MiniMed # 2 April, 2015
Dr. Joanne Perron, MD, MPH
Our special invited speaker for the second 2015 Mini-Medical School, Dr. Joanne Perron, presented a massive amount of evidence on environmental contaminants that affect human health as well as clear actions you can take to protect yourself and your family.
Few of us really appreciate the extent of the problem, and when we do, it is so massive as to be paralyzing. This is what is facing us: there are more than 84,000 chemicals in commerce today and, of these, 62,000 were grandfathered into circulation without testing as GRAS (generally considered safe). Far from being safe, as industry claims, they are clearly identified by solid scientific research to be harmful, not only to ourselves but to future generations. The historic American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology 2013 Committee Opinion (partially authored by Dr. Perron) states “Exposure to toxic environmental agents is also implicated in increases in adverse reproductive health outcomes that emerged since WWII; these changes have occurred at a rapid rate that cannot be explained by changes in genetics alone, which occur at a slower pace.” The Endocrine Society issued a Scientific Statement in 2009 clearly outlining the risks. This Scientific Statement makes clear that the risks are real, and that the Precautionary Principle should apply. The Precautionary Principle applied means that current evidence indicates the risk is dire and we do not need to wait decades for additional scientific data. They also issue a call for additional research across specialty societies. This is everyone’s problem, and there is no escape. We live in a pristine environment, but we are close to conventionally farmed agricultural fields, and no one will forget the Light Brown Apple Moth aerial sprayings imposed on us without due process.
In Dr. Perron’s words “What’s a girl to do? Here is the list of action points and ready resources.