While the health impacts of air pollution are well-documented in scientific studies, this factor has not been recognized in Polish medical diagnoses as a primary cause of health issues until a breakthrough case last year. As highlighted by HEAL in Poland in May 2023, an eleven-year-old boy, Maciek (name changed), suffered for most of his life from a persistent cough, shortness of breath, and frequent infections, all of which worsened during the heating season. After a prolonged struggle by Maciek’s parents to find the true cause of his health issues, a conclusive opinion was finally issued, stating: “suspected bronchial hyperreactivity/allergy due to air pollution.”
On 4 February 2020, the European Commission launched an EU-wide public consultation on Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan running for 12 weeks as well as a consultation on the roadmap for said plan, which closed yesterday.
HEAL has responded to the consultation on the roadmap, with four main action points:
- Fight cancer with the most vulnerable in mind, apply prevention and precaution and reduce workplace exposure by making occupational cancer data visible.
- Prevent cancer by ensuring that the Farm to Fork Strategy strives to end the use of pesticides in our food and revamp the outdated EU food contact materials legislation which allows harmful chemicals to be used in food packaging.
- Prevent cancer through zero-pollution in every part of the environment, by closing the current endocrine disruptors legislative gap, linking the Beating Cancer Plan to a comprehensive EU Chemical’s Strategy for Sustainability and other chemical policy frameworks, preparing a non-toxic environment strategy, and action to detoxify the circular economy. Finally, speed up the process of aligning EU legal air pollution limits with the WHO guidelines to enter into force by the end of the current mandate.
- Revise the European Code Against Cancer to raise people’s awareness on limiting carcinogens in their daily life.
Read the full response here
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