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Washington StateThe Collaborative on Health and the Environment – Washington

 ICEH logo and link to the ICEH website

A Partnership Network for Environmental Health
Established and Coordinated by the Institute for Children's Environmental Health
physician and child Seattle Space Needle and monorail smokestacks a child with her grandmother child on a playground girl at a drinking fountain orca Mt. Rainier over Tacoma

Overview

The Collaborative on Health and the Environment – Washington (CHE-WA), established originally as CHE-Northwest in 2003, is a state network of over 330 researchers, healthcare providers, members of health-affected groups, environmental health and justice advocates and other concerned citizens committed to addressing environmental health issues linked to chronic health concerns in Washington State. Our overarching goal is to promote the cross-pollination of ideas and opportunities between different sectors concerned with environmental contributors to chronic health problems in order to create a safe and healthy future for all in the Northwest.

CHE-WA began as CHE-Northwest, a regional offshoot of CHE National. With our Oregonian colleagues starting their own state CHE in February 2005 (CHE-OR), CHE-NW became CHE-WA. CHE-WA and CHE-OR will be working closely together. An umbrella CHE-NW website with sections for each of the state sites is being developed to facilitate information sharing and collaboration on regional issues.

CHE-WA holds quarterly, face-to-face meetings. During these meetings, we highlight emerging science in the environmental health field, share information on our respective activities, incubate new ideas and opportunities, and invite partners to present on a particular environmental health theme. To access meeting notes and documents, please visit our Meetings page.

CHE-WA currently has several working groups:

  1. the Climate Change and Health Working Group, which is working to raise awareness of the impacts of climate change on human health and bring health issues into the discussion.
  2. the Environmental Justice Working Group, which is developing opportunities to create stronger alliances between environmental justice and environmental health and to instill a broader understanding that environmental health and justice are inherently linked.
  3. the Precautionary Principle Working Group, which focuses on incorporating precautionary language in the comprehensives plans for King County and Seattle.
  4. the Research and Information Working Group, which is analyzing data on environmental contributors to chronic health problems and on the environmentally attributable health care costs in Washington State.

CHE-WA also supports the emergence of other working groups that promote activities for the benefit all organizational efforts whether in research, education and/or advocacy.

In addition, CHE-WA has a listserv where new research, upcoming events and policy/regulatory initiatives related to environmental health issues in Washington State are posted. Though CHE-WA does not speak on behalf of all members nor take a stance as a coalition on a specific policy or regulatory issue, members are encouraged to share information on their programs and projects to increase collaboration on relevant initiatives.

We welcome all individuals and organizations that share CHE's mission and values. Though our meetings are in the Seattle area and a number of CHE-WA members are based in eastern Washington or as far as Montana, we try to make all meetings accessible via speaker phone. For more information about CHE, please see www.healthandenvironment.org/ and/or contact Aimee Boulanger, coordinator for CHE-WA, at aboulanger@iceh.org or 360-331-7904.

Note: The website of CHE-WA reflects the emphasis and focus of CHE-WA. The interpretation of scientific information unique to the regional sites is under regional control and does not necessarily reflect CHE National's views. To learn more about CHE National please visit to www.healthandenvironment.org/.

Become a Member of CHE-WA

Please send inquiries about membership to iceh@iceh.org.

Members are invited to participate in the CHE-WA listserv and meetings. Members of CHE-WA are also members of the Collaborative on Health and the Environment (CHE), which sends no more than four email messages per month. There are no other membership obligations.

To join the Collaborative on Health and the Environment (CHE) and CHE-Washington, please complete the form at www.healthandenvironment.org/roles/register?&phase=registerform. Be sure to mark that you want to join the Washington State Regional Group at the bottom of the application.

Highlights

Next Meeting

Our next meeting will be 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. March 5, 2007, at Antioch University Seattle. Please see our Meetings page for full details.

2008 Lecture Series in Seattle

The fifth annual environmental health lecture series is themed "Seeking Solutions: Connecting Economics with Health and Environment." The series, sponsored by the Seattle Biotech Legacy Foundation and organized by the Institute for Children's Environmental Health, includes one lecture each month January through April. National speakers will lecture on principles of ecological economics, the future of the Puget Sound region, the future of energy and economics for the 21st century. Please see our Lectures page for details.

Environmental Justice Directory

With many thanks to Millie Piazza, PhD, for her work gathering and compiling information, CHE-WA is pleased to offer our members a directory of environmental justice contacts in Washington State (PDF file, 49 KB).

Toxic Toys Database

Michigan-based Ecology Center has just released new research on over 1,500 toys in collaboration with the Washington Toxics Coalition and other leading environmental health groups across the country. Parents will be able to easily check how products rank from highest to lowest in terms of lead, cadmium and other chemicals that are associated with reproductive problems, developmental and learning disabilities, hormone problems and cancer. Toys made with PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, were also tested. See www.healthytoys.org.

New CHE-WA Coordinator

Aimee Boulanger, program director at the Institute for Children's Environmental Health, is now coordinating CHE-WA. Elise Miller will continue to participate closely in CHE-WA and serve as founding coordinator.

