These bulletins are now archived and searchable on the CHE-WA website: http://washington.chenw.org/bulletins.html If you would like to join the Collaborative on Health and the Environment (CHE) and the CHE-Washington regional group, please complete the application on the CHE website: http://www.healthandenvironment.org/application Joining CHE means receiving up to four email messages a month from the CHE National listserv. CHE costs nothing to join and the benefit is shared information and opportunities for further engagement, if you choose. Be sure to mark that you want to join the Washington State Regional Group at the bottom of the application.
1) The Institute for Children's Environmental Health, coordinator of CHE-WA, has launched a searchable database of resources on environmental health for various audiences. Users can select not only the medium (books, websites, videos, etc.), the environmental/toxics issues and the health issues of interest, but the target audience as well. Once users make specific selections, links to online resources are provided. See http://www.iceh.org/cgi-bin/searchresources.cgi
2) CHE-WA recently conducted a survey of many of our members' organizations regarding needs in environmental health. Survey results are now posted on our website: http://washington.chenw.org/survey.html
Wednesday October 24, 2007 (Olympia, Washington, at the Heritage Room at Capitol Lake, 604 Water Street, 5:30 p.m. reception, 6:30 p.m. lecture)
or Thursday October 25, 2007 (Seattle, Washington, at Glaser Auditorium, Swedish Medical Center, 747 Broadway, 6:00 p.m. reception, 7:00 p.m. lecture)
Sponsor: Breast Cancer Fund
Over the past few years, studies have revealed that girls as young as two are entering puberty. The reports and images are deeply disturbing. For breast cancer advocates, there is something else that is disturbing: early puberty increases breast cancer risk. Noted author, biologist and cancer survivor Dr. Sandra Steingraber will help us understand this phenomenon of early puberty by walking us upstream to illustrate the connection between our health and the environment. She will present possible causes of early puberty, including environmental exposures.
Price: free; RSVP required
Contact: 206-524-4405
Friday October 26, 2007
12:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Yakima, Washington
Children's Village Community Room, 3801 Kern Road
Sponsor: Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility in collaboration with Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility
This training is relevant to physicians, nurse practitioners, midwives, students and other health care professionals. It is also relevant as an educational tool for media, policymakers and laypersons concerned with links between toxic exposures, child development and health and public health. The training focuses on the relationship between environmental exposures and children's health. Four Hours of Category II CME continuing education credits will be offered through Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center, Seattle.
Price: free
Contact: Nancy Dickeman, 206-354-2170 or nancyd@wpsr.org
Saturday October 27, 2007
11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Seattle, Washington
at the Temenos Center, 7901 35th Ave SW
Sponsor: City of Seattle, Catholic Community Services, United Indians of All Tribes Foundation, IWASIL Boys & Girls Club, World Kulturz, Community Coalition for Environmental Justice, Seattle University
With a theme of Indigenous Healing Solutions, this series features elder healers from various tribal traditions bringing teachings and ceremony together to create Mother Earth healing circles. Features Joseph Tajalle, Cherokee/Okanawan.
Price: free
Contact: Kim Camara, 206-683-9804 or worldkulturz@yahoo.com
Wednesday October 31, 2007
2:00 p.m. Eastern/11:00 a.m. Pacific
Sponsor: Collaborative on Health and the Environment's Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative; American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities; Autism Society of America; Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4; Institute for the Study of Disadvantage and Disability; Learning Disabilities Association of America; John Merck Fund; National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities; Southeast Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit; University of Maryland School of Nursing
Presenters include Tom Zoeller, PhD, professor and chair of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Biology Department: "Classes and Consequences of Thyroid Disruptors"; and Sandra Steingraber, PhD, distinguished visiting scholar in the Division of Interdisciplinary Studies, Ithaca College: "Consequences of Early Puberty in U.S. Girls -- Implications for Learning." CME credits will not be available for these calls.
Price: free
Website: http://www.iceh.org/LDDImeetings.html
Contact: Elise Miller, emiller@iceh.org
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Friday November 2, 2007 (Opening gathering and salmon dinner) and
1:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Saturday November 3, 2007 (Features White Bear, Apache; Kanim/Enick Klan Singers and 206 Drummers.)
Seattle, Washington
at the Daybreak Star Cultural Center, 3801 W. Government Way
Sponsor: City of Seattle, Catholic Community Services, United Indians of All Tribes Foundation, IWASIL Boys & Girls Club, World Kulturz, Community Coalition for Environmental Justice, Seattle University
With a theme of Indigenous Healing Solutions, this series features Elder Healers from various tribal traditions bringing teachings and ceremony together to create Mother Earth healing circles.
