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

This book was very informative and it really opened my eyes to a lot of things I wasn't aware of. It's a little overwhelming when you realize just how many things are known to cause cancer these days but this book offers practical solutions. There are too many people in the world with the attitude that nothing can be done about it and "we're gonna die anyway, so we might as well life however we want while we're here." Not enough people are thinking of future generations and everybody seems to be living in the right now and not thinking about their own health in the future. I highly recommend that everybody reads this book and even if you change 1 or 2 things in your life, every little bit will make a difference. The book was very well laid out and easy to read.