Climate Change and Health Fact Sheet

The Climate Change and Health Working Group has published a fact sheet: Climate Change and Public Health in Washington (PDF file, 45 KB, 7 pages). Or read the executive summary (PDF file, 29 KB, 2 pages).

Free Home Health Assessment

The American Lung Association of Washington assists residents with home assessments to identify contaminants such as household chemicals, lead, pesticides, dust mites and other allergens that could be making children or families sick. After the assessment, they suggest an action plan filled with low- and no-cost solutions to make a home a healthy place. Either a trained volunteer can come to a home, or residents can follow the Do It Yourself HEAL form posted on ALAW's website.

Searchable Bulletins

Our biweekly email bulletins are now archived and searchable on our Bulletins page. Each week, we compile news stories, announcements, and upcoming events related to environmental health in Washington and the Pacific Northwest.

Unwanted Medications Return

Washington Citizens for Resource Conservation (WCRC), a Seattle-based Earth Share organization, has developed a pilot program to make unwanted pharmaceuticals easy to return. A document instructing consumers in how to return medications is available at Keeping Medicine Out of Our Water (PDF document, 86 KB).

Fact Sheets Published

The Research & Information Working Group has published printable Fact Sheets corresponding to the topics in the clearinghouse on health and environmental quality in Washington State that they created earlier this year. This work was completed with support from the Institute for Children's Environmental Health and Antioch University Seattle and was sponsored by the Seattle Biotech Legacy Foundation. For links to the fact sheets, please visit the Enter Clearinghouse web page.

Article Published

Dr. Kate Davies, chair of CHE-WA's Research & Information Working Group, published an article in the Journal of Environmental Health: Strategies for Eliminating and Reducing Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxic Substances: Common Approaches, Emerging Trends, and Level of Success. Read the article abstract.

Joint Conference Adopts Resolutions

from Steven G. Gilbert, PhD, DABT

At the 13th Annual Washington State Joint Conference on Health, the Washington State Public Health Association (WSPHA at www.wspha.org) unanimously adopted two important resolutions that address human health and the environment. The first resolution was entitled "Endorsing the Precautionary Principle as a Public Health Tool for Preventing Harm from Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxic Chemicals (PBTs)." The highlight was that a number of people spoke in favor of the resolution and its importance for preventing disease and promoting health.

While focused on PBTs, the second resolve stated that "The WSPHA endorses the precautionary principle as a vital component of our preventive approach to public health in Washington State, advancing the goal that all people have an opportunity to reach and maintain their full potential." This is a powerful statement in support of human and environmental health. The second resolution was entitled "Supporting Safer Chemicals Policies to Benefit Human and Environmental Health." This resolution addressed the need to 1) reduce exposure to PBTs; 2) encourage development and use of safer, cost-effective, alternative products, materials and processes; 3) develop 'green chemistry'; and 4) provide full information on the health effects of all chemicals placed into the marketplace. These two resolutions provide a tremendous support for human and environmental health in Washington State.

Precaution Academy and Briefing

Materials from our June Precaution Academy and Briefing are now listed on our Precautionary Principle Working Group page.

Pollution in People

The Toxic-Free Legacy Coalition has launched a "Pollution in People" website to follow up and expand on their recent report about the chemicals found in the blood, urine and hair samples of ten Washingtonians.

link to Pollution in People report
Go to the website

Research & Information Group Unveils Website

A new clearinghouse website has been created under the direction of Dr. Kate Davies, chair of the Collaborative's Research and Information Working Group and Core Faculty in Environment & Community at Antioch University Seattle. The new site summarizes information on chronic diseases and disabilities and environmental quality in Washington State and contains links and references to about 500 data sources. It deals with diverse topics such as asthma, urban sprawl & health, climate change, pesticides, adult and childhood cancer, contaminants in air, water and soil, and learning & developmental disabilities.

"This is the first website of its type in the country to offer such a comprehensive picture of health and environmental quality at a state level," said Dr. Davies. "It takes complex scientific information and makes it understandable by the lay-person." A study released by Dr. Davies in 2005 showed that environmental diseases and disabilities cost Washington State more than $2 billion a year in healthcare and related costs.

Read the complete media advisory about the new site.

Communities Count 2005

A mixed report card for local quality of life

Friday, December 9, 2005

KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON – Today, private, public and nonprofit partners and funders released Communities Count 2005, which shows mixed results in the health status and well-being of families and communities in King County.

"By giving us a broad and thorough perspective on the state of our health and well-being, Communities Count serves as a call to action," said King County Executive Ron Sims. "We need to recognize our progress, while confirming our commitment to addressing areas of concern."

To read the complete article, please visit the Metro King County website. For the full report, an executive summary or highlights, please visit the Communities Count website.

Report Reveals the High Health Care Costs Stemming from Toxics in Washington's Environment

More than $2 billion a year in health care costs can be tied to diseases and disabilities linked to environmental contaminants, according to a study released recently by Dr. Kate Davies, faculty at Antioch University Seattle. View these documents: