Re-publishing: Asbestos - Repeat Call for Universal Ban Is Issued

I am re-publishing the article I wrote, which appeared  in NaturalNews last Nov. 20, 2010,  about the repeat call for a universal ban on asbestos. This is an urgent matter of great importance to our health and to the health of our children and grandchildren. I have done a few revisions here and added links for more information. ~Amy Chaves

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The Collegium Ramazzini, an independent, internationally renowned academy comprising of 184 top-notched scientists in the fields of occupational and environmental health, has issued a repeat call for a universal ban on asbestos. The first universal ban was issued in 1999. The 2010 repeat call for a universal ban is based on numerous research over the years which indicated that all forms of asbestos are proven human carcinogens and exposure to any type carries health risks, most notably, cancer. The Collegium Ramazzini, whose headquarter is in Italy, has termed all asbestos-related cancer as a pandemic.

Asbestos is a natural mineral, strong enough to resist high temperatures and chemical attack,  yet so flexible that its crystals can be made into yarn, woven into cloths, or braided into ropes. Historically, it has been used for over 4,500 years. It has been used in buildings for insulation, and also widely used in transportation and electrical appliances, mixed frequently with other materials.

Asbestos has been known to cause asbestosis, a progressive and debilitating fibrotic lung disease.  All forms of asbestos also cause malignant mesothelioma and lung and laryngeal cancers. They can also cause ovarian, gastrointestinal, and other cancers. 

The Collegium Ramazzini report mentioned that worldwide, cancer deaths in workers exposed to asbestos is estimated to be 100,000 to 140,000 yearly. In Northern America, Western Europe, and Japan, 20,000 new cases of lung cancer and 10,000 cases of mesothelioma yearly are caused from exposure to asbestos. In 2006, death from mesothelioma was highest in Britain, with 1,740 deaths in men and 316 deaths in women, compared to other countries. It is expected that Australia's high incidence of mesothelioma will reach 18,000 by 2020.

There are two studies worth mentioning that illustrate the ill effects of asbestos, based from the Collegium Ramazzini report. One was a historical, cohort mortality study conducted in 2007 in Libby, Montana, which showed that Libby workers who were exposed to asbestos-contaminated vermiculite were more likely to die from asbestosis, lung cancer, cancer of the pleura, and mesothelioma. Another study conducted in Canada in 2005, revealed a sevenfold increase in mortality rate from pleural cancer of women residing in Canadian asbestos mining communities.

Although asbestos has been banned in 52 countries and safer products are now being used to replace it, a large number of countries continue to use, export, and import asbestos and asbestos-containing products, according to the Collegium Ramazzini report. In developing countries, where asbestos is imported in large quantities for construction purposes, dust contamination has been found to accumulate in thousands of communities. It is almost impossible to control exposure once asbestos settles in various buildings and places.

One country that has used its influence in international organizations to protect its export market for asbestos and has aggressively promoted the use of asbestos in developing countries is Canada (LaDou, 2004). It is the largest asbestos exporting country in the world, next to Russia and China, based on a US Geological Survey in 2000. With the asbestos multinational corporations gone, Canada stands out as the most powerful opponent of international efforts to ban asbestos, according to LaDou.

The Collegium Ramazzini considers the asbestos-related illnesses and deaths as a tragic pandemic that can be prevented. Since the risks of exposure to asbestos cannot be controlled by technology or work practices regulation, an international ban on the mining and use of asbestos is urgently needed. The Collegium Ramazzini is therefore asking all countries of the world to join in the international endeavor to ban all forms of asbestos as an obligation to their citizens.

References:

Collegium Ramazzini (2010). Asbestos is still with us: Repeat call for a universal ban. American Journal of Industrial Medicine. DOI 10.1002/ajim.20892.

LaDou, J. (2004). The asbestos cancer epidemic. Environmental Health Perspectives, 112(3), 285-289.

Sullivan, P. A. (2007). Vermiculite, respiratory disease, and asbestos exposure in Libby, Montana: Update of a cohort mortality study. Environmental Health Perspectives, 115(4), 579-585.

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Watch for my next article next week about romantic love in its early stages. As usual, I welcome comments, questions, and contributions from readers!

Hardships Can Be Good For You

If you are bemoaning and complaining about some hardships you have to endure, don't. Behind the success of every person could have been a series of hardships endured and obstacles conquered.

