National Network on Environment and Women's Health (NNEWH)
Media Type:
Online
Author:
Robert Dematteo
Anne Rochon Ford
Margaret M. Keith
Michael Gilbertson
James T. Brophy
Jyoti Pharityal
Anne Wordsworth
Magali Rootham
Andrew E. Watterson
Dayna Nadine Scott
Matthias Beck
Explores the occupational exposures in producing plastics and health risks to workers, particularly women, who make up a large part of the workforce. Demonstrates that workers are exposed to chemicals that have been identified as mammary carcinogens and endocrine disrupting chemicals, and that the work environment is heavily contaminated with dust and fumes. Finds that, as a consequence, plastics workers have a body burden of environmental contaminants that far exceeds that found in the general public.
This research was funded by Health Canada in the form of a grant to the National Network
on Environments and Women’s Health at York University and the Canadian Breast Cancer
Foundation–Ontario Region.