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ISDE Italia News
edited by ISDE Italy (International Society of Doctors for the Environment, Italy)
Number 366 (21th October 2009)
In this issue………
- The City of Arezzo in Italy has been designated to join Phase V of the WHO Healthy
Cities Network.
- Water Safety Plan Manual: step-by-step risk management for drinking-water
suppliers.
- “A man for all seasons” by G. Roberto Burgio.
- 1st World Congress on Cities and Adaptation to Climate Change.
- WONCA World Council 2010.
- 17th annual Conference WHO Regions for Health Network.
- “Risk and uncertainty as a research ethics challenge” by Roger Strand and Deborah
 Oughton.
- World Sustainable Energy Days.
- 5th annual Meeting of HEPA Europe.
- 3rd international Cancer Control Congress.
- KlimaForum09.
- Children's environmental health indicators: presenting regional successes learning for
the future.
- INCHES film competition 2008/2009 promotion film.
- Palestinian central Bureau of statistics “PCBS” issues a press release on World
Environment Day.
- EU urged to take health delegation to climate change talks.
- WHO Director General calls for fairness in international health policies
- Managing the health effects of climate change.
- EU says cancer prevention needs to address environmental factors.
- Forgotten and few treatment options, Chagas debilitates and kills.
- WHO publishes first indoor air quality guidelines on dampness and mould.
- SHE Newsletter/Monitor.
- “A child’s IQ can be affected by mother’s exposure to urban air pollutants” by Perrera
FP, Zhigang L, Whyatt R, Hoepner L, Wang S, Camann D, Rauh V.
- Conflicts of interest in medicine.
- “Proximity to point sources of environmental mercury release as a predictor of autism
prevalence” by RF Palmer, S Blanchar, R Wood.
- “The toxicology of climate change: environmental contaminants in a
 warming world” by PD Noyes, MK McElwee, HD Miller, BW Clark, LA Van Tiem, KC
Walcott, KN Erwin, ED Levin.
- “The growing incidence of cancer: role of lifestyle and screening detection (review)”
by D Belpomme, P Irigaray, AJ Sasco, JA Newby, V Howard, R Clapp, L Hardell.
- 40th anniversary of Earth Day in April 2010: the green generation.
- WONCA Europe: bursaries to attend WONCA World Conference May 2010 in Mexico.
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THE CITY OF AREZZO IN ITALY HAS BEEN DESIGNATED TO JOIN PHASE V OF
THE WHO HEALTHY CITIES NETWORK
The WHO Healthy Cities programme engages local governments in health development
through a process of political commitment, institutional change, capacity building,
partnership-based planning and innovative projects. It promotes comprehensive and
systematic policy and planning with a special emphasis on health inequalities and urban
poverty, the needs of vulnerable groups, participatory governance and the social, economic
and environmental determinants of health.
The WHO European Healthy Cities Network consists of a network of cities from around
Europe that are committed to health and sustainable development. They are designated to
the WHO European Healthy Cities Network on the basis of criteria that are renewed every
five years. Each five-year phase focuses on a number of core priority themes and is launched
with a political declaration and a set of strategic goals. The City of Arezzo in Italy has been
designated to join Phase V of the WHO Healthy Cities Network. The overarching goal of
Phase V (2009–2013) is Health and health equity in all local policies. Cities are focusing on
three core themes: caring and supportive environments, healthy living and healthy urban
design.
WATER SAFETY PLAN MANUAL: STEP-BY-STEP RISK MANAGEMENT FOR
DRINKING-WATER SUPPLIERS
In 2004, the WHO Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality recommended that water suppliers
develop and implement "Water Safety Plans" (WSPs) in order to systematically assess and
manage risks. Since this time, governments and regulators, water suppliers and practitioners
have increasingly embraced this approach, but they have also requested further guidance.
This much-anticipated workbook answers this call by describing how to develop and
implement a WSP in clear and practical terms. Stepwise advice is provided through 11
learning modules, each representing a key step in the WSP development and implementation
process.
Info: www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/publication_9789241562638/en/index.html
A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS by G. Roberto Burgio.
