Cancer Prevention
As a union we understand the need to identify what diseases and other illnesses are originating from within our workplaces. We are well aware of the fact that at least one quarter of our lives is spent in the workplace. So, by finding out what causes cancer, we can reduce or eliminate these chemical exposures in the workplace as well as what is emitted into our environment.
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People Power
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Collectively, we need to demand that politicians implement strong, enforceable regulations that protect us in the workplace, protect our environment and ultimately protect our health.
Can cancer really be beaten? We believe the answer is yes! We can beat this disease the same way we have won all of our battles – by drawing a line in the sand as we continue to defend our members and their families by demanding a better life for all Canadians. |
Prevention vs. Cures
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Well over half of all cancers are ‘environmental’ – that is, they’re not caused by genes inherited from our parents, but from exposures in the womb and throughout life after our birth. What we do to the environment, we do to ourselves – and to our children.
To prevent cancer, we’re urged to stop smoking – better still, never start – eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies, limit alcohol consumption, and exercise regularly. This is all very good advice. But even more cancers can be prevented if we reduce or eliminate cancer-causing substances from the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat – and from numerous consumer and personal products we use daily. In North America, an estimated 80,000 synthetic chemicals are in commercial use; another 1,000 or more are added each year. Complete information on the toxicology of these chemicals is available on only 7%. While many of these chemicals persist in the environment and accumulate in body fat, such as breast tissue, more than 90% have never been tested for their effects on human health. Leading cancer scientists are realizing that the costly search for drugs to treat the more than 200 diseases that make up cancer is an endless black hole, and that far more attention should be paid to finding the causes of genetic mutations that lead to deadly tumors. Currently, less than 2% of the half-billion dollars spent on cancer research in Canada goes into primary prevention, according to the Canadian Cancer Research Alliance. Enormous spending on research over the past 50 years has not found the elusive “cure” for cancer. Where cancer rates have dropped, there is a clear link to prevention efforts. |
Moving Forward
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As the Baby Boom generation gets older, even more Canadians will be diagnosed with cancer. But it’s not just our aging population – the incidence of many cancers in Canada, such as breast, prostate and non-Hodgkins lymphoma, are among the highest in the world. According to data from Cancer Research UK, North America has the highest percentage of deaths worldwide due to all cancers – at 23%.
Even worse, the umbilical cord blood of every infant on Earth now contains scores of cancer-causing substances, such as pesticides, solvents, hormones and heavy metals – all commonly found in the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat, including breat milk. |
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