Cancer - The Parallel Path

UBC Pharmaceutical SciencesSeptember 14th 2011

1: THE CANCER EPIDEMIC

2: WHAT’S CAUSING IT?

3: WHAT ARE THE SOLUTIONS?

Part 1:

THE CANCER EPIDEMIC

Cancer in the Developed World1900: 1 in 25

1925: 1 in 101960: 1 in 4

2000: 1 in 3

Age-standardized cancer rate per 100,000A Disease of Economic Development?

National Cancer InstituteEstimated United States Cancer Prevalence, April 2003

US Cancer Prevalence:

Overall cancer incidence, 1975 to 2000

Canadian females: + 19.5%Canadian males: + 29.2%

Bob Hunter, RIP Georgiana Phelan, RIP

Childhood cancer, 1975 - 2002

USA: + 1% a yearEurope: + 1% a year

Canada: Almost + 1% a year

Mandy Green, RIP Cholette Chuda, RIP

Northern Europe cancer incidence

and deaths

1950 - 2005

Ray Matthey, RIP

Females: age-adjusted incidence rates of selected cancers

1954-2003, Northern Europe

Males: age-adjusted incidence rates of selected cancers1954-2003, Northern Europe

If there’s a war on cancer, we’re not winning it.

The Cost of Cancer

In 1994, doctors could extend the life of a patient for 1 year, using a combination of drugs.

The cost: $500

By 2004, they could extend a life by almost 2 years.The cost: $250,000

Avastin: $46,000 a year(adds five months to average patient’s life)

Tarceva: $46k - $60k a year(adds two months)

Herceptin: $50,000 per year(adds five months)

1990: Direct cost of cancer to US healthcare system $35 billion (10% of expenditures)

2003: $64 billion (20% of expenditures)

Total cost of cancer in US: over $171 billion Canada total cost of cancer: $14 billion (1998)

By Samoila Iuliana, age 9, Romania

There is a sickness in our world…

Tanya Thomas, RIP

Part 2:

SO WHAT IS CAUSING IT?

THE SMOKE SCREEN

ENVIRONMENTALPOLLUTION

ENVIRONMENTALPOLLUTION

Smoking Diet Lifestyle

Exercise

Natural hormones

Sunlight

Infections

Sexual behaviour Occupation

The world’s leading epidemiologist Proved that smoking causes lung cancer in 1951

25 major awardsHonorary degrees from 13 universitiesGold Medal from the The Royal Society

Gold medal, European Cancer Society, 2000 Gold Medal from the British Medical Association United Nations Award for Cancer Research, 1962

Ettore Majorana Erice "Science for Peace" prize, 1990Shaw Prize for contribution to modern cancer epidemiology, 2005

Sir Richard Doll

1912- 2005

The Causes of Cancer: Quantitative Estimates of

Avoidable Risks of Cancer in the United States Today.

Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 1981Richard Doll and Richard Peto

Cited in more than 441 scientific articles.

Became the foundation of the conventional “lifestyle” explanation of the causes of cancer.

Followed by a similar Harvard study in 1996.

Doll & Peto’s 1981 analysis of the causes of cancer

(2-4%)(1-5%)

The Shadow of Doll The causes of cancer

according to Cancer Research UK

TobaccoPhysical body weight

DietHormonesSunlight

OccupationInfections

“Large organisations like the WHO and IARC have estimated that pollution and chemicals in our environment only account for about 3% of all cancers.” - Cancer Research UK

Table 1.2: The proportion (%) of cancer deaths in the UK attributable to environmental and lifestyle factors (estimates published in 2003)

Cause Attributable Range risk

Tobacco 29 27-33Diet* 25 15-35Reproductive hormones 15 10-20Alcohol 6 4-8Ionizing radiation 5 4-6Infection 5 4-15Occupation 2 1-5Pollution 2 1-5UV light 1 1Physical inactivity <1 0-1

* Includes overweight & obesityCancer Research UK, 2007

“Cancer mortality resulting from the use of pesticides is less than 0.1% of cancer mortality from other sources,

most of which are controllable by the individuals themselves in their own decisions.”

Source: Doll, Richard and Richard Peto. The causes of cancer: quantitative estimates of avoidable risks of cancer in the United States today. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 1981

From the right-wing website “Freedom 21”, created to oppose the UN’s Local Agenda 21

The Shadow of Doll

However, Doll & Peto’s 1981 study:

• Looked only at deaths, not the incidence of cancer

• Excluded anyone over 65, even though 70% of deaths occur in people over 65

• Excluded African Americans

• Ignored the increase in cancer among children

• Ignored animal and lab studies that showed risk

• Did not address the multi-factorial nature of cancer

• Considered only 16 known carcinogens. In 2006, IARC listed 414 known or suspected carcinogens.

And……….

In 2007, it was revealed that from 1970 - 1990, Doll had a long term financial relationship with

Monsanto ($1,500 a day)

He also received payments from:

ICI Dow Chemical

Chemical Manufacturers AssociationTurner & Newall (asbestos industry)

General Motors

During these years, Sir Richard Doll publicly defended the safety of asbestos, fluoride, lead in gasoline, dioxin (Agent Orange), nuclear power, vinyl chloride, and pesticides.

