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20 June 2009 Call for expressions of interest to attend New Delhi meeting 17-19 December 2009 Fellows interested in participating in the international scientific conference on "Preventing emerging occupational and environmental risks in South Asia and beyond" to be held December 17-19, 2009 in New Delhi, India are invited to contact Fellow TK Joshi.
The conference, postponed from December 2008, is sponsored by the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ISI) of India in collaboration with the Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health of Maulana Azad Medical College (New Delhi, India), the Collegium Ramazzini and Drexel University, School of Public Health (Philadephia, PA, USA).
The event aims to bring together a galaxy of physicians, scientists and researchers to discuss and deliberate issues of topical importance in one of the most economically active regions of the world. Young researchers from neighboring Asian countries will be invited to participate and interact with Collegium Fellows. The event promises to be one of the best academic events held in India in this decade. The Indian authorities are looking forward to the conference with a view to get the best of ideas to develop a dynamic research and practice model of occupational and environmental health meeting the challenge of globalization in the 21st Century.
Local hospitality will be provided for participating Fellows, for further information please contact:
Tushar Kant Joshi
Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health
Ground Floor, B L Taneja Block
MAMC, New Delhi
Phone:- 911123233519, 23221515, 23232400 Ext. 4395
Fax: 911123214731
Email: kantjoshi@gmail.com
13 May 2009CR sends letter of support to ICCM2 regarding proposal to phase out the use of lead in paint The Collegium Ramazzini recently sent a letter of support to the Second Session of the International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM2) regarding the proposal for a Global partnership to promote the implementation of the measures contained in paragraph 57 of the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development on phasing out the use of lead in paint [click title for text of letter].
Date: May 13, 2009
To: The Second Session of the International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM2), Geneva, Switzerland, 11-15 May 2009
Proposal for a Global partnership to promote the implementation of the measures contained in paragraph 57 of the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development on phasing out the use of lead in paint
COLLEGIUM RAMAZZINI STATEMENT OF SUPPORT
The Collegium Ramazzini is an international scientific society that examines critical issues in occupational and environmental medicine with a view towards action to prevent disease and promote health. The Collegium is comprised of 180 physicians and scientists from 35 countries, each of whom is elected to membership. The Collegium is independent of commercial interests.
Lead is a pervasive occupational and environmental hazard. Despite great progress in reducing lead exposure, lead toxicity remains a major health problem. Lead poses serious hazards to workers’ health and also to the health of infants and children. Recent research has proven conclusively that lead can cause permanent damage to human health and injury to multiple organ systems at relatively low levels of exposure that previously were considered “safe”. Moreover serious, previously unrecognized hazards to health are now understood to result in both adults and children from chronic, cumulative low-level exposure to lead.
To eliminate the global burden of disability, disease and death caused by lead, the Collegium Ramazzini recently (2008) issues a statement calling for a worldwide ban on all non-essential uses of lead and for coordinated action in countries around the world to reduce lead exposures through source identification, control, and elimination.
Reduction in the use of lead and elimination of environmental exposure to lead, termed ‘primary prevention’, is critical to preventing lead poisoning. Primary prevention is the most efficient and cost-effective approach to disease prevention. Primary prevention is accomplished by replacing hazardous materials such as lead in consumer products and the environment with safer substitutes. Safer substitutes exist for many non-essential uses of lead, including paint and other surface coatings.
The key to preventing lead toxicity is to eliminate exposure by ceasing all unnecessary uses of lead and to eliminate or drastically reduce environmental lead exposure by using control technology at the source. The Collegium Ramazzini, therefore, strongly supports the Proposal for a Global partnership to promote the implementation of the measures contained in paragraph 57 of the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development on phasing out the use of lead in paint as a valuable and effective effort to contribute to the control of the global epidemic of environmental and occupational lead poisoning.
Sincerely,
Philip J. Landrigan, MD, MSc
cc:
Dr. M. Gubb, Coordinator, SAICM Secretariat, Chemicals Branch, UNEP
ICCM2 Emerging Issue Lead in Paint: Proponents and facilitators:
Mr R. Agarwal, Toxics Link, India
Dr J. Stober, Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS)
Dr M. Doa, US Environmental Protection Agency
18 June 2009Update from Quito, Ecuardor regarding impact of 2006 CR conference and proceedings Two years have elapsed since the Collegium Ramazzini organized its first seminar in Quito, Ecuador entitled "Salud Ocupacional e Ambiental: Emergencias en Paises in Desarrollos". The event, spearheaded by Fellow Raul Harari and co-sponsored by the International Labour Organization and the Organisacion Panamericana del la Salud, focused on occupational and environmental health problems in Latin America, with special emphasis on the problems of child labor. Raul Harari recently updated President Phil Landrigan and Secretary General Morando Soffritti on the impact that the conference and its published proceedings have had in the region [click title for text of letter].