Price: free
Contact: Kim Camara, 206-683-9804 or worldkulturz@yahoo.com
Tuesday November 6, 2007
2:00 - 3:00 p.m. Eastern time
Sponsor: American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Environmental Health Initiative and the John Merck Fund
Public schools are our community anchors. They house and nurture our growing children for 6 to 8 hours each weekday. They are meeting places for communities, sporting events and extracurricular activities. They employ public workers and are funded by our tax dollars. Unfortunately, many schools are not free of chemicals that pose invisible threats to the health of staff and students. In this presentation, Stacey Stacey Gonzalez, coordinator of the Child Proofing our Communities Campaign at the Center for Health, Environment and Justice, will share with participants the health impacts posed to children from poor school-siting decisions, share some case studies from around the country of community groups that are fighting schools sited on toxic land, and share resources and ideas to help combat this problem.
Price: free
Website: http://www.ehinitiative.org/Projects/tele_con.htm
Contact: Laura Abulafia, Laura@aaidd.org
Thursday November 8, 2007
Two events: noon at the GSA Auditorium (First floor in the old BPA building), 911 NE 11th Avenue
or 6:00 p.m. at Portland State University Campus, Smith Center, Room 327-329, 1825 SW Broadway
Portland, Oregon
Presentation by Howard Frumkin, MD, MPH, DrPH, director of the National Center for Environmental Health
Price: free
Contact: Pete Farrelly, 503-358-5185
Thursday November 8, 2007
2:00 p.m. Eastern/11:00 a.m. Pacific
Sponsor: Collaborative on Health and the Environment's Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative; American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities; Autism Society of America; Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4; Institute for the Study of Disadvantage and Disability; Learning Disabilities Association of America; John Merck Fund; National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities; Southeast Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit; University of Maryland School of Nursing
Presenters include Maureen Swanson, director of the Healthy Children Project, Learning Disabilities Association of America; Laura Abulafia, MHS, director of the Environmental Health Initiative, American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities; Lee Grossman, president and CEO of the Autism Society of America; and Rob Fletcher, executive director of the National Association for the Dually Diagnosed. CME credits will not be available for these calls.
Price: free
Website: http://www.iceh.org/LDDImeetings.html
Contact: Elise Miller, emiller@iceh.org
Wednesday November 14, 2007
7:00 p.m.
Seattle, Washington
at Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center's (LHPAC) Community Hall
Sponsor: American Lung Association and EPA Region 10
The Breath of Life addresses asthma education and exposure reduction by combining multiple approaches: an educational theatrical play about asthma performed to the audience that includes middle and high school students, administrators, teachers and nurses; home visits by MHE volunteers and CLEARCorps members using the HEAL and Tools for School walkthroughs. The American Lung Association invites community members, organizations and leaders who are interested in asthma and indoor air quality education. The play will be performed by youth from the LHPAC arts and drama classes in local schools located in south and central Seattle. We anticipate this program will develop into a nationwide model for asthma education and management among middle and high school students.
Price: free to the public, but limited to the first 270 attendees
Website: http://www.alaw.org/about-us/news-center/top-stories/save-the-date-for-the-breath-of-life-play/
Monday November 19, 2007
2:00 p.m. Eastern/11:00 a.m. Pacific
Sponsor: Collaborative on Health and the Environment's Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative; American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities; Autism Society of America; Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4; Institute for the Study of Disadvantage and Disability; Learning Disabilities Association of America; John Merck Fund; National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities; Southeast Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit; University of Maryland School of Nursing
Presenters include Peggy Shepard, executive director of West Harlem Environmental Action, Inc.: "Translating Research Findings into Policy"; Lorraine Maxwell, PhD, director of graduate studies in the Cornell University Department of Design and Environmental Analysis: "Addressing the Physical Environment's Role in Children's Learning and Health"; and Terry Collins, PhD, Lord Professor of Chemistry at Carnegie Mellon University: "Green Chemistry and the Future." CME credits will not be available for these calls.
Price: free
Website: http://www.iceh.org/LDDImeetings.html
Contact: Elise Miller, emiller@iceh.org
Online Calendar. Upcoming events extending more than one month in the future are listed in a searchable calendar: http://www.chenw.org/cgi-bin/searchevents.cgi
Most of the articles below come from Environmental Health News, http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/
Health concerns spur U.S. Senate to global warming action. Public health experts on Tuesday urged U.S. lawmakers to support efforts to better understand the human health impacts from climate change. Environment News Service, 23 October 2007.
http://www.ens-newswire.com:80/ens/oct2007/2007-10-23-10.asp
submitted to this bulletin by Jim DiPeso
Homes turned into toxic zones. With more than 80,000 chemicals present worldwide, in everything from children's toys to furniture, and more than 1000 new chemical compounds introduced each year, individually assessing chemicals is no longer feasible. Sydney Morning Herald, Australia, 23 October 2007.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/homes-turned-into-toxic-zones/2007/10/22/1192940982112.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1
Tests reveal high chemical levels in kids' bodies. Most Americans haven't heard of body burden testing, but it's a hot topic among environmentalists and public health experts who warn that the industrial chemicals we come into contact with every day are accumulating in our bodies and endangering our health in ways we have yet to understand. CNN, 23 October 2007.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/10/22/body.burden/index.html
Earlier puberty raises health concerns. These days, girls get their first periods a few months earlier than girls did 40 years ago. And their breasts develop a year or two earlier, as well. What does that mean? Olympia Olympian, Washington, 23 October 2007.
