Environmental Issues: Health

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Case Study: Alar
History

Much as Upton Sinclair's The Jungle led to passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act 0f 1906, and Rachel Carson's Silent Spring triggered bans of DDT and other toxins, the airing in February 1989 of the 60 Minutes broadcast, "A is for Apples" -- based in large part on NRDC publication, "Intolerable Risk: Pesticides in Our Children's Food" -- sparked a chain of events that led to critical improvements in food safety policy.

Disease Clusters Spotlight the Need to Protect People from Toxic Chemicals
Overview

An unusually large number of people sickened by a disease in a certain place and time is known as a 'disease cluster'. Clusters of cancer, birth defects, and other chronic illnesses have sometimes been linked to chemicals or other toxic pollutants in local communities, although these links can be controversial.

Testimony of Dr. Gina M. Solomon on Disease Clusters and Environmental Health
Testimony

Gina M. Solomon, M.D., M.P.H. testified before the United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on March 29, 2011 on the subject of Disease Clusters and Environmental Health. Dr. Solomon is a Senior Scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council; and is also Director, Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency Program and Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at University of California, San Francisco. Get document in pdf.

Congress Must Protect Children from a Developmental Toxic: Bisphenol A (BPA)
Fact Sheet

When the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) was enacted in 1976, it was intended to ensure that chemicals are safe throughout their lifecycle, from manufacture to use and disposal. But weaknesses in the law have left the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unable to act on known health dangers. Other laws, such as those setting air, water, and workplace safety standards, do not adequately regulate exposure to most chemicals, nor do they address the hazards a chemical may pose over its entire lifecycle. New legislation is needed to rapidly reduce exposure to toxic chemicals, such as Bisphenol A (BPA). Produced at more than 2 billion pounds per year, BPA has found its way into many consumer products and into many people's bodies. Get document in pdf.

Children, Cancer & The Environment
By identifying elements in the environment that contribute to cancer, we can take steps to eliminate them and protect our children and ourselves.
Overview

Scientists now believe that many childhood cancers are caused by environmental factors which, unlike heredity, can theoretically be controlled. Learn more about some of the suspected environmental causes of childhood cancer and how you can reduce the risks to your own children.

The Story of Silent Spring
How a courageous woman took on the chemical industry and raised important questions about humankind's impact on nature.
History

Rachel Carson's Silent Spring (1962) was one of the landmark books of the 20th century. It described how DDT entered the food chain and accumulated in the fatty tissues of animals, including humans, causing cancer and genetic damage. Silent Spring not only exposed the hazards of the pesticide DDT, but eloquently questioned humanity's faith in technological progress and helped set the stage for the environmental movement that followed.

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