Recent scares over the impact of lead poising on children, and mercury contaminated fish and other food products are among the critical issues under the lens at this conference. The conference will examine how to monitor levels of exposure to pollutants in human populations, how to evaluate the health consequences of these exposures, and ways to manage, reduce and remove these environmental hazards. Participants will explore the relationships between air quality and asthma, environmental contamination and breast cancer, mercury and neurobehavioral problems, and present information on new technologies for hazardous substance remediation. Sessions are geared for participants with interests in toxicology, ecology, engineering and management of hazardous wastes.
In addition to several plenary forums and poster displays of recent research findings, two intensive training courses will be offered focusing on “Hazardous Material Emergency Response” and “Children's Environmental Health: Effects of Contaminants.” EWC Adjunct Senior Research Fellow and President of Global Environment and Energy in the 21st Century, Toufiq Siddiqi, will present findings on Asia’s changing role in global climate change stemming from major increases in carbon dioxide emissions. Siddiqi reflected on the rising awareness of environmental concerns linked to development, stating: “During the 20th century the focus was on rapid economic growth without concern about the environmental impact. Now in the 21st century, we see the focus starting to shift towards sustainable development. This conference will be a major milestone in this process.”
Additional co-sponsors of the conference include: The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS); The World Health Organization (WHO); The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); The International Copper Association Ltd., China (ICA); The Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Geochemistry; China Security Journal; Global Environment and Energy in the 21st Century (GEE-21); and The Institute for Health and the Environment at the University at Albany.
Background:
The Pacific Basin Consortium on Hazardous Wastes (PBC) was established in 1986 to facilitate dialogue among scientists, industry professionals, government officials, students and policy makers regarding the problems associated with hazardous waste production, management and remediation in the Pacific Basin. The PBC is housed at the East-West Center (EWC) in Honolulu, Hawaii and through collaboration with the EWC’s research program has expanded its focus to include inter-related environment and health issues in the Asia Pacific region. The name of the organization has been modified to the Pacific Basin Consortium for Environment and Health Sciences to reflect this expanded scope.
The PBC has established an international professional network of experts, and provides evaluations of reports, and consultations with local governments. The PBC also facilitates information exchange through collaborative research, technical meetings, conferences, training courses and published reports.
For more information contact: Jill Holdren, Coordinator for the Secretariat of the Pacific Basin Consortium for Environment and Health Sciences at holdrenj@eastwestcenter.org or Clara Du, Peking University Conference Coordinator at oec238c@pku.edu.cn or 86-10-62759322.
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The East-West Center contributes to a peaceful, prosperous and just Asia Pacific community by serving as a vigorous hub for cooperative research, education and dialogue on critical issues of common concern to the Asia Pacific region and the United States.
EWC contact: Karen Knudsen, Director, Office of External Affairs
Phone: (808) 944-7195, Email: knudsenk@EastWestCenter.org
