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THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION (WHO) recently held a conference on
tobacco in Warsaw which
was designed to re-invigorate its drive against smoking.
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The venue for the conference was not accidental as, although delegates were present from all the European affiliates to the organisation, the eastern countries present special problems in discouraging tobacco consumption. At over 50% the male smoking rate is higher than the European average of 38% and according to WHO Director-General Gro Harlem Brundtland 'East European countries are lagging behind'. Aggressive marketing pursued by tobacco companies since communism collapsed, combined with the |
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hardships brought on by the transition, had contributed to a general increase across the region, she said. EU Health Commissioner David Byrne also addressed the conference, stressing the importance of getting the anti-smoking message to young people. He commented that the new WHO European Report on Tobacco Control shows that no country in the European Region has shown a significant decrease in smoking by young people since 1997. Therefore I consider it a matter of the highest priority to change , |
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WHO Director-General Brundtlandt makes a point to her Polish hosts |
LAST SEPTEMBER AN ENORMOUS explosion in an important French city was largely hidden in the U.K. media by the aftershock of the World Trade Centre destruction in New York. However the deaths of 29 people and injuries to 2,500, the temporary redundancy of 7,000 workers and the damaging of 10,000 homes made big news in France. The President, Jacques Chirac, advised people to stay indoors as a toxic cloud spread over the city and Prime Minister Lionel Jospin announced a €230 million aid package.
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Fred Higgs, general secretary of the international chemical unions' federation ICEM expressed shock and sorrow over the disaster. The conflagration was caused by self-combustion of 300 tonnes of ammonium nitrate at the AZF fertiliser plant and has prompted the government to propose new laws to control hazardous factories. The Toulouse plant was situated only two miles from the city centre and this location has been the focus for a lot of protest. Although when it was built in the 1920s the distance to inhabited areas was deemed sufficient, this quickly changed with the growth of the city and the storing of chemicals |
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capable of causing a 50 metre wide crater, as the
explosion did, was criticised by the city's mayor who called
for the factory to be moved. This is not a suggestion that
has been taken up by the proposed legislation. The
Environment Minister Yves Cochet said that separating
industrial sites from built-up areas was not the 'miracle
solution' and that distancing industrial sites 'would not
reduce the risks for the workers who are, after all, most
affected of everyone'. Instead, high risk factories would be
required to split up their hazardous materials and bury them
and the number of inspectors would be increased from 1,200
to 2,000. |
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Angry Toulouse residents demonstrated against the plant |
The influential Economic and Social Committee (see issue 17 page 11), which is consulted on all relevant EU legislation has voted 40-39 to reduce exposure limits to asbestos in a proposed new directive. The Council of Ministers suggested 0.1 fibres per cubic metre averaged over an 8 hour day but trade union representatives on the committee felt that maintenance workers were likely to be exposed to much higher levels over a shorter period. They therefore recommended a 4 hour reference period to the European Parliament which must now vote on the measure. 'I urge [MEPs] to take this vital further step and help stem the tide of the asbestos plague' said TUC General Secretary John Monks.
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