Dear readers,
Earlier this week I was fortunate enough to be invited to speak at the World Cancer Day event hosted by the Pink Ladies Cancer Support Group in Derry, Northern Ireland. The theme of the event was…
“WHAT’S DISRUPTING US?
CANCER PREVENTION, CLIMATE EMERGENCY & EXPOSURE TO TOXIC CHEMICALS”
The Pink Ladies and Pink Panthers are an amazing cancer support group advocating for cancer prevention and reduction of exposure to toxic chemicals, including endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). Exposure to EDCs has been linked to many hormone related cancers, including breast cancer, and this group is dedicated to informing children in schools and also the general public about these risks.
I gave my talk about the importance of understanding risk perception before going on to communicating the risks of EDCs to the general public. Risk communication needs to be a two-way dialogue between the decision makers and the public, because there are many complex psychological processes that are involved in the different ways that people perceive risks.
Also presenting, were amazing speakers such as Thalie Martini (Chief Executive Breast Cancer UK), Dr Ana Rakcovac (Irish Doctors for the Environment), Donna McCloskey (Manager Bogside and Brandywell Initiative) and Michele Freya Jones (PhD Clinical Nutrition & Lifestyle Medicine).
It was so great to meet everyone who attended. It was a mixture of group members, local politicians, and health care professionals. We had time to discuss important issues including the climate emergency, cancer prevention, and the local initiatives taking place to combat these issues.
Thanks so much to the Pink Ladies for inviting me! This was my first time speaking at an event like this and I really, really enjoyed it!
Melissa
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