In 2002, however, Doll “recanted”…

"It does look as if it's the cancers that are principally caused by hormones that are not affected by smoking.

Most of the other cancers throughout the body are induced by exposure to chemicals, often environmental ones".

Sir Richard Doll, 2002, speaking at an IARC scientific working group convened to

review evidence relating tobacco smoking and cancer

This retraction has been ignored by cancer establishments worldwide.

Stop Cancer Before It Starts: How to Win the War On Cancer, By Dr Samuel S. Epstein, Ph.D, 2003

So what’s really happening?

Is our whole world being contaminated?

We started our enthusiasm for chemicals in the 1940s

“Better living through chemistry”

DDT being sprayed on Long Island beaches

in 1945

DDT being sprayed on herded sheep

Advert in TIME Magazine, late 1940s

In Silent Spring (1962) Rachel Carson challenged the practices

of agricultural scientists and the government, and called for a change in the way humankind

viewed the natural world.

“As crude a weapon as the cave man's club, the chemical barrage has been hurled

against the fabric of life.” - Rachel Carson (1907 - 1964)

“The ‘control of nature’ is a phrase conceived in arrogance,

born of the Neanderthal age of biology and the convenience of man.”

- Rachel Carson

“For the first time in the history of the world, every human being is now subjected to contact with dangerous chemicals,

from the moment of conception until death.” - Rachel Carson

Carson was attacked by the chemical industry as an alarmist, but courageously spoke out

to remind us that we are a vulnerable part of the natural world, and subject to the same damage

as the rest of the ecosystem.

Testifying before Congress in 1963, Carson called for new policies

to protect human health and the environment.

Rachel Carson died in 1964 after a long battle against breast cancer.

Her witness for the beauty and integrity of life continues to inspire new generations

to protect the living world and all its creatures.

www.rachelcarson.org

And yet 60 years later, many of our homes are full of toxic substances…

“Harmless, are they? Actually,

they’re anything but”

Martin Mittelstaedt investigates the health risks of items you use every day at work and at home.

Steven Mitchell, RIP

Our breasts…

Our farmland…

Raeside, Times Colonist

Our gardens…

OUR BODY BURDEN2003 EWG Study of 9 healthy adult volunteers

found 167 industrial chemicals in their bodies:

76 linked to cancer (average 53 per volunteer)94 toxic to brain and nervous system (av 62)86 interfere with hormone system (av 58)79 linked to birth defects, abnormal dev’t (av 55)77 toxic to reproductive system (av 55)77 toxic to immune system (av 53)

11 volunteers tested for 88 chemicals

Found 60 chemicals (44 per volunteer)

53 linked to reproductive disorders and child development harm

41 linked to cancer

27 linked to hormone disruption

21 linked to respiratory illnesses

www.toxicnation.ca

Toxic Nation: A Report on Pollution in Canadians (2005)

2004 EWG Study of umbilical cord blood of 10 newborn babies

287 chemical contaminantsAverage cord blood: 230 chemicals

MercuryCoal-fired power plants, mercury-containing products, certain industrial processes.

* Polyaromatic hydrocarbons Burning gasoline, garbage

Polybrominated dibenzo-dioxins and furans Brominated flame retardants; plastic production and incineration.

* Perfluorinated chemicals Teflon, Scotchgard, fabric and carpet protectors, food wrap coatings.

Polychlorinated dibenzo-dioxins and furansPVC production, industrial bleaching, and incineration.

* Organochlorine pesticidesDDT, chlordane and other pesticides.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs)Flame retardants in furniture foam, computers, televisions.

Polychlorinated NaphthalenesWood preservatives, varnishes, machine lubricating oils, waste incineration.

* Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) Industrial insulators and lubricants.

* Linked to cancer

“If ever we had proof that our nation’s pollution laws aren’t working,

it’s reading the list of industrial chemicals in the bodies of babies

who have not yet lived outside the womb.”

- Congresswoman Louise Slaughter

Does it matter? Isn’t it only in tiny amounts?

In 2003, a Belgian study found that women with breast cancer were 5 times more likely than healthy women

to have residues of the pesticide DDT in their blood.

In 2006, a US study found that men whose bodies were

contaminated with PCB 153 were 30 times more likely to have prostate cancer

than those who were not contaminated.

Audre Lorde, RIP

Hormone mimicking chemicals

“These chemicals are working at a concentration of 1/10th of a trillionth of a gram.

That is all it takes for a hormone to make a change in how an individual develops in the womb.”

- Theo Colborn

Bisphenol A…Experiments with mice show that exposure during pregnancy to very low doses of bisphenol A scrambles the chromosomes of their daughters' fertilized embryos - the pregnant female's grandchildren.

This third-generation effect is possible because the eggs of a female mammal, including human, are formed while the female is still in the womb.

Exposure to BPA at comparable levels appears

widespread among people in the United States, because of its use in

common consumer products such as polycarbonate

plastic and food cans.

www.ourstolenfuture.org

Cancer in the workplace…Between 60,000 and 80,000 Canadian and American workers die every year from cancers related to their places of work.

