Nov. 1, 2010 (In These Times) -- Sitting nervously in the waiting room of her doctor's office in Peoria, Ill., Margaret is filling in a standard questionnaire. It asks for details of her diet, smoking and drinking habits, family medical history and health conditions. It does not inquire into Margaret's occupational history, medical imaging screenings, or any routine or acute chemical exposures.
Such information, if collected nationwide, would contribute to a better understanding of how environmental factors impact cancer rates, and thus help better assess a patient's risk of cancer. Consequently, the 2009 President's Cancer Panel recommends that primary-care clinics begin collecting such data.
Released in May, the Panel's 240-page study Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk says that it is better to prevent cancer than to treat it. Previous reports have focused on individual lifestyle choices such as smoking and sun exposure, but have failed to consider exposure to environmental factors, such as agricultural pesticides and industrial chemicals, medical radiation, hazardous waste and conventional weapons testing at military facilities.
According to the Panel, "The true burden of environmentally induced cancers has been grossly underestimated." It urged President Barack Obama "to use the power of your office to remove the carcinogens and other toxins from our food, water and air that needlessly increase healthcare costs, cripple our nation's productivity and devastate American lives."
