Health and Toxics

by Walter Patrick McInnes

Regarding Patrick Duffy's article, Concerns raised over safety & pricing of the installation of wireless hydro meters by BC Hydro in the June 26, Victoria Times-Colonist , page D7.

Duffy quotes Provincial Health officer Dr Perry Kendall. "I don't think there is any convincing evidence that the levels [of (rfr) radio frequency radiation] that we are being exposed to are in fact causing harm" I find this statement strange as there are thousands of peer reviewed studies that show adverse health effects as a result of exposure at the levels experienced when immersed in a WI-FI hot spot, or when using a cell phone, and when you head is just inches from a so called smart meter. For starters I ask readers to visit:

http://www.powerwatch.org.uk/science/studies.asp#phones  

by Stephanie Orford

In the late ‘90s and early 2000s, genetically modified (GM) or genetically engineered (GE) crops were a hot-button issue around the world. They were originally developed by corporations like Monsanto to increase yield by keeping crops insect repellent and tolerant of herbicides. Companies spoke of crops that would feed impoverished countries, manufacture pharmaceuticals and clean up the environment. Critics called GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) a multi-pronged threat to human health, the environment, and even democracy.

In the National Film Board of Canada documentary, The Genetic Takeover, made in 2000, the biologist and author Arnaud Apoteker asks, "How can we know the long-term effects when these products were only put on the market four or five years ago? I believe a handful of multinationals are conducting a health and epidemiological experiment on the whole human race."

Now? Barely a peep from the populace.

by Susan MacVittie

Studies are showing that some of the ingredients in sun screens may have adverse affects on our health and the environment. As summer heats up it's time to learn about the pros and cons of lathering on suntan lotion.

Ultra-Violet Rays

Exposure to solar energy, ultra-violet radiation (UV), can cause premature aging and at worst, skin cancer. Two forms of UV radiation that reach us via the sun, sun lamps, and tanning booths are UVA and UVB.

by Anna Tilman

The crippled and leaking nuclear reactors at Fukushima, Japan continue to emit radiation into the air, ocean, and probably groundwater, and the Japanese struggle to keep the fuel rods covered with water to prevent further explosions. The disaster at Fukushima, just 6 weeks prior to the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl catastrophe, is a tragedy of utmost proportions.

Chernobyl: Consequences of the Catastrophe for People and the Environment, Yablokov et al, eds, Wiley-Blackwell, 2010. ISBN: 978-1-57331-757-3 US $150/CDN $180, 400 pages, ppb. Also available as Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, Volume 1181, www.nyas.org

 Reviewed by Anna Tilman and Gordon Albright

Physicians were restricted from calling any medical findings radiation-related unless the patient had been a certified "acute radiation sickness" patient during the disaster

See also this excellent free documentary video which does a fair job of describing and visualizing the whole scope of that disaster, coverup and personal sacrifice, for activists who were still young at the time: The Battle of Chernobyl

by Dave Stevens and Delores Broten

There is good reason to doubt that anyone in Canada  has a solid handle on how much air pollution Canadians are exposed to.

Pollution data comes mainly from two sources, self-reports by the polluters, published in the National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) and ambient (outdoor) measurements taken by firms and governments.

Ambient air pollution monitors  are located where the pollution they assess  is, to some degree, representative of what people will breathe. In Smithers BC, where I live, the particulate matter (PM) monitors are co-located with St. Joseph's School in the middle of town. This is a common situation in BC.

After years of foot dragging, and led by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Canadian government finally admitted in 2002 that yes, there was, maybe, a problem with Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA) treated wood. The problem, admitted the government, was especially important for applications where children are exposed to the run off or even surface deposits, such as playgrounds, decks and picnic tables. In the US, the manufacturers had agreed to label the CCA treated wood, and take the product off the consumer market, after remaining stocks were sold in 2003.

by Susan MacVittie

In August, 2009 the Government of British Columbia committed to consult British Columbians on "new statutory protections to further safeguard the environment from cosmetic chemical pesticides." Their intention is to seek input and then determine if, and how, legislation could be amended to address concerns about the cosmetic use of pesticides in British Columbia. A consultation paper discussing the issues is available for review and comments on the Ministry of Environment website (see below). Comments are due by Feb 15, 2010.

by Philip Dickey

Adapted from the WS May/July 2005 issue

Turn on the TV or read any home-oriented magazine and you'll see them. Ads for all kinds of household products containing germ-killing ingredients are everywhere. Hand soap, dishwashing liquid, underwear, kitchen sponges, toothbrushes, toothpaste, mattresses, cutting boards, window cleaner, socks, cycling shorts, chop sticks, and facial tissues are all being marketed for their ability to kill germs.

It's been estimated that more than 700 antimicrobial-infused products are now available, including 76% of all liquid soaps. Consumers, driven by frightening stories of E. coli outbreaks, bizarre viruses, and drug-resistant germs are buying this stuff in the hopes that it will keep them safe (or their gym clothes from smelling).

Disinfectants, Antiseptics, and Antimicrobials

If you are confused by all the names and labels, you're not alone.

Antimicrobial is the general term for any product or ingredient that kills or inhibits bacteria, viruses, or moulds.

Antibacterials, on the other hand, are only effective against bacteria. Until recently, the main kinds of home antimicrobial products were disinfectants and antiseptics.

Disinfectants are products that kill micro-organisms (usually both bacteria and viruses) on surfaces like countertops or toilet seats.

by Susan MacVittie

Sunscreen has been touted over the past several decades as an essential protector from the sun's burning rays and the advent of skin cancer, but some Canadian dermatologists say that the incidence rates have more than doubled in the last 20 years for all types of skin cancer. Not applying enough, not reapplying frequently and not purchasing the proper kind of sunscreen are a few of the mistakes that people make.