Participants paid a fee to take part in the event; all of which goes to breast cancer charities; a Walk Together press release states.

Since the Walk Together (Gongum Saman) group was formed five years ago, some ISK 17 million (EUR 104,000) has been raised for breast cancer research, RUV reported.

The organisation is preparing to pay out ISK 6 million in funding to charity this October.

The popular event brings women and men of all ages together and has become a yearly staple which is somewhat similar to the Race For Life events held every year in the UK.

Walk Together says that the under-21 Icelandic men’s football team supported this year’s event by training in Walk Together t-shirts yesterday. The Reykjavik walk route went right past their training ground.

Walk Together events were held in Reykjavik, Akranes, Stykkisholmur, Patreksfjordur, Isafjordur, Holar i Hjaltadal, Akureyri, Egilsstadir, Reydarfjordur, Hofn and Selfoss.

The group is made up of two couples, as previously reported on IceNews. They spent last nights at Hvalfjordur, just north of Reykjavik and plan to arrive back in the capital city today at around 15.00.

The name of the ambitious challenge is “As long as my feet carry me” and the idea is to raise money for children with cancer. Rognvaldsson, and his wife Signy Gunnarsdottir’s, son wsa diagnosed with leukaemia in January last year when he was three.

The runners are sharing the burden, each having run around 25 kilometres per day; making a group total of 100km. Rognvalsson says they have been through a lot together since jogging happily out of town on the 2nd June.

“We found ourselves in completely crazy weather on Modrudalsoraefi and when we woke up the next morning there was a 10cm deep layer of snow all around,” he told Visir.is. “And then one of us is grappling against an injury; so there have been various things. The group is a little tired, but otherwise it has gone to plan.”

Sveinn and Signy say they were never prolific runners and only really started training this winter when they decided to go ahead with the project.

The group will have run 1,300 kilometres in total and it is hoped they will arrive at the Vodafone Stadium at 15.00 today, where Reykjavik mayor Jon Gnarr will welcome them home. “There are some people planning to run the last kilometres with us, Sveinn says — and everybody can follow their progress home on their own website, here. The website also allows for donations to the cause — nearly ISK 10 million (EUR 60,125) has already been given.

The two couples intend to run all the way around Iceland in just two weeks in order to raise money for children with cancer, and their families.

Signy Gunnarsdottir, Sveinn Benedikt Rognvaldsson, Alma Rognvaldsdottir and Gudmundur Gudnason set off yesterday from the Barnaspitali Hringsins children’s hospital in Reykjavik. Their goal for day one was to reach the small town of Hella in South Iceland.

Each of them will run an average of 24 kilometres each day, RUV reports.

Signy and Sveinn’s three year-old son was diagnosed with leukaemia around a year ago; but he is now on the road to recovery following a difficult course of medication.

The runners’ progress can be followed on www.mfbm.is and the website also has details on how to sponsor the athletic friends.

(Photo: RUV.is)

The project is run by the Norwegian company PCI Biotech, in co-operation with the University of Iceland and the Icelandic chemistry company ArcticMass. The trials have been carried out on patients at University College Hospital in London. The cancer patient is given a so-called light-directing drug along with cancer medication.

“The light-directing drug is given shortly before the cancer medicine and then a light is shone onto the tumour,” says Mar Masson, an Icelandic professor involved in the project. The light directing drug increases the efficacy of the cancer drugs inside the tumour and reduces the drugs’ unwanted impact on the rest of the body.

“This treatment is especially suited to surface tumours. A good example is tongue tumours, which are difficult to treat surgically and often lead to the removal of the tongue; but with this procedure it is possible to administer cancer medication, activate it with light in the tumour and the tumour can disappear without harming the patient,” Masson explained to RUV.

11 long-term cancer patients took part in initial trials in the UK. All tumours that were treated disappeared and no major side effects were reported.

“If the tests planned for this year go well, this could be a recognised treatment on the market in just a few years,” the professor adds.

The idea is simply to have fun at work on Friday, have pink decorations and wear something pink (or wear all pink).

Every October is international breast cancer awareness month, and many businesses and public buildings in Iceland take part, including by using pink lighting or changing signage.

All workplaces taking part in Pink Friday are encouraged to send their photos to laila@krabb.is so that they may be displayed on www.krabb.is. That is also the website to visit for further Pink Friday information.

The parents want to sue Reykjavik Energy following a test which revealed their house has much higher than recommended electromagnetic charge readings. Unusual electromagnetic readings have been found in the homes of three Icelandic children with leukaemia.

Rosalinda Oskarsdottir was diagnosed with the illness in June 2008. An electrical substation is near to the family home and Rosalinda’s parents believe the resultant electromagnetism could have caused the leukaemia. They had their suspicions confirmed when testing revealed the readings in Rosalinda’s bedroom were high above recommended maximum levels. The parents now intend to test their claim in court.

“If my daughter lives to be 25, I want to be able to look her in the eyes and know that we did all we could to get justice,” her father told Visir.is.

