Latest posts in Docs Talk
It's important to reduce toxics at work and at home
A Toronto sewer bylaw adopted in 2000 restricted what could be discharged into sanitary, stormwater and natural watercourses. The result was that health-care facilities and others requested cleaning products that did not contain the forbidden ingredients. (Credit: D'Arcy Norman via Flickr)
Docs Talk: Why did the Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care decide to review toxic chemicals in cleaning products?
Dr. Marshall: Toxics-use reduction, along with energy and water conservation and increased local food use, is part of health-care providers doing their bit for the health of the people and the communities we serve. While cleaning products must display hazard symbols to warn of acute effects like poisoning or irritation, information about ingredients with potential chronic health effects is not on the label. Not only is there concern for product users' health, but product wastes go down the drain, exposing the local environment to potentially hazardous materials.
A Toronto sewer bylaw adopted in 2000 restricted what could be discharged into sanitary, stormwater and natural watercourses, and the result was that health-care facilities and others, their awareness raised with legal clout, requested cleaning products that did not contain the forbidden ingredients. That led to a win-win reformulation of safer products for all Canadians. The Environmental Reporting and Disclosure Bylaw and ChemTRAC outline 25 priority substances for businesses to report and plan to reduce. Building on this legislative initiative, the Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care established a Safer Chemical Policy alliance, green product assessment criteria, and a database of resources from across the country.
Continue reading »Replacing screen time with green time is good for kids
The keys to change are clear education about the benefits of nature exposure and reducing social and economic barriers to change. (Credit: Melissa Lem)
Melissa Lem is a Toronto family physician who also works in rural and remote communities across Canada. Much of her childhood was spent exploring the beautiful parks and green spaces of Ontario. She holds a faculty appointment with the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto, is a regular guest blogger on the environment and health for Evergreen, and enjoys being the resident medical expert on CBC television's lifestyle show Steven and Chris. Docs Talk asked Dr. Lem how contact with nature can affect child development.
Docs Talk: What are some of the problems you are seeing in children who don't have a strong connection to nature? How common are these kinds of health issues in children?
Dr. Lem: Time spent in nature is essential for healthy psychological and physical development in children. In fact, some researchers suggest that daily doses of "green time" can be used to prevent and treat many medical conditions.
Continue reading »Environmental health is a matter of intergenerational justice
It's not fair that we leave our descendants to pay with their health and security for the environmental damage we created, knowingly or unknowingly. (Credit: Peggy Olive)
Peggy Olive is Scientist Emeritus at the British Columbia Cancer Agency. Her research focused on the use of DNA damage as a way to predict patient response to cancer treatments. She is involved with the Suzuki Elders, a voluntary association of self-identified elders working with and through the David Suzuki Foundation to mentor, motivate and support other elders and younger generations in dialogue and action on environmental issues. Docs Talk asked Dr. Olive to share her thoughts on the intergenerational dimension of environmental health issues.
Docs Talk: What motivated you to volunteer as a Suzuki Elder?
Dr. Olive: In November 2009, I awoke to hear CBC's Vancouver morning-show host Rick Cluff announcing a meeting to be held that day at the Vancouver Public Library. The Suzuki Elders were hosting an Elders and Environment Forum. Although I'd been a volunteer with the David Suzuki Foundation since retiring earlier that year, I hadn't known about this group, so I attended the meeting, which led to my joining the Association of Suzuki Elders with the intention of motivating myself and others to action on critical environmental issues. We've recently organized a successful second forum, and our membership is growing.
Continue reading »Coping with climate change is a family matter
(Credit: Difei via Flickr)
Michael Ocana is a child-and-adolescent psychiatrist in Kelowna, B.C., with an interest in the climate crisis. Docs Talk asked Dr. Ocana to share his ideas on how to take care of our mental health in the face of environmental challenges and how to support our children as they grow up in a changing world.
Docs Talk: What emotions are involved in our response to the climate crisis?
Dr. Ocana: First of all, I have found that integrating an awareness of the implications of climate change is difficult. It is not easy to image that the world may be profoundly different for our children or grandchildren. When we do, we might experience sadness, anger, frustration, anxiety and guilt. Processing these emotions is no small task. Our culture includes strong social pressure to "think positive" and "put on a brave face." We can face resistance from others as we wrestle with a new awareness. In our modern world there is rarely the social network available to support our experience of such powerful emotions. The power of the individual to influence change seems so small. It is easy to give up, believing that any action we take will be meaningless. Yet we do have an influence no matter how tiny. We can't entirely distance ourselves from shared responsibility. The potential for guilt and psychic dissonance sets in. It may even feel as if we are facing a decision between denial and succumbing to anxiety and paranoia. The path between these two extremes can feel like a tightrope.
Continue reading »Pesticides bans are healthy for environment and people
If you live in a province that hasn't already banned cosmetic pesticides, tell your representative that you want legislation to ensure a clean environment for you and your children (Credit: OlivIreland via Flickr).
Cathy Vakil is a family doctor in Kingston, Ontario, and an assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine at Queen's University. She is an active member of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) board of directors and the Ontario College of Family Physicians Environmental Health Committee. She co-authored the Pesticide Literature Review published by the Ontario College of Family Physicians in 2004. As a follow-up to her earlier posting in this series, Docs Talk asked Dr. Vakil to reflect on recent developments in pesticide science and policy.
Docs Talk: What prompted you to become involved in pesticide issues?
Dr. Vakil: As a family doctor, I consider preventative medicine the best way to deal with health issues. Maintaining a healthy environment is key to a healthy population. There has been a lot of controversy about the health effects of pesticides for many decades, particularly with respect to cancer, and especially childhood cancer. I became more aware and concerned about pesticides when my children were young and I was worried about the harmful effects of contaminants on the food they were eating. This led me to explore the research on pesticides and health.
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