In the 45 years since Rachel Carson wrote Silent Spring warning of the toxic affects of pesticides and industrial chemicals cancer rates have soared. In 2007, nearly half of all North American men and close to 40 per cent of women will be diagnosed with a malignant cancer at some point in life according to this article in the Toronto Star Winning the War on Cancer.
Despite the clear linkages to cancer and availability of new non-toxic Green Chemicals, use of toxic chemicals in North America skyrockets. Without strict regulations and national objectives to eliminate all toxic chemicals as Sweden is doing, you, me, our children and other family members and friends will continue to get cancer.
Governments will not act on this unless hundreds of thousands of people force them to.
A very important national conference on this issue called Cancer: It’s About Prevention, It’s About Time was held May 24-27 in Ottawa.
New Book on cancer prevention by avoiding toxic chemicals: Cancer: 101 Solutions to a Preventable Epidemic by Liz Armstrong, Guy Dauncey & Anne Wordsworth
Go if you can, buy the book, support the coalition which is made up of volunteers.
Stephen Leahy, International Environmental Journalist 
Thank you so much for sharing this, and reinforcing the fact that it is going to take each of us as individuals making healthier choices, if we are going to see lasting change. In the US, is seems the government has relinquished control of many carcinogenic chemicals to large corporations. If these corporations are going to change they need incentive, and money talks. If consumers have an awareness of products in their environment (such as the 73 breast cancer carcinogens in common household products that covered the front page of the LA Times last week), and choose healthier products, incentive can be created.
For those who are confused after reading the list of the 216 breast cancer carcinogens listed by Silent Spring, a few resources can help. The Environmental Working Group has a site where they list safety information on thousands of personal products. This is available at http://www.safecosmetics.org. We have also started compiling a table for our friends who want to know what products contain these chemicals, and possible solutions/alternatives. This is available at http://www.avoidcancernow.com, on the left side of the home page by clicking on breast cancer news.
Thanks for raising awareness!
Lynne Eldridge M.D.
Author, “Avoiding Cancer One Day At A Time: Practical Advice for Preventing Cancer”
You’re welcome and your resources are important tools so folks will know what to avoid. That’s not enough of course, we need to stop dumping toxins into our water, food and air. Producers of such toxins should either use green chemistry or closed systems. Sure it will cost more but lots cheaper than paying for the real health care and social costs of their contamination.