The Icelandic Radiation Safety Authority has taken electromagnetic readings in 150 homes in preparation for a report due out this spring; but the publication is still being delayed and the results of those tests are not yet known.

Modern technology has seen a growth in the use of nano particles across a wide scope of industries, with applications ranging from building and cleaning materials to super fast computers.

“Scientifically, one can draw a parallel between the spread of nano products and the asbestos scandal. A study of the type of nano particles called carbon nanotubes showed that laboratory animals got pulmonary membrane cancer under certain conditions,” said Otto Melchior Oulsen, National Labour Environment (NFA) Research Director. He added that many asbestos handlers also contracted lung cancer in later life.

On April 16, the Danish Environmental Protection Agency outlawed the use of nano-enhanced dirt resistant floor sprays after a study found links to serious lung problems. The testing and recommendation were undertaken by the Environmental Protection Agency, reports Politiken.

“We subjected mice to a spray from the product and could see that it made them very sick. During the first 24 hours, they lost 10 percent of their body weight and many of them died,” said NFA Senior Researcher Soren Thor Larsen, adding that serious lung problems were discovered upon dissection.

Larsen claimed that many other nano products have yet to be fully tested, but that similar results to those seen in the floor spray studies are feared. Accepted research maintains that nano particles are generally safe as long as they are encapsulated in a product, but airborne particles may still pose an undefined threat.

“It is reasonable to assume that there are problems with products such as the one we have tested. My advice is that workmen, for example, or consumers, should be careful with products like the floor spray in which nano particles get into the air as small droplets or dust. In these cases one can use masks, for example, or ensure strong ventilation,” said Larsen.

Helsingin Sanomat reveals that one out of every five Finns holds a gene that can accelerate the metabolic effect of alcohol, leaving the drinker feeling unpleasant even after and during consuming small amounts. This sensation should be a warning sign to the individual that they may have a higher susceptibility to oesophageal cancer than others.

The higher risk is due to acetaldehyde, and organic chemical compound which is produced when the body breaks down alcohol. Acetaldehyde has recently been classified as a Class I level carcinogenic substance by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

Finland has long studied the effects of Acetaldehyde, with the National Institute for Health and Welfare’s Peter Eriksson a world leader in acetaldehyde-related research.

“Acetaldehyde is produced from alcohol in the liver and intestines, but it is burnt nearly entirely. Acetaldehyde can also be found in saliva, produced by microbes in the oral cavity, throat, and stomach,” Eriksson states.

Alcoholic beverages also contain high levels of the substance, with clear liquor having lower content than dark spirits, although red wine and beer have lower levels than white wine. Liquors made from apples and plums have the highest concentration of carcinogenic material. Calvados, for example, has large quantities of acetaldehyde and is predominantly consumed in Normandy, where there is widespread cancer of the oesophagus, claims Eriksson.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) defines a safe amount of acetaldehyde as 0.39 milligrams per day. However, some Europeans can consume up to 112mg. Exposure lasts for up to two minutes following each gulp, and smoking causes exposure for tens of minutes at a time.

The man, who claims to be a naturopath, had been allegedly treating cancer sufferers with a variety of vegetables and herbs but has never held a Swedish medical license. The quack doctor has also been accused of sexually abusing a female patient who suffered from Parkinson’s disease.

Among more notable treatments was a concoction of cabbage, mussel and basil oil which the man, in his fifties, used to treat a terminally ill cancer patient. He is under suspicion from authorities after apparently swindling an estimated SEK 500,000 from his clients, The Local reports.

“It’s incredibly cynical to milk these people for their money,” said Daniel Edsbagge, the deputy prosecutor.

The case involving the controversial cabbage cure was brought to the attention of local authorities back in 2007; the same year the woman died, but was dropped because of lack of evidence. However, an influx of complaints arose since the incident was made public earlier this year. The man was arrested under suspicion in May but released days later after a remand hearing.

Over the summer, the investigation continued with more patients of the malpractice medic being interviewed by police, which led to his house being raided. A patient registry and accounts were discovered during the raid.

The prosecution alleged that the bogus doctor chiefly preyed upon the terminally ill. The list of unwitting victims included one sexagenarian who was told her insomnia related to problems with her vagina, for which a herbal remedy was recommended. The Parkinson’s sufferer was allegedly sexually abused numerous times during her treatment for which she paid an estimated SEK 250,000.

The suspect has denied committing any offences according to his lawyer Eva Smerling Winman.

The value of the gift is estimated at ISK 13-15 million (USD 108,000-125,000).

Iceland’s State Trading Centre announced on 29th October that Actavis had submitted the lowest price offer on nine medicines under tender number 14512. Following this, Actavis decided to give the five new cancer drugs to hospitals for free in their first year.

Sigurdur Oli Olafsson, Actavis CEO said: “We wanted to do some good, given the current financial situation here. We though it was ideal to do something like this given that these are the first hypodermic cancer drugs Actavis has launched in Iceland. Increasing the number of generic drugs in this category will save a lot of money for Icelandic medical institutions. Actavis has shown great corporate responsibility from the very beginning in its work and will continue to do so wherever possible.”