HEAL Newsflash - January 2016
What does the Dutch EU Council Presidency mean for environment and health?
On 1 January the Netherlands took over the EU’s six-month rotating Council Presidency from Luxembourg. The Presidency includes opportunities as well as challenges for the environment and public health, which will be followed closely by HEAL and our members. Read more...
Sustainable Development Goals - 17 environmental health opportunities for Europe
At the end of 2015, HEAL participated in the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) Regional Assessment on how to deliver the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs) in Europe. Read more...
Calls for coherent regulation of food packaging materials
HEAL is seeking proper regulation of all types of “Food Contact Materials”, including a prohibition on the use of both hormone disrupting chemicals and substances of very high concern. Read more...
Will the Commission ignore the EU Court of Justice on hormone disrupting chemicals?
Four leading European health and environment organisations including HEAL have urged the EU Commission to take action following the European Court of Justice ruling on hormone disrupting chemicals, also known as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). Read more…
HEAL submission on BPA Roadmap and food packaging
The EU Commission recently published a roadmap proposing options for increasing controls on the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in food contact materials. HEAL, already concerned for many years about the health impact of BPA submitted a response to the EU consultation on the roadmap. Read more…
Save the date! Pesticide Action Week 2016
The 11th edition of Pesticide Action week to which HEAL is a member, takes place from 20 – 30 March with a specific focus on health and pesticide free towns. Biodiversity, natural gardening, organic food, and agricultural techniques will be highlighted but the main focus will be on the impacts of pesticides on health and promoting alternatives. Read more…
Europeans continue to call on EU to ban glyphosate
Back in December, 16 public interest organisations including HEAL delivered a petition to the EU Commission to ban glyphosate, classified by IARC as a probable carcinogen. Read more…
Healthy Energy Initiative appears in peer reviewed journal
HEAL’s Executive Director Genon K. Jensen is a co-author of a Healthy Energy Initiative article ‘From Extraction to Renewal: A Global Campaign for Healthy Energy’, published in New Solutions: A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy. Read more…
Show the love: Global Divestment Day
February 12 and 13 will see calls from all over the globe for ending investment into fossil fuels. Divestment from fossil fuels will be a key step to making the Paris agreement a reality. Read more…
HEAL is recruiting for a Health and Climate Change Coordinator
This new position will contribute to HEAL’s advocacy and outreach work on climate change and energy. Read more...
Construction permit for Polish power plant revoked
The Polish province of Pommerania has revoked the construction permit for the future 1.6 GW Polnoc power plant in the North of Poland. Evidence on health costs provided by HEAL contributed to this decision. Read more…
EU Environment Ministers water down draft NEC law
In December, EU Environment Ministers adopted their position on the draft National Emissions Ceilings Directive (NEC), reducing the level of ambition of the new law and allowing greater flexibility on emission caps. Negotiations with the EP will now take place under the Dutch EU Presidency. Read more…
Call on EP to reject real-world driving emissions proposal
HEAL and other health and environmental groups urge MEPs to reject an implementing measure which would allow for greater NOx air pollution from cars, threatening efforts for cleaner air and better health in Europe. Read more...
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HEAL in Poland starts media year off well talking about health and air quality
On 2 January HEAL’s Lukasz Adamkiewicz spoke about air quality in highly polluted regions of Poland on the most popular news channel in Poland Polsat TV, which has 2 million viewers on average. Read more...
Members’ news
Alborada Foundation – Free courses and webinars on EDCs
Natural England and LSHTM – Health and climate change impacts: Report card 2015
ELF/ERS - ‘Exercise and air quality: 10 top tips’
Breast Cancer UK - Detox Your Life and new postcards on breast cancer
WEN - Petition for ban on plastic microbeads used in cosmetic products in the UK
Publications
Healthy Energy Initiative appears in New Solutions journal
Events 2016
January
1: Start of Dutch Presidency of the European Council
18 - 21, Strasbourg, France: EP Plenary
21 - 22, Paris, France: International workshop on EDC effects on wildlife and human health
26, Brussels, Belgium: EP ENVI workshop on food contact materials (HEAL participating)
27, Berlin, Germany: Parliamentary dialogue on EDCs
February
1 - 4, Strasbourg, France: EP Plenary
4: World Cancer Day - HEAL attending member event, Malta
13: Fossil fuel free day
March
7 - 10, Strasbourg, France: EP Plenary
20 - 30: Pesticide Action Week
Take Action
WeMove.EU - Petition to EU to ban glyphosate
Climate change calls to action
Keep up to date with EDC-Free Europe news!
HEAL in the media
HEAL’s Lisette van Vliet interviewed in Perturbateurs endocriniens: le grand désordre hormonal
Europe 1, 24 January 2016
HEAL’s Lukasz Adamkiewicz on Polsat Wydarzenia TV, 2 January
Chemicals, the Commission & the ECJ
Politico Pro Morning HealthCare (subscription), 11 January 2016
Notre santé face au changement climatique
La Gazette de Monaco, 8 January 2016
Sweden wins case against Commission on EDCs
Euractiv, 16 December 2015
-* What can we expect from the Paris climate negotiatons? (DE)
Umweltmedizin, Hygiene, Arbeitsmedizin, Issue 20, Nr. 6, December 2015
HEAL tweets
#Health NGOs urge immediate action from COM following #EUEDC court decision. Read letter bit.ly/1JD8RBu
2015 was a great year for health! @gcobayes took us to COP21, highlighting work in #EUEDC’s! bit.ly/1VnKTf5
#FactFriday: More sustainable agricultural practices & consumption patterns would greatly help #cleanair! pic.twitter.com/e4TedSApI9
.@HEALPolska recently organized a webinar on the issue of #smog in Poland! Check it out now: bit.ly/1ObNaUQ @wpiestrzynska
#TipTuesday: Did you know sustainable food consumption helps improve #airquality & halt #climatechange?
Originally posted on 27 January 2016