http://www.theolympian.com/living/story/249983.html
U.S. agency says lead content tests worthless. Worried parents trying to get the lead out of their children's toy boxes have been taking matters into their own hands and buying home test kits. The problem, according to the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission, is test kits commonly available are not reliable. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pennsylvania, 23 October 2007.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07296/827687-28.stm
For our small fry the hazards are so much greater. Their tiny bodies work against them, absorbing more poison than adults do through a combination of increased exposure and decreased capacity to metabolise the pollutants. Sydney Morning Herald, Australia, 22 October 2007.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/for-our-small-fry-the-hazards-are-so-much-greater/2007/10/21/1192940905067.html
Weighing toxic torts. Judges in toxic tort (personal injury) lawsuits don't always know how to weigh scientific evidence and sometimes fail to admit valid data, according to the author of a new book. Chemical & Engineering News, 20 October 2007.
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/books/85/8542books.html
Union launches lead-testing drive. Outraged by the discovery and the millions of toys made in China that were recalled in the past few months, Anderson joined a nationwide United Steelworkers initiative designed to teach people how to test for lead and try to bring back home some lost manufacturing jobs. Erie Times-News, Pennsylvania, 20 October 2007.
http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071020/NEWS06/710200363/-1/NEWS
The smoking scourge among urban blacks. Even as antismoking campaigns have sharply reduced tobacco use in society at large, smoking has remained far more common among the poor of all races. New York Times, 20 October 2007.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/20/health/20tobacco.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Harbor seals may help determine effect on humans of eating toxic fish. Harbor seals in San Francisco Bay are so contaminated with chemicals such as flame retardants and the pesticide DDT that scientists are studying whether the pollutants hurt the pups' chances of survival, data that can add to knowledge about the contaminants' effects on humans. San Francisco Chronicle, California, 19 October 2007.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/10/19/MN11SRS7D.DTL
Dioxin pollution leads to more baby girls: study. More girls than boys are born in some Canadian communities because airborne pollutants called dioxins can alter normal sex ratios, even if the source of the pollution is many kilometers away, researchers say. Reuters, 19 October 2007.
http://ca.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyID=2007-10-18T200543Z_01_N18363845_RTRIDST_0_CANADA-DIOXINS-COL.XML
School Health Policies and Programs Study released. Today CDC released the data from the 2006 School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS), a national survey conducted periodically to assess school health policies and programs at the State, district, school and classroom levels. SHPPS 2006 is a comprehensive nationally representative survey of states, school districts and schools on a wide range of school health issues. Comprehensive results from SHPPS 2006 are published in the Journal of School Health, Volume 77, Number 8, October 2007, are available free from the American School Health Association at the website listed here.
http://www.ashaweb.org/journal_schoolhealth.html#shpps
Toxic mercury comes from coal, and wildfire too. Mercury is a neurological poison that people can be exposed to when they eat fish from contaminated waters -- and contaminated water is everywhere, since mercury -- like acid rain -- falls from the sky in tiny quantities in each rainstorm. The Daily Green, 18 October 2007.
http://www.thedailygreen.com/2007/10/18/toxic-mercury-comes-from-coal-and-wildfire-too/7911/
Green your Halloween without scary toxins. Toxic vinyl is the fabric of the month. Besides being eerily polluting to manufacture, vinyl, aka PVC, is often stabilized with lead or cadmium, and the pliable type has hormone-disrupting, liver-damaging phthalates. Now Toronto, Canada, 18 October 2007.
http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2007-10-18/goods_ecoholic.php
Global warming will boost asthma and allergies. Global warming will increase the sneeze-inducing pollen counts in the same regions where it will lead to increased levels of smog, according to a new analysis by the Natural Resources Defense Council, which released new maps illustrating the changes likely to come as the climate heats up. The Daily Green, 18 October 2007.
http://www.thedailygreen.com/2007/10/18/global-warming-will-boost-asthma-and-allergies/7915/
North America toxic waste levels drop: report. Canada and the United States are gradually cutting back their industrial toxic waste streams, says the NAFTA environmental agency -- thanks mainly to the good work of big, multinational industries. CanWest News, Canada, 18 October 2007.
