Please check the CHE-WA website to stay abreast of the latest postings, news and events: http://washington.chenw.org.
To join the Collaborative on Health and the Environment (CHE) and CHE-Washington, please complete the form at http://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.
Slide presentations from CHE-WA's January 4th quarterly meeting are posted on our website: http://washington.chenw.org/meetings.html. Notes from the meeting will be added to the site soon. If you are interested in joining the newly formed Climate Change and Health Working Group resulting from discussion at this meeting, please contact Elise Miller at emiller@iceh.org.
The fourth annual environmental health lecture series entitled, "Our Health, Our Environment: Making the Link -- Sustainable Solutions" starts this month at Seattle Town Hall. The series, sponsored by the Seattle Biotech Legacy Foundation and organized by the Institute for Children's Environmental Health, will include one lecture each month January through April:
All lectures will be held at Seattle Town Hall from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., preceded by a reception from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. For more information and to purchase admission, please visit http://washington.chenw.org/lectures.html. Today is the last day to receive the discounted price for either the full series or just the first lecture.
January 24, 2007
10:00 a.m.
Olympia, Washington
Washington Toxics Coalition will remind the legislature of their duty to protect children's health. They invite parents and health care professionals to protect children's health by eliminating toxic flame retardants. During Lobby Day they will deliver their health professionals' sign-on letter and meet with legislators to urge their support for legislation this session to eliminate all forms of PBDEs. If you can attend, please RSVP.
Website: http://www.watoxics.org/take-action/action-alerts
Contact: Jim Dawson, 206-632-1545 ext 120 or jdawson@watoxics.org
January 28 - 30, 2007
San Francisco, California
at UCSF Mission Bay Conference Center
This groundbreaking conference will further the efforts of researchers, clinicians, policymakers and community health leaders to understand and mitigate the reproductive and developmental health impacts of exposures to environmental contaminants -- including the periconceptional and fetal origins of adult disorders. The Summit will provide overviews by leading researchers of the science on these topics and will also explore translation of this research to clinical care, medical training, and public health policy; to federal regulatory agency and research institute priorities; and to patient advocate and community health concerns, including health disparity issues. Collaborative working groups and partnerships will form to further explore and take action on these environmental health issues.
Website: http://www.ucsf.edu/coe/prhesummit.html
Contact: Mary Wade, Summit Manager, 415-476-2563 or wadem@obgyn.ucsf.edu
by Jonathan Curiel, San Francisco Chronicle
January 14, 2007
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2007/01/14/INGGENGN9T1.DTL
Article Summary: Arthur Firstenberg is a leading activist in what amounts to a war against cell phones and cellular technologies. Firstenberg says the millions of people who are expected to buy Apple's iPhone should consider this first: Mobile phones emit radiation, cause damage to brain tissue, and produce the kind of cancer that kills rats in laboratory experiments. A study by Swedish neurosurgeon Leif Salford exposed rats to cell-phone levels of radiation. Theoretically, cell phones emit radiation that's non-ionizing, meaning radiation that doesn't ionize (or dissolve) atoms and molecules in the brain, and is therefore safe, but Salford's study on rats suggest otherwise. Salford has warned that prolonged, years-long exposure to radiation from cell phones, cell-phone towers and other wireless technologies can increase the likelihood of people getting Alzheimer's or dementia, even in middle age. Other recent studies, including one from Denmark last month, have concluded there is no link between cell-phone use and cancer. The report from Denmark, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, studied 420,000 Danish cell-phone users, some of whom had used the phones for 21 years. Critics say the study was flawed. While critics have called Firstenberg a "quack", his alarms are being sounded by a number of groups, scientists and environmental specialists, including the San Francisco Neighborhood Antenna-Free Union and Andrew Michrowski, president of an organization called the Planetary Association for Clean Energy.
by Charles Pope, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
January 13, 2007
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/299625_environment13.html
WASHINGTON -- In a unified threat to the Environmental Protection Agency, all four senators from Washington and Oregon demanded Friday that a proposed standard for regulating the cancer-causing chemical benzene be toughened so that higher levels are not allowed in the Northwest than in other parts of the country.
