Protecting ourselves against cancer-causing chemicals
With the toxins in the food we eat, the water we drink, and the very air we breathe, it comes like a breath of fresh air that the
In cooperation with the United Nations, representatives of the government, industry, and public interest non-government organizations (NGOs) recently launched a novel initiative that involves the setting up of a non-combustion facility for destroying persistent organic pollutants (POPs), known as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
In an e-mail, Manny Calonzo of the EcoWaste Coalition, shared that the momentous launch, held during the week-long Earth Day celebration, was led by Dr. Mohamed Eisa of the Vienna-based United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the implementing agency for the project; Julian Amador of the Department of Environment and NaturalResources–Environmental Management Bureau, the national executing agency; and Stefan Saño of the Philippine National Oil Company–Alternative Fuels Corporation, the operating entity.
Dr. Eisa, head of UNIDO’s Stockholm Convention and Chemicals Management Unit, praised the country’s commitment to the project, which is part of an international program supported by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) that will demonstrate the feasibility of non-incineration technologies for destroying obsolete POPs stockpiles and wastes. The project will run for 48 months, beginning 2008. It will cost US$11,770,880, with GEF providing a grant of US$4,108,500.
The local owners of the PCBs-containing equipment and wastes, particularly the Manila Electric Company, National Power Corporation, and the National Transmission Corporation, will pay for the services estimated at US$2,512,380. The other project partners will contribute in cash as well as in kind.
Says Von Hernandez, executive director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia and Steering Committee member of the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives,”This initiative will hopefully help us safely deal with the toxic legacies associated with the past use of POPs in the country. The intention to use non-burn systems to dispose of these pollutants shows clearly that there are safer alternatives to waste incineration. The solution to the problem of toxic and hazardous wastes, however, ultimately lies in the implementation of clean production in the industrial sector.”
Slovakian scientist Dr. Martin Murin, also of UNIDO, describes PCBs as extremely toxic industrial chemicals used primarily as heat exchange fluids in electrical transformers and capacitors, and as additives in paint, carbonless copy paper, and plastics. Now, we know.
Murin stresses that exposure to PCBs, even at very low levels, can cause a host of adverse effects on human health, like damaging key systems in the body such as the immune, endocrine, nervous, digestive, and reproductive systems.
The US Environmental Protection Agency and the International Agency for Research on Cancer have classified PCBs as probable human carcinogens or substances that can cause cancers of the brain, skin, liver, gall bladder, biliary tract, gastrointestinal tract.
In the
Mindful of these perils to public health and the environment, the Philippine government, the industry and the civil society, with the support of the United Nations, have come together to realize a collaborative venture that will rid the country of these highly toxic chemical wastes.
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Fit, fab, and flu-free
We all want to be fit and fab. That is why we try to eat healthy, exercise, avoid smoking, drink in moderation, as well as stay away from people who are vexations to the spirit, live more, laugh more, and stress less.
Did we forget something? Is there something else we can do to promote our well-being?
Well, have you gotten yourself vaccinated?
Getting vaccinated is another step towards leading a healthy lifestyle. Because an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and with the rising cost of medicine, preventive healthcare has become more and more important.
“Vaccination is one of the best examples of preventing diseases,” says Dr. Anne Marie Lagman, head of the Immunizers Group.
But adults have this mistaken notion that only children need vaccination. As much as children, adults are vulnerable to serious diseases, sometimes even more. The older we get, the more likely we are to have weaker immune systems because of medical conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, asthma, among others. All these medical conditions put us at risk of other potentially life-threatening diseases which may be prevented by vaccines.
One such vaccine-preventable disease is influenza, better known as the flu or trangkaso.
The flu is a highly contagious viral illness characterized by fever, sore throat, fatigue, coughing, and headaches. Since the flu is spread through respiratory droplets, it may spread through coughing, sneezing or by touching a contaminated object.
Complications of this seemingly harmless disease include pneumonia, dehydration, and worsening of medical conditions like heart disease, diabetes, or asthma. Anyone who wants to be protected from the flu should be vaccinated once every year. In the
Got questions on how vaccinations can protect yourself and your family? Let Immunizers help you. Immunizers Greenhills is located at the ground floor of The Health Cube 226, Wilson St., Greenhills, San Juan City; telefax 744-5552 to 53, mobile number 09065796300; e-mail info@immunizers.net; log on t www.immunizers.com.ph. Immunizers Makati is located at the second floor, Medicus, 118 Jupiter St., Bel-Air, Makati City; telephone number 897-3810 or 40; mobile 09166142532; e-mail info@immunizers.ne; visit www.immunizers.com.ph.
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