Toxic Tide: No Place to Hide

Part 6: Recommendations to Cross Borders Conference

Call for an elimination of persistent toxic substances from the environment, following the wording of the International Joint Commission: The AAUW/CFUW Cross Borders Conference calls on Canadian and US governments and industry to adopt "a policy of banning or sunsetting the manufacture, distribution, storage, use and disposal of persistent, toxic and bioaccumulative chemicals." (IJC Sixth Annual Report). Recommend to provincial, federal, state and national chapters of the CFUW and AAUW that they adopt this resolution. This resolution may include a statement supporting an international treaty to eliminate Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs).
Call on local AAUW/CFUW branches to advocate that local, regional, and national governments dramatically increase their efforts to gather information on cancer incidence and exposure to industrial, consumer, and agricultural chemicals, and to make this information readily available to communities.
Agree to establish an e-mail list on cancer and the environment for AAUW/CFUW members and sign up interested members immediately. The list should be a vehicle to create awareness of what is happening at provincial/state, federal/national, and international levels to reduce pollutants and provide information needed to actively petition legislators and other persons of power to reduce levels of pollutants and their manufacture and distribution.
Call on all AAUW/CFUW members to educate themselves on cancer and the environment and take preventive steps in their own homes, including dietary and lifestyle changes, but also eliminating carcinogens from their homes' environments to the extent possible.
Agree to produce educational materials on cancer and the environment, information on carcinogens, their pathways, and their known and suspected health impacts.
Call on local AAUW/CFUW branches that they undertake collective action to educate their communities (e.g., by distributing educational materials or showing the video Exposure), and to inform local governments, businesses, schools, etc of what they can do (e.g., by obtaining a copy of Toxic Turnaround and following its advice).
Call on local AAUW/CFUW members to talk about these issues with their families, neighbors, and friends to raise the general awareness of the community.
Call on local AAUW/CFUW branches that they advocate for careful handling of all toxic wastes in their communities, including a call for a ban on burn barrels.
Call on local AAUW/CFUW branches to institute follow up procedures to implement these recommendations, ascertain what they have done on this issue and publicize results, using a positive approach to encourage continued work to improve.

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