Hardships may refer to adversities, misfortunes, troubles, hard times, problems, or something that cause suffering. They accompany us from birth to death, along with our joys and memorable peak moments.

Hardships can come in many forms. The common types are: physical (illness, disability), material (poverty, bankruptcy), psycho-emotional (experience of abuse), and social (racism, bullying). There might be some other kinds of hardships but these are the general ones I can think of at the moment.

The following are some of the reasons why hardships can be good for you:

Character development. Depending on how you look at hardships (with optimism, pessimism, or realism), they can be your road to character development. They can yank you out from your comfort zone, sometimes with no solid ground to stand on, and can lead you to make some much-needed changes in your life. They could make you suffer and in the process give you the grace to be strong. They can prune your pride and prejudice to make you humble. If one adversity could make you develop at least one virtue, then imagine how a number of adversities can develop your character and make you a better person.

Life lessons. Hardships can teach you valuable lessons: to never take your health for granted (in case of illness), to spend below your means (in case of bankruptcy), to learn to let go and walk away (in case of abuse), to stand up for your rights (in case of racism). Behind every adversity is a lesson waiting to sit on your lap and be recognized as a friend and as a teacher.

Empathy. Hardships enable you to walk in the other's moccasins so you can understand better the other person's world. If your mother has died of cancer (as mine had), you will empathize more deeply with anyone who has suffered from it. If you had experienced emotional and economic abuse from your spouse you will understand why some wives leave their husbands. What defines our humanity is our ability to feel another person's pain. It is therefore from hardships that we learn the gift of inter-connectedness and the realization that "we are in this together". 

Resilience. You gather invisible scars as you grow. Each scar is your badge of a problem solved, of a personal adversity triumphed,  of an inner war won. These invisible scars stem from hardships that you have endured and overcame, making you a resilient person, capable of "bouncing back" (and not "flattened") when confronted with life's slings and arrows. 

Looking to the New Year, we can be inspired by some of the most successful people who  overcame hardships and became successful. There are many of them but I chose the following five remarkable people:

Soichiro Honda: Born in rural Iwata-gun, Japan in 1906, Honda was the first son of a blacksmith. One of several hardships he had to endure was developing a piston ring which he intended to sell to Toyota Corporation. This was in 1928. He pawned his wife's jewelry, worked day and night, slept in his workshop, always believing that he could perfect his design, only to be turned down by Toyota Motor afterwards because his model did not meet their standards. He finally succeeded in refining his piston rings, some of which were eventually sold to Toyota.  He then went on to create the motorbike and then the motorcyle in the 1940s. He introduced the Honda Civic  to the American market in 1972, combining quality, efficiency, and economy. From his humble beginnings and ability to persevere despite hardships, Honda has built a billion-dollar car business. His company, the Honda Corporation, is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world. You have some hardships? Be inspired by Honda!

Albert Einstein: He wasn't born a genius and had plenty of hardships. Einstein did not speak until he was 4 and did not read until he was 7, making his teachers and parents think that he was mentally handicapped and anti-social, and that he will not amount to something. He was expelled from school and was refused admittance at the Zurich Polytechnic School. However, Einstein persevered, and by age 12 he showed remarkable mathematical ability and learned algebra and geometry by himself, and even tried to prove new theories such as the Pythagorean theory. Although judged to be a slow learner as a young boy, he succeeded in changing modern physics and is considered the smartest man in the 20th century, receiving the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921.

Thomas Edison: Hardships? He seemed to have plenty of it. As a boy, he was branded by his teachers as too stupid to learn anything. He also suffered from poor hearing which prevented him from attending secondary school. Edison was fired from his first two jobs because he was not productive enough. As an inventor, he failed 1,000 times at making his light bulb work. Yet he became one of the greatest inventors of our time, creating the practical light bulb, the phonograph, the motion camera, and other 1297 inventions, too long to innumerate here.

Oprah Winfrey: This remarkable woman had her own share of hardships. Considered as one of the most successful and richest women in the world, Oprah had to endure a rough and abusive childhood. She was born into poverty and was sexually abused when she was nine years old by her uncle, a cousin, and a friend. Although she struggled with drugs as a young woman, she finally found a way out after being awarded a university scholarship. She then became a news anchor and a reporter for a television station in Nashville. The Oprah Winfrey show, which earned the highest ranked television talk show in history, has gained multiple Emmy Awards. Oprah has been ranked as the richest African American and the most philanthropic African American of the 20th century.