That’s 200 workers dying every day. Nearly all are preventable.

Dr. James Keogh was a tireless advocate for worker health and

safety in the US who exposed cases of asbestosis and lung cancer in steel and construction workers.

He died from liver cancer in June 1999, at the age of 49.

“If you poison your boss a little each day, it’s called murder.

If your boss poisons you a little each day, it’s called Threshold Limit Value.”

- Dr. James P. Keogh, MD

“Using the 1981 Doll & Peto estimates for occupational cancer

probably underestimates the occupational exposure contribution

by a factor of 2 to 4.

This would mean an occupational contribution to the cancer total of between 8% and 16%.”

- Dr. Richard Clapp, University of Boston Medical School

“For too long, policy-makers have retrospectively pleaded

‘If only we had known earlier what we know now’

I believe that what we do know now should become the basis of a bold new precautionary approach that

puts the burden of evidence on safety first.”

Dr Roberto Bertollini, Director, Special Programme on Health and Environment,

World Health Organization

What does the science say? What is the evidence

of environmental links to cancer?

Dr. Richard Clapp is an epidemiologist in the Department of Environmental Health at Boston University.

He is co-chair of Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility.

With Genevieve Howe and Molly Jacobs, he surveyed the peer-reviewed literature. Here’s a brief summary what they found…

Cancer of the: Pollutants known to be contributing factors:Bladder Arsenic in drinking water, chlorination by-products, solvents (eg

among dry cleaning workers), hair dyes, petrochemicals, coal-tars, metalworking fluids, ionizing radiation

Bone Ionizing radiation from X-rays, CT scans, nuclear exposure, medical experiments

Brain & nervous system

Solvents, paints, inks, ionizing radiation, low-frequency non-ionizing EMF radiation, pesticides, maternal consumption of cured meats during pregnancy (N-nitriso)

Breast Ionizing radiation; endocrine disruptors that mimic the actions of estrogens, found in many pesticides, fuels, plastics, detergents, and prescription drugs; the drug diethylstilbestrol (DES); solvents (eg among electronics, metals, furniture, printing, chemical, textiles and clothing industries workers); pesticides; benzene; and more

Cervix Solvents (eg among dry cleaners)

Colon Limited and inconsistent evidence: ionizing radiation, chlorination by-products

Esophagus Solvents (eg dry cleaners and dye-house workers), metal-working fluids and oils

Kidney Solvents (eg trichloroethylene TCE), pesticides, metals

Larynx Metalworking fluids, asbestos, wood dust, reactive chemicals

Cancer of the: Pollutants known to be contributing factors:Leukemia Solvents, benzene, reactive chemicals, ionizing radiation (eg

diagnostic X-rays during pregnancy), pesticides (including while pregnant)

Liver Metals (especially arsenic), solvents, ionizing radiation, reactive chemicals, PCBs

Lymph (Hodgkin’s & Non-Hodgkin’s)

Solvents, pesticides, hair-dyes

Lung Tobacco smoke, environmental (second hand) tobacco smoke, outdoor air pollution, indoor air pollution, petrochemical by-products, metalworking fluid, natural fibers (silica, wood dust, asbestos, mineral fibers), radon

Mesothelioma Asbestos

Multiple myeloma Solvents, ionizing radiation, pesticides, occupational exposure to hair dyes

Nasal & Pharynx Solvents, reactive chemicals, metalworking fluids, ionizing radiation

Ovary Pesticides, ionizing radiation, talc powder, products used by hairdressers and beauticians

Pancreas Solvents, metals (cadmium, nickel), reactive chemicals, pesticides, metalworking fluids, mineral oils

Cancer of the: Pollutants known to be contributing factors:Prostate Pesticides, endocrine disrupting chemicals such as bisphenol-A,

metallic dusts, metalworking fluids, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), fuel combustion products, aromatic amines (from cooked red meat), metals

Rectum Solvents, chlorination by-products, metalworking fluids, mineral oils

Soft Tissue Metals, reactive chemicals, ionizing radiation, pesticides

Skin Ionizing radiation (UV radiation), metals, metalworking fluids, mineral oils, creosotes, coal-tars

Stomach Metals (eg lead), ionizing radiation, pesticides, metalworking fluids, mineral oils, asbestos

Testicles Endocrine disrupting chemicals, PCBs, especially in the womb; work in agriculture, tanning, mechanical painting, mining, plastics, & metalworking industries

Thyroid Ionizing radiation (nuclear fallout, medical X-rays, workers at nuclear facilities)

Environmental and Occupational Causes of Cancer: A Review of Recent Scientific Literature

by Richard Clapp, Genevieve Howe and Molly JacobsUniversity of Massachusetts Lowell Center for Sustainable Production,

2005

Cancer - American Cancer Society May 2007

216 Environmental Chemicalsall cause breast cancer in animal tests

Guilty: All cause breast cancer in animal testsChemical Source/Use1,4-dioxane Detergents, shampoos, soaps1,3-butadiene Common air pollutant; vehicle exhaustAcrylamide Fried foodsBenzene Common air pollutant; vehicle exhaustPerfluorooctanoic acid Manufacture of TeflonStyrene Manufacture of plastics; carpets, adhesives, hobby suppliesVinyl chloride Used by plastics industry to make vinyl1,1-dichloroethane Industrial solvent; paint removersToluene diisocyanate Foam cushions, furnishings, beddingMethylene chloride Furniture polish, fabric cleaners, wood sealants, many other consumer productsPAHs Diesel and gasoline exhaustPCBs Electrical transformersAtrazine Widely used herbicide, esp. for corn

Source: Silent Spring Institute

It’s not just humans ….

