Chemicals and Pesticides

2012 EU Health Calls for proposals released

The European Commission released the work plan 2012 for the Health Programme. The deadline for the submission of proposals is 9 March 2012. The work plan sets out activities that the European Commission may co-fund in the field of health. The deadline for submission of proposals is 9 March 2012. information on how to apply for EU co-financing for projects, conferences, joint actions with Member States and operating grants for non-governmental organisations. 2012 budget for Projects: (...)

EPHA Report from the EFSA Stakeholder Consultative Platform - November 2011

A meeting of the EFSA Stakeholder Consultative Platform took place on the 17th and 18th of November 2011. EPHA attended the two-day meeting and summarises below some of its key outcomes. The broad range of participants that attented this two-day meeting allowed a rich exchange on a variety of items: the recent organisation’s developments (EFSA’s involvement in the Escherichiacoli STEC 0104:H4 pandemic, work on Bisphenol A, Aspartame etc.) the draft Science Strategy for (...)

EU to ban use of Bisphenol A in baby bottles

Using the precautionary principle, EU governments decided to ban the production of baby bottles containing bisphenol A. The EU directive (2011/8/EU) on the ban on bisphenol A in baby bottles entered into force on the 1st of March 2011. Member states will no longer be allowed to import and sell bisphenol A baby bottles on the market from the 1st of June 2011 onwards. According to a study conducted by the French Institute of Research in Agronomy last October, BPA could increase the (...)

HEAL event - Registration opens for the third Paris Appeal International Congress

The third Paris Appeal International Congress, organised by HEAL member ARTAC in partnership with the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) and the International Society for Doctors for the Environment (ISDE), will be held in Paris on 12-13 April 2011. This year the focus will be on children’s environment and health. Following the conference, there will be a three-day training course on environmental medicine open to medical professionals. To read more on the event and to register, (...)

3rd Paris Appeal International Congress, 12 - 13 April 2011

Children’s health and the environment 12 - 13 April 2011 Followed by a three-day international academic intensive course of Environmental Medicine, 14 – 15 - 16 April 2011 at UNESCO, 125 avenue de Suffren, 75015 Paris In memory of LORENZO TOMATIS, TEDDY GOLDSMITH and GEORGES MATHE Organised by ARTAC, in partnership with HEAL and the International Society of Doctors for the Environment, under the technical support of WHO. What is the Paris Appeal? The Paris Appeal, an (...)

EPHA shares information with other NGOs on the CAP

On 23 February 2011, the EPHA Secretariat participated in a meeting of civil society organisations primarily working on the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). EPHA joined forces with EPHAC to advocate for stronger public health and agriculture links in the CAP debate. Alongside EPHA and EPHAC representatives, the meeting was attended by European Co-ordination Via Campesina, International Federation of Organic Argiculture Movement EU Group (IFOAM EU), Birdlife, Greenpeace (...)

Environmental health and social vulnerabilities - Belgian Presidency conference report

At the beginning of this century, the public health sector is confronted with the major challenge of how to merge environmental health policies with the fight against social inequality in prevention and healthcare. In this light, the Belgian Presidency organised a conference on Environmental Health and Social Vulnerabilities on 21-22 October in Namur. The event focused on the impact of social inequalities on environmental and occupational health, health inequalities and their impact on the (...)

Health and Environment Alliance debate in the European Parliament on environmental causation of cancer.

A debate organised by the Health and Environment Alliance about cancer and the environment in the European Parliament proved very timely, given the announcement of 25th November that the European Commission will ban the use of organic compound bisphenol A (BPA) in plastic baby bottles from 2011. The Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) screened excerpts of the film, "Living Downstream", followed by policy discussions on European ‘environmental prevention’ policies on 29 (...)

EFSA report on the toxicity of bisphenol A (BPA) finds no new evidence strong enough to revise BPA tolerable daily intake levels.

In its report on the toxicity of bisphenor A (BPA) at low doses, European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concluded "no new evidence significant enough to revise the current Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) for BPA". In addition to that, EFSA did also not find evidence of neurobehavioural toxicity of BPA convincing enough to advice against the substance. Reaction from HEAL Reaction from BEUC Bisphenol A is known as the endocrine active substance, possibly associated with negative health (...)

"More than ever, children’s health is at risk from a changing environment": Fifth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health

The Fifth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health organised by the WHO Regional Office for Europe was hosted by the Italian Health and Environment Ministers, in Parma on 10-12 March 2010. The event focused on the protection of children’s health in a changing environment. The Fifth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health organised by the WHO Regional Office for Europe was hosted by the Italian Health and Environment Ministers on 10-12 March 2010 in Parma. The (...)