Today in Denmark: A roundup of the news on Monday
Gale force winds and hail, 'automatic' organ donation, and whether to inform landowners of possible PFAS contamination are among the top news stories in Denmark on Monday.
Gale force winds, hail in forecasts
Denmark can look forward to blustery weather this week, according to the latest forecasts by the Danish Meteorological Institute. "A grey and wet January is drawing to a close and it looks like the month is slamming the door with a bang," DMI meteorologist Anesten Devasakayam writes.
On Monday, January 30th, areas across the country will experience strong winds, Devaskayam says, as well as occasional hail. The wind is expected to keep pace as the week progresses, with brief reprieves on Tuesday and Thursday.
READ MORE: Essential rain gear for a wet Danish winter (and spring, summer, autumn)
Government reluctant to inform landowners of possible PFAS contamination
Opposition parties say it's unacceptable for the Danish Regions and national government to drag their feet on informing people their land could be contaminated with PFAS, 'forever chemicals' linked to health problems including cancer.
The Regions, which are responsible for environmental cleanups in Denmark, have identified 16,000 plots they suspect are contaminated with PFAS due to industry activity. However, they have yet to inform the people who live there. That's because the Regions plan to test each plot individually before reaching out — a process that could take decades without a dramatic increase in funding, according to broadcaster DR.
Food grown in contaminated soil accumulates PFAS, and the Regions have identified many gardens and allotments that might be affected.
"When the Regions have this knowledge, I also think we need to inform the population whether it is their garden or farmland or a kindergarten that is located where there may actually be severe contamination," Mai Villadsen of the Red-Green Alliance (Enhedslisten) told DR.
READ MORE: PFAS found in organic eggs in Denmark
Minister of Health: everyone in Denmark should automatically be organ donors
Currently, Danes have to 'opt in' for organ donation —and fewer than one in three do, according to the National Board of Health.
Health Minister Sophie Løhde contends that Denmark should join many other EU countries that have in recent years switched from opting in to organ donation to opting out.
She says a 'soft' variant of the opt-out system could mean everyone automatically becomes organ donors after they turn 18, but family members still have the final say if the deceased hasn't made their wishes explicit.
However, the Danish Ethics Council, a government advisory body, believes in maintaining the opt-in status quo.
"The right to control oneself and one's own body is an important principle of health care. Therefore, our recommendation is that we stick to the principles that exist today," says the council's Leif Vestergaard.
You can change your organ donation status here on sundhed.dk. In 2022, 21 patients in Denmark died waiting to receive an organ.
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Gale force winds, hail in forecasts
Denmark can look forward to blustery weather this week, according to the latest forecasts by the Danish Meteorological Institute. "A grey and wet January is drawing to a close and it looks like the month is slamming the door with a bang," DMI meteorologist Anesten Devasakayam writes.
On Monday, January 30th, areas across the country will experience strong winds, Devaskayam says, as well as occasional hail. The wind is expected to keep pace as the week progresses, with brief reprieves on Tuesday and Thursday.
READ MORE: Essential rain gear for a wet Danish winter (and spring, summer, autumn)
Government reluctant to inform landowners of possible PFAS contamination
Opposition parties say it's unacceptable for the Danish Regions and national government to drag their feet on informing people their land could be contaminated with PFAS, 'forever chemicals' linked to health problems including cancer.
The Regions, which are responsible for environmental cleanups in Denmark, have identified 16,000 plots they suspect are contaminated with PFAS due to industry activity. However, they have yet to inform the people who live there. That's because the Regions plan to test each plot individually before reaching out — a process that could take decades without a dramatic increase in funding, according to broadcaster DR.
Food grown in contaminated soil accumulates PFAS, and the Regions have identified many gardens and allotments that might be affected.
"When the Regions have this knowledge, I also think we need to inform the population whether it is their garden or farmland or a kindergarten that is located where there may actually be severe contamination," Mai Villadsen of the Red-Green Alliance (Enhedslisten) told DR.
READ MORE: PFAS found in organic eggs in Denmark
Minister of Health: everyone in Denmark should automatically be organ donors
Currently, Danes have to 'opt in' for organ donation —and fewer than one in three do, according to the National Board of Health.
Health Minister Sophie Løhde contends that Denmark should join many other EU countries that have in recent years switched from opting in to organ donation to opting out.
She says a 'soft' variant of the opt-out system could mean everyone automatically becomes organ donors after they turn 18, but family members still have the final say if the deceased hasn't made their wishes explicit.
However, the Danish Ethics Council, a government advisory body, believes in maintaining the opt-in status quo.
"The right to control oneself and one's own body is an important principle of health care. Therefore, our recommendation is that we stick to the principles that exist today," says the council's Leif Vestergaard.
You can change your organ donation status here on sundhed.dk. In 2022, 21 patients in Denmark died waiting to receive an organ.
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