The Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments sent a letter to Congress on Sept. 5 in support of the Report on Carcinogens, a recurring scientific study that identifies cancer-causing chemicals and is published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
AHNE sent the letter to key House members, including Rep. Danny Rehberg, R-Mon., whose proposed 2013 budget for Labor, Health and Human Services would eliminate funding for the report.
In the letter, AHNE wrote: "We represent many thousands of nurses who are concerned about associations between toxic chemicals and numerous diseases, including cancer. A cornerstone of nursing practice is prevention and the RoC [Report on Carcinogens] provides us with a valuable resource in reducing our patients’ exposures to carcinogens."
The RoC is an official government list of chemicals known or reasonably suspected to cause cancer. It has been produced by order of Congress since the 1970s and provides "science-based, impartial information about chemicals that can increase cancer incidence," according to an AHNE news release.
"The RoC is especially important to communities of color, who are disproportionately impacted by toxic chemicals, including carcinogens," Adelita G. Cantu, RN, PhD, of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses, said in the news release. "Communities must have every tool they need to identify chemicals released in their environments that can cause cancer.
"I see children playing in toxic water near the U.S.-Mexico border. The people deserve to know if that water contains carcinogens so they can try and halt contamination, and exposure."
Some chemicals listed in the RoC are in products used in clinical settings, schools, homes and child care centers, according to the AHNE. As an example it cited formaldehyde, which was deemed a carcinogen in the most recent report and is found in many products used in homes, businesses and schools. It is linked to an increased risk of leukemia, and exposure to formaldehyde poses a threat to the health of U.S. children.
"As healthcare professionals, we rely upon this information in order to protect our patients, especially those who are particularly vulnerable to chemical exposures," the AHNE wrote in the letter to Congress. "A growing body of science is showing that some chemicals can trigger health impacts even at very low doses. Furthermore, when exposures happen early in life, they can trigger conditions resulting in an illness like cancer manifesting itself years or even decades later."
To download the AHNE’s letter: http://envirn.org/pg/file/read/61734/anhe-roc-letter-to-congress.
To read the most recent (June 2011) Report on Carcinogens: http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/?objectid=03C9AF75-E1BF-FF40-DBA9EC0928DF8B15.
AHNE sent the letter to key House members, including Rep. Danny Rehberg, R-Mon., whose proposed 2013 budget for Labor, Health and Human Services would eliminate funding for the report.
In the letter, AHNE wrote: "We represent many thousands of nurses who are concerned about associations between toxic chemicals and numerous diseases, including cancer. A cornerstone of nursing practice is prevention and the RoC [Report on Carcinogens] provides us with a valuable resource in reducing our patients’ exposures to carcinogens."
The RoC is an official government list of chemicals known or reasonably suspected to cause cancer. It has been produced by order of Congress since the 1970s and provides "science-based, impartial information about chemicals that can increase cancer incidence," according to an AHNE news release.
"The RoC is especially important to communities of color, who are disproportionately impacted by toxic chemicals, including carcinogens," Adelita G. Cantu, RN, PhD, of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses, said in the news release. "Communities must have every tool they need to identify chemicals released in their environments that can cause cancer.
"I see children playing in toxic water near the U.S.-Mexico border. The people deserve to know if that water contains carcinogens so they can try and halt contamination, and exposure."
Some chemicals listed in the RoC are in products used in clinical settings, schools, homes and child care centers, according to the AHNE. As an example it cited formaldehyde, which was deemed a carcinogen in the most recent report and is found in many products used in homes, businesses and schools. It is linked to an increased risk of leukemia, and exposure to formaldehyde poses a threat to the health of U.S. children.
"As healthcare professionals, we rely upon this information in order to protect our patients, especially those who are particularly vulnerable to chemical exposures," the AHNE wrote in the letter to Congress. "A growing body of science is showing that some chemicals can trigger health impacts even at very low doses. Furthermore, when exposures happen early in life, they can trigger conditions resulting in an illness like cancer manifesting itself years or even decades later."
To download the AHNE’s letter: http://envirn.org/pg/file/read/61734/anhe-roc-letter-to-congress.
To read the most recent (June 2011) Report on Carcinogens: http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/?objectid=03C9AF75-E1BF-FF40-DBA9EC0928DF8B15.
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