Steve Jobs: There was a story that before Steve Jobs became "somebody" he was a nobody who experienced rejection. Aside from being rejected by his parents (he was later adopted), he was a college drop-out who was trying to figure out what he wanted in life. He had his own share of hardships when he was young. While enrolled in calligraphy classes (after dropping from college), he would  sleep on the floor in his friends' rooms, return Coke bottles for money, and get free meals from the local Hari Krishna temple. He later became fascinated with computers and he eventually established, together with his friend, Steve Wozniak, the Apple Computer (later renamed as Apple). His biggest contribution to computer technology was the McIntosh computer with its graphical user interface. Apple has become a leader in consumer technology with its iPhone, iPod, iPad, iTunes, and its Apps. Forbes estimated Jobs' net wealth in 2009 at $5.1 billion, making him the 43rd wealthiest American. 

Hardships are problems, adversities and misfortunes that make you suffer most of the time. However, hardships can be good for you, depending on how you take it, because they can develop your character, make you learn more about life, provide you with the skill to be empathic of other's suffering, and make you stronger and more resilient. In short, hardships make you a better person--one who is wiser, more compassionate, and tenacious.

I would love to hear from you and your experience of how hardships contributed to your personal success. Share your own story with other readers by writing a paragraph or two and placing it in the Comments section, just below this article. I will post your write-up  in the page marked "Readers' Contributions". Let me know if you want to write your real name or not.

Happy New Year, my dear readers!

Schizophrenia Drugs Ineffective

If you know a loved one, a friend, or somebody taking drugs to treat schizophrenia, you might want to pass along an article I wrote which was published in Natural News, December 28, 2010. Below is the link:

http://www.naturalnews.com/030847_schizophrenia_drugs_side_effects.html


Watch for my next article on hardships and how they might be good for you.

Until then, enjoy the remaining holidays!

My Personal Gratitude List This Christmas

Christmas comes only once a year but it is one of the most celebrated occasions in the world, particularly to Christians. It is associated with gift-giving, a time for celebrating sensory pleasures (e.g., holiday foods and feasts, bright decorations and cheering music, and glistening snow, real or artificial).

Having lived in Canada for 9 years, I missed the traditional noche buena (large Christmas meal), the lechon (roasted pig), kinilaw (Filipino sushi), and other native foods in the Philippines. I missed the gaiety that comes with carolers singing Christmas songs, the loud noise of firecrackers, and the explosive beauty of the fireworks. I also missed my two sons and their families. I still have to meet my two grandchildren in person. 

Although I missed so many people in my country and things that are unique to my own culture, I am grateful for where I am now in my life and for what I have.

I am grateful that I am in Calgary, where I can be peaceful and creative, where I am loved and supported. I am grateful for the experience of grace as well as the challenges that are always part of existence. I am grateful for my health and the wisdom that comes with age. I am grateful for being in a beautiful country and for its compassionate people (of course the occasional bullies are also around to add drama to life). 

I am grateful to my deceased parents--for my life, values, and education. I am grateful to my sons, Jan and Soren, for giving me unimaginable delight and thrill as they were growing up, and for making me proud of themselves now that they are adults.

I am grateful to Deane, my husband, for loving me unconditionally. I am constantly learning from him and my world has changed positively because of him. And although I don't fully understand chemistry, astronomy, physics, biology, mathematics, and the slide rule, I am grateful that he shares his knowledge of these disciplines with me.

I am grateful to my daughter-in-law, Bernie, for being a wonderful wife to my son, Jan, and the best mother to Ethan and Adrian. I am grateful to Melie, for giving our family the gift of a pretty girl named Princess.

I am grateful to Estrella, my best friend at Xavier University, for always being there for me through thick and thin. She is a good role model for her work ethic and resiliency.

I am grateful to my two other best friends, Fr. Francisco Bustamante, S. J. and Atty. Samson "Samantha" Tan. They have brightened my life and have continued to do so after all these years. Their advice, sense of humor, and support have made a difference in my life.

