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With this bulletin, we have decided to provide summaries of articles along with a link to the full article for our readers' convenience. The articles will still be searchable with key words on our website at http://washington.chenw.org/bulletins.html.
CHE-WA's next quarterly meeting is scheduled for 2:00-5:00 p.m. Thursday, January 4, 2007, at Antioch University in Seattle. The focus of this meeting will be climate change and health, featuring presentations on the current science, health implications, economic implications and policy opportunities. The formal presentations will end by 3:45 p.m., and then from 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. there will be an additional discussion among those who would like to explore developing and implementing a concrete initiative to address these issues. A more detailed agenda will be available closer to the time.
The fourth annual environmental health lecture series entitled, "Our Health, Our Environment: Making the Link," is planned for 2007. 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.
December 2, 2006
Federal Way, Washington
at the Dumas Bay Centre
The Puget Sound Partnership meets regularly in its quest to develop an aggressive 15-year plan to solve Puget Sound's most vexing problems. The Partnership is holding a series of general public forums and specific scientific forums throughout the summer and fall.
Website: http://www.pugetsoundpartnership.org/
Contact: Martha Neuman, 206-625-0230 or mneuman@sharedsalmonstrategy.org
December 13, 2006
9:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon
Seattle, Washington
at the Bertha Knight Landes Room, Seattle City Hall (5th and James)
We've all become aware that the world built around us affects our health beyond the reach of personal lifestyle choices. With land use policies, designs and plans influencing individual and community health, it is more important than ever to better integrate planning processes and public health. But how can we determine what is healthiest for the community and the people in it? Health Impact Assessments (HIA) are used around the world to promote health and prevent illness. Come and learn about the Health Impact Assessment process and how it can promote and improve healthy places for all people. Our guest speakers are co-founders of Healthy Development, Inc., which focuses on the relationship between development and human health. The speakers provide science-based planning and decision-making tools related to the health, social and economic impacts of energy, land and water development. They will address the audience on their 25 years of experience in public health research, environmental land use and community development policy work and their use of Health Impact Assessments.
Contact: Julie West at 206-205-4396 or Julie.West@metrokc.gov
There is one current opening for a Public Health Advisor 3 within the Division of Environmental Health, Office of Environmental Health Assessments. To learn more about the DOH visit http://www.doh.wa.gov, the Division of Environmental Health, visit http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/default.htm and the Office of Environmental Health Assessment visit http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/oehas/default.htm.
Primary Duties
For more information, please see http://www.doh.wa.gov/job_ann/DOH163_-_PHA_3_-Pesticide_Program_Spec.doc.
There is one current opening for an Epidemiologist 1 within the Division of Environmental Health, Office of Environmental Health Assessments. To learn more about the DOH visit http://www.doh.wa.gov, the Division of Environmental Health, visit http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/default.htm and the Office of Environmental Health Assessment visit http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/oehas/default.htm.
Primary Duties
For more information, please see http://www.doh.wa.gov/job_ann/DOH164_-_Epi_1_-Pesticide_Surveillance%20Spec.doc.
There is one current opening for an Epidemiologist 3 (non-medical) within the Division of Environmental Health, Office of Environmental Health Assessments. To learn more about the DOH visit http://www.doh.wa.gov, the Division of Environmental Health, visit http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/default.htm and the Office of Environmental Health Assessment visit http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/oehas/default.htm.
Primary Duties
For more information, please see http://www.doh.wa.gov/job_ann/DOH131_Epi_3_-Pesticide_Program_Mgr.doc.
by Roni Rabin, New York Times
November 28, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/28/health/28natal.html
For years, women have had it drummed into them that prenatal care is the key to having a healthy baby, and that they should see a doctor as soon as they know they are pregnant. But by then, it may already be too late. Public health officials are now encouraging women to make sure they are in optimal health well in advance of a pregnancy to reduce the risk of preventable birth defects and complications. They have recast the message to emphasize not only prenatal care, as they did in the past, but also what they are calling "preconception care."
