Unions sign up to alliance on cancer

The medical establishment, charities and government decision-making bodies on cancer are focusing too much on lifestyle factors and ignoring work-related and environmental risk factors, according to a new union-backed campaign.

The Alliance for Cancer Prevention says that as a result, thousands of the most easily preventable cancers are being ignored when they could be avoided by simple changes to substances and processes used by industry.

The GMB and Unite general unions, and public sector union UNISON have signed up to the Alliance. Health and safety campaign groups, including Hazards Campaign and Breast Cancer UK, are also among the signatories

Facilitator and long-time campaigner Helen Lynn said: “There has been no movement from the cancer establishment on the environmental and occupational risk factors for cancer despite 14 years of accumulated evidence. It’s time for a robust voice to ask questions about this and other prevention issues.”