I am grateful to the following U of C professors for their support all these years: Jim Frideres, Bryan Hiebert, Greg Fouts, John Mueller, and many others who have made my life as a Ph.D. student truly a remarkable one.

I am grateful to all the Philosophy teachers at Xavier University--Joseph, Lalot, Matet, Enting, Jane, Mario, et al.--for the collegial joys they have shared with me during the years I was with them.  

I am equally grateful to my former students who have inspired me in more ways I could imagine when I was still at Xavier University. They were the main reason why would I get up every morning and walk to XU in my high heels (I don't wear high heels anymore for fear of slipping in icy areas here in Calgary during winter. For more information about Calgary's climate, click here).

I hope you enjoyed my gratitude list.

Contact me for comments and questions.

My next post will be after Christmas.

Merry Christmas, everybody!

P.S. This just came from John Mueller: The Digital Story of Nativity (Thanks, John!)

Developing Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify and manage your emotions in a positive and constructive ways. It also involves controlling impulsive feelings and behaviors, following through commitments and responsibilities, and adapting to changing circumstances.

Further, it is the skill to understand how others feel, what their needs and concerns are, to empathize with them, and to build strong social relationships in general.

How do you develop emotional intelligence (EQ)? The following skills are what I believe would help you develop your EQ:

Be aware of your emotions. Stress, anxiety, and fear can overwhelm some people to the point that they are unable to control certain impulsive behavior. To develop emotional intelligence, be aware of your emotions moment by moment, understand where they are coming from, and allow yourself some "cooling" time before acting or deciding. Some emotions can come from long ago emotional baggages that not have been resolved. Negative emotions can lurk deep under and may affect your ability to act and decide rationally.

Identify non-verbal cues. A lot of what we feel are expressed in a nonverbal way. This "wordless" communication holds the cue to what is going on inside you and that of others. Facial expression, eye contact, tone of voice, posture and gestures are some of the non-verbal cues we exhibit or see in others. These non-verbal  cues are emotionally-driven. Your ability to refine and control your non-verbal cues depends largely on awareness of your emotions and why they are present in the first place. Also, your ability to "read" other people's non-verbal cues depends on your capacity to accurately identify what these emotions are. Learn to differentiate between real emotions and fake ones in others.

Resolve conflict proactively. The word "proactive" refers to acting in advance to deal with expected difficulties. Rather than waiting for a conflict to escalate, take control by negotiating, problem-solving, and talking about problems and concerns in a non-threatening manner. There will always be disagreements, differing points of view, and expectations in any relationship. So choose your arguments by focusing on your feelings instead of pointing fingers at others. Start with the words "I feel...". Never start with "You are this and that...that's why!". 

Use of humor and play. Never take life seriously unless your house is on fire or somebody is about to die. Take things in stride by injecting humor and playfulness in your interactions with others. Use gentle humor in pinpointing certain things that need improvement. Look at the funny side of an otherwise tough situation. Laugh at your mistake and forgive others of theirs. 

Remember that your future lies in your hands. Developing your emotional intelligence will go a long way in paving success in your relationships with others.

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Are You Emotionally Intelligent?

I first read about emotional intelligence (EI) around the late 1990s, when Daniel Goleman, in his first book Emotional Intelligence, introduced the concept of how the brain can regulate our emotions in order to deal with people effectively. Since then, I have come across books linking the significance of emotional intelligence in the workplace and in our relationships with others.

How important is emotional intelligence? Numerous research indicate that it is a strong predictor of success particularly in the workplace. For instance, as of September 2008, at least there were 57 consulting firms that used EI as their model, 90 organizations specialized in EI training or assessment, 30 offered certification programs, and 5 "universities" offered EI courses (see www.eq.org).

You are emotionally intelligent if you have the following characteristics, based from the Four-Branch Model of IE (see Mayer, et al.):

Accuracy in emotional perception. People with emotional intelligence have the ability to perceive emotion in children and adult faces, voices, and postures. Hence, people with EI can correctly identify emotions such as happiness, sadness, anger, and fear in others just by observation. They can also identify fake emotions.

Use of emotion to facilitate thought. Individuals with emotional intelligence use their emotions to come up with good decisions. They also know what emotion is appropriate at a given time. For example, a parent who is confronted with a child having a temper tantrum knows how to respond emotionally, compared to a parent who is frustrated and may use destructive strategies to manage a child in this state. In short, emotionally intelligent people use emotion to "think through" solutions.