Source: American Journal of Medical Genetics 100:255±256 (2001), an interview of Joseph
A. Bellanti.
At the invitation of Professor Opitz, I am both deeply honored and privileged to present this
encomium to Professor G. Roberto Burgio, an internationally renowned clinician-investigator,
educator, author, mentor, colleague, and friend, and above all, "a man for all seasons". His
"Living History Biography: Practicing a Culture of Pediatric Immunogenetics", which appears
within the pages of this issue, is an instructive and fascinating tribute to a great man and his
many important contributions over a lifetime of dedicated study and service to medicine and
to humankind. How did this tribute come about? Who is this man? What is his place in the
history of genetics? Why is it important to include his biography in this journal? After
meeting Professor Burgio and knowing of his many contributions in the fields of gonadal
dysgenesis and sex differentiation, chromosomal aberrations, and immunogenetics, Professor
Opitz recognized the importance of sharing the contributions of this great man with the
readership of this journal.
If you are interest to this interview you can ask it to our secretariat at [email protected]
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1st WORLD CONGRESS ON CITIES AND ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE
From 28th to 30th May 2010 in Bonn (Germany) there will be the 1st World Congress on
Cities and Adaptation to Climate Change. Resilient Cities 2010 is the annual forum on all
aspects of urban resiliency and adaptation to climate change. Partners from all sectors
convene to share knowledge and experiences on vulnerability and risk assessment, social and
economic dimensions of climate change, municipal strategies and policies, financing,
technology, and case examples of local adaptation practice. Resilient Cities 2010 is the first
edition of an annual global forum for exchange, learning, networking, debating and policy
making on approaches and solutions for climate change adaptation and resilience-building in
cities and municipalities. Latest scientific findings, effective approaches and state-of-theart programs will feed the discussions and set the direction for future planning and
investment. The event will bring about policy propositions and impulses for innovation.
Info: www.iclei.org/bonn2010; [email protected]
WONCA WORLD COUNCIL 2010
For the first time in the history of the World Organization of Family Doctors (Wonca), a
Latin American country will be the venue for the World Conference of Family Doctors: In
October 2004, the Mexican College of Family Medicine was designated by the Wonca World
Council as organizer of the 19th Wonca World Conference of Family Doctors, to be held in
the city of Cancun (Mexico) from 19th to 23rd May 2010. This Conference will spread the
latest scientific and technological breakthroughs in our discipline. It will draw the attention
of the Family Doctors from different parts for the world and will lead to the reflection on
the technical and social role that Family Medicine must have to achieve the international
goals that were proposed in the 2000 Millennium Summit: the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs).
Info: www.wonca2010cancun.com/; [email protected]
17th ANNUAL CONFERENCE WHO REGIONS FOR HEALTH NETWORK
On 9th-10th November 2009 in Manchester (England) there will be 17th Annual Conference
WHO Regions for Health Network. The topic of the Conference is “Wellbeing”. It will
address how we can achieve improvements in wellbeing in ways that combine a healthy
economy, sustainable communities and reduction in health inequalities. The first day of the
event will focus more on regional specific aspect of Wellbeing, namely from the region of
North West England’s perspective, while the second day of the event will have an
international scope drawing on examples from member regions of RHN.
Info: http://nwconferences.co.uk
RISK AND UNCERTAINTY AS A RESEARCH ETHICS CHALLENGE by Roger Strand and
Deborah Oughton.
Source: National Committees for Research Ethics in Norway.
This booklet is prepared for NENT, the Norwegian Research Ethics Committee for Science
and Technology, in order to provide background reading for Article 10 and 11 of the NENT
Guidelines for Research Ethics in Science and Technology (2007). Its general outline has
been approved by NENT, while the named authors bear responsibility for its specific
content. The scope of the NENT Guidelines can be recognised as broad and perhaps
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somewhat unusual in the sense of including some topics that are shared by few other
research ethics guidelines. Articles 10 and 11 on “Uncertainty, Risk and the Precautionary
Principle” are an example in this respect. Although the literature on scientific uncertainty
within the fields of science and scholarship often draws the connection between ethics and
uncertainty, few national or international research ethics guidelines do the same. Also for
the practising scientist, the connection may be anything but immediate and self-evident, and
it is often unclear where the responsibilities lie: with authorities, the users of technologies,
or with the individual scientists? For this reason, NENT has initiated the publication of this
booklet. It aims at providing inspiration and directing the interested scientist, policy-maker
and citizen to further reading on the topic; and at providing explanation and clarification for
the affected parties of the guideline, that is, the scientists who now might discover that
they are confronted with new ethical challenges.