Article Summary: By the first prenatal visit, a woman is usually 10 to 12 weeks pregnant, after the developmental window for many birth defects. The new guidelines, issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last spring, include 10 specific health care recommendations and advise prepregnancy checkups that include screening for diabetes, H.I.V. and obesity; managing chronic medical conditions; reviewing medications that may harm a fetus; and making sure vaccinations are up to date. Much of the advice directed to women is fairly standard: they should abstain from smoking, alcohol and drugs, and should take prenatal vitamins, including folic acid. Pre-existing diabetes significantly increases the risk of birth defects, but the risk is virtually eliminated if the disease is controlled before conception. The guidelines suggest that women follow these guidelines throughout their reproductive lives, even when they are not planning pregnancies (half of pregnancies in the U.S. are not planned). Men should also be wary of exposures to toxins that cause birth defects and should avoid sexually transmitted diseases. The guidelines encourage young people to develop a "reproductive life plan."
While infant mortality rates were on the decline from 1980 to 2000, the proportion of small and preterm babies increased significantly. Low birth weight is a leading cause of death and disability for infants. In 2002, the infant mortality rate in the United States increased for the first time in more than 40 years. The rate dropped back some in 2003. Blacks are at the highest risk for preterm birth and low birth weights, and their infant mortality rates are more than double that of whites. Unfortunately, only a small minority of health care providers said they provide preconception care to patients, and insurance and Medicaid programs often do not cover it. Planning pregnancies and using reliable contraception are part and parcel of preconception care, and doctors are encouraging all health providers to counsel women of childbearing age about the possibility of pregnancy.
by Denise Grady, New York Times
November 28, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/28/health/28seco.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Article Summary: The incidence of asthma and other life-threatening allergies has risen both in the U.S. and worldwide. From 1980 to 2003, the prevalence of asthma in children rose to 5.8 percent from 3.6 percent, an increase of about 60 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Other estimates from the disease centers show an even bigger increase in the asthmas rates for younger children: a 160 percent jump in those younger than 5 from 1980 to 1994. Children in the inner cities seem to be especially hard hit, with exposure to cockroaches and diesel fumes suspected as the culprits. But the cause is not known for sure. In "The Asthma Epidemic," an article published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine, doctors tried to sort out various theories about the causes of asthma and explain why rates have risen. Like other chronic diseases, asthma is probably caused by multiple genes and environmental exposures, and it can have quite different causes in different people. About half the cases are thought to stem from allergies and the rest from other problems that can irritate and inflame the airways, causing them to close. One clear risk factor for asthma is secondhand tobacco smoke, while the role of air pollution is less understood. The connection to dust mites, long blamed for causing asthma to develop, is under question, although the mites and their droppings may aggravate symptoms. The role of cat dander is also unclear, with some studies finding that exposure early in life leads to asthma, and others saying it protects against asthma. Obesity and asthma have also been linked in some studies, but the link, if it exists, is not understood, and nutrition is another mystery. There is some evidence to support the "hygiene hypothesis" that children today are raised in homes that are too clean and that asthma is somehow caused by the lack of exposure to infections and bits of microbes early in life. A related idea is that the increased use of antibiotics in recent decades contributes to asthma by changing the type of the bacteria that live in the gut, although there is no proof. Children who have even one parent with allergies and asthma have an increased risk of developing the same problems.
by Michael Doyle, San Jose Mercury News
November 27, 2006
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/16109917.htm
WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration pleased farmers and frustrated environmentalists Monday by declaring that pesticides can be sprayed into and over waters without first obtaining special permits. The heavily lobbied decision is supposed to settle a dispute that's roiled federal courts and divided state regulators. It's popular among those who spray pesticides for a living, but it worries those who fear poisoned waters will result.
Article Summary: Those requesting the ability to spray argue that mosquito control demands it -- permitting would disrupt and delay the effectiveness of pest control. The wording of the decision also indicates that a deliberately applied pesticide is not a "pollutant" under the terms of the 1972 Clean Water Act. Pesticides are not specifically included in the wording of the Clean Water Act. The EPA regards "any resulting damage is unfortunate but strictly collateral." Environmentalists countered that mosquito-killing chemicals can also poison shrimp, frogs and other aquatic innocents. Only a small percentage of total pesticide applications are directly to water. Prior confusion regarding permitting stemmed in part from conflicting court decisions.
by James Bruggers, Louisville Courier-Journal
November 27, 2006
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061127/NEWS01/611270353/1008
Twenty-two states -- but not Kentucky -- have enacted more stringent measures to control mercury emissions from power plants or are considering doing so, a national survey shows. The results suggest that many states are concerned that the Bush administration's mercury rules, which were adopted last year, do not go far enough to protect the public and the environment from a potent neurotoxin, said Bill Becker, executive director of the National Association of Clean Air Agencies, which conducted the survey.
