Transcript of an interview with Professor Bernard Stewart, Australia's representative at the International Agency for Research on Cancer on Friday, 18 November 2011
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Interviewer
Professor Bernard Stewart is Australia’s representative at the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
Professor Stewart
In broad medico-scientific terms, Australian involvement is particularly concerned with a succession of experts who have either done research at IARC headquarters in Lyon in France or who have participated in working groups and working parties convened by the agency to look at particular issues. And of those activities, the best known is probably the agency’s program called Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans which most recently evaluated electromagnetic fields and mobile phones in particular in terms of the possibility that they may cause cancer in humans.
Interviewer
And why are you meeting with the APVMA?
Professor Stewart
Multiple regulatory agencies have to address data, often indirect, which suggests the possibility of a cancer risk. And it’s that uncertainty - in contrast for example to cancer causation by tobacco smoke or asbestos, which is absolutely rock solid in respect to the medico-scientific evidence – but the uncertainty relating to some pesticides necessitates that this agency, as well as others who have regulatory responsibility, have insight into the latest perspectives on interpreting scientific and medical evidence which suggests but often fall well short of proving that there may be a carcinogenic risk to humans at least in respect of some circumstances of exposure.
Interviewer
You mentioned the work you’ve done on mobile phones, what are some of the other key activities that the agency is involved in?
Professor Stewart
I guess three areas of activity. One is determining agents that cause cancer in humans. This not only includes electro-magnetic and physical agents but chemicals and indeed biological agents such as bacteria and viruses. So that’s one activity. A second activity is determining the actual distribution of cancer world wide because the distribution of cancer, and cancer in particular communities, provides singular insights into causation and ultimately prevention of disease. And the third activity the agency involves itself in is the actual pathological categorisation of human tumours. Any reputable pathologist can give his or her opinion about a particular tumour or cancer type. But what the agency can uniquely do is draw together experts from all countries to come to a consensus view on often difficult to categorise and explain particular tumour types, to serve as a consensus generating authority, for want of a better phrase, so that the bottom lines expressed by working groups convened by the agency in almost every circumstance, represent the most authoritative opinion we have on difficult to cope with issues.
Interviewer
Australia’s representative at the International Agency for Research on Cancer, Professor Bernard Stewart.
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