If you are interest to this publication you can ask it to our secretariat at [email protected]
WORLD SUSTAINABLE ENERGY DAYS
From 3rd to 5th March 2010 in Stadthalle Wels (Austria) there will be the "World
Sustainable Energy Days 2010". It is the largest annual conference in this field in Europe
and offers a unique combination of events on sustainable energy production and use, covering
energy efficiency and renewable energy sources for buildings, industry and transports. Four
conferences and seminars (which present the latest technology trends, outstandings
examples and European strategies) and the "Energiesparmesse", an important energy
exhibition, offer ideal opportunities to esthablish new partnerships. This conference makes
an important contribution to awareness raising for green energy and energy efficiency. Since
18 years, experts and decision makers from all over the world flock to Upper Austria to
attend the events (in 2009 the conference attracted more than 850 participants from 53
Countries!).
Info: www.wsed.at; [email protected]
5th ANNUAL MEETING OF HEPA EUROPE
On 11th-12th Novembre 2009 in Bologna (Italy) there will be 5th annual meeting of HEPA
Europe. Physical activity is a fundamental means of improving people's physical and mental
health. It reduces the risks of many noncommunicable diseases and benefits society by
increasing social interaction and community engagement. The European network for the
promotion of health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA Europe) is a collaborative project
which works for better health through physical activity among all people in the WHO
European Region, by strengthening and supporting efforts to increase participation and
improve the conditions for healthy lifestyles. This year's annual meeting is featuring a
symposium on “Perceptions of the urban environment and physical activity”, meetings of the
HEPA Europe working groups, followed by the annual meeting.
Info: www.euro.who.int/hepa; www.saluter.it/wcm/hepa2009/
3rd INTERNATIONAL CANCER CONTROL CONGRESS
From 8th to 11th November 2009 in Cernobbio, Como (Italy), there will be 3rd International
Cancer Control Congress (ICCC). The purpose of this congress is to promote and foster a
global community of practice through enabling extensive participation and dialogue between
countries and societies with wide and varying experiences in cancer control; building on and
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synergizing ongoing work by governments, NGOs, international organizations to make
sustainable cancer control an important global priority. The 3rd ICCC will build upon the
achievements of the 1st (Vancouver, 2005) and 2nd (Rio de Janeiro, 2007) ICCC’s by
ensuring an agenda that focuses on international collaboration; establishment of sustainable
national/large population cancer control strategies; promoting broad cross-sectorial
participation (e.g., governments, cancer organizations, foundations, non-government
organizations, stakeholders and publics); and promotion and fostering of a global community
of practice in cancer control.
Info: www.meet-ics.com/cancercontrol2009/index.html; [email protected]
KLIMAFORUM09
KlimaForum09 is your climate summit, the global civil society counterpart of the official UN
conference in the Bella Center. While the UN conference will be a platform for political
decision making, KlimaForum09 gathers citizens from all corners of the world to create a
socially just and sustainable future. The idea behind KlimaForum09 is to create an open
space, where people, movements and organizations can develop constructive solutions to the
climate crisis. KlimaForum09 is based on the belief that meeting the climate challenge
requires more than just new technologies fixes and ‘business as usual’ practices. New ways of
thinking, new cultural values, and new ways of organizing society are called for. Thousands of
participants from all continents are expected to take part in KlimaForum09. Special efforts
are being made to invite people from regions in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Oceania who
will suffer most from climate change. The KlimaForum09 programme offers a wide variety of
workshops, debates, exhibitions and cultural events focusing on climate change from a global
perspective. KlimaForum09 will be from 7th to 18th December 2010 in Copenhagen
(Denmark). The summit takes place in large, modern facilities at DGI-byen close to the
Central Station. KlimaForum09 is organized by a broad coalition of Danish and international
environmental movements and civil society organizations. KlimaForum09 is free and open to
all.
Info: www.climateforum09.org/en; [email protected]
CHILDREN'S ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH INDICATORS: PRESENTING REGIONAL
SUCCESSES - LEARNING FOR THE FUTURE
WHO published in occasion of 3rd International WHO Conference on Environmental Threats
to the Health of Children “Children's environmental health indicators: Presenting Regional
Successes - Learning for the Future”. §This brochure summarizes the process, outcomes and
key findings of the children’s environmental health indicator projects implemented as part of
the global initiative on Children’s Environmental Health Indicators. Discussions took place at
the Children’s Environmental Health Indicators (CEHI) workshop “Children’s Environmental
Health Indicators: Five Years After the Global Commitment at the World Summit on
Sustainable Development” in Tunisia in 2008. At this event, the participants discussed
challenges faced and the lessons learned from the experience of collecting children’s
environmental health indicators; 10 key ideas to move forward were agreed upon. The global
initiative on Children’s Environmental Health Indicators was launched at the World Summit
on Sustainable Development in 2002 with partners from five governments, three
nongovernmental organizations and five intergovernmental organizations with support from
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the Office of Children’s Health Protection at the United States Environmental Protection
Agency.
Info: www.who.int/ceh/publications/cehi_brochure/en/index.html
INCHES FILM COMPETITION 2008/2009 PROMOTION FILM
The INCHES film competition promo video can be watched at You Tube:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=N30YI40OIRM
PALESTINIAN CENTRAL BUREAU OF STATISTICS “PCBS” ISSUES A PRESS
RELEASE ON WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY
The occasion of World Environment Day is celebrated every year on the fifth of June since
1972, when the United Nations declared World Environment Day at the opening of the
Stockholm conference on human environment. At the same time, the UN announced the
establishment of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), and gave it the
responsibility of increasing world attention to the environment, and increasing the awareness
of the public about their important role in the protection of the environment. The depletion
and destruction of environmental resources in the Palestinian Territory caused by a number
of Israeli actions in the Palestinian Territory, most notably the establishment of
settlements, has had a destructive impact on the Palestinian environment, in addition to the
confiscation of land and preventing the entry of Palestinian citizens. There are many
effects of the destruction of the Palestinian environment, most notably: the depletion of
Palestinian water, polluted wastewater, solid waste, air pollution and noise, destruction of
cultural heritage and agricultural sector. The bad management of these resources by the
Palestinians at all levels and sectors play a pivotal role in the destruction and attrition of
this environment.
If you want this document you can ask it to our secretariat at [email protected]
EU URGED TO TAKE HEALTH DELEGATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE TALKS
Source: HEAL Newsletter, May - June 2009 issue.
Less than 1% of the official participants in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) are from the health sector. Yet national health leaders and officials will be in the
front line in dealing with future health crises associated with climate change. In an Open
Letter to the Commission, we have asked the EU to include a health delegation at the
important COP 15 meeting in Copenhagen in December 2009, where a new agreement on
climate change is anticipated.
Info: www.envhealth.org/IMG/pdf/Letter_to_EC_and_Ministers_of_health_BONN_6_June_2009_FINA
L.pdf
WHO DIRECTOR GENERAL CALLS FOR FAIRNESS IN INTERNATIONAL HEALTH
POLICIES
Source: News Release WHO/20, 15 June 2009.
With a growing recognition that “blind faith in economic growth and gain as the be-all, endall, cure-for-all has been misplaced”, World Health Organization Director-General Dr.
Margaret Chan responded to leaders who have been calling for a redesign of international
systems. Speaking at the United Nations Headquarters in New York today, Chan said that it
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is time to build policies based on fairness – using differences in the health status of
populations within and between countries – as the “key measure of how we, as a civilized
society, are making progress”. “The world is in such a great big mess”, said Chan at the UN
Secretary-General’s Forum on Advancing Global Health on Monday. The meeting was
attended by senior government officials and international experts in health and international
development. In the last year, this warming world has suffered a fuel crisis, a food crisis and
a financial crisis. This list of challenges grew last week with the addition of pandemic
influenza. The impact of these crises is not felt equally. Pandemic influenza, for example, will
hit hardest in developing countries, which have large vulnerable populations. With their weak
health systems, these struggling countries will take longer to recover. In many ways,
developing countries facing the pandemic are virtually empty-handed, said Chan. “Fairness, I
believe, is at the heart of out ambitions for global health”, Chan told the world’s
ambassadors. But fairness is in short supply. Differences in income, life expectancy, and
opportunities are greater now than at any time in recent history. These extremes of
privilege and misery, Chan noted, are often “a precursor for social breakdown”. The soulsearching following the financial crisis has led to a questioning of “blind faith in economic
growth.” From this self-examination, leaders are calling for a restoration of other values,
especially fairness, to a central role in policy formation. One method for achieving fairness,
Chan suggested, would be for more countries to embrace primary health care. As she noted,
a primary health care approach introduces greater fairness as well as efficiency, and allows
health systems to reach their potential as cohesive, stabilizing social institutions.
Info: [email protected]; [email protected]
MANAGING THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
Source: Lancet and University College London Institute for Global Health Commission.
"We call for a public health movement that frames the threat of climate change for
humankind as a health issue. Apart from a dedicated few, health professionals have come
late to the climate change debate, but health concerns are crucial because they attract
political attention. This report raises many challenging and urgent issues for politicians, civil
servants, academics, health professionals, NGOs, pressure groups, and local communities".
"The effects of climate change on health are inextricably linked to global development policy
and concerns for health equity. Climate change should catalyse the drive to achieve the
Millennium Development Goals and to expedite development in the poorest countries. Climate
change also raises the issue of intergenerational justice. The inequity of climate change?
With the rich causing most of the problem and the poor initially suffering most of the
consequences? Will prove to be a source of historical shame to our generation if nothing is
done to address it. Raising health status and reducing health inequity will only be reached by
lifting billions out of poverty".
If you are interest to this report you can ask it to our secretariat at [email protected]
EU SAYS CANCER PREVENTION NEEDS TO ADDRESS ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
Source: Health and Environment Alliance.
The European Commission's Communication on Cancer released today takes an important step
forward in recognising the environmental dimension of cancer prevention, according to the
Health and Environment Alliance. Historically, prevention work has predominantly focused on
changing lifestyle risk factors, such as smoking and alcohol consumption. Many environmental
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factors, including carcinogenic chemicals, pesticides and particles in air pollution, contribute
to cancer. These cancers could be prevented by changes in policy to reduce people’s
involuntary exposure to these chemical substances. For the first time, the Commission
officially acknowledges that cancer prevention should address lifestyle, occupational and
environmental causes on an equal footing. n April 2008, the European Parliament recognised
that the multiple factors and stages involved in cancer causation required "a new cancer
prevention paradigm that addresses … in a manner that reflects the actual combination
effects of different causes, rather than focusing on isolated causes”. The Parliament also
noted "the increasing scientific evidence that certain cancers, such as cancer of the
bladder, bone cancer, lung cancer, skin cancer, breast cancer and others are caused not only
by the effects of chemical substances, radiation and airborne particles but also by other
environmental factors" in its Resolution of September 2008. An Impact Assessment
commissioned by the European Parliament on recent pesticides legislation estimates that one
per cent of cancers diagnosed each year in Europe may be directly associated with exposure
to pesticides. HEAL is particularly keen to see stronger controls of man-made chemicals,
especially hormone disruptors, under the EU chemicals legislation, known as REACH
(Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of Chemicals) and changes in the way
chemicals are assessed. The decisions about the risks that chemicals pose should recognise
people’s multiple, concurrent exposures. Other important arenas for action in reducing
cancer rates include strong implementation of pesticides legislation, and improving air quality
in line with the World Health Organization recommendations. The many European scientists
who consider changes are needed to reduce people’s exposures to hormone disrupting
chemicals are supported by US experts. In a recent letter about the Obama Cancer Plan,
medical and scientific experts highlight numerous different types of cancer and their links
to everyday chemicals, such as sun screens, cosmetics and personal care products, and
herbicides. They argue that more attention must be given to environmental prevention.
Info: www.env-health.org; [email protected]; [email protected]
FORGOTTEN AND FEW TREATMENT OPTIONS, CHAGAS DEBILITATES AND KILLS
Source: Drugs for Negletted Diseases iniziative.
One hundred years after the discovery of Chagas disease, 100 million people remain at risk
and the disease continues to debilitate and kill the poorest of the poor. Drugs for Neglected
Diseases initiative (DNDi) today, alongside Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), called on
governments, scientific community, private sector and civil society to increase their
commitment and support for research and development for better health tools (diagnostics
and treatments) and improved access. The global campaign “Wake Up.Time to Treat Chagas
Disease!” was launched during a three-day international scientific conference on the 100th
anniversary of the discovery of Chagas disease, and also comes at the time of a publication
of a series of articles in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases on the unfinished public health
agenda of Chagas disease.
Info: www.dndi.org
WHO PUBLISHES FIRST INDOOR AIR QUALITY GUIDELINES ON DAMPNESS AND
MOULD
Source: Press release WHO, 16 July 2009.
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WHO published its first guidelines on indoor air quality, addressing dampness and mould.
They are the result of a rigorous two-year review of the currently available science by 36
leading experts worldwide, coordinated by the WHO Regional Office for Europe. The
authors conclude that occupants of damp or mouldy buildings, both private and public, have
up to a 75% greater risk of respiratory symptoms and asthma. The guidelines recommend
the prevention or remediation of dampness- and mould-related problems to significantly
reduce harm to health. The book is the first in a series of WHO guidelines on indoor air
quality. They are intended for worldwide use, to protect health under various environmental,
social and economic conditions. Future publications addressing selected chemicals and
combustion products are being prepared. Together, the guidelines will comprise the firstever comprehensive evidence-based recommendations to tackle indoor air pollution, one of
the major causes of death and disease worldwide.
Info: www.euro.who.int/air; [email protected]
SHE NEWSLETTER/MONITOR
Source: Environmenr and Public Health in modern society.
You may not be aware of the European Society for Research and Prevention on Environment
and Health (European SREH). Therefore, we feel free to send you the first issue of the SHE
Newsletter/Monitor, providing you with info on European SREH and the EPH Programme; info
on the first (bi)Annual Meeting, Italy 2010; join EPH - our European Exchange Networking without costs. If you are interested to receive further information, and to join our research
and professional community - free of charge - simply reply to this message by sending us
your contact details. We apologise for any cross posting, in case you should already be
registered in the EPH SREH database. Please do not hesitate to spread this message to any
of your colleagues or networks.
Info: [email protected]; www.eph-info.net; www.ephe.org
A CHILD’S IQ CAN BE AFFECTED BY MOTHER’S EXPOSURE TO URBAN AIR
POLLUTANTS by Perrera FP, Zhigang L, Whyatt R, Hoepner L, Wang S, Camann D, Rauh V.
Source: "Prenatal Airborne Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Exposure and Child IQ at Age 5
Years", Pediatrics 124(2), August 2009.
A mother’s exposure to urban air pollutants known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
(PAHs) can adversely affect a child’s intelligence quotient or IQ, a study reports. PAHs are
chemicals released into the air from the burning of coal, diesel, oil and gas, or other organic
substances such as tobacco. In urban areas motor vehicles are a major source of PAHs. The
study, funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), a
component of the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
and several private foundations, found that children exposed to high levels of PAHs in New
York City had full scale and verbal IQ scores that were 4.31 and 4.67 points lower than
those of less exposed children. High PAH levels were defined as above the median of 2.26
nanograms per cubic meter (ng/m3). A difference of four points, which was the average seen
in this study, could be educationally meaningful in terms of school success, as reflected, for
example, in standardized testing and other measures of academic performance. However,
the researchers point out that the effects may vary among individual children. The study
was conducted by scientists from the Columbia University Center for Children's
Environmental Health. It included children who were born to non-smoking black and
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Dominican-American women age 18 to 35 who resided in Washington Heights, Harlem or the
South Bronx in New York. The children were followed from utero to 5 years of age. The
mothers wore personal air monitors during pregnancy to measure exposure to PAHs and they
responded to questionnaires.
If you want this article you can ask it to our secretariat at [email protected]
Info: www.niehs.nih.gov
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST IN MEDICINE
Here you can find some articles on conflicts of interest in medicine:
- Accounting for uncertainty about investigator bias: disclosure is informative: How could
disclosure of interests work better in medicine, epidemiology and public health? - Info:
http://jech.bmj.com/cgi/reprint/63/8/593
- Addressing conflict in strategic literature reviews: disclosure is not enough: How could
disclosure of interests work better in medicine, epidemiology and public health? - Info:
http://jech.bmj.com/cgi/reprint/63/8/599
- Conflicts of interest: How could disclosure of interests work better in medicine,
epidemiology and public health? - Info: http://jech.bmj.com/cgi/reprint/63/8/601
- Is disclosure of potential conflicts of interest in medicine and public health sufficient to
increase transparency and decrease corruption?: How could disclosure of interests work
better in medicine, epidemiology and public health? - Info:
http://jech.bmj.com/cgi/reprint/63/8/603
- Regulatory reinforcement of journal conflict of interest disclosures: How could disclosure
of interests work better in medicine, epidemiology and public health? - Info:
http://jech.bmj.com/cgi/reprint/63/8/606
- How do potential conflicts of interest confuse medicine and public health?: How could
disclosure of interests work better in medicine, epidemiology and public health? - Info:
http://jech.bmj.com/cgi/reprint/63/8/608
PROXIMITY TO POINT SOURCES OF ENVIRONMENTAL MERCURY RELEASE AS A
PREDICTOR OF AUTISM PREVALENCE by RF Palmer, S Blanchar, R Wood.
The objective of this study was to determine if proximity to sources of mercury pollution in
1998 were related to autism prevalence in 2002. Autism count data from the Texas
Educational Agency and environmental mercury release data from the Environmental
Protection Agency were used. We found that for every 1000 pounds of industrial release,
there was a corresponding 2.6% increase in autism rates (p<.05) and a 3.7% increase
associated with power plant emissions(P<.05). Distances to these sources were independent
predictors after adjustment for relevant covariates. For every 10 miles from industrial or
power plant sources, there was an associated decreased autism Incident Risk of 2.0% and
1.4%, respectively (p<.05). While design limitations preclude interpretation of individual risk,
further investigations of environmental risks to child development issues are warranted.
If you want this article you can ask it to our secretariat at [email protected]
THE TOXICOLOGY OF CLIMATE CHANGE: ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS IN A
WARMING WORLD by PD Noyes, MK McElwee, HD Miller, BW Clark, LA Van Tiem, KC
Walcott, KN Erwin, ED Levin.
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Climate change induced by anthropogenicwarming of the earth's atmosphere is a daunting
problem. This review examines one of the consequences of climate change that has only
recently attracted attention: namely, the effects of climate change on the environmental
distribution and toxicity of chemical pollutants. A reviewwas undertaken of the scientific
literature (original research articles, reviews, government and intergovernmental reports)
focusing on the interactions of toxicants with the environmental parameters, temperature,
precipitation, and salinity, as altered by climate change. Three broad classes of chemical
toxicants of global significance were the focus: air pollutants, persistent organic pollutants
(POPs), including some organochlorine pesticides, and other classes of pesticides. Generally,
increases in temperature will enhance the toxicity of contaminants and increase
concentrations of tropospheric ozone regionally, butwill also likely increase rates of chemical
degradation. While further research is needed, climate change coupled with air pollutant
exposures may have potentially serious adverse consequences for human health in urban and
polluted regions. Climate change producing alterations in: food webs, lipid dynamics, ice and
snow melt, and organic carbon cycling could result in increased POP levels in water, soil, and
biota. There is also compelling evidence that increasing temperatures could be deleterious to
pollutant-exposed wildlife. For example, elevated water temperatures may alter the
biotransformation of contaminants to more bioactive metabolites and impair homeostasis.
The complex interactions between climate change andpollutantsmay be particularly
problematic for species living at the edge of their physiological tolerance range where
acclimation capacity may be limited. In addition to temperature increases, regional
precipitation patterns are projected to be altered with climate change. Regions subject to
decreases in precipitation may experience enhanced volatilization of POPs and pesticides to
the atmosphere. Reduced precipitation will also increase air pollution in urbanized regions
resulting in negative health effects, which may be exacerbated by temperature increases.
Regions subject to increased precipitation will have lower levels of air pollution, but will likely
experience enhanced surface deposition of airborne POPs and increased run-off of
pesticides. Moreover, increases in the intensity and frequency of storm events linked to
climate change could lead to more severe episodes of chemical contamination of water bodies
and surrounding watersheds. Changes in salinity may affect aquatic organisms as an
independent stressor as well as by altering the bioavailability and in some instances
increasing the toxicity of chemicals. A paramount issue will be to identify species and
populations especially vulnerable to climate–pollutant interactions, in the context of the
many other physical, chemical, and biological stressors that will be altered with climate
change. Moreover, it will be important to predict tipping points that might trigger or
accelerate synergistic interactions between climate change and contaminant exposures.
