| ECPC addresses the "missing link" in cancer prevention |
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30 November 2010 ECPC addresses the "missing link" in cancer prevention On Monday, 29 November 2010, European Cancer Patient Coalition (ECPC) with collaboration of the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) organized a debate on cancer and environmental causation. The debate was preceded by screening of the excerpts from the film "Living Downstream", based on the book by Sandra Steingraber, Ph.D., cancer survivor and environmental scientist. The event was kindly supported by Sirpa Pietikainen, MEP, and Petru Luhan, MEP and FACE Champion. Dr Sandra Steingraber, who in her 20s developed bladder cancer, is an environmental scientist (biologist) and an internationally recognised expert on the environmental links to cancer and human health. In her passionate speech, she described how the pollution can cause cancer and how the development of this disease depends not only on genetic burden but also on air one breathes and water one drinks. Steingraber, who has German origins, called the national governments to end what she described as the “environmental holocaust” which the future generations will think of as unthinkable. Viorica Cursaru, a cancer survivor, president of Myeloma Euronet Romania, and a very active member of the European Cancer Patient Coalition, depicted the health-environment links in her country. She deplored the fact that Romania, after a neglectful of environmental policy communist era, asked for a long deadline to adjust to the European environmental norms, which is a cause of many diseases and health problems in the Romanian society. She called on the European policy-makers to put in place a law-binding environmental regulation which can save many human lives. Dr Lisette van Vliet, Toxics Policy Advisor at thy Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) outlined the current dossiers at the European Agenda that are linked to the environmental causes of cancer. With the announcement last Thursday that the European Commission will ban the use of organic compound bisphenol A (BPA) in plastic baby bottles from 2011, the debate on Monday evening about cancer and the environment could hardly be more timely. Please find attached the responses that we have received from the cancer patient community across Europe about the importance of focusing on the environmental factors that are carcinogenic. About ECPCEstablished in 2003, The European Cancer Patient Coalition (ECPC) is the voice of the European cancer patient community, uniquely representing the interests of all cancer patient groups from the major to the rarer cancers. It has been established to represent the views of cancer patients in the European healthcare debate and to provide a forum for European cancer patients to exchange information and share best practice experiences. ECPC represents over 300 patients’ organizations across Europe. ECPC is run and governed by patients. It is registered as a non-profit association in the Netherlands. During the last legislative period, ECPC has already provided the Members of the European Parliament with a platform to discuss issues of relevance and to communicate to their constituents. It has continued this fruitful dialogue with the launch of the Forum Against Cancer Europe (FACE). ECPC receives funding in the forms of EU grants, donations and unrestricted corporate grants, following strict transparency policies. Further information about ECPC can be found at www.ecpc-online.org and www.forumagainstcancer.eu. For further information please contact:Denis Horgan Danuta Rydlewska |