Understanding emotion. This refers to the awareness of one's own and other's feelings and being able to react or respond appropriately. This ability links emotion perception and emotion regulation. For instance, in a business situation where negotiation and solving problems can create a stressful situation, an emotionally intelligent person understands the real emotion behind the actions of others and therefore is able to offer solutions proactively.

Managing emotion. People with emotional intelligence are able to regulate and manage their emotions. As such, they reframe their perceptions of situations. Hence, when a conflict arises in the workplace, emotionally intelligent individuals are able to exert considerable emotional self-control. This is sometimes referred to as "grace under pressure".

If you want to find out your EQ (emotional quotient or intelligence), click here.

Should you have questions or comments, write them down in the section "Comments" below this article.

References:

Joseph, D. L., & Newman, D. A. (2010). Emotional intelligence: An integrative meta-analysis and cascading model. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95(1), 54-78.

Mayer, J.D., Roberts, R. D., & Barsade, H. G. (2008). Human abilities: Emotional intelligence. Annual Review of Psychology, 59, 507-536.


Suggested Readings:

Being Happy

If you are one of those individuals who are prone to depression, perhaps it is time to reflect why. Is it because you are homesick, frustrated, anxious, and worried about many things going on in your life? If so, you are not alone. The US National Institute of Mental Health revealed that major depressive disorder affects approximately 14.8 million Americans each year. And specialists predict that depression would become the 2nd most common health problems in the world. 

However, you can change your mental outlook from being depressed to being happy. Being happy means having a sense of purpose, meaning, and being positive. It means flourishing despite difficult circumstances.

Here are some ways whereby you can happy:

Reframing. Reframe your negative thoughts into positive ones. Don't bury your head under the sand and wait for happiness to come because it won't. You have to learn to see the bright side of things if you want to nudge your self to be happy.

I remember a short anecdote by one of my Jesuit professors, Fr. Agathonico Montero, about two prisoners who were inside their cramped prison cell. One was a pessimist, the other an optimist. The pessimist went to the window and looked out. He grumbled about how muddy and dirty the ground was. The optimist went to the window, looked up, and exclaimed, "Wow, look at the blue sky and the sun shining brightly!" Same prison cell, same window, same reality but different outlook. Seeing the positive goes a long way into making you happy.

Being Kind. Commit to doing acts of kindness everyday. Studies suggest that acts of altruism lowers stress and could enhance mental health. Helping somebody in need can give you instantaneous joy. I have experienced this recently while shopping at London Drugs.  I saw an old man struggling to place 25 cents into a tiny hole in a long bar where pushcarts are attached. I immediately came to his aid and carefully tucked the 25 cents into the hole, releasing a pushcart. His smile while thanking me lit the entire store for me that day.

Remembering good times. Instead of recalling your painful past, focus on happy times. Recalling moments of laughter and fun with family and friends enables you to realize that there is so much good in your life, that the world is a good place to live in. Look at photos, read emails or letters, and appreciate the corners of delight in your life as you recall the good times.

Using signature strength. Signature strength is a strength of character deeply embedded in who we are. Philosophers call them virtues. Each time you use your signature strength you will experience a burst of positivity. This is because these strengths define who are at your best. 

If one of your signature strengths is honesty, then you will feel good when you practice it at every level of your life, not just at yourself. If your signature strength is creativity, then you will feel marvelous each time you create something original. If your signature strength is love, then you will feel wonderful giving love to family and friends.

Psychologists have recently identified 24 cross-cultural strengths that best contribute to human flourishing. Find out where your strengths are, utilize them in various situations, and you will feel your personal awesomeness.

Being grateful. No matter where you are now in life there is always something to be grateful for-- your health, your eyes, your hair, your feet, the unexpected gift, the smile of a child. 

Be grateful for the "givens" in your life. You need not have been here so be grateful for being here. You need not have been a parent so be grateful for the opportunity to love your child in a way that only you can. 

Be grateful too, for defeats, failures and pains. They are your best teachers in garnering success and achievements.

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Note to my readers: It will be great if you could send me your comments and suggestions for improving my website. 

I also welcome contributions of any story you wish to share, related to this article. Your contribution should be between 300-400 words long.

Suggested Readings: