Newsletter August-September 2003

WHO workshop on children’s environmental health advocacy

Diana Smith, EPHA’s Communication Director, was the facilitator and the rapporteur for the WHO workshop on "Advocacy and Information, Education and Communication for children’s environmental health" in Wroclaw, Poland (29 September-1 October).
The workshop defined advocacy and IEC, shared case studies of successful projects and identified key strategic links between sectors and (...)

Ad hoc meeting for the CEHAPE working group

During the 25-26 September 2003, ad hoc working group for the Children’s Environment and Health Action Plan for Europe (CEHAPE), held in Slovenia, EPHA was represented by Peter Helms from the European Respiratory Society (ERS).
Please find the report from the meeting and the provisional participants list in the "Members Only" area of the website

With a Bike to School - Project of SWF

The Sustainable World Foundation (SWF), a recent new member of the EPHA Environment Network, carried out the project "With a Bike to School" in Sofia, (Bulgaria) from November 2001 to September 2002.
The project aimed to follow up the Master urban plan of Sofia and to extend the biking lines already existing in the city centre. This would offer safer roads and new bike parkings to school children.
As a follow up, SWF would like to expand the project in the District of Mladost in Sofia, (...)

US NGOs criticise Bush lobbying on EU’s chemicals review

The US government is lobbying the European Union on behalf of the US chemical industry to weaken new EU chemicals policy, says a new report by the Environmental Health Fund.
Read the report, HCWH’s press release, or a letter calling on the Bush Administration to stop this lobbying signed by 70 public interest groups, including Health Care Without Harm.

EU regional conferences kick-off

Three EU Regional Conferences serve to initiate and promote the SCALE initiative: Warsaw (6-8 October), Brussels (6-17 October) and Rome (16-17 October).
They constitute the kick-off meetings for the Technical Working Groups (TWGs), and they give the starting shot for the development of the European Environment and Health Strategy.
Click here for the Warsaw conference-programme.
Click here for the Brussels (...)

Report on WHO meeting on precautionary policies and health

A report by Antoaneta Yoveva (Sustainable World Foundation) who attended the "WHO Meeting on Precautionary Policies and Health" on 12-13 September 2003, at the "Agence Française de Sécurité Sanitaire Environnementale" in Paris is available at the "Members Only" section of this website.
Members only: environment and health

Ninth meeting of the EEHC

The European Environment and Health Committee (EEHC), the steering group for the Budapest Conference, meets in Prague, Czech Republic, from 9-10 October 2003 to discuss the rapid progress in the many events and initiatives now building up to Budapest, and the major policy outcomes for the Conference.
The place on the agenda for issues of increasing concern such as the effects on health of extreme events related to the climate in Europe, such as heat and floods, is also an issue for the (...)

Calendar of events for the Budapest ministerial conference

; Date ; Event ; 2 October 2003 ; 1st meeting of the Working Group (WG) on environmental health information system, The Hague, the Netherlands ; 9-10 October 2003 ; 9th European Environment and Health Committee (EEHC) meeting Prague, Czech Republic ; 13-14 October 2003 ; Workshop on air quality and health in eastern Europe, Caucasus and central Asia (EECCA), St Petersburg, Russian Federation ; 16-17 October 2003 ; Environmental health (EH) indicators: towards implementation, Bonn, (...)

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the UK

A report by the British Lung Foundation titled "Breathing Fear", states that an estimated three million people in the UK have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Half of people who smoke will develop the disease. People who are exposed to chemicals or significant environmental pollution over many years are also at risk.
The report was published one day ahead of the European Respiratory Society’s annual conference in Vienna. The ERS is a member of (...)

Liikanen presents consultation results on EU chemicals policy review to council

On 22 September, the Council took note of a presentation by Commissioner Erkki Liikanen on the result of Commission’s Internet consultation on draft legislation aiming at overhauling and modernising the existing EU regulatory system for chemicals and welcomed the Commission’s intention to present its final proposal within short.
In May 2003, the Commission launched an eight-week Internet consultation on the draft legislation on chemicals, which aimed at replacing the over 40 different (...)

European Investment Bank committed to environmental objectives

During a conference organised by the Centre for European Policies Studies (CEPS) on 19 September, EIB Vice-President Peter Sedgwick highlithted the bank’s increased commitment to environmental objectives.
The European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Union’s financing institution, is in charge of granting loans to support Community policies. The EIB is the biggest public lender in the world with a current portfolio of investments in about 140 countries and an annual lending in the range (...)

WHO press release: tackling the rising death toll on roads

Representatives from more than 20 of the world’s leading road safety organizations representing rich and poor countries, gathered at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva to embark on a global road safety initiative.
"This is the first gathering of many of the most influential players in the road safety field, from victim associations, foundations, the automobile industry, and ministries of transport and health," said Dr LEE Jong-Wook, Director-General of WHO. "Combining such (...)

Children suffer most from the effects of ozone depletion

WHO, UNEP and other partners launch new educational products to address public health danger.
Every year, there are between two and three million new cases of non-malignant melanomas and more than 130 000 new melanoma skin cancer cases worldwide. An estimated 66 000 deaths occur annually from melanoma and other skin cancers.
The cause of many of these skin cancers is ultraviolet radiation (UV) from the sun. Children, who are both most vulnerable and most exposed, are disproportionately (...)

WHO comments on the health effects of extreme weather events

Experts say the factors behind France’s heat wave this summer are common in Europe and North America - and higher temperatures linked to global warming mean a similar disaster could easily happen again.
"We have to recognize that in the next years and decades, these episodes of heat waves will even be more frequent, sometimes even more severe", said Roberto Bertollini, an environmental health expert with the World Health Organization.
The country is far from fully figuring out why so many (...)

Flame retardant chemical found in breast milk

Cleaner groundwater

The European Commission adopted a proposal for a new Directive to protect groundwater from pollution on 22 September.
The proposed Directive will decisively improve the quality of Europe’s groundwater.
It introduces monitoring requirements and quality objectives, obliging Member States to monitor and assess groundwater quality and to identify and reverse trends in groundwater pollution.
Commission press release.
Further information on water (...)

Composition of Commission working groups

The European Commission’s process to set up technical and consultative working groups to work towards delivering a draft baseline report on environment and health in December 2003 is nearing completion.
Although information is not yet posted on DG Environment about the composition of the technical working groups, EPHA has the list of members of those that will be coordinated by DG SANCO and DG Environment.
Information available from Génon K. Jensen, EEN Project (...)

3rd International Conference on Children’s Health and the Environment

The International Network on Children’s Health, Environment and Safety (INCHES) and the PINCHE - project (Policy Interpretation Network on Children’s Health and Environment - QLK4-2002-02395)) have organised the "3rd International Conference on Children’s Health and the Environment: Putting children into science and policy", for 31 March - 2 April 2004, at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United (...)

WHO discussion forum on health of children and adolescents

With the ocassion of the Fifty-third session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe meeting on 8-11 September in Viena, a discussion forum has been created and RC delegates, as well as national counterparts and others are invited to comment on the planned strategy on the health of children and adolescents.
The discussion forum will be open until 11 October 2003.
Dr Gudjon Magnusson (WHO) presented a paper on the "Health of children and (...)

EU-wide carbon dioxide emissions charge for European airlines

The UK governement has open a consultation on how the aviation industry should deal with the external costs of noise, crowded skies and air pollution.
As part of the consultation, the government’s advisory Commission for Integrated Transport (CfiT) issued a report where it recommends the introduction of an EU-wide carbon dioxide emissions charge for European airlines.
Key recommendations in the (...)

New environmental health news website

This new website contains daily links to press coverage of environmental health isuses, plus links to science digests of new, relevant findings and links to reports by organizations working on related issues.
The email newsletter contains headlines, short descriptions and links to newstories appearing on the front page of the website, usually 5-7 articles per day.
An additional link is provided to a page with additional stories, sometimes as many as 30 in one day.
If you want to receive (...)

Pollution particles found to have large impact on infant health

Tiny particles (called total suspended particulates (TSPs)), in the air probably have a greater impact on infant health than has previously been realized.
"The Impact of Air Pollution on Infant Mortality: Evidence from Geographic Variation in Pollution Shocks Induced by a Recession" is a joint study by a University of Chicago economist specializing in environmental regulation and his colleague at the University of California (Berkeley).
The particles range in size from barely visible dust (...)

Commission opens consultation on future legislation on cadmium in fertilisers

The Commission launched last 4th August a stakeholder consultation on future legislation which could introduce EU-wide upper limits for cadmium in fertilisers. Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal with serious risks to human health and the environment.
The consultation will run until 26 September 2003.
Contributions can be sent by email.

Carcinogenic benzene levels highest at rush hour

To breathe air containing less carcinogenic benzene, stop smoking and leave the car at home.
That advice has emerged from the first in a series of Europe wide air quality studies.
There were 2 European cities acting as pilot-cities for the PEOPLE project: Brussels and Lisbon.
The first phase of the Population Exposure to Air Pollutants In Europe (PEOPLE) project took place in Brussels last October, and the results were published on 30th June. The results from the PEOPLE project in Lisborn (...)

*UPDATED* Towards banning junk food advertising? The UK debates

*UPDATED with the results of the consultations:* The British media regulator OFCOM ruling bans junk food advertising during programmes targeted at under-16s. However, health advocates feel these restrictions are not enough. The debate is closely linked with European revision of the Television Without Frontiers Directive.
After extensive research and public consultation, Ofcom, have put forward restrictions which are intended to limit children’s exposure to television advertising of food and (...)

Commissioner Byrne at the Children and Nutrition Congress

Last 8th July, David Byrne, European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, gave a speech on "Food for thought - nutrition and public health policy" at the Children and nutrition Congress, Berlin.
Full speech

Access to maternity services in developing countries key to preventing deaths

A report by independent consultants of the US based Futures Group International and published on the Tropical Medicine & International Health journal states that access to maternity health services is one of two key indicators for maternal mortality in developing countries.
For full BMA’s article on this issue, click here.

Childrens’ book on allergies provokes controversy

A children’s book which appears to promote anti-allergy medicines is to be investigated by a UK government watchdog, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) paid for the book, "Mr Sneeze and his Allergies", which was produced in collaboration with the charity Allergy UK.
The story of Mr Sneeze allergies’ is followed by four pages of information on allergies from Allergy UK and two pages promoting the use of GSK products Piriteze and Piriton.
More (...)