Women's Environmental Network Educating, empowering and informing women and men who care about the environment. Campaigning on environmental and health issues from a female perspective.
Press Release

19 June 2003
Women in Europe for a Common Future Media Advisory Notice 19 June 2003

Conference: Working Towards a Toxic Free Future
Date: 27-28 June 2003
Venue: Kontakt der Kontinenten conference centre, Amersfoortsestraat 20, 3769 AS Soesterberg, Netherlands
Photocall: 9.30am 27 June 2003 – women from different countries in Europe will make visible the burden of chemicals polluting the human body.

Women demand end to pollution of humans
A toolkit of action for citizens to help hasten the phasing out of toxic chemicals that pollute the human body will be published at a two-day European conference on the issue, on 27-28 June. Chemicals that threaten health and fertility should be phased out within a generation, say conference organisers, Women in Europe for a Common Future (WECF).

Up to 300 synthetic chemicals have been detected in humans[2] and women and children are most vulnerable to the effects of some which are known or thought to disrupt hormones, contribute to cancer and harm immune or nervous systems [3].

Working Towards a Toxic Free Future will bring together women’s and civil society groups[4] to:

  • raise awareness about the body burden of chemicals we all carry and why we should be worried

    •
  • encourage women to contribute to current EU consultation on draft legislation for a radical new chemicals policy that would impose tighter controls on hazardous substances[5]

  • provide a practical toolkit to help citizens to contribute to a non-toxic future
Speakers include Dr Vyvyan Howard, developmental toxicologist from the University of Liverpool, Dr Lilian Corra, Vice President of the International Society of Doctors for the Environment, Patricia Cameron of Bund fur Umwelt Und Naturschutz, Deutschland, and Dr Michael Warhurst, EU Chemicals Policy Officer for WWF.
ENDS

Media Contacts:
WECF: Sylvia Altamira, Marie Kranendonk or Isolde van Overbeek, WECF, +31 (0)30 2310300
Women’s Environmental Network (WEN): Liz Sutton, Press Co-ordinator, ++ 44 (0)20 7481 9004/ ++ 44 (0)7973 323789 (mobile) or Helen Lynn, Health Co-ordinator ++ 44 (0)7957 408 303
European Environmental Bureau (EEB): Anja Leetz, Outreach Campaigner, +32 (0)2 289 1303 (direct)/ +32 (0)2 289 1090/ +32 (0)474 28 77 98 (mobile)

Notes to Editors
(1) Journalists and photographers are welcome to attend. Please contact one of the people above. The photocall will be in the main lobby of the centre.
(2) Source: WWF. (3) Endocrine (hormone) disrupting chemicals are linked to a range of health effects including certain cancers, congenital anomalies, birth defects and reproductive harm from exposures in the womb, during childhood and puberty. (4) Attendance is by invitation only. The 100+ participants are from East and West Europe and include health professionals, researchers, consumer organisations, environmental and women’s groups.
5. More about the draft legislation can be found at at http://europa.eu.int/comm./enterprise/chemicals/index.htm and a site set up by green groups to channel responses: www.chemicalreaction.org
6. Working Towards a Toxic Free Future is supported by Science Shop for Biology, University of Groningen (NL), Women’s Environmental Network (UK), Friends of the Earth (NL), Netherlands Council of Women – NVR, Eco-Baby (NL), Monitoring Network for Health and Environment (NL), International Chemical Secretariat (Sweden), Armenian Women for Health and a Healthy Environment.
 

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