The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #48886

Louis Riklik¹, Nicolette Carlan¹, Cheryl Rook¹, Andrew King², and Richard Whate³. (1) Occupational Health Clinic for Ontario Workers, 15 Gervais Dr. Suite 308, Don Mills, ON M3C 1Y8, Canada, (2) Canadian National Office, United Steel Workers of America, 234 Eglington Ave. E., Toronto, ON M4P 1K5, Canada, (3) Toronto Environmental Alliance, 30 Duncan St. Suite 201, Toronto, ON M5V 2C3, Canada

In Canada, occupational, environmental and public health are separate kingdoms with guarded borders. These borders prevent unified work, which is problematic in a society, in which the state is disengaged and afraid to regulate. In an innovative move, the Public Health Department of Toronto spearheaded a Cancer Prevention Coalition and formed occupational and environmental subgroups. These two groups realized their efforts would be more effective if they created a coalition of unions, environmentalists, health professionals and citizens. The coalition produced a report, which was endorsed and presented by the Medical Officer of Health to the Toronto Board of Health and City Council. The report recommended that all City policies apply the precautionary principle, the weight of evidence approach in decision-making and pollution prevention, community right to know and just transition principles. The Coalition also recommended that the City develop a process to phase-out the use and generation of benzene, diesel exhaust, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, perchloroethylene, dioxins, methylene chloride, asbestos and pesticides. Furthermore, the City should become a model employer and demonstrate leadership in cancer prevention by identifying and eliminating the use and/or release of suspected carcinogens. Finally the Coalition recommended that the municipal arm of government urge the provincial government to develop regulations that require the mandatory substitution of workplace carcinogens, monitor exposures to carcinogens, advocate for the elimination of carcinogens from the environment and educate health professionals and the public. A broad based roundtable is being set up to accomplish these goals and results will be presented.

Learning Objectives:

• 1.Develop an occupational/environmental/public health coalition for cancer prevention.
• 2.Describe appropriate principles for this coalition.
• 3.Construct cancer prevention policies that could be presented to a municipal government.

Keywords: Cancer Prevention, Coalition

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Disclosure not received
Relationship: Not Received.