The Beluga whales in the Saint Lawrence estuary are getting cancer. Their cancer death rate (1 in 4) is the same as among Canada’s humans.

The belugas in the open Arctic waters are not getting cancer.

The autopsies reveal high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, a known carcinogen, most likely from an upstream aluminum smelter.

There’s cancer in fish….

Epidemics of liver cancer have been found in 16 species of fish in 25 different polluted locations.

Also in bottom-feeding fish in industrialized and urbanized areas along Canada’s Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

In Canada’s non-polluted waters, cancer in fish is almost non-existent.

… that swim in polluted waters

There’s cancer in dogs….

Between 1975 and 1995 the incidence of bladder cancer in dogs examined at veterinary teaching schools in North America increased six-fold.

Scottish terriers whose owners had used phenoxy acid herbicides on their lawns were 4 to 7 times more likely to have bladder cancer than dogs whose owners had not.

Bladder cancer in dogs is linked to the use of insecticidal flea and tick dips, but more so if the dogs are obese, and live near another source of pesticides.

When the Scotties ate green leafy vegetables three times a week, there was a 90% reduction in their risk of cancer.

There’s cancer among California’s sea-lions…

In the coastal waters where persistent organic pollutants were dumped in the 1960s and 1970s, 1 in 5 of the sea-lions has cancer of the urinary or genital tract - the highest rate of cancer of any marine mammal.

They have toxic chemicals in their blubber that has accumulated through the

anchovies, squid, salmon and mussels they eat.

“Can anyone believe it is possible to lay down

such a barrage of poisons on the surface of

the Earth without making it unfit for all life?”

- Rachel Carson

It’s not just cancer ….

The same chemicals are also causing asthma…

• Off-gassing from chemical solvents and home and work

• Proximity to air pollution busy traffic (2-fold increased risk)

• Presence of phthalate chemicals from plastics and PVC in dust in children’s bedrooms (2-3 fold + risk)

• Toxic fumes from cleaners and air fresheners (4-fold + risk)

• Exposure to herbicides and pesticides (10-fold + risk)

and brain diseases….

Since 1980, the number of people suffering from diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Lou Gehrig’s has tripled all across the developed world.

Parkinson’s - linked to exposure to pesticides,

especially combined exposures.

Chemical testing is almost never done for the health effect

of chemical combinations.

and infertility….

From 1938 and 1990 there was an overall decline in male fertility in various countries from 113 to 66 million sperms per milliliter.

Testicular cancer has increased by 200% to 400% in some US, Canadian and European populations since 1995.

Why?• A study of tollbooth workers in Italy linked decreased sperm quality to vehicle exhaust.

• A study in Missouri showed a link to agricultural pesticides.

• In Wisconsin, women who applied herbicides 2 years prior to attempting conception were 27 x more likely to be infertile.

• Reproductive damage is also linked to brominated fire retardants, lawn care chemicals, smoking during pregnancy, and endocrine disrupting chemicals such as bisphenol A.

As well as toxic contaminants linked to cancer, there is another causal dimension to all this…

The way we farm

It began with the industrial age, when farmers started to use machinery.

This required grains to be the same height, reducing their genetic diversity.

This reduced their resistance to disease, so we started spraying with chemical pesticides

and herbicides

Plants have evolved over millions of years.They know all the tricks in the book.

When they are attacked by a fungus,they produce phytochemicals and metabolites

to defend themselves.

When humans and animals eat the phytochemicals

they play an important role in protecting against cancer.

Vitamins Antioxidants Salvestrols

Salicylic acid

When plants are sprayed against pests and fungi, they have no need to defend themselves.

So they do not need to generate the defensive compounds.

BUT……..Organic crops still have to defend themselves

Organic corn: 58% more antioxidantsOrganic strawberries: 19% more antioxidantsOrganic produce: higher levels of vitamin COrganic fruits: higher levels of salvestrols

“Although very few studies directly addressed the issue, the polyphenol content of vegetables produced by organic or sustainable agriculture is certainly higher than that of vegetables grown without stress, such as those grown in

conventional or hydroponic conditions.”

Polyphenols: food sources and bioavailability. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Volume 79(5), 2004

The quality of the soil has also been severely damaged by modern industrial farming.

