetic Pesticides Ban Act in Ontario, Canada. The newly adopted law bans the sale and use of lawn and garden pesticides across the province. The rationale for the adoption of the law is the environmental health risks of garden and lawn pesticides.
In the coming months, Ontario public authorities will focus on the adoption of regulations to implement the act. In a press release, the David Suzuki Foundation calls on public (...)

Climate Change

Climate Change: A call for action from the Tällberg Forum

Over several days prominent scientists, policy-makers, climate experts and civil society organisations gathered at the Tällberg Forum 2008, in Sweden, to discuss cutting edge research on climate change presented by leading scientists from Stockholm Environment Institute, NASA and several other institutions.
One of the key conclusions from the conference was that catastrophic effects of climate change cannot be ruled out if levels of greenhouse gasses above 350 parts per million (ppm) are (...)

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control held meeting on climate change and vector-borne diseases

On 12 June 2008, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) held a meeting outlining their initial risk assessment findings concerning the impact of climate and environmental changes on so-called vector-borne diseases. These illnesses are carried by mosquitoes, sand-flies, ticks and rodents and include dengue, West Nile and chikungunya fever, nephropathia epidemica and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE). According to the risk assessment, climate change may increase the risk (...)

European Parliament Agora on Climate Change, June 12 -13

On 12 and 13 June 2008, the European Parliament held its Climate Change AGORA. The event, which was opened by EP president Hans-Gert Pöttering, brought together climate experts, MEPs and over 500 members of European civil society to discuss their views on climate change and make recommendations ahead of the adoption of EU carbon reduction measures. At the Agora it was agreed that immediate action to halt climate change and protect future generations is needed by the EU, its Member States (...)

Policy update: evolution of EU Climate Action and Renewable Energy Package

In June 2008, the European Parliament’s environment committee held discussions on several aspects of the EU’s Climate Action and Renewable Energy Package, a set of proposals that aims to deliver the European Union’s commitments to fight climate change and promote renewable energy up to 2020 and beyond. Debates were held regarding plans to revise the EU’s greenhouse gas emission trading scheme (ETS), on the inclusion of aviation in the ETS, on the 10% biofuels target, and on the proposed (...)

UN Climate Change Meeting in Bonn, 2 -12 June 2008

From 2 to 13 June, a fortnight of UN climate talks were held in Bonn, Germany, as part of an ongoing series of negotiations to agree a post-2012 international climate treaty under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Kyoto Protocol. The talks, known as the twenty-eighth sessions of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) of the UNFCCC, discussed previously agreed key elements of a long-term (...)

Air Quality

New French study on air pollution impacts on mortality risk

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 10µg/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 (...)

Public Participation

Access to justice and public participation at the centre of Aarhus Convention Meeting of the Parties

On 17 June, French online media, Journal de l’Environnement, reported that the Aarhus Convention 3rd meeting of the Parties held in Riga on 11-13 June resulted in progress concerning the commitment of the parties for more transparency and enhanced public participation in environmental legislation. The Health & Environment Alliance was represented at the meeting by its Vice-President, Dr Tamara Steger.
The 2nd and 3rd pillars were at the centre of the debate: access to environmental justice (...)

ALTER EU calls for more transparency on EU lobby register

On 23 June, the European Commission launched the new EU online register of interest representatives. The register is part of the European Transparency Initiative.
The Alliance for Lobbying Transparency (ALTER-EU), to which HEAL is a signatory, called the register "weak and unbalanced". The Commission lobby register is voluntary: a major flaw. Other shortcomings:
There will be no names of individual lobbyists. This means no exposure of scandals, no trace of revolving doors, no information (...)

Environmental diseases

Presidential cancer panel addresses environment

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 (...)

More issues

ETUC wants precautionary principle applied to nanotechnologies

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 (...)

EU Commission stakeholders consultation on nanotechnology

On 17 June, the European Commission launched a public stakeholders consultation on nanotechnologies. As more and more products involving nanomaterials are reaching the market, the European Commission aims to increase knowledge and awareness about the potential of nanotechnologies and to continue to ensure an adequate protection of nature, environment and health.
For more information, please read the European Commission press release and HEAL fact sheet on Nanotechnology and Health Risks.
DG (...)

ICEMS Venice Resolution on non-thermal effects of EMF on human health

On 6 June, the International Commission for Electromagnetic Safety (ICEMS), an international organisation composed of worldwide-known scientists, issued a statement on electromagnetic fields (EMF). The so-called Venice Resolution calls for more protective measures against EMF. It urges governments to act and use the precautionary principle as recent epidemiological research confirms EMF health adverse effects.
According to the 47 initial signatories of the resolution, vulnerable groups such (...)

International cancer specialists and scientists call for a limited use of mobile phones

On 15 June, worldwide scientists and cancer specialists issued a series of recommendations on the health effects of mobile phone use. Coordinated by Dr David Servan Schreiber, University of Pittsburgh and author of “Anticancer”, the common statement highlights the potential health damages from mobile phone use due to electromagnetic waves, and calls for precaution.
According to current literature, electromagnetic waves emitted by mobile phones are suspected to be the cause of (...)