Weekend Voices 6/23/07

Producer/host: Amy Browne

Topic: The Body of Evidence Report: A Study of Pollution in Maine People

Guests: Russell Libby, Executive Director of Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association and one of the study participants; Melissa Boyd, Executive Director of the Maine Chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility; Paul Liewbow, M.D. and member of Physicians for Social Responsibility
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“Until now, the level of dangerous chemical pollution in Maine people has not been known. Through a cooperative effort with the University of Southern Maine led by Dr. Rick Donahue, 13 men and women from Maine volunteered in 2006 to be tested for chemicals encountered in their everyday lives.

The results represent the first-ever report of nearly 50 toxic pollutants found in Maine people. By releasing these findings, the Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine seeks to elevate the public discussion about pollution in Maine people and promote action to fix our broken safety system that allows chemicals to build up in our bodies.”

“The Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine is a diverse coalition of nine Maine-based organizations that have embarked upon a multi-year public health campaign to phase out the long-lived toxic chemicals that build up in the food web and our bodies. Alliance members include:

Environmental Health Strategy Center, Learning Disabilities Association of Maine, Maine Labor Group on Health, Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association
Maine People’s Resource Center, Maine Public Health Association, Natural Resources Council of Maine, Physicians for Social Responsibility/Maine Chapter
Toxics Action Center”
Source: www.cleanandhealthyme.org