If you want this article you can ask it to our secretariat at [email protected]
THE GROWING INCIDENCE OF CANCER: ROLE OF LIFESTYLE AND SCREENING
DETECTION (REVIEW) by D Belpomme, P Irigaray, AJ Sasco, JA Newby, V Howard, R
Clapp, L Hardell.
The increasing incidence of a variety of cancers after the Second World War confronts
scientists with the question of their origin. In Western countries, expansion and ageing of
the population, as well as progress in cancer detection using new diagnostic and screening
tests cannot fully account for the observed growing incidence of cancer. Our hypothesis is
that environmental factors play a more important role in cancer genesis than it is usually
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agreed: i) over the last 2-3 decades, alcohol consumption and tobacco smoking in men have
significantly decreased; ii) obesity is increasing in many countries, but the growing incidence
of cancer also concerns cancers not related to obesity nor to other lifestyle-related
factors; iii) there is evidence that the environment has changed over the same time scale as
the recent rise in cancer incidence, and that this change included the accumulation of many
new carcinogenic factors in the environment; iv) genetic susceptibility to cancer due to
genetic polymorphism cannot have changed over one generation and actually favours the role
of exogenous factors through geneenvironment interactions; v) age is not the unique factor
be considered since the rising incidence of cancers is seen across all age categories,
including children; vi) the fetus specifically vulnerable to exogenous factors. A fetal
exposure during a critical window period may explain why current epidemiological studies may
be negative in adults. We therefore propose that the involuntary exposure to many
carcinogens in the environment contributes to the rising trend in cancer incidence.
If you want this article you can ask it to our secretariat at [email protected]
40th ANNIVERSARY OF EARTH DAY IN APRIL 2010: THE GREEN GENERATION
For the 40th anniversary of Earth Day in 2010, the world is in greater peril than ever, but
there is also unprecedented opportunity to build a new future. Earth Day has the power to
bring about historic advances in climate policy, renewable energy and green jobs and catalyze
millions who make personal commitments to sustainability - A Billion Acts of Green –
mobilizing the power of people to create change by taking small steps in our homes, our
schools and our businesses that add up to an enormous collective action. Earth Day 40 is a
pivotal opportunity for people, corporations, and governments to join together to create a
global green economy. Our coordinated efforts now will be recognized by future generations
as a turning point.
Info: http://earthday.net/earthday2010
WONCA EUROPE: BURSARIES TO ATTEND WONCA WORLD CONFERENCE MAY 2010
IN MEXICO
WONCA Europe has established a fund of US$30,000 to support bursaries for the WONCA
World Conference in Cancun, Mexico in May 2010. These bursaries will support Conference
Registration, Accommodation and Travel to a maximum of US$1,000 per person. The Host
Organising Committee has agreed reduced Registration Fees for successful applicants and
has arranged low cost accommodation. The Bursaries will be available worldwide in
competition to any family doctor or resident in a family doctor programme who can make a
case for such a bursary and who is supported by his/her own College or Association. Up to 30
bursaries will be granted. In order to avoid problems where bursaries are granted to doctors
who then do not come to the Conference, WONCA Europe Executive will expect Colleges and
Associations supporting the applicants to make the necessary payments and these will be
reimbursed direct to the College or Association after the Conference. Applications will be
received by the WONCA Europe Executive and its decisions will be final. Successful
applicants will be required to submit a short report of their attendance at the Conference.
The last date for receipt of completed applications will be 1 January 2010.
Info: www.GlobalFamilyDoctor.com; [email protected]; www.woncaeurope.org;
[email protected]
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This newsletter is ISDE Italy's Official Press Organ edited by Roberto Romizi e Silvia
Caruso.
It is published with support of Banca Etruria www.bancaetruria.it
If you want to receive this newsletter or unsubscribe or send any suggestion, please contact:
[email protected]
Past numbers are available in the ISDE Italy website www.isde.it
International Society of Doctors for the Environment - ISDE Italy
International Society of Doctors for the Environment www.isde.org
Via della Fioraia, 17/19 - 52100 Arezzo (Italy)
Tel. +39 0575 22256, Fax +39 057528676, E-mail: [email protected]
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