Network 12-1.pdf - Canadian Women's Health Network

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Contaminants in water: The outbreaks of disease in Walkerton and North Battleford, when E.Coli and cryptosporidium invaded the water supply, have thrown the issue of contaminants in water into the spotlight in recent years. While Microbiological contaminants such as the ones were found in those cases remain the biggest threat; however there is growing concern over the issue of chemical contamination of water. While this form of contamination may not result in immediate and dramatic health effects, the cumulative effects of long-term exposure are a serious concern. These cumulative exposures were researched and discussed in two soon-to-be released projects – in “The Gendered Effects of Chronic Low Dose Exposures to Chemicals in Drinking Water,” by looking at data across the country, researchers concluded that although Canada’s drinking water is “for the most part safe,” the quality was tied to where you live. In the second project, “Gendered Implications of Chronic Exposures to Pharmaceuticals and Disinfection By-Products in Typical Drinking Water” looks at what is released into our water from drugs and everyday personal care products, and by-products used in water treatment, how they interact, and what the implications are. As primary caretakers, most oen responsible for the health of their families, as well as their personal health, women are likely to be affected significantly Privatization of water: The question of whether water is a human right or a commodity, and the implications of those interpretations, is addressed in the research theme of Privatization. This research area addresses the rise of private sector involvement in the water supply networks, and the more business-oriented values that the sector brings with it. What do these shifts mean for women? As primary caretakers, most often responsible for the health of their families, as well as their personal health, women are likely to be affected significantly by these trends. The Significance of Privatization and Commercialization Trends for Women’s Health, a project in partnership with the Council of Canadians, supported by the Prairie Women’s Health Centre of Excellence and Women and Health Care Reform, looks at the push to privatize water in Canada. It ex- amines larger philosophical questions such as whether water should be privatized at all, and more practical issues such as water management models, privatization experiences and threats in Canada. The project also looks at what privatization may mean for women’s health, particularly Aboriginal women’s health. Signy Gerrard is the Director of Communications at the Canadian Women’s Health Network. Visit the website at: www.womenandwater.ca Read the reports: Privazaon of water: www.womenandwater.ca/ pdf/NNEWH%20water%20pr ivazaon.pdf Contaminants in water: www.womenandwater.ca/ pdf/NNEWH%20water%20c ontaminants.pdf Aboriginal water issues: www.womenandwater.ca/ pdf/NNEWH%20water%20c ontaminants.pdf 18 FALL/.WINTER 2009/2010 NETWORK
WHAT WE’RE READING recommended resources from our library Rising to the Challenge: Sex and Gender-based Analysis for Health Planning, Policy and Research in Canada By Barbara Clow, Ann Pederson, Margaret Haworth-Brockman, and Jennifer Bernier (2009) Rising to the Challenge is a book that describes the process of sex- and gender-based analysis and offers a collecon of case studies and commentaries that illustrate SGBA in acon. The book is of interest to people working on policy, planning and research and to people at various levels of government. It will help readers understand sex- and gender-based analysis and learn how to apply it in their work for and with women and men, girls and boys. Sex- and gender-based analysis reminds us to ask quesons about similaries and differences between and among women and men, such as: Do women and men have the same suscepbility to lung disease from smoking? Are women at the same risk as men of contracting HIV/AIDS through heterosexual intercourse? Are the symptoms of heart disease the same in women and men? Are x-rays equally useful for reflecng the level of disability and pain experienced by women and men living with osteoarthris? Do boys and girls have similar experiences of being overweight or obese? Do internaonal tobacco control policies work the same way for men and women? By introducing such quesons, sex- and gender-based analysis can help lead to posive changes in how programs are offered or how resources are allocated. To download an electronic copy or request a print copy, visit the website www.pwhce.ca, www.acewh.dal.ca, or www.bccewh.bc.ca Dissonant Disabilies: Women with Chronic Illnesses Explore Their Lives Diane Driedger & Michelle Owen (Women’s Press, April, 2008) This collecon of original arcles invites the reader to examine the key issues in the lives of women with chronic illnesses. The authors explore how society reacts to women with chronic illness and how women living with chronic illness cope with the uncertainty of their bodies in a society that desires certainty. Addionally, issues surrounding women with chronic illness in the workplace and the impact of chronic illness on women’s relaonships are sensively considered. Racialized Migrant Women in Canada: Essays on Health, Violence, and Equity Vijay Agnew (University of Toronto Press, 2009) Despite legislave guarantees of equality, immigrant women in Canada oen experience many forms of prejudice in their everyday lives. Racialized Migrant Women in Canada delves into the public and private spheres of several disnct communies in order to expose the underlying inequalies within Canada’s economic, social, legal, and polical systems that frequently result in the denial of basic rights to migrant women. CANADIAN WOMEN’S HEALTH NETWORK FALL/.WINTER 2009/2010 19
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