HEAL and Mouvement pour les Droits et le Respect des Générations Futures Publish New Cartoon Strip

Produced jointly by HEAL’s Chemicals Health Monitor project and Mouvement pour les Droits et le Respect des Générations Futures (MDRGF) in English and French, the publication and associated website aim to provide readers with what is currently known about the links between health and man-made chemicals and examples of individual action and EU policy opportunities that can help produce changes for the better.

The four comic strip stories highlight different worrying aspects of exposure to man-made chemicals, such as the special vulnerabilities of the unborn baby and children, how synthetic substances are building up in our bodies, and how exposure to a mixture of chemicals known as the “cocktail effect” may be multiplying the adverse effects of exposure. The stories touch on the health conditions associated with environmental risks, such as allergies, asthma, brain development disturbances, certain cancers due to disruption to our hormone system, and fertility problems.

The publication explains the facts behind the dialogue, which are scientifically referenced. Other sections cover what the both individual and the EU can do to ensure and healthier and better future.

The author of the comic strips, David Ratte, is well-known in France for his "Toxic Planet" series that recount funny tales from a world in which the air is so polluted that everyone has to wear gas masks. The series has recently been published in English.

The Choosing our Future book and publication were launched on Monday, 1 December 2008 at the Health and Environment Alliance in Brussels. Website version is available at: www.choosingourfuture.eu.

For more information

Chemicals Health Monitor Project

Health and Environment Alliance

Mouvement pour les Droits et le Respect des Générations Futures

Toxic Planet