50% less iron50% less calcium50% less sodium50% less copper

50% less magnesium50% less selenium

Since the 1940s & 1950s, the mineral content of food not grown organically has fallen dramatically:

Meats and cheese: 50% less ironBroccoli: 63% less calcium

Potatoes: 100% less vitamin A

Non-Organic Potatoes:

100% less vitamin A57% less vitamin C50% less iron50% less riboflavin28% less calcium18% less thiamine

Source: Globe & Mail, June 6, 2002. Story by Andre Picardquoted in The End of Food by Thomas Pawlick

Non-organic tomatoes:

61% less calcium43% less Vitamin A25% less iron23% less protein17% less Vitamin C11% less phosphorus8% less niacin

65% more fat200% more sodium (salt)

Professor Gerry Potter, Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, De Montfort University, Leicester

Gerry Potter invented the drug abiraterone in 1990 for use against prostate cancer, and was part of the team of scientists at the Institute for Cancer Research which won a prestigious Royal Society of Chemistry award in June 2011 for the discovery and clinical development of prostate cancer drug abiraterone.

Salvestrols ……are a group of recently discovered food phytonutrients which are essential for our wellbeing as a protection against cancer. They have been used by mammals as natural protectors for 150 million years.

When salvestrols are consumed, they trigger a P450 enzyme that is present in most cancer cells to produce piceatannol, which attacks the cancer cell directly.

British Journal of Cancer (2002) 86 : The cancer preventative agent resveratrol is converted to the anticancer agent piceatannol by the cytochrome P450 enzyme CYP1B1.

Professor Gerry Potter, Professor of Medicinal Chemistryat De Montfort University in Leicester

However, foods which should be rich in salvestrols are low or devoid of them because:

A. They have a bitter taste, and are being shunned for sweeter varieties.

B. They are produced by plants in response to fungal attack and other infections. When plants are sprayed with fungicides and pesticides, their production of salvestrols is impaired, since they are no longer challenged by these diseases.

100 years ago we would have consumed 10 times the amount of salvestrols we do now.

Salvestrols are particularly high in organically grown

green vegetables and red fruits

• IARC has identified over 45 pesticides as know or potential carcinogens: almost half are still used in North America.

• Farmers in industrialized countries develop and die of more cancers that the general population.

• Pesticides are in the amniotic fluid of unborn babies.

• When pesticides disrupt the endocrine system, they may contribute to cancer in the tiniest amounts.

• In a 2001 study of 96 Seattle children, only one child, who had eaten exclusively organic food, showed no measurable concentration of

organophosphates from pesticides.

Food grown using chemical pesticides…

What about our diet?

Colin and Thomas Campbell

“The science is clear. The results are unmistakable.

Change your diet and dramatically reduce

the risk of cancer, diabetes,

heart disease and obesity.”

The China Study:The first long-term study of diet, lifestyle and disease

Examined the health and diet of people in 24 provinces in rural and urban China and Taiwan who ate locally produced food, including many who were too poor to eat animal-based food.

It found 8,000 links between diet and disease….

The China Study’s findings:

• Those who ate the most plant-based food were the healthiest.

• Those who ate the most animal-based food got the most chronic diseases

• Provided there is variety, quality, and quantity, a plant-food diet can be healthy and nutritionally complete without animal-based food.

The greatest benefits came to those who ate the greatest variety,

with the least heating, salting, and processing.

Other studies have shown that:

• Greek women who eat plenty of fruit have a 35% lower risk of breast cancer; those who eat plenty of vegetables have a 47% lower risk.

• German vegetarians have a 56% reduced incidence of colon cancer.

• Japanese women who eat meat daily have an 8.5 times greater risk of breast cancer than those who rarely or never eat meat.

• British women who ate more than 90 grams of saturated fat a day had twice the risk of breast cancer than those who ate 37 grams.

Collecting Fruit (1900) Natalia Goncharova

There are other factors that contribute to the causes of cancer, too…

Electromagnetic radiation…Ionizing radiation Known carcinogens“no safe dose”

Electromagnetic radiation…

Radiofrequency EMF classified by IARC as “possibly carcinogenic” (Group 2B), May 2011

Type of Cancer Studies Median RR Range of RR's childhood leukemia 20+ 1.20 0.80-1.90childhood brain cancer 10+ 1.20 0.80-1.70childhood lymphoma 8 1.80 0.80-4.00all childhood cancer 7 1.30 0.90-1.60adult leukemia 6 1.15 0.85-1.65adult brain cancer 5 0.95 0.70-1.30all adult cancer 8 1.10 0.80-1.35

Electromagnetic Fields from Power linesRelative risk (RR) of residential exposure to power lines

John Moulder, Professor of Radiation Oncology, Medical College of Wisconsin, 2006

Large 7 year British study:Children who lived in homes within 200 metres

of high voltage power lines when they were born are almost twice as likely to get leukemia

as those born more than 600 metres away.

Aravaca, near Madrid, Spain

Cell phones and children - “not safe”

Almost 60% out of 250 research papers on the health effects of cell phone frequencies

report some form of biological effect- University of Washington analysis

"Precaution is controversial; the cell phone industry doesn't want to hear about it.

As long as there's uncertainty in the science, we wait and don't do anything, which is unfortunate.”

- Joel Tickner, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Mobile phones “more dangerous than smoking”

Study by Dr. Vini Khurana, top neurosurgeon, winner of 14 awards. Reviewed 100 studies. “There is a significant and increasing body of evidence for a link between mobile phone usage and certain brain tumours.”

