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Nkt Aur 9 Geo Fa tf DISTRIBUTION j Fax EorroRiAL THE ERA THE BANNER York Group community Eirn law Han IriMr Corporator thrrhiiopuMWiw not for space Mr Hon IP m Eater Tin UYttl mm NION Established THE ERATHE BAJSfNER Steven Crt Newmarket ON Industrial N Aurora ON Ian Robert Bony Black CLAaamaD Today Hombs litvrti LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Mental heath care critical for cancer patients A cancer diagnosis evokes a multi tude of emotions including fear anx iety depression or anger For many people the first reaction is one of shock or numbness Such reactions underscore the real ity that cancer is not simply a physi cal illness but a disease that affects an individuals emotional social and spiritual wellbeing Cancer treatment is often stressful involving nausea pain and changes to physical appearance that impact emajtional adjustment selfesteem and intimate relationships Studies indicate 35 to per cent of those diagnosed with cancer experi ence significant emotional distress Similar levels of distress are report ed by family members That figure increases to 70 per cent for individuals in palliative care Several years ago my sisterinlaw was diagnosed with nonHodgkins lymphoma at the age of 36 She was treated at one of Ontarios state-of-the- art health centres yet her death was unduly accelerated due to untreated depression She withdrew spent most of her days in a dark living room and stopped eating She lost weight rapidly became weak and malnourished and lacked sufficient strength and will to fight the physical dimension of her illness Psy chological care was needed but never made available The opening of the Stronach Regional Cancer Centre is indeed a tre mendous asset to York Region So far your stories have emphasized state-of- theart technology and treatment Effective and truly stateoftheart treatment involves attending to- the whole person and his social network Psychosocial oncology is an essen tial dimension of cancer care The involvement of a team of psycholo gists neuropsychologists social work ers and chaplains is a must Hopefully access to these profes sionals will be readily available Their involvement in care is essential to the wellbeing of those with cancer and their families SAMUEL F NEWMARKET Do you know what you are putting on your body Each day we slather ourselves with liquids lotions and potions from shampoo and soap to deodorant and makeup After all most of us want to look and fed clean and smell nice Its not uncommon for a single per son to use 10 or more personalcare products daily We dont usually think of our cos metics as a source of pollution but researchers in the United States found oneeighth of the 82000 ingredients used in personalcare products are industrial chemicals including reproductive toxins and degreasers Take a look at the ingredient list on your bottle of shampoo or hand lotion Most of us would have a hard time iden tifying which chemicals in the typically long fist of ingredients may be harmful to human health or the environment Chances are your personalcare products contain fragrance or par- rum often the last item on the ingre dient list Fragrance recipes are considered trade secrets so manufacturers dont have to disclose the chemicals they include More than 3000 chemicals are used to create fragrances usually in complex mixtures Up to per cent of David Suzuki with Faisal Moola these have never been tested to see if they are toxic to humans These fragrances are not just found in perfumes and deodorants but are also in almost every type of personal- care product as well as laundry deter gents and cleaning products Even products labelled fragrancefree or unscented can contain fragrance usually with a masking agent to prevent the brain from perceiving odour The negative effects of some fra grance ingredients can be immediate ly apparent especially for the grow ing number of people with chemical sensitivities For example fragrance chemicals can trigger reactions asthma attacks and migraines Other chemicals may have harmful effects that dont show up right away For example diethyl phthalate DEP is a cheap and versatile chemical widely used in cosmetic fragrances to make the scent last longer But it is associated with a range of problems The European Commission on Endocrine Disruption has listed it as a Category 1 priority substance based on evidence it interferes with hormone function Phthalates have been to puberty in girls reduced sperm count in men and reproductive defects in the developing male fetus when the mother is exposed during pregnancy Health Canada has moved to ban six phthalates in childrens toys after evidence showed prolonged exposure can cause or kidney failure but it has no plans to regulate the chemicals in cosmetics Fragrance chemicals often harm the environment Some compounds in synthetic musks which wash off our bodies and find their way into nature remain in the environment for a long time and can build up in the fatty tis sues aquatic animals Researchers have found levels of syn thetic musks in fish in the Great Lakes In response to the sensitivity many people have to airborne chemicals a growing number of offices and pub lic spaces are becoming fragrancefree This is a great initiative but what are these and other harmful chemicals doing in cosmetics in the first place Canadas regulations dont measure up to standards in other parts of the world The European Union restricts many fragrance ingredients and requires warning labels on products if they con tain any of allergens commonly used as cosmetic fragrances The David Suzuki Foundation and other organizations are conducting a survey to raise awareness and find out whats in the products people use every day We plan to present the results in September along with recommenda tions for strengthening laws to protect Canadians and our environment from harmful chemicals in personalcare products You can help out by becoming more aware of whats in the products you use and switching to products that contain harmful ingredients dont Sua an occasion column tor The BannerThe a ft tea the tnctor of sconce the Sua Foundation WhOClS