Article Summary: Perceived problems with the current rules include that coal-fired plants are given too many years to comply with mercury limits, that the limits themselves are too lenient or that they will perpetuate polluted "hot spots" by letting some plants comply by paying others to cut back through a cap-and-trade program. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials have said the rules would "significantly reduce emissions from the nation's largest remaining source" of mercury in air pollution. Kentucky is struggling with hot-spot concerns and how to reduce residents' exposure in considering whether to exceed federal standards.
by Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune
November 27, 2006
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0611270205nov27,1,802493.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true
While the Bush administration promotes efforts to scrub mercury from the environment, one federal agency is considering selling a huge stockpile of the toxic metal on the world market. The Department of Energy acknowledged last week that it is mulling whether to unload more than 1,300 tons of mercury it collected over the years for processing materials used to make hydrogen bombs.
Article Summary: The need for mercury in military and industrial processes has evaporated with the development of less harmful alternatives. But the federal government still holds reserves that account for three-quarters of the national supply. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) introduced legislation last summer that would prohibit American exports of the silvery metal. That bill has a better chance of passing now that Democrats control Congress. If the mercury is sold overseas, scientists and environmental groups are concerned that it will drift back to the U.S. through air pollution. Mercury is considered one of the world's most toxic substances. Mercury pollution that falls into lakes and rivers is converted into a dangerous organic form that moves up the food chain from fish to people. The federal government estimated last year that 410,000 babies are born each year at risk for mercury poisoning in the U.S. because of high levels in their mother's bodies. Bush administration officials have been promoting rules that would curb emissions from power plants and reducing the leaching of mercury in waste dumps by recycling switches and other devices. According to the UN, most of the mercury sold on the world market ends up in small-scale mining operations with little or no equipment to prevent the metal from being released into the air. Mercury has also been used in making chlorine, although two American chlorine producers are shutting down. The European Union is considering a ban on mercury exports, in part to drive up the price of chlorine and thereby make safer alternatives more attractive to users.
by Beth Tribolet, ABC News
November 27, 2006
http://www.abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=2674213&page=1
Article Summary: Propelled by food scares over mad cow disease and E.coli infection, organics have boomed nationwide, growing by as much as 20 percent annually. Americans spent $14 billion on organic food last year, according to the Organic Trade Association. The main motivators are health and nutrition. The major selling point in organic is the lack of pesticides, fertilizers, growth hormones, radiation or bioengineered products. Federal organic standards also require that animals have access to outdoor pasture. A major complaint about these items is high prices, as much as 50 percent more than conventional grocery products. Many parents feel that the peace of mind from not giving pesticides to their children is worth the extra expense. Last spring Wal-Mart began offering mainstream brand organic foods with the idea to bring the cost down for those on tighter budgets. Some organic growers worry that quality and the environment suffer when organic foods become mainstream and are transported thousands of miles from where they are grown. Part of the benefit of locally distributed organic food is that it saves on fossil fuels both in costs and pollutants released into the atmosphere.
by Jill Hilbrenner, Columbia Missourian
November 26, 2006
http://columbiamissourian.com/news/story.php?ID=23027
Article Summary: Fred vom Saal has one goal: to see the day when some plastics corporations are seen in the same light as companies that make asbestos or sell tobacco. Since 1995, vom Saal has studied the effects of bisphenol A, or BPA, a chemical found in many plastics and in the linings of steel food cans that prevent food from acquiring a metallic taste. BPA mimics the effects of powerful sex hormones, vom Saal says, and can cause brain damage, abnormal organ development and hyperactivity even when present in small doses. With over 6 billion pounds of this made and used a year, it's one of the biggest chemicals in production in the world. BPA is found in polycarbonate plastics, which are used in many types of baby bottles, toddlers' spill-proof cups, Lexan items, Nalgene bottles, plastic wrap, microwave-safe plastic dishware and food containers. Many plastic items that carry the number 7 inside of the recycling triangle contain BPA, although not all items with that number have the chemical.
