Grass Roots

Dr. Samuel Epstein
The Politics of Primary Prevention vs. Damage Control

WisCosh Conference, October 18, 2003

October 14, 2003

I thought this discussion of environmental pollutants and cancer by researcher, Dr. Samuel Epstein, would interest you. If we have a table of 5 people for breakfast and lunch, which costs $200 ($40 per person), we can also have a table for distributing information. It is possible just to go to the lunch and keynote address for $15. I'll send Epstein's bio in a separate Email. So let me know if any of you want to go. Suzanne

From: FranEvaB@aol.com
Date: Tue, 14 Oct 2003 12:04:15 EDT
Subject: October H&S Conference Indentifying Information
To: ADSZ@uwm.edu

WisCOSH Wisconsin Committee on Occupational Health and Safety

Coming Up!
Occupational and Environmental Causes of Cancer
Wm. Hein Health and Safety Conference

Saturday October 18, 2003 at UW-M Gold Meir Library Conference Center 9:30 am to 1:30 am

Cost: forty five dollars

Please come! scholarships widely available

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Samuel Epstein

University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health.

Cancer Prevention Coalition - Stop Cancer before it Starts

Topic: The Politics of Primary Prevention vs. Damage Control.

Dr. Epstein says the current cancer establishment fails to warn the public of avoidable environmental cancer risks and is fixated on damage control ie.screening, diagnosis, treatment and basic genetic research with a shocking indifference to primary prevention.

Dr. Epstein a growing body of evidence points to environmental carcinogens and industrial pollutants cause toxic effects resulting in both hormonal disruptions of neurological and immunological functions. The National Cancer Institutes expenditures on primary prevention is 4% while the American Cancer Society allocates less than 1% of its 800 million revenues to the study of environmental carcinogens. More education and research needs to be done on primary prevention rather than damage control.

Question and Answer Period

A Call to Action- What we can do to make primary prevention of cancer more of a top priority.

Mid-Morning Panel Discussion - The Politics of Cancer Clusters at Work Cancer Causes: Its more than cigarettes, bad diet and genetics Conference also remembers health and safety advocate UAW Bill Hein and honors Health and Safety Advocate of the Year - MATC Indoor Air Quality Task Force.

Bio on H&S Safety Speaker Epstein

Dr. Epstein is International Leading Authority on the Causes and Prevention of Cancer

Samuel S. Epstein, M.D. is professor emeritus of Environmental and Occupational Medicine at the University of Illinois School of Public Health, and Chairman of the Cancer Prevention Coalition. He has published some 260 peer reviewed articles, and authored or co-authored 10 books including: the prize-winning 1978 The Politics of Cancer; the 1995 Safe Shopper's Bible; the 1998 Breast Cancer Prevention Program; the 1998 The Politics of Cancer, Revisited; the 2001 GOT (Genetically Engineered) MILK! The Monsanto rBGH/BST Milk Wars Handbook; and the 2001 Unreasonable Risk. How to Avoid Cancer from Cosmetics and Personal Care Products: The Neways Story.

Dr. Epstein is an internationally recognized authority on avoidable causes of cancer, particularly unknowing exposures to industrial carcinogens in air, water, the workplace, and consumer products--food, cosmetics and toiletries, and household products including pesticides--besides carcinogenic prescription drugs. Dr. Epstein's past public policy activities include: consultant to the U.S. Senate Committee on Public Works; drafting Congressional legislation; frequently invited Congressional testimony; membership of key federal committees including EPA's Health Effects Advisory Committee, and the Department of Labor's Advisory Committee on the Regulation of Occupational Carcinogens; and key expert on banning of hazardous products and pesticides including DDT, Aldrin and Chlordane. He is the leading international expert on cancer risks of petrochemicals and of consumer products including: rBGH milk; meat from cattle implanted with sex hormones in feedlots, on which he has testified for the E.C. at January 1997 WTO hearings; and irradiated food. In 1998, he presented "Legislative Proposals for Reversing the Cancer Epidemic" to the Swedish Parliament, and in 1999 to the U.K. All Parliamentary Cancer Group. He is also the leading critic of the cancer establishment, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and American Cancer Society (ACS), for fixation on damage control--screening, diagnosis and treatment, and genetic research--with indifference for cancer prevention, which for the ACS extends to hostility. This mindset is compounded by conflicts of interest with the cancer drug industry, and also with the petrochemical and other industries in the case of the ACS.

His past professional society involvement includes: founder of the Environmental Mutagen Society; President of the Society for Occupational and Environmental Health; President of the Rachel Carson Council; and advisor to environmental, citizen activist and organized labor groups. His numerous honors include: the 1969 Society of Toxicology Achievement Award; the 1977 National Wildlife Federation Conservancy Award; the 1989 Environmental Justice Award; the 1998 Right Livelihood Award ("Alternative Nobel Prize") for international contributions to cancer prevention; the 1999 Bioneers Award; and the 2000 Project Censored Award ("Alternative Pulitzer Prize" for investigative journalism) for an article critiquing the American Cancer Society.

Dr. Epstein has extensive media experience with: numerous regional and national radio programs, including NPR; major TV programs, including Sixty Minutes, Face the Nation, Meet the Press, McNeil/Lehrer, Donohue, Good Morning America, and the Today Show; Canadian, European, Australian and Japanese TV; and numerous editorials and letters to leading national newspapers. Dr. Epstein is also a member of the National Writers Union, AFL-CI0. Contacts: University of Illinois School of Public Health, 2121 West Taylor Street, Chicago, IL 60612 (312) 996-2297