OntheWilderSide

“We are on the threshold of establishing new paradigms for public health protection that will bring an end to careless chemical use by corporations.”-Donald L. Hassig

How can you help address these issues with your family? In your community? By lobbying politicians?

There are harmful and cancer-causing chemicals which travel through the air and through food chains, ultimately harming your health and the health of children. The name of one whole category of such chemicals is POPs, Persistent Organic Pollutants.

The World Health Organization, and other respected agencies, have identified these as a great concern to public health. An environmentalist friend of mine, Don Hassig, has been trying for several years to get New York local and state governments to wake up to this issue, and take obvious measures to educate the public and limit the release of these chemicals.

Please consider how you can learn more about this issue and help keep our children safe.

Please attend the press conference in Albany OR share the news with your contacts and the media.

Thank you,
Kimberly Wilder
_________________________________

Media Advisory
For Immediate Release

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

Tuesday, October 25, 2011 at 11:00 AM

LCA Press Room, Legislative Office Building, Empire State Plaza,
Albany, New York USA

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

http://www.who.int/ceh/publications/persistent_organic_pollutant/en/index.html

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.

“Children are more sensitive than adults to almost all dangerous
substances, and that particularly is true for persistent organic
pollutants (POPs).  Prenatal and early life exposure to POPs results
in reduced cognitive function, suppressed immune system function and
altered development of the reproductive system as well as increased
risk of development of other diseases, such as cancer, later in
life.”-David O. Carpenter, MD

“Citizens’ Environmental Coalition is very pleased that the World
Health Organization has designated the SUNY Albany Institute for
Health and Environment as one of its worldwide centers, but given the
extent of Dr. Carpenter’s research into POPs and their contributions
to diseases that affect large segments of the population, we were not
surprised. As the WHO report documents, early life exposures to POPs
are particularly harmful to children, but we can take action to
improve child health by reducing these exposures.  Nine substances
have been added to the original “dirty dozen” with dioxin being the
most toxic substance known. Now New York State has an opportunity to
practice public health, preventing disease by reducing POPS exposures
and cumulative body burdens.”-Barbara Warren

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.

“During the course of the past 100 years the global environment has
become heavily polluted with a large number of man made chemicals,
many of which persist in the environment and accumulate to the highest
levels at the top of food chains.  Persistent organic pollutants
(POPs) are a major part of this global contamination.  Human beings
are being heavily impacted by POPs:  cancers, type 2 diabetes, heart
disease, obesity, ADHD, reduced cognitive function and altered
reproductive function.  The WHO “POPs:  Impact on Child Health” report
is a wonderful step toward a new world where scientific knowledge is
fully utilized to minimize the harm caused by past chemical use.  We
are on the threshold of establishing new paradigms for public health
protection that will bring an end to careless chemical use by
corporations.”-Donald L. Hassig

_________________________________

Media Contacts for this advisory:

David O. Carpenter, MD, Director
SUNY Albany Institute for Health and the Environment
518.525.2660

Simona Surdu, PhD
SUNY Albany School of Public Health
518.525.2661

Barbara Warren, Executive Director
Citizens’ Environmental Coalition
845.754.7951

Donald L. Hassig, Director
Cancer Action NY
Cancer Action News Network
315.262.2456

_________________________________end

Filed under: Action Alert!, activism, children, Ecology, Environment, grassroots democracy, green, health, new york, New York State Politics, News, politics, progressive politics, public health, safety, sustainability, sustainable Tagged: | Albany Politics, Barbara Warren, cancer prevention, causes of cancer, chemicals, children and pollution, children's health, corporate accountability, David Carpenter, David O. Carpenter, Department of Health, Don Hassig, Ecology, Environment, health and the environment, New York State Government, NY politics, NY State politics, NYS Department of Health, parenting, persistent organic pollutants, pollution, POPs, public health, public health protection, Simona Surdu, World Health Organization