Collegium Ramazzini
c/o Philip Landrigan, MD
President
Professor Morando Soffritti, MD
Secretary General
Quito, Ecuador, May 4th, 2009
Dear Fellows,
Two years after our successful International Seminar in Quito with the participation of many of you, I want to communicate how the efforts of the Ramazzini Collegium in connection with this meeting have produced important results.
The Seminar and the proceedings were communicated and distributed in particular in Ecuador and other countries of Latin America. Many of the topics have been useful for researchers, authorities and social organizations. Many associated activities that some CR Fellows have carried out in Ecuador before and after the Seminar, like Pietro Comba, Francesco Forastiere, Philippe Grandjean, and Myron Mehlman, have contributed to the attention, I wish to highlight some examples that demonstrate how these activities have been helpful in regard to occupational and environmental health in Ecuador and other developing countries.
Articles authored by Myron Mehlman were used in the conflict with TEXACO in regard to oil pollution of the environment.
Recently the government of Ecuador decided to stop (at least temporally) the use of Mancozeb and is asking for an expert study to decide what to proceed. The article by Morando Soffritti in the proceedings was very useful here.
The Precautionary Principle has been confirmed as a foundation to be considered in environmental and health problems. The proceedings of the 2002 CR Seminar that was held in Bologna was very important in this regard.
The NewConstitution of Ecuador includes many new considerations on environmental and occupational health, e.g., the rights of the nature, as well as new issues in regard to work environment and occupational and environmental health. Our joint input was apparently very useful in this regard.
The Minister of Environment decided to consider new legislation about asbestos and asked for supporting information in regard to a possible ban of asbestos (no decision has been reached yet). Supporting information was provided by Pietro Comba, and, at this moment, it helped to resist a pressures from vested interests, as did the book by Barry Castleman.
Prenatal exposure has now become a concern of the authorities in Ecuador and they are considering a new strategy for epidemiological surveillance of pesticides and health effects. Other prenatal exposures to mercury and lead are also discussed. The articles by Philip Landrigan and Philippe Grandjean were very influential.
The ongoing discussion about how to prevent air pollution was supported by presentations and articles by Francesco Forastiere.
The arguments that Karel Van Damme developed about the interest of the companies in the standardization and self control, inspired us to analyze certifications and green labels and to identify important problems that should be considered.
The articles by Melissa McDiarmid were helpful to focus discussions how to deal with occupational health in an important Hospital in Quito.
Evidently, all the above examples illustrate only the current status of an ongoing process, and many colleagues helped to push and stimulated discussion how to achieve improvements. The present government of Ecuador has expressed a willingness to take in account the arguments presented as a key concern. I think the Collegium assumed a very important role at this moment, because Latin America has yet not reached a high standard of research in our field. We cannot forget the role of the late Olav Axelson, who many years ago started his presentation of lectures on occupational and environmental epidemiology.
Some overall lessons may be extracted from these experiences. First, the bridge between developed and developing countries may provide beneficial results already in a short term. Second, international scientific efforts and activities that are well organized are crucial to help the progress of the science for the people. Third, in addition to informing and influencing the national authorities, professionals, researchers and teachers in developing countries, it is very important to provide information to the social and environmental organizations, which are very active and which may have a large impact. In our countries it is not only a question of disseminating information, we need to explain, to convince, and to follow up.
I communicate these experiences because they may help to appreciate and understand the international role of the Collegium. At the same time, I wish to thank you for your support to Latin American, Ecuador and to me personally. I am proud to belong to the CR, and I shall continue to assist in communicating important messages to my part of the world. We need to reinforce our efforts in Ecuador and elsewhere in Latin America to ensure that the progress continues and becomes sustainable.
Warm regards,
Raul Harari, MD, PhD
Fellow of the Collegium Ramazzini
02/04/2009Save the Dates > Ramazzini Days 23-25 October 2009 This year's annual Ramazzini Days meeting will be held in Carpi, Italy from October 23th (opening dinner) to Sunday, October 25th (closing lunch). Fellows should plan to arrive at the Bologna International Airport (BLQ) or at the Modena Centrale train station on Friday, October 23rd. Departures should be scheduled for Sunday afternoon or Monday.
Online registration for the event will open on July 1st. Questions may be directed to events@ramazzini.it.
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