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Safety and the Precautionary Principle Public Health vs. Profit Lessons from the Past - Ongoing Risks
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DES Action Canada
DES Action Canada is the only consumer organization in the country alerting the Canadian public and health professionals to the on-going risks related to the drug DES (diethylstilbestrol). DES, a synthetic estrogen, was prescribed to millions of pregnant women in Canada and the U.S. between 1941 and 1971 in the mistaken belief that it would help prevent miscarriage. Long-term effects of DES exposure were first observed in the children of the women prescribed DES. Many sons and daughters exposed in utero have developed numerous health problems including malformed reproductive organs, fertility problems, problems with pregnancy, endometriosis, immune system disorders, and cancer. The mothers who were prescribed DES have an increased risk of developing breast cancer. DES Action Canada was founded in Montreal in 1982 by Harriet Simand and her mother Shirley. A few months earlier Harriet had been diagnosed with clear cell adenocarcinoma linked to the drug DES that had been prescribed to her mother during pregnancy twenty years earlier. By 2002, DES Action Canada had 11 volunteer chapters across Canada. The mission of DES Action Canada is to identify, educate, provide support to, and advocate for the people exposed to DES, and to work towards the prevention of similar public health problems, particularly in the field of reproductive health care. Women and Health Protection was spawned by DES Action Canada through the Centres of Excellence for Women’s Health program in 1997. DES Action Canada, 5890 Monkland Ave, Suite 203 |
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