Saturday, July 24, 2010

Campaign against harmful chemicals in day-to-day life

Life Watch's ongoing continuous campaign “Campaign against harmful chemicals in daily life” has started bringing positive results. Several leading newspapers and magazines have reprinted our articles in their publications while certain TV channels have shown full-fledged episodes based on the campaign being carried out by Life Watch. Consequently, a great deal of awareness has been created about the fake, counterfeit or harmful products and items that are being made available for quick profits.
However, despite all attempts by the national mainstream media to create awareness, our Government is still not treating the issue and the potential harm that it may bring to our future generations with seriousness. Life Watch demands that the Government takes following measures immediately:
· Government should set up one center-cum-scientific lab in each district of the country where anybody can bring the product of his choice like milk, curd, ghee, oil, sweets, ice-creams, etc. if there is any doubt about the authenticity of the product. In order to keep a check on frivolous cases coming up, a price tag should be kept for testing and in case the product is found to be harmful, the complainant should be asked to tell the source from where the harmful product was obtained. As per the present situation, the concerned departments pick up samples when a complaint is received, but the matter is normally patched up and the only looser is the complainant who has to bear the repercussions of the enmity thus created.
· A separate SDM should be appointed to take samples and take proper action against the culprits, just as there is a separate SDM for elections in each district.
· Fast –track courts should be constituted to give suitable and strict punishments to those found guilty of such crimes.
· Government should make it mandatory to list the contents on labels, even in cases of items like shampoos, conditioners, hair dyes, toothpastes, etc. besides drugs.
· Soft-drink manufacturers put Sodium Benzoate as ingredient, which is highly carcinogenic and has potential to damage the DNA in the Mitochondria to the point that it totally inactivates it, knocks it out altogether. A whole array of diseases has been tied to the damage to the DNA, including Parkinson’s disease and quite a lot of neuro-generative diseases. Several manufacturers of medicines and other products use harmful chemicals for one reason or another, without making it known the harm that it may cause. Life Watch demands that is used, even if in miniscule quantity, shall be listed on the label and the potential harmful effects should be mandatory to mention in the advertisements.
· A proper mechanism should be developed to keep a track on the advertisements being released by the manufacturers to see if any false/misleading message is being imparted through the advertisements.
· Strict rules should be framed to so that anybody who gets caught playing with the lives of common people is suitably punished.
· A nodal agency, jointly under the Food and Civil Supplies and Health ministry, along with private participation, should be constituted to control the increasingly rampant menace.
· MCOCA like strict law should be enacted to punish those who are caught using harmful chemicals in products of consumption or use.
You are requested to forward this mail to as many people as you can, so that our Government rises from slumber and takes immediate action to safeguard the future and health of our self as well as our future generations.

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