wildcardenvironmentalist IWMD, Occupational breast cancer, Occupational Health

If you expose us, we'll expose you

The International Trade Union Confederation General Secretary Sharan Burrow pledged today that if you expose us, we’ll expose you. The pledge relates to the fact that most occupational cancer deaths could be prevented if measures to prevent them were not blocked, “a mixture of toxic marketing and regulatory failure has already condemned another generation to an early grave”.

Instead of action on prevention we are faced with “a toxic cocktail of denial and deceit that means more people than at any time in history will develop tumours caused by their job”.

It seems like manufactured doubt about hazards and risk factors win out: “a process of paralysis by analysis. Wherever stricter controls are proposed, industry representatives or their hired guns appear, challenging the science and predicting an economic catastrophe”.

The International Labour Organisation puts occupational cancer deaths at over 660,000/year. Womens cancer are largely ignored, compensation becomes a myth and corruption flourishes, people before profit becomes business as usual. Surely its time to get serious about occupational cancer in fact all preventable cancer linked to exposures. This pledge is in stark contrast to the statement of intent from our cancer task force – which completly ignores occupational cancer, or any cancer not thought to be ‘lifestyle ‘related.

Read the full ITUC pledge here:

Resources

New guide from the ITUC on Toxic work – stop deadly exposures today sets out why we want to remove toxic exposures from the workplace and how.

A new workplace cancer website, supported by the ITUC and produced by Hazards and the Alliance for Cancer Prevention. http://cancerhazards.org/

It provides all the latest news on occupational cancer, including emerging scientific evidence and union initiatives.

Find out more about activities on the 28th April International Workers Memorial Day #IWMD15

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NGOs call for withdrawal of Glyphosate

The letter calls for a withdrawal of the use of glyphosate, as a precautionary measure, where potential for worker and public exposure is particularly high. Greenpeace European Unit, Pan Europe, the Health and Environment Alliance , Friends of the Earth Europe and the Alliance for Cancer Prevention  signed up to the letter to the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Mr. Vytenis Andriukaitis.

This is due to the fact that the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the World Health Organisation’s cancer agency, has recently classified the pesticide glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans” (Class 2A). This designation significantly alters the risk profile associated with the various uses of glyphosate. In the past glyphosate has also been linked with causing birth defects, reproductive and developmental abonormalities, DNA damage, and adverse effects to the immune system.

Glyphosate is the most commonly used herbicide in Europe and, together with its major metabolite AMPA, has been found in soils, waters, and in items of food. At present, however, there is no systematic surveillance monitoring in place to determine human exposure and any subsequent impacts upon human health. Ultimately, further assessment may indicate that more restrictions are necessary for other uses of glyphosate in agricultural production in order to protect agricultural workers, people in rural areas and consumers. Workers health is seriously put at risk during spraying.

Glyphosate is used to largely to prevent weeds which cause “trip hazards and physical damage to surfacing as well as block sightlines, trap litter and look unsightly”. But the ACP believes the public should be informed as to which they prefer, weeds or a potential cancer risk in their streets and parks.

There is no notification or signage required to alert the public if glyphosate has been sprayed – many local authorities use it because its not percieved as a treat to public health. This means park users specifically small children and dogs may inadvertently come into close contact with sprayed areas. Roundup is also sold in many garden centres around the UK for amateur use.

Seriously time to retire this harmful pesticide from all uses.

Letter can be seen here

Pan UK information on glyphosate.

 

 

 

 

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International Workers Memorial Day 2015 #IWMD15

International Workers’ Memorial Day * Journée Internationale de Commémoration (JIC) des travailleurs décédés et blessés  * Jornada Internacional de Conmemoración (JIC) de los Trabajadores Fallecidos y Heridos

28th April 2015 is International Workers Memorial Day with an new website launched to capture all the acitivities and commenorations www.28april.org

Events this year will focus on prevention of the harm caused by toxic substances at work, with many trade union and occupational and environmental health campaign organisations worldwide putting an explicit focus on cancer prevention.

The 28 April campaign slogan is : “TOXIC WORK – STOP DEADLY EXPOSURES TODAY!”

Please share widely and get involved and dont forget to send details of your event to the website http://www.28april.org

The International Trade Union Confederation have put together a very useful booklet on Toxic Work: Stop Deadly Exposures Today!

You can download it here