Lunchtime Brownbag Presentation

Women’s Health and the Environment: What Science Tells Us About Health Effects of Environmental Contaminants and How We Can Take Action to Protect Our Health and Communities

 

When:            May 11, 2007, 12 to 2 pm

Where:           Snow Goose Restaurant, Meeting Room

717 West Third Avenue
            Anchorage, AK 99501
       

Most chemicals used today have never been tested for their risks to human health.  Of those that have been tested, most have been evaluated for their acute impacts to adult males. The impact of toxic chemicals on women is of particular concern for a number of reasons. First, women are the first environment for the next generation. New studies show that exposure to certain environmental contaminants can affect fertility and reproductive health in women and men. Many chemicals stored in a woman’s body are passed onto her child during pregnancy and later through breast-feeding. A recent study by the Environmental Working Group revealed that at least 287 hazardous industrial chemicals pass through the placenta to the fetus. Synthetic chemicals are so prevalent in a woman's breast milk today that, if bottled for sale, most breast milk would not pass FDA regulations. While studies still document that breast-feeding remains the best option for building infant immunity, the quantity of chemicals to which we are exposing our young is of grave concern and poses an unnecessary burden on the developing child.

In this discussion, we will explore the latest science and actions that we can take individually and collectively to protect our health, as well as the health of our families and communities.

Presented by Alaska Community Action on Toxics (Colleen Keane, Shawna Larson, and Pam Miller) and hosted by the Alaska Women's Environmental Network.

For more event information, please contact Alaska Community Action on Toxics (ACAT) at 907.222.7714, info@akaction.net, or www.akaction.org.