Forum

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• Forum  Reach   Nos enfants en contact avec les
  produits chimiques dangereux  jusquà quand ?
• Brussels, October 17, 2005
• Le Plan dAction de lOMS pour lenvironnement et
  la santé des enfants en Europe (CEHAPE) répond-il
  aux problèmes des produits chimiques ?
• Genon K. Jensen
• European Public Health Alliance Environment
  Network
• Strategic Director

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Who is EEN?

• Created in 2003, pan European umbrella network of
  not for profit NGOs from health and environmental
  sector.
• Health prevention and patient NGOs, health
  professionals (doctors, nurses, midwives),
  womens groups, consumer groups)
• 40 member organisations in 18 countries across
  Europe (18 Int/European networks)
• Highlight the health dimension of environmental
  policy, the costs of pollution and the benefits
  of a more sustainable environment
• Increase the knowledge and participation of the
  health community in EU environmental policy

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What do we do Advocacy and awareness raising

• Participation in stakeholder groups, conferences,
  campaigns
• Chemicalreaction www.chemicalreaction.org
• WWF Family Biomonitoring
• Advocacy in European Parliament, Commission,
  Council discussions and policy papers, press
  releases
• Publications
• Childrens environmental health challenges
  booklet (2003)
• Fact sheet on environmental contaminants and
  breastfeeding (English, French and German)
• Sick of chemicals booklet (English, German)
• Breast cancer an environmental disease

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Examples of publications

• www.env-health.org

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main links between environment and health effects
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Fourth WHO Ministerial Conference on Environment
and Health, June 2004

• 52 ministers of health and environment from
  across Pan European Region
• CEHAPE goals 4 Regional Priorities
• Respiratory disease and air quality
• Diseases related to poor water quality and
  sanitation
• Accidents and urban environment
• Neurodevelopmental and related diseases and
  hazardous chemicals

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Regional Priority Goal 4 on Chemicals

• Nous nous engageons à réduire le risque de
  maladies et dincapacités résultant de
  lexposition à des substances chimiques
  dangereuses (telles que les métaux lourds), à des
  agents physiques (bruit excessif, par exemple) et
  à des agents bio-logiques, ainsi quà des cadres
  de travail dangereux au cours de la grossesse, de
  lenfance et de ladolescence.
• Nous avons lintention de réduire la proportion
  denfants atteints danomalies congénitales, de
  retard mental et de troubles du développement et
  de faire baisser lincidence des cancers de la
  peau (prenant ou non la forme de mélanomes) au
  cours de la vie adulte et dautres cancers de
  lenfance
• a) en adoptant et en faisant respecter des
  dispositions législatives et réglementaires, et
  en mettant en œuvre des conventions et programmes
  nationaux et internationaux qui visent
• i) à réduire lexposition des enfants et des
  femmes enceintes à des substances chimiques et
  agents physiques et biologiques dangereux à des
  niveaux qui nont pas deffets néfastes sur la
  santé des enfants

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European Parliamentary briefing hosted by EEN
and WWFBrussels 24th May
Chemical concerns for public health - How
REACH can help Scientific views from Dr Roberto
Bertollini, WHO Director of WHO special programme
on Health and Environment Professor Jonathan
Grigg Professor of Paediatrics, Leicester
University, UK

• CONCLUSIONS
• Data on chemicals needed
• Call for precautionary action
• Right to know about harmful chemicals in products

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Tip of the toxicity iceberg
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How CEHAPE addresses uncertainty

• Nous reconnaissons que nous ne comprenons pas
  parfaitement la nature et lampleur des effets
  sanitaires que lexposition à des agents de
  lenvironnement a sur les organismes en
  développement, de la période prénatale à
  ladolescence. Cependant, eu égard aux données
  dont nous disposons déjà sur le rôle de plusieurs
  facteurs environnementaux dans lapparition de
  maladies et de lésions chez les enfants, et dans
  la production deffets qui ne deviennent
  manifestes quà lâge adulte, nous devons nous
  engager à mener maintenant une action coordonnée
  et soutenue pour protéger la santé des enfants,
  aujourdhui et dans lavenir.
• Article 7, CEHAPE

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CEHAPE country commitments

• To develop and start the implementation of
  national plans by 2007
• To include child-specific actions in the plans
  and to setting quantitative targets
• To ensure collaboration with all sectors
  including new stakeholders
• To use new and/or adapting existing national
  bodies
• To establish new mechanisms that ensure
  implementation

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How can CEHAPE make a difference?

• Working groups
• CEHAPE Task Force
• European Environment and Health Committee (EECH)
• Electronic tools
• Web-based country map with progress and good
  examples

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WHO -- www.who.dk/eehcTo be launched 19 October
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Example of how countries can report on Regional
Priority Goal

• Chemicals What are the priorities in your
  country on reducing childrens exposure to
  chemicals
• What new policies and measures are underway to
  reduce exposure?
• Are there measures to protect children against
  hazardous chemicals in toys or other household
  items?
• Are there measures to reduce the risks posed by
  building materials, eg asbestos, creosote, flame
  retardants etc.
• Are the Stockholm, Basel and Rotterdam
  Conventions applied?
• Is there monitoring of levels of chemical
  contaminants in soil, food and water?
• Is there monitoring of reproductive health
  indicators such as congenital malformations, to
  detect potential hazards?
• What other international policies or legislation
  are important for your country?

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Next opportunities for political commitment in
practice

• CEHAPE Task Force, October 20-21, 2005
• European Environment and Health Committee,
  December 12-13, 2005
• Youth participation
• EEN Childrens Investigation into Chemicals
  workshop, November 10, Brussels

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EPHA Environment Network

• 39-41 Rue dArlons
• B-1000 Brussels
• Belgium
• Tel [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• info_at_env-health.org
• www.env-health.org