Article Summary: The EPA is finalizing rules that would limit the amount of benzene and other dangerous chemicals that could be released into the air. The proposed regulations would allow oil refineries and other plants to reach federal limits by trading pollution credits. Such a system would allow some plants to exceed maximum standards as long as plants releasing fewer toxic particles offset those emissions. According to EPA data, the Northwest currently has some of the nation's highest benzene levels, and gasoline produced at refineries in the region carry benzene that is three times higher than EPA's proposed national standard. Senator Maria Cantwell said in a statement: "A plan that allows regional hot spots for a carcinogen like benzene hurts our efforts to reduce overall emissions or improve air quality in places like the Northwest."
by Christine Dell'Amore, United Press International
January 12, 2007
http://www.upi.com/ConsumerHealthDaily/view.php?StoryID=20070112-013954-4011r
Now that scientists are confident particulate matter pollution poses a danger to health, they must parse out exactly which components of the pollution harm people, and how. A study in the January issue of Environmental Health Perspectives is one of the first studies to try to unravel these complexities, focusing on specific constituents of PM 2.5 and their sources.
Article Summary: Particulate matter is a mixture of exceedingly small particles, including dust and droplets of liquid in the air, that are created mostly by the burning of fossil fuels or combustion. The particles can travel into the deepest areas of the lungs when inhaled, and exposure is linked to several health conditions, from aggravated asthma to premature death in people with heart and lung disease, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. PM 2.5 is the smallest of the types of particulate matter and the most detrimental to health. By looking closely at PM 2.5 constituents, such as elemental carbon, experts can determine health effects of the pollution better than studying PM 2.5 generically. Knowing how to control diesel particles and elemental carbon can better inform control strategies for pollution. Several constituents of particulate matter, such as elemental carbon, organic carbon, nitrates potassium and some metals were associated with all causes of mortality. A stronger association emerged with cardiovascular disease mortality, and among those older than 65. Overall, pollution from motor vehicles and other kinds of combustion, like wood-burning, are of particular concern. The study has limited power, and the exact causes of PM 2.5 health effects remain complex.
by Roxanne Khamsi, New Scientist
January 12, 2007
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn10946-plastics-chemical-harms-eggs-in-unborn-mice.html
Female mice exposed to a common chemical found in plastics while in the womb develop abnormal eggs, according to a new study. Based on this finding, researchers speculate that the chemical, bisphenol A, might increase the risk of spontaneous abortion and genetic disorders in humans, such as Down's syndrome.
Article Summary: Bisphenol A, or BPA, is commonly found in hard plastics and the lining of tin cans. The chemical has come under scrutiny before because it can mimic the hormone estrogen. Patricia Hunt at Washington State University in Pullman, US, and colleagues exposed pregnant mice to 20 micrograms of BPA per kilogram of their bodyweight each day over a one-week period. During this same period, the reproductive cells of female mice inside in the womb begin to develop. Researchers followed the female mouse pups that had been exposed to BPA in the womb. When these mice reached adulthood, Hunt's team examined their eggs. More than one in every 20 cells taken from those mice had unpaired chromosomes -- an abnormal trait. This trait was completely absent in cells taken from the BPA-free control mice. An analysis of slightly more mature eggs taken from another group of females exposed to BPA in utero found that 10 eggs out of 56 sampled had one or more extra chromosomes than normal. In contrast, only one out of 57 such cells from a control group showed the same defect. Hunt is concerned that BPA might disrupt egg development in humans as well. Previous research has found that mice exposed to the chemical in utero have abnormal prostate and breast tissue development that could put them at greater risk of developing cancer in these tissues. Steve Hentges of the American Plastics Council in Arlington, Virginia, argues against drawing conclusions about human health from the study: He believes that the unborn mice were exposed to higher levels of BPA because they received it through implanted pellets rather than through their food.
by Cornelia Dean, New York Times
January 12, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/12/washington/12risk.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
The Bush administration yesterday withdrew a proposal to change the way federal agencies assess environmental hazards, health threats and other risks, after an expert panel declared that it was so scientifically flawed that it "could not be rescued." The panel, appointed by an arm of the National Academy of Sciences, had been convened to evaluate a proposal by the White House Office of Management and Budget to standardize evaluation procedures. The budget office, which proposed the changes a year ago, said they would improve the quality of risk assessments by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation and other agencies.
Article Summary: Although the panel endorsed the idea of improving risk assessment in the federal government, the panel called the proposal simplistic and said it was "fundamentally flawed" and lacked "information for gauging the benefits to be achieved" by putting it into effect. The panel also recommended that the development of technical standards "be left to the agencies" conducting the assessments. Critics said the proposed changes were an effort to weaken government regulatory protections against environmental and other hazards.
by Chris McGann, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
January 12, 2007
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/299491_retardant12.html
As Washington moves to become the first state in the nation to ban a fire retardant found in mattresses, computers and furniture, lawmakers on Thursday accused the industry of putting up a smokescreen to stop the ban. With concerns about finding toxic chemicals from the retardants -- known as PBDEs -- in everything from breast milk to brown bears, the proposed ban passed out of a House committee and appeared headed for passage in both chambers.
