Environmental pollutants toxic to our health

The President’s Panel on Cancer reported that the burden of cancers that are environmentally induced, have been greatly underestimated and urged that action is needed to reduce people’s carcinogen exposure.

Obama was advised by the panel to use his presidential power to eliminate toxins from our air, water, and food. They also said that these toxins are increasing health care costs, crippling our productivity, and causing devastation in American lives.

The report consists of 240 pages, and it is the first time the Cancer Panel has focused on environmental cancer causes. Congress created the panel in 1971, and it is responsible with monitoring the National Cancer Program and reports are made on an annual basis.

In a letter to Obama that was written prior to the report, the panel stated that Americans are bombarded with exposure even before they are born. Also in the letter, the panel brought attention to bisphenol A. This chemical is used in some plastics and linings in cans. Along with formaldehyde, benzene, and radon, bisphenol A is not regulated.
The two member panel includes Dr. LaSalle D. Lefall Jr., a surgery professor at Howard University and Dr. Margaret Kripke. She is a professor at the Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas. Before writing their report, they met with almost 50 experts in medicine.

The report suggest raising consumer awareness of the risks in our food, air, and water. They also advised that doctors should use imagery testing and CT scans more cautiously due to the radiation. The panel also pointed a finger at the military, saying it is one of the more major sources of environmental and and occupational toxins.