On June 2nd in Herzliya, Beit Hayal Ha’avir is hosting an Environment & Health Conference, titled ‘Environmental pollution and Disease Trends in Israel – what we know, what we don’t know and what we should know.’

We may all know someone who suffers from a pollution-caused disease, or perhaps we are all just getting ’sick to death’ of the noxious fumes emitted from exhaust fumes, or the plastic and chemical pollution of our seas and other waterways, as in the picture above….it is time us ordinary citizens got ourselves better informed, and equipped with the hard science and relevant facts and figures to demand change in the legislation and business negligence (and consumer ignorance – look at the pollution left behind after the 60th celebrations…) that causes pollution of our land and our bodies.

Or maybe there’s some good news…..

Anyway, the conference will be addressed by both politicians, including Gidon Ezra, Minister for Environmental Protection (quite a quiet voice on this topic, oddly), members of the Environmental & Health Fund, and many academics and doctors from different fields of cancer research and toxicology.

A speaker from overseas will give the keynote speech: Prof. Paul Wilkinson, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine at the University of London, will discuss ‘Environment and Health: evidence from international research’, to be followed by panel discussions on air quality, water quality, soil quality, and ionizing and non-ionizing radiation.

Experts in the fields of respiratory disease, cardio-vascular disease, and congenital anomalies will also present. A discussion of ‘risk in context’ will frame the mid-point of the conference…taking environmental risks, or reducing environmental risks – its not clear where the emphasis will be placed.

Whatever the reports conclude, we all must take responsibility: if us, and our great-grandchildren hope to have a future on this earth. In Al Gore’s words: “The time to act is now.”

Conference info at www.ehf.org.il Conference in hebrew, guest lectures in English. Conference is free.

Many thanks to our friends Zalul.org for the pic above: Zalul are Israel’s environmental NGO focussed on cleaning up and keeping clean the coastline and other waterways throughout the country. Support them!

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