Smokers worldwide: 1 billionMobile phone users worldwide: 5 billion

Independent, March 30th 2008

Nuclear power: A known cause of cancer

Uranium miners have a 2-5 times higher risk of lung cancer.

Chernobyl - up to 93,000 deaths; 90-fold increase in thyroid cancer in the contaminated area

Breast cancer in communities within 50 miles of a reactor increased 14-40% while it was operating, compared to 1% in areas without a reactor.

Smoking….

A few of the 4,000 chemicals in secondhand smoke, several of which are cancer causing agents

Benzene 2-Napthylamine 4-Aminobiphenyl Nickel Polonium 210 (radioactive) Nitrogen oxides N-Nitrosodimethylamine N-Nitrosodiethylamine N-Nitrosopyrrolidine 1,3-Butadiene Analine Formaldehyde Hydrazine N-Nitrodiethanolamine Cadmium Benzo[a]pyrene Benz[a]anthracene Y-Butyrolactone Particulate matter N-Nitrosonornicotine Carbon monoxide Carbonyl sulfide Toluene Acrolein Acetone Pyridine 3-Methylpyridine 3-Vinylpyridine Hydrogen cyanide Ammonia Methylamine Dimethylamine Nicotine Anatabine Phenol Catechol Hydorquinone Cholesterol Quinoline Zinc Benzoic acid Lactic acid Glycolic acid Succinic acit PCDDs and PCDFs (Dioxins, Dibenzofurans) Formic acid Acetic acid Methyl chloride

Table 3-1, 1992 EPA ReportRespiratory Health Effects of Passive Smoking

www.gasp.org/chemicals.html

Smoking….

The Marlboro Man…He’s a man’s man..

Three men who appeared in Marlboro advertisements - Wayne McLaren, David McLean and Dick Hammer -

all died of lung cancer.

Wayne McLaren, who posed on behalf of Marlboro in 1976, succumbed to lung cancer at age 51 in July 1992.

He was a former professional rodeo rider who had a pack-and-a-half a day smoking habit. He was diagnosed with lung cancer at age 49.

After learning he had cancer, McLaren embarked on an anti-smoking campaign.

Tobacco executive on why he doesn’t smoke:

“Are you kidding? We reserve that right for

the poor, the young, the black

and the stupid.”

Globally, smoking kills 5 million people

every year.

There’s another kind of smoke that causes cancer,

too…

Diesel exhaust…

Deaths from lung cancer increase by 8% for every 10 mg of fine particulate matter per cubic meter

New York: 16 mg Chicago: 18 mg

Los Angeles: 20 mgCairo: 159 mg

Calcutta: 145 mgNew Delhi: 177 mg

Overall, diesel exhaust from cars, buses, trucks, off-road equipment and cruise liners

contributes to more than 125,000 cases of cancer a year, almost 9% of all cancer cases in the US.

Formaldehyde Recognized carcinogen. Carbon tetrachloride Recognized carcinogen. Ranked as one of the most hazardous

compounds to ecosystems and human health. Aniline Recognized carcinogen. Methanol Suspected carcinogen. Benzene Recognized carcinogen. Acetaldehyde Recognized carcinogenToluene-2, 6-diisocyanate Recognized carcinogen.

Ranked as one of the most hazardous compounds to human health. Napthalene Recognized carcinogen. Ethylbenzene Recognized carcinogen. Styrene Suspected carcinogen. 1,3 Butadiene Recognized carcinogen. Toluene Recognized developmental toxicant.Toluen-2, 4-diisocyanate Recognized carcinogen. 2,6-Dinitrotoluene Recognized carcinogen. Phosphorous (yellow or white) Ranked as one of the most hazardous compounds to ecosystems

and human health. Dinitrotoluene (mixed isonomers) Suspected carcinogen. Chromium and its compounds Suspected carcinogen. Cobalt and its compounds Recognized carcinogen. Manganese and its compounds Ranked as one of the most hazardous compounds to human health. Nickel and its compounds Recognized carcinogen

“Found in diesel engine exhaust”

Assembled by Leo Petrilli, Windsor, OntarioCommission for Environmental Cooperation Report

Children’s Health and the Environment in North America

By Priyanka Balasubramanyam, Age 10, Qatar

So what contributes to the causes of cancer?

The Full Picture

Personal and dietary factorsSmokingSun tanningAbsence of UV light (Vit. D)ObesityLack of regular exercise

Personal and dietary factorsSmokingSun tanningAbsence of UV light (Vit.D)ObesityLack of regular exercise

Other food factors:Processed foodsBGH in milkSugar and alcoholSmoked meatsNon-organic foodPesticides


Other food factors:Processed foodsBGH in milkSugar and alcoholSmoked meatsNon-organic foodPesticides

Workplace exposureSolventsHeavy metalsDiesel fuelBenzeneAsbestos +++


Other food factorsProcessed foodsBGH in milkSugar and alcoholSmoked meatsNon-organic foodPesticides


RadiationSolar UVIonizing radiationEMF radiationRadiation from nuclear




RadiationSolar UVIonizing radiationEMF radiation

Radiation from nuclear

Air pollutionSecond hand smokeBenzeneDieselAsbestosIndoor air pollutantsCoal-fired power







