Unacceptable Risk: Dr. Margaret Kripke on Cancer and the Environment, tells the story of a prominent cancer researcher who began to rethink her assumptions about the causes of cancer and the true burden of environmentally-induced cancers.
Dr. Margaret Kripke on Cancer and the Environment
Environmental Health Trust is sharing this information excerpted from the Cancer Free Economy
The Cancer Free Economy (CFE), a network of leading organizations, experts and stakeholders from multiple sectors, has issued a call to action. The science is clear: To reduce the burden of cancer, we must address environmental causes.
Unacceptable Risk: Dr. Margaret Kripke on Cancer and the Environment, a documentary that chronicles the story of a prominent cancer researcher who came to rethink her assumptions about the causes of cancer and the influence of toxic chemicals in our everyday environment. Dr. Kripke was appointed by George W. Bush to serve on the President’s Cancer Panel (2003-2010). She learned from expert testimony presented to the Panel that only a fraction of the 80,000-plus chemicals on the market in the U.S. are tested for safety, and many known and suspected carcinogens are unregulated, making exposure to environmental carcinogens a widespread and daily occurrence for most Americans.
“In the United States, we only regulate chemicals after evidence of harm. This is in contrast to other Western countries which require proof of safety prior to release. In the United States, there are no incentives for developing safer alternatives,” Kripke said. “We need high throughput screening tests to determine what is going to cause cancer before things go on the market, a kind of green chemistry so that companies can make safer products.”
To find out more about the Cancer Free Economy Network and to see a full list of actions and ways to get involved for National Cancer Prevention Day/Month, visit CancerFreeEconomy.org/NationalCancerPrevention.
The Cancer Free Economy Network is a dynamic, collaborative network among diverse teams of experts and stakeholders from the environmental and social justice, health, science, policy, legal, labor, business and communications sectors who have come together to accelerate progress towards a society that values healthy communities above profit.
For more information about the initiative go to https://www.cancerfreeeconomy.org/UnacceptableRisk/
