The President’s Cancer Panel has issued its annual report. You can read it at http://deainfo.nci.nih.gov/advisory/pcp/pcp08-09rpt/PCP_Report_08-09_508.pdf. This year the Report examines the relation between cancer and environmental exposure. Many people have arrived at this conclusion before, but this is the top of the medical profession verifying it: They found “the true burden of environmentally induced cancer has been grossly underestimated.” (from letter to President, front material) And they say we must adopt a precautionary approach to the approval of new chemicals and other forms of environmental exposure.
As the report says, there is much we do not know about environmental exposure to chemicals and electromagnetic radiation—but we know enough to act. (p. 97) A new chemical needs to be studies and found to be safe before we approve it for uses that will end up in our bodies. We need to study the effects of chemicals and other environmental risks in current circulation. We need to begin systematic biomonitoring to understand the links between the contaminants we store in our bodies and the incidence of cancer. 41% of us, at current rates, will get a cancer diagnosis at some point. We will not beat cancer as long as we continue to expose people to thousands of carcinogens.
They don’t use these words, but reading the report confirms the sentiment: time to stop the madness.
Time To Stop The Madness
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