Media Release

For: Immediate Release
Date: September 25, 2002
Contact: Sherri Curria (401) 222-3424

HEALTH ANNOUNCES COMMUNITY CONFERENCE ON BIOMONITORING

Conference Solicits Public Comment on Environmental Contaminants

Download the conference flyer

The Rhode Island Department of Health (HEALTH) seeks public input and invites members of the public to participate in a community conference on Biomonitoring. Biomonitoring is the analysis of human tissue for the presence of chemicals from the environment. Biomonitoring can be very useful for assessing the population’s exposure to environmental contamination.

The keynote speaker is John Peterson Myers, co-author of the book, Our Stolen Future, a discussion of the scientific basis of how toxic chemical contamination affects human health and potential.

The conference, co-sponsored by HEALTH and the Clean Water Fund, will be held on Saturday, September 28, 2002, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at the URI Providence Campus (Shepard Building), 80 Washington Street, Providence. The National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funded this conference through a grant award to HEALTH.

Conference planners intend to solicit input from Rhode Islanders about chemical contaminants in the state. Conference leaders also plan to discuss priorities for testing contaminants, such as mercury, cotinine, and arsenic.

HEALTH encourages interested members of the public to attend. The Registration cost is $10 per person. Advance Registration is requested, although not required, by contacting Clean Water Fund, 372 Broadway, Providence, RI 02909 (telephone: 401-331-6972; fax: 401-331-7072).