Article Summary: The measure's quick progress this year comes after two years of debate and opposition by chemical companies that spent more than $107,000 lobbying the Legislature last year. Opposition highlighted the fire-safety issues and downplayed the health risks, even as proponents -- including some fire officials -- insisted safer alternatives could be used. This week, Glade Squires, a representative of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, identified himself as such when he testified before the House Select Committee on Environmental Health. He neglected to mention that he also is employed by Ameribrom, a chemical company that makes the PBDE fire retardant. His oversight was seen as a failure to disclose who he represented in his testimony and an attempt by the industry to preserve the misconception that the proposed ban will decrease public safety. The bill would ban three forms of polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs: penta and octa -- both of which already have been phased out -- and deca, which is still in wide use. However, many companies already make PBDE-free products in order to comply with European trade laws. Although the health effects of PBDEs have not been studied in people, animal tests indicate that PBDEs' effect on brain development during the prenatal period may alter behavior, learning and memory later in life. Studies of animals also show that these chemicals can affect reproduction, and it is listed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a possible carcinogen.
Brad Tower, a contract lobbyist for the chemical manufacturers' group, said targeting the wrong chemical would reduce fire safety. Rep. Ross Hunter, D-Medina, has been making sure there are safe alternatives and also working with companies such as Boeing to craft what he called reasonable exceptions. For example, Boeing uses PBDEs on the escape slots of their planes. "It was one place we found it actually did have an impact on fire safety, and we made an exemption," he said.
by Anke Schaefer, Environmental Science & Technology
January 10, 2007
http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2007/jan/science/as_roxarsone.html
The addition of roxarsone to chicken feed has stirred up debate ever since it was revealed that this organoarsenic compound can be transformed into more toxic inorganic arsenic. New research published today on ES&T's Research ASAP website identifies the microorganisms that are responsible for the conversion and shows that carcinogenic arsenic (As) is formed faster and more effectively than previously thought.
Article Summary: Roxarsone is routinely used by most U.S. broiler-chicken farms as a feed additive to prevent disease and stimulate growth. Chickens primarily excrete roxarsone unchanged into their waste, which is typically applied as a fertilizer on the surrounding farmlands. Previous research had shown that inorganic arsenic is slowly formed from roxarsone after litter composting or field application. John Stolz and his colleagues at Duquesne University now show that roxarsone is rapidly transformed to 3-amino-4-hydroxybenzene arsonic acid and inorganic As(V) in chicken-litter enrichments under anaerobic conditions by bacteria of the Clostridium species. As(V) emerged in less than 10 days, which is much faster than previously observed. If arsenic levels build up in crop soils, a possibility exists that it could transfer into food crops. The risk is greater in soils used for anaerobic cultivation, such as rice. Inorganic arsenic has been found in pelletized chicken waste that is sold as a garden fertilizer, potentially exposing consumers to the arsenic through dust. A recent study found elevated arsenic levels in house dust near chicken farms. A recent report by the Institute of Agriculture and Trade Policy notes that the uptake of part of the roxarsone into the chicken body leads to elevated arsenic concentrations in the chicken meat sold in U.S. supermarkets. The European Union declared the use of roxarsone undesirable in 1999 and has abandoned its use since then.
from the Associated Press, International Herald Tribune
January 10, 2007
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/01/10/europe/EU-GEN-EU-Mercury.php
Health and environmental experts called on the European Union on Wednesday to push for a global ban on the use of mercury, warning that the highly toxic chemical continues to pose severe health risks. In a report, a pan-European group of health care experts, professionals and activists called on the 27-nation EU to step up efforts to rid the continent of mercury, which it said continues to be used in everything from dental fillings to medical devices such as thermometers. "Even if we stopped all mercury production and spills and emissions today, our global food supply would still be contaminated for years to come," said Genon Jensen, director of the Health and Environment Alliance, who presented the report to EU lawmakers at the European Parliament. The report calls for a "general restriction on all remaining uses of mercury in products."
Article Summary: The EU is the world's biggest exporter of mercury, although use is gradually being phased out by industry. Mercury has long been recognized as a major source of toxicity in children causing reduced cognitive functioning, including reduced IQ. Harmful human exposure to mercury is mainly through the consumption of certain types of fish. The EU's executive Commission has called for a ban on exports of mercury from 2011, and the European Parliament is backing a phase-out of mercury in measuring devices except barometers and antique instruments. The EU governments have yet to give their approval. The European Commission said it would push for a worldwide agreement to reduce human and environmental exposure to mercury at a United Nations Environment Program meeting next month in Nairobi, Kenya.