Newsletter June 2004

Events on health and environment

From scattered data to structured knowledge: towards an integrated European chemicals information system
On 25 October 2004, the European Environmental Agency will organise a workshop aiming to discuss data monitoring and availability of information on concentrations, exposures and effects of chemicals in different natural and urban environments.
More specifically, the purpose of the discussion will be to define which kind of data is needed to provide useful information for a safe (...)

EEN praised in Budapest

On the first morning of the Fourth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health, Genon Jensen won the only ovation for her presentation introducing EPHA’s work and membership and urging the EU and national governments to take their responsibilities seriously in relation to the environment and children’s health. She told the audience of about 400 people that as an individual and the mother of a young daughter, she could not do much on her own to protect her child’s outdoor environment. (...)

Codex Alimentarius to approve codes on animal feeding and foods for children

The 27th session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission takes place in Geneva from 28 June to 3 July 2004. The Codex is a joint initiative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), aiming at setting food standards, guidelines and codes of practice.
In particular, the 27th session of the Codex Commission is urged to formally approve a Code of Practice on Good Animal Feeding establishing a feed safety system for food producing (...)

Healthy Planet News, 24 June 2004 and EEN Director’s keynote address

Healthy Planet News
The Healthy Planet News newsletter is published daily during the Fourth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health by a coalition of NGOs coordinated by the European Public Health Alliance Environment Network (EEN).
Please find below the PDF version of issue III - 24 June 2004. Today’s issue is focused on chemicals and the precautionary principle.
Previous issues:
23 June 2004
22 June 2004
Following issue:
25 June 2004
EEN Director keynote address at the (...)

Healthy Planet News, 23 June 2004

The Healthy Planet News newsletter is published daily during the Fourth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health by a coalition of NGOs coordinated by the European Public Health Alliance Environment Network (EEN).
Please find below the PDF version of issue II - 23 June 2004.
Previous issue:
22 June 2004
Following issues:
24 June 2004
25 June 2004

Promotion of Breastfeeding in Europe: a Blueprint for Action

The Blueprint for Action to protect, promote and support breastfeeding across all European countries was launched in Dublin Castle on Friday 18 June 2004.
The decision to develop the Blueprint was based on overwhelming public health evidence showing that protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding is one of the most effective and efficient interventions for improving lifelong health. Breastfeeding makes a major contribution to the present and future health of children and their (...)

Results of EEN’s Green Week survey

Around 60 people took part in the EEN survey on health and environment during Green Week, 1-4 June 2004. The results, showed that visitors were both knowledgeable and concerned about children’s environmental health. Many were in favour of greater restrictions on industry.
The vast majority of the 56 respondents knew that childhood cancer was increasing and half were aware that asthma was the biggest cause of children missing school and hospitalisations. Cancer, asthma and allergy (...)

New website on Endocrine Disrupters

A new website on Endocrine Disrupters, by the Department of Food Safety and Veterinary Public Health of the Italian Istituto Superiore di Sanità, has just been released.
It states that: Endocrine Disrupters are a heterogeneous ensemble of substances which include persistent organic pollutants, agrochemicals, biocides, industrial compounds, etc. Thus, exposure to several ED may occur through foods, water, environment or at workplace.
Reproductive health, intrauterine as well as postnatal (...)

EEN gets ready for Budapest

The European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) and the EPHA Environment Network (EEN) are currently finalising the preparation of a number of side events for the Fourth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health and the Healthy Planet Forum, both taking place in Budapest from 22/23 to 25 June.
EPHA, EEN and other member organisations such as Dutch Monitoring Network for Health and Environment, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, European Child Safety Alliance, (...)

EU Commission Action Plan For Environment and Health ’Missing In Action’

SCALE was the foundation for the European Commission’s Communication for - ’The European Environment & Health Action Plan 2004-2010’ which has just been published.
The Action Plan has not been well received by the NGO community. As all stakeholders of the Budapest conference had high expectations for the EU’s Action Plan as the most powerful tool from the Region’s powerhouse to deliver measurable and permanent improvements in our children’s environment and health. In contrast Industry (...)

Skin Deep: an assessment of ingredients in personal care products

On June 7 the Environmental Working Group, a non-profit group based in Washington DC, published the findings of a study reporting that most cosmetics and other personal care products sold in the U.S. contain chemicals that have never been assessed for safety.
The group’s report, Skin Deep, mainly aims at letting consumers know what chemicals might hide in soap, shampoo, toothpaste and other products. The results of the assessment have been collected in an online database containing safety (...)

Climate Killer Award

European Commission Vice-President Loyola de Palacio has been presented (in absentia) with a Climate Killer Award by environmental groups, in recognition of her repeated efforts to destabilize EU support for the Kyoto Protocol and related policies.
The ceremony was conducted today in Brussels under the watching gaze of a ten-metre tall Carbon Dinosaur, which is on a European tour to highlight the threat of climate change and what must be done to avoid it.
For her many outspoken remarks (...)

Children’s brain development harmed by chemicals

The brain development of many children today in Europe has been harmed by man-made chemicals. Details of studies showing that chemicals are seriously impacting on children’s intelligence are highlighted in a new WWF report. The report, Compromising our Children, brings together the latest research on the impacts of man-made chemicals to which we are all exposed.
Disturbingly, it reveals that chemicals harm children’s brain development and coordination at levels that have been found in (...)

Toxic Fire Retardants Discovered in Dust Taken From Computers in Offices & Schools

In the first nationwide analysis of brominated fire retardants in dust samples swiped from computers, the Computer Take-Back Campaign (CTBC) and Clean Production Action (CPA) found toxic chemicals known to be reproductive and neurological hazards in animal lab tests. The highest levels found were a form of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) called deca-BDE one of the most widely used fire retardant chemicals in the electronics industry.
PBDEs are increasingly being found in human (...)

Health in the Dutch presidency, 2004

The Dutch Presidency begins on 1 July 2004 and the website has been launched.
The main theme for the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport’s contribution to the Presidency will be the relationship between health and other policies, with the emphasis on the interests of the citizens in an EU of 25.
For this purpose the ministry is to organize an ’Informal Council’, to discuss the relationship between the internal market and health.
July
October
; 4 ; Employment, Soc. Policy, Health (...)