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/features/going_green/story.html?id=f0ded8c0-5d6b-4635-ba57-ce99dad598a3&k=23254
Concerns raised over use of chemicals in medical devices. Exposure to 'phthalates', a chemical component contained in some PVC-made medical devices, harms patients' health, an EU scientific committee concluded in a study. Euractiv, Belgium, 17 October 2007.
http://www.euractiv.com/en/health/concerns-raised-use-chemicals-medical-devices/article-167647
Environmentalists target iPhone for lawsuit. Environmentalist lawyers are threatening to sue Apple in 60 days if the iconic US company doesn't make iPhones greener or warn buyers of toxins in the devices. Associated Press, 17 October 2007.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/Technology/Environmentalists-target-iPhone-for-lawsuit/2007/10/17/1192300780500.html
Who lives next door to your waste? Have you ever wondered what it must be like to live next to other people's trash? Do you ever stop to think, when you put out your garbage, if maybe you are contributing to injustice in Nova Scotia? Halifax Chronicle Herald, Nova Scotia, 16 October 2007.
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Opinion/966220.html
No criminal charges over Teflon chemical. The U.S. Department of Justice has decided not to bring criminal charges against the DuPont Co. for its handling of a chemical used to make Teflon cookware and coatings for thousands of other products. Wilmington News Journal, Delaware, 16 October 2007.
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071016/BUSINESS/710160337/1003
A nationwide toxic toy ban likely to follow state lead. One day after California became the first state to ban toys containing phthalates, supporters of the measure announced plans Monday to help at least nine other states -- and perhaps even Congress -- enact similar laws. San Francisco Chronicle, California, 16 October 2007.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/10/16/MNT0SQDJV.DTL
U.S. agencies stick to pregnancy fish-eating limits. The U.S. government said on Monday it was holding firm to its recommendations that pregnant and breast-feeding women limit how much fish and other seafood they eat and avoid certain types with high levels of mercury. Reuters, 16 October 2007.
http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN1534732620071015?sp=true
Clear smoking link to cot death. Almost nine out of ten mothers who lose a baby to cot death smoked while pregnant, say researchers. BBC, United Kingdom, 16 October 2007.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7045230.stm
Study links household cleaning sprays to asthma. Using household cleaning sprays and air fresheners has been linked to an increased risk of asthma by an international team of researchers. Cordis News, EU, 12 October 2007.
http://cordis.europa.eu/fetch?CALLER=EN_NEWS&ACTION=D&SESSION=&RCN=28504
Pollutant [PAHs] linked to bronchitis in toddlers. Toddlers who breathe polluted air are far more likely to be diagnosed with bronchitis than children living in cleaner environments, U.S. and Czech researchers reported on Thursday. Reuters, 12 October 2007.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N11436001.htm
J.C. Penney, other firms recall 90,000 toys. More than 90,000 children's products, most imported by J.C. Penney Co. Inc., were recalled Thursday for containing dangerous levels of lead, a government safety group announced. Associated Press, 12 October 2007.
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071012/BIZ/710120355/1005
Kids' cold, cough medicines pulled from shelves. Facing an FDA hearing next week on the safety of children's decongestants, drug manufacturers Thursday announced they are voluntarily withdrawing all over-the-counter cough and cold medicines available nationwide for children ages 2 and under. New York Newsday, New York, 12 October 2007.
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-limeds1012,0,6896398.story?coll=ny_home_rail_headlines
An ugly discovery: Lead in lipsticks a concern. Here's one more thing to worry about: lead in lipstick. More than half of 33 top-brand lipsticks recently tested contained detectable levels of lead. Houston Chronicle, Texas, 12 October 2007.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5207412.html
Toxics release inventory rule assailed. Many facilities that now can provide less information about their chemical releases due to a recent EPA rule are located in minority and low-income communities, triggering environmental justice concerns. Chemical & Engineering News, 11 October 2007.
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/85/i42/8542news5.html
Bacteria factor in asthma. Doctors found that infants with certain bacteria in their airways have a higher risk of developing asthma and its symptoms in early childhood. Wall Street Journal, 11 October 2007.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119206003748955325.html
Lead found in toys and backpacks in stores. A Curious George doll bought at Toys "R" Us was found to be tainted with 10 times the legally-allowed lead level, and vinyl lunch boxes and backpacks also had high amounts of lead, the nonprofit group Center for Environmental Health said on Wednesday. Reuters, 11 October 2007.
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN1023090320071010
Pitt scientist opens window on decades of suppressed or ignored cancer research. Dr. Devra Davis's new book claims that industry has hidden or ignored toxic hazards in the workplace, cigarettes and beauty products. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pennsylvania, 10 October 2007.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07283/824115-51.stm
Environmental literacy: Knowledge for a healthier public. Programs are being implemented to help people of all ages more fully understand how everyday decisions affect the environment and how people’s surroundings in turn affect their health. Environmental Health Perspectives, October 2007.
http://www.ehponline.org:80/docs/2007/115-10/focus-abs.html