Vom Saal and fellow MU professor Susan C. Nagel have found that the body utilizes a barrier system in the blood to ward off potentially negative effects from sex hormones such as estrogen. BPA bypasses the protective barriers. Their research also showed harmful effects at a dose 2,500 times lower than the chemical industry said could cause harm. Vom Saal has indicated that a representative from Dow Chemical Company approached his to suppress the research findings. A Dow public relations representative has denied that the company tried to buy off vom Saal. Both the chemical industry and toxicologists have dissented with vom Saal's findings, finding no immediate harm from BPA. As an endocrinologist, vom Saal researches longer-term effects, including uncontrolled cell growth. Vom Saal stated that BPS is particularly dangerous to infants because the effects are permanent. Dozens of studies have been conducted, with those not funded by the chemical industry replicating vom Saal's work in some way. Vom Saal and his wife have minimized their use of BPA plastics in their homes.
by Mike Lee, San Diego Union-Tribune
November 25, 2006
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20061125-9999-1n25ewaste.html
Article Summary: With a crushing load of outdated TVs, computers and other electronics to dispose of, more people are turning to recycle them through e-waste companies which advertise themselves as environmental stewards that divert toxin-laden electronics from landfills. Each year, 100 million computers, monitors and TVs become obsolete in the United States, making e-waste the fastest-growing portion of the waste stream. These products typically are loaded with toxic metals such as barium, cadmium, mercury and lead, accounting for more than 40 percent of the lead and 70 percent of the metals in U.S. landfills, creating a high potential for toxins escaping into the air or leaching into the ground and water supplies.
Instead of recycling the waste in environmentally responsible ways, many companies export their collections to Mexico or countries in Asia and Africa. There, the products are dumped or dismantled by low-wage workers who work under health and environmental regulations typically far less stringent than in the United States. Even in California, which is widely regarded as a national leader in e-waste recycling, the state's regulatory oversight hasn't caught up with the exploding number of companies interested in capturing some of the tens of millions of dollars in consumer-funded rebates that began in 2005. Besides trying to combat overbilling and fraud, California officials are helpless to prevent e-waste recyclers from shipping their commodities abroad. States can't regulate international shipments because the federal government oversees such commerce. Congress has talked about establishing e-waste programs for years, but fighting among interest groups has stymied those efforts. States such as California struggle with enforcement issues, such as finding and training enough inspectors, ensuring complete documentation regarding recycled components and preventing overbilling. In addition, state agents have penalized several e-waste companies for not showing that they have the money to clean up their collection and processing sites should they go out of business. California inspectors also look at improper handling of recycled electronics. Environmental and human-rights groups have documented cases of workers in foreign countries burning heaps of e-waste or children combing through piles of discarded electronic products. In California, e-waste companies are supposed to submit notices to state regulators concerning their shipments. Some third-party groups are striving to assure the public that certain companies are following best-management practices.
See a related article at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6187358.stm.
from the Portland Oregonian
November 24, 2006
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1164009323157330.xml&coll=7
Article Summary: Trace amounts of mercury from chimneys in China can take less than a week to reach Oregon, where research suggests that about one-fifth of the mercury entering the Willamette River comes from abroad -- increasingly from China. Mercury and other airborne contaminants collect over China during the winter and spring until Siberian winds arrive bearing dust from expanding Chinese and Mongolian deserts. Every five or six days, the winds flush out eastern China, sending dust and pollutants such as ozone precursors high over the Pacific. The incoming pollution bucks a U.S. trend toward cleaner skies and water. Mercury is especially suited for long-distance travel because at the smokestack in elemental form, it's insoluble. By the time it reaches the West Coast, however, some of the mercury has transformed into a reactive gaseous material that dissolves in the West Coast's wet climate. It washes into the rivers, where microbes convert it into a form that further concentrates in fish. While most of the mercury entering the Willamette comes from Oregon's volcanic soil and from sediment churned up on the river bottom, estimates are that global sources beyond the state's control contribute 18 percent -- more than four times the share from local air deposition. Research has calculated that Asia emits 1,460 metric tons of mercury a year, twice as much as previously thought. If China's output increases, Oregon can do little to reduce contamination of the river even by cracking down on emissions, eliminating mercury from products and segregating waste. Pressure on local emitters will increase under the DEQ's cleanup plan, causing concern that businesses will spend a great deal on measures that "won't matter" because of the increasing foreign pollution. Similar patterns of mercury pollution have been found in sediment samples beneath lakes near Bellingham, Washington, where most of the industrial mercury came from global sources. At least one-third of California's fine particulate pollution -- known as aerosol -- has floated