Teresa Heinz, who in December went public when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, said today's Women's Health & the Environment Conference is another opportunity to share knowledge about human health risks, an increasingly toxic environment and the critical need for scientific research.
"The more good information we get and the more questions we ask, the more we can make informed choices and live healthier lives," said Ms. Heinz, who will open the conference in the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. "Ignorance and indecision kill; knowledge and responsible action save lives."
Ms. Heinz, who is expected to mention her continuing cancer treatment in her speech, said she has long known of the connections between health and the environment.
"I think there is a lot less debate on the link between negative environmental effects and public health than there was a decade ago or even five years ago," she said. "But we desperately need more of this type of research to cut through the complexity."
The day-long conference features several panel discussions on the effects of environmental toxins on human health and keynote addresses by U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson.
The conference, sponsored by Teresa Heinz, The Heinz Endowments and Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC, is sold out and is expected to attract more than 2,000 participants, mostly women, from 13 states. The event is the kickoff of six weeks of environmental meetings and celebrations, running from the 40th Earth Day Thursday to World Environment Day, June 5, for which Pittsburgh is the designated host city.
Dr. Benjamin said in a phone interview Tuesday that she will tell those in attendance that the Obama administration is committed to programs focusing on wellness and disease prevention, and that starts with a healthy environment.
"Environmental issues are important and women's health is important. And it's real important when you talk about the health of the individual to also talk about the health of the community," Dr. Benjamin said. "If a community isn't healthy, it's hard for individuals to be healthy. The air and water must be clean and there must be places for people to exercise, walk and play."
Dr. Benjamin, who previously served as president of the Medical Association of Alabama, said she is working with first lady Michelle Obama on a childhood obesity prevention program. She said the administration is reviving a task force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children that was started in 1997 but "fizzled out" five years ago.
"The purpose of the task force is to recommend federal strategies for children's health and safety," Dr. Benjamin said. The administration also wants to pull together federal agencies to assess chemical exposures and risks identified in data from the Centers for Disease Control's Environmental Public Health Tracking Network, she said.
Ms. Jackson is scheduled to give the luncheon speech and plans to praise the conference's focus on science research needed to shape good environmental policy, particularly on chemical exposure.
She will call for passage of a new law to more effectively regulate the more than 80,000 chemicals already in use and make sure the regulations are protective of human health.
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Copyright (c) 2010, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
A service of YellowBrix, Inc.2,000 Flock to Women's Health Conference in PittsburghOriginally from: http://www.nursinglink.monster.com/news/articles/12173-2000-flock-to-womens-health-conference-in-pittsburgh
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