Cancer prevention largely forgotten in the race for a cure
Cancer: 101 Solutions to Preventable Epidemic
by Liz Armstrong, Guy Dauncey and Anne Wordsworth (New Society,
2007)
Finding a cure for cancer is the dream of so many researchers,
health practitioners and patients alike - and much time, energy and
money has been channelled toward this noble goal. However, what is
often lost in the desperate search for the cancer cure is the
extensive body of scientific evidence that addresses cancer
prevention.
In their new book, Cancer: 101 Solutions to a Preventable Epidemic,
Liz Armstrong, Guy Dauncey and Anne Wordsworth examine the complex
relationship between the air we breathe, the food we eat, the water
we drink, the products we use, and the health and well-being of our
bodies, and of our planet.
They outline what too many of us already know first-hand: that
cancer has reached epidemic proportions. Annual cancer statistics
currently indicate that nearly half of all North American men and
close to 40% of women will be diagnosed with a malignant cancer at
some point in their lives, and that cancer is now - or soon will be
- the number one cause of death in Canada.
But the authors also provide hope - and concrete solutions that we
can all undertake -- to put us on the path to stopping the cancer
epidemic.
Cancer: 101 Solutions to a Preventable Epidemic assesses the vast
body of scientific literature tracking carcinogens in our water,
air, soil and food, as well as our homes and workplaces, concluding
that most cancers are preventable. We already know the links
between smoking and lung cancer, or over-exposure to the sun and
skin cancer, but the authors reveal that there are scores of other
preventable risks for numerous cancers that do not involve
"lifestyle factors."
The authors reject the standard approach that demands "proof
positive" of causal links between toxic substances and cancer -- a
nearly impossible scientific task to achieve in a world
contaminated with tens of thousands of man-made chemicals and
radioactivity. Instead, the authors advocate the precautionary
principle espoused by numerous medical, scientific and government
bodies.
"The precautionary principle states that when an activity raises
the threat of harm to human health or the environment,
precautionary measures should be taken even if some cause and
effect relationships are not yet fully established scientifically,"
says author Guy Dauncey.
"Employing the precautionary principle from the 1960s on saved
countless lives in the case of smoking, where human health studies
had, for decades, demonstrated the connection between cigarette use
and lung cancer. But, until 1996, there was no 'proof positive' of
the causal link. Waiting for such proof would have been
disastrous," says Dauncey, adding that cancer deaths from asbestos,
ionizing radiation, diesel smoke and many other toxic substances
have soared because of failure to take precautionary action.
With the precautionary principle in hand, the authors describe 101
step-by-step solutions that can guide us toward healthier lives,
lessening our toxic burden, and reducing the risks for cancer -
through individual, governmental and community action. Solutions in
the book include details on how to maintain "Green Schools," "Clean
your home safely," "Create a healthy pregnancy" or "Treat your
garden with TLC, not 2,4-D." There are also helpful sections on how
to "Minimize your exposure to radiation," and why we need to "Ban
depleted uranium" and "Ban asbestos."
What makes the book special is that the solutions contained within
are not only about what toxic substances to avoid, but also
contains helpful sections on how to change public policy, such as
"Become an activist" and "Eliminate all hazardous chemicals by
2020"; and the authors also provide helpful ideas on how to improve
the health of the planet directly, in sections such as "Tackle a
local challenge." Finally, Cancer: 101 Solutions to a Preventable
Epidemic contains a handy guide of "Cancer causing agents" as
identified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
Cancer: 101 Solutions to a Preventable Epidemic sends a wake-up
call to regulatory agencies to take steps to control our exposure
to carcinogens, and also provides pragmatic solutions for
individuals for what we can do in the meantime to keep ourselves,
and our families, healthy.
From Network magazine (Fall/Winter 2007), the official publication
of the Canadian Women's Health Network, www.cwhn.ca