I am replying to your request for information resources regarding
pesticides and women's health list-wide, because I feel this is a very
important subject, and there may well be others out there who would be
interested in learning more. I have several resources that I think are
pertinent. Good luck with your research.
1. Center for Science in the Public Interest (the folks who brought us
the report about the fat content of Chinese food as served in American
restaurants) publishes a monthly newsletter called Nutrition Action
Healthletter. The September issue's cover story is titled "A Commonsense
Approach to Pesticides", and it discusses health effects, regulations, and
sustainable ag alternatives. It is basically an interview with Kenneth
Cook, the president of the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit
research organization that recently published a report called "Pesticides
in Children's Food". The author of the article is Lisa Lefferts, an
environmental health consultant and former CSPI scientist.
To contact CSPI: 1875 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 300
Washington, DC 20009-5728
(202) 332-9110
2. The July/Aug./Sept. issue of the Greenpeace newsletter has a cover
article titled "Breast Cancer: The Chlorine Connection" by Joan D'Argo and
Joe Thornton, the Greenpeace Chlorine Campaign. They focus on
organochlorines, and point out that a number of pesticides fall into this
category of compounds. They cite an epidemiological study of the
correlation between high organochlorine pesticide contamination in Isreal
and high rates of breast cancer in women there, and the subsequent drop in
cancer with the reduction of the pesticides.
*Newsflash - talk about coincidence - as I type this, a representative
from Greenpeace is on Public Radio making the assertion that there is a
link between these chemicals and breast cancer!* - Publicity is increasing...
At the end of the article, they mention a report called "A Woman's Cancer
Agenda: Demands to the National Cancer Institute and US Government" put
out by the Women's Community Cancer Project, c/o The Women's Center,
46 Pleasant St., Cambridge, MA 02139; (617) 354-9888.
To contact Greenpeace:
1436 U St., NW
Washington, DC 20009
(202) 462-1177
3. You may want to get in touch with the Physician's Committee for
Responsible Medicine, as they are concerned with the (seemingly obvious)
connection between diet and health, particularly cancer incidence. To
contact:
PCRM
5100 wisconsin Ave., NW, Suite 404
Washington, DC 20016
(202) 686-2210
Hope these prove to be fruitful leads. If I come across any more, I'll
let you know.
Lara Wiggert
(p.s. - I have a biology degree, have done graduate work in nutrition,
am about to finish my Library/Information science Master's, and have an
avid interest in environmental issues - so finding and sharing this type of
info is right up my alley =) )