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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. 1 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] 2 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 3 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 4 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 5 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 6 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 7 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. 8 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 9 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. 10 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 11 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] 12 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] 13