OntheWilderSide

Persistent Organic Pollutants are chemical substances that appear in the air, and in animal fat. POPs is a nickname for these harmful pollutants. Cancer Action New York studies the problem of POPs. The organization attempts to get various layers of government to acknowledge the reality of POPs,  to take logical steps to reduce POPs, and to educate the public about how to avoid the POPs that exist around them.

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(The info is still useful. The press conference was canceled, and will be rescheduled. Stay tuned at onthewilderside for updates. – KW)

Cancer Action NY News Conference:  World Health Organization
Recommends POPs Exposure Minimization Effort for Protection of All
Children, What New York State Government Can Do Now

Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 2:00 PM

On the Sidewalk at the Central New York Regional Office of the New
York State Department of Health, 217 S Salina Street, Syracuse, New
York USA (in first floor lobby of this office building in case of rain)

“Persistent Organic Pollutants:  Impact on Child Health”, World Health
Organization, 2010

http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2010/9789241501101_eng.pdf

This publication sets forth the recommendation that concerted efforts
be made by health professionals in all sectors to minimize the
exposure that children receive to persistent organic pollutants
(POPs).  Restricting consumption of all animal fats is highlighted as
a priority strategy for POPs exposure minimization.  Simona Surdu, PhD
is the major author of this groundbreaking World Health Organization
(WHO) POPs exposure minimization policy document.  David O. Carpenter,
MD, Director of the SUNY Albany Institute for Health and the
Environment is a contributing author.  WHO recently designated the
Institute for Health and the Environment as one of its world-wide
centers.

Multiple exposure to POPs and resultant unquantified total damages to
health are addressed in the 2010 WHO policy document.  Use of
precaution is advised in the face of incomplete yet substantial
knowledge of serious damages to health resulting from POPs exposure.
Concerns involving gestational, lactational, childhood and adolescent
exposures are raised.  This is the first time that a governmental
public health entity has provided leadership on the use of scientific
knowledge to minimize the harm that will result from global POPs
contamination.  Focus on action to minimize exposure makes this a
very important public health protection document.

New York State government can take action to minimize children’s POPs
exposure by publishing POPs health hazard advisories for supermarket
foods just as is already being done for sport fish and game.  The New
York State Department of Health can make POPs exposure minimization
for children a high priority action item in the 2011-2016 New York
State Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan.

“”Persistent Organic Pollutants:  Impact on Child Health” is a
wonderful resource for pursuing the path of advocacy for POPs exposure
minimization.  It provides strong support for provision of POPs
exposure minimization educational outreach by governmental public
health entities.  The existence of this document and the scientific
knowledge upon which it is based calls into question all government
decisions to allow the construction and operation of solid waste
incinerators and hazardous waste incinerators.  Additionally, the
document serves as a tool for applying pressure upon government to
remediate to a cancer protective standard all POPs contaminated
sites.”-Donald L. Hassig

Donald L. Hassig, Director
Cancer Action NY
Cancer Action News Network
P O Box 340
Colton, NY USA 13625

Filed under: Ecology, Environment, green, new york, New York State Politics, News, progressive politics, public health, sustainability, sustainable, US Politics Tagged: | Air pollution, cancer, Cancer Action New York, cancer prevention, Central New York events, Central New York politics, child health, Don Hassig, Ecology, Environment, hazardous waste, incinerators, NY politics, NY State Health Department, persistent organic pollutants, Persistent Organic Pollutants: Impact on Child Health, pollution, POPs, public health, World Health Organization