WECF workshop with medical scientists

Lack of action on persistent chemicals and link between dioxins, PCBs and increase in ADHD, astma and cancer among children.

06.06.2005 |Sascha Gabizon

WECF organised a last workshop in a row on chemicals and health for women's organisations in the Netherlands on May 25 2005. ProfessorJanna Koppe presented latest research results on the severe health effects on children from persistent chemical pollutants such as PCBs and Dioxins.

The research also shows heightened negative health effects from a combination of mercury pollution of the child and persistent chemicals such as PCBs, Dioxins and Brominated Flame Retardants. With the extremely high levels of mercury in fish, especially large species such as tuna and swordfish, why do most medical doctors continue to recommend pregnant women to eat fish regularly?

The workshop participants developed a statement to call on the government to finally start taking action by limiting children's exposure to persistent chemicals, in the first place by strengthening the proposed EU legislation on chemicals (REACH) and by taking immediate actions to prevent places where children spend most of their time such as schools and homes, to be near e.g. waste-incinerators.

Furthermore, the participants called for the need to increase research on health effects of endocrine disruptors covering several generations.

Download the powerpoint presentation of Prof. Koppe (1 MB, in
Dutch).