Water pollutionChlorine by-productsIndustrial chemicalsPesticide residuesFluorideHormone disruptors








Toxic productsCosmeticsFire retardantsSolventsNon-stick agentsCleaning productsBuilding productsPlasticizersSome drugsHormone replacement therapySome surgical implants









Natural carcinogensRadon gasFungal aflotoxins in food










Infectious agentsHepatitis B & CHIVHuman Papilloma virus










Infectious agentsHepatitis B & CHIVHuman Papilloma virusReduced immunity

Toxic substances that weakenthe immune system’s abilityto fight cancer











Reduced immunityToxic substances that weaken the immune system’s ability to fight cancer

Endocrine disruptorsEndocrine disrupting chemicalsIncreased exposure to natural estrogenLoss of darkness, reducing melatonin











Reduced immunityToxic substances that weaken the immune systems ability to fight cancer


Exposure to toxic substances By parents or grandparents

Before conceptionIn the womb

During infancyIn puberty













Exposure to toxic substances By parents or grandparentsBefore conceptionIn the wombDuring infancyIn puberty

Other factorsFamily history of cancer

PovertyLoss of Vitamin D

from sunlightGenetic variability














Other factorsFamily history of cancerPovertyLoss of Vitamin D from sunlightGenetic variability

Personal and dietary factorsSmokingSun tanningAbsence of UV lightObesityLack of regular exercise













Other factorsFamily history of cancerPovertyLoss of Vitamin D from sunlightGenetic variability

Is it any wonder

that people get cancer?

Part 3:

WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?

We need a new paradigm of understanding

THE OLD PARADIGM SAYS… The 20th century increase in cancer is mostly caused

by our lifestyles.

THE NEW PARADIGM SAYS… The 20th century increase in cancer is caused

by many interacting factors.

THE OLD PARADIGM SAYS… THE NEW PARADIGM SAYS… 1. The 20th century increase in cancer is mostly caused by our lifestyles, and only a very little by environmental and workplace carcinogens.

1. The 20th century increase in cancer is caused by many interacting factors, including toxic chemicals, radiation, and health-deficient food. (5)

2. Doll and Peto's 1981 report laid down the causes of cancer: smoking 30%, diet 20-50%, pollution 1-5%, occupational exposures 2-4%.

2. Doll and Peto’s report contains key research flaws and no longer reflects current evidence. Much was not known at the time, and they also had doubts of their own.

3. Poor diet is a major cause of cancer. Pesticide residues pose negligible risks. Organic food is left out of the equation.

3. Poor diet, including processed foods, is a major risk for cancer. Pesticide residues contribute to more cancers. Organic food needs to be included in all studies.

THE OLD PARADIGM SAYS… Poor diet is a major cause of cancer.

Pesticide residues pose negligible risks.

Organic food is not important

THE NEW PARADIGM SAYS…Poor diet is a risk-factor for cancer.

Pesticide residues contribute to cancer.

Organic food needs to be considered in all studies.

THE OLD PARADIGM SAYS…Chemicals are assumed safe until proven harmful.

In the US, 60,000 pre-1976 chemicals remain in use without health and safety testing.

THE NEW PARADIGM SAYS…

Chemicals are assumed harmful until proven safe.

All suspect chemicals and hazardous substances must be tested.

THE OLD PARADIGM SAYS…The process of risk assessment gives a valid measure of acceptable risk.

THE NEW PARADIGM SAYS…Where there is indication of harm to human health and the environment, the precautionary principle should be applied to preclude that risk.

Paracelsus, 1493-1541

THE OLD PARADIGM SAYS…‘The dose makes the poison.’ (Paracelsus, 16th century). Very small doses pose negligible risks.

THE NEW PARADIGM SAYS…Very small doses of some substances (eg bisphenol A) sometimes have a more harmful effect than larger doses.

THE OLD PARADIGM SAYS…We can control most cancers if we stop smoking,

and devote enough money to research for the cure.

THE NEW PARADIGM SAYS…We can prevent most cancers if we stop smoking,

remove man-made carcinogens and endocrine disruptors, and eat local organic food.

By Apiwat Sermklang, age 12, Thailand

We need to steer our planet to a very different future

The Age of Fossil Fuels and the Age of Cancer

are in many ways one and the same.

Many of our cancers are caused, directly or indirectly

by our use of fossil fuels.

We use fossil fuels to makemost chemicals,

most pesticides, most fertilizers,and most automotive fuels.

We have to stop usingfossil fuels

because of global climate change.

These problems are all very closely

linked together.

Sweden plans to end its

dependency on oil by 2030

More use of biofuelsBiomass district heatingHybrid and ethanol cars

Renewable electricity

Sweden: 9 million people

Guy Dauncey 2007Guy Dauncey 2007www.earthfuture.com www.earthfuture.com

Sweden has plans to phase out all hazardous substances by 2020

“What about

Canada doing that,

too?”

We need a national Toxics Use Reduction Act

as Massachusetts has had since 1990

Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Act

• All large chemical users pay a fee on their chemical use.

• They are required to develop a Toxics Use Reduction Plan, and to cost it out.

• The fees support the Toxics Use Reduction Institute, which helps them find safe alternatives.

• When they cost out their plans, most companies find that it is cheaper to reduce.

By 2000, Massachusetts’ largest industries had reduced:

Toxic chemical use by 40%Releases of carcinogens by 76%

Toxic releases to the environment by 90%

More than 2/3 of the firms collectively saved $14 million,

while increasing production by a third.

We need Green Chemistry, based on a deeper understanding of how

the natural world works

Regular chemistry uses carbon and many elements from the periodic table, and applies relatively simple reagent designs.

This often results in substances and elements unknown to nature, many of which are toxic to nature.

Nature takes only a handful of common elements, but uses a huge range of elaborate biochemical processes to achieve its ends. It is far more complex, but results in zero pollution.

Green chemistry is learning from Nature, to create the products we need with fewer elements, more intelligence, and no toxic waste.

By Sneha Balan, age 9, Qatar

Our children instinctively understand green chemistry

We need all businesses to adopt these goals:

Zero wasteEco-Designs

Zero emissionsZero discharge

Toxics use reductionCradle-to-cradle design

Safe WorkersSafe Neighbourhoods

And to move towards Full Sustainability

Save the Sea, by Nattanicha Kongsathitporn, age 14, Thailand

We need to roll up our old, polluting habits, and have done with them.

We need a new approach to regulations that follows the Precautionary Principle, not the needs of the chemical industry.

We need to phase out

the most harmful substances altogether

And that includes asbestos.

We need both the Canadian and the US government

to ban the production and export

of asbestos.

We need to encourage everyone to avoid toxic products,

adopt healthy habits,and eat locally grown organic food.

We need much more local organic farming

We can grow 45+ varieties of winter vegetable in our coastal climate

ArugulaBeet Greens

Beets Broccoli

Brussels SproutsCabbages

CarrotsCauliflowers

Celeriac Chard

Chinese Coriander CilantroCollards

Corn SaladJerusalem Artichokes

Kale KohlrabiLeeksOnionsParsleyParsnip

Perpetual SpinachRed Russian Kale

RutabagaScallionsSpinach

Swiss Chard Turnips

Winter-Hardy Lettuces

The Zero-Mile Diet

A Year-Round to Growing Organic Gardening Food

By Carolyn Herriot

11 foods, in particular, are active cancer-fighters

1: The Cabbage FamilyBrussels sprouts - collard greens - kale - broccoli - cauliflower

glucosinolates & isothiocynates

2: Garlic & Onionsleeks, shallots & chivesProtective action against cell-growth

Fresh crushed garlic is far better than garlic supplements

3: SoySoybeans - miso - dry roasted beans - soy sauce - tofu - soy milk

isoflavones

4: TurmericCurcuminoids, very potent antioxidants

5: Japanese Green TeaPolyphenols - flavanols

6: BerriesStrawberries - raspberries - cranberries - blueberries - blackberries

Ellagic acid

7: Omega-3 Fatty AcidsFresh walnuts - flax seed - sardines - herring - mackerel - wild salmon

8: Tomatoeslycopene

9: Citrus Fruit

orangeslemons

grapefruit limes

Phytochemical compounds

10: Grapes, Red Wineresveratrol

11: Dark Chocolatepolyphenols

www.stayingalivecookbook.com

Available from theLabour

Environmental Alliance Society

www.leas.ca

$10

Produced by theEnvironmental Health Association of Nova Scotia

www.environmentalhealth.ca

www.lesstoxicguide.ca

We need to ensure absolutely that our children

are protected from harm

“Keep your chemicals out of my womb”

Breastfeeding reduces the risk of cancer in children

and ovarian, breast and other cancers

in mothers.

We need to encourage all our schoolsto become Green, Healthy Schools

Schools can grow gardens too…

The Edible Schoolyard, in San Francisco

By Lakshimi Shree A.J.S., age 8, India

We need to honour the hopesof our children

We need to become activists. We need to form community action groups

that can educate, campaign, advocate, and make a difference.

Sharon BattAuthor, advocate, journalist, professor

and a founding member of Breast Cancer Action Montreal

We need to teach our communities how they can monitor for harmful chemicals,

to protect their own health.

The Louisiana Bucket Brigadewww.labucketbrigade.org

We need to encourage our health care professionalsto promote healthy parenting,champion cancer prevention,

and support the precautionary principle.

We need to encourage our

citiesto adopt

green city policies

andcancer prevention

action plans,as Toronto has.

Green City by Yoshita Parapitak, age 11, Thailand

We need to work togetherto end this epidemic of cancer

Both for our own future,

and for those who have already lost their lives to cancer, too soon…

We need to treat our Earth

with every bit as much loveas we treat

our own children.

Prevent Cancer Now“To eliminate the preventable causes of cancer.”

www.preventcancernow.ca

CANCER:101 Solutions to a

Preventable Epidemic

By Liz Armstrong, Guy Dauncey and Anne Wordsworth

New Society Publishers, 2007

$20.00

Thankyou

Guy Dauncey

www.earthfuture.com

[email protected]

Health & Medicine

Cancer - The Parallel Path