A recent report by the President’s Cancer Panel highlighted the link between chemicals and cancer, finding that the “true burden of environmentally induced cancer has been grossly underestimated.” The Panel urged President Obama “most strongly to use the power of your office to remove the carcinogens and other toxins from our food, water, and air that needlessly increase health care costs, cripple our Nation’s productivity, and devastate American lives.”
The President’s Cancer Panel was formed in 1971, monitors the National Cancer Program, and reports to the President each year. The report is the first to focus on environmental causes of cancer.
The introduction to the report specifically mentions the dangers of chemical bisphenol A (BPA). Exposure to BPA is linked to several diseases, but it remains unregulated and is in many products in our country. Learn about how to avoid BPA from the Environmental Working Group (EWG).
The National Council of Churches Eco-Justice Program has resources on environmental health that address many of the issues included in the Panel’s report. To learn more about how to protect yourself from environmental exposure to chemicals, visit the NCC Eco-Justice webpage on environmental health. There you can also endorse the Christian Principles for a Healthy Body and Spirit.
EWG has released a list of ways to limit your exposure to environmental toxins in your home. Download the list on EWG’s website. GreenFaith has a toxics self-audit for houses of worship to explore and reduce the number of chemicals in their buildings.
As we learn more about these threats to human health, to which children are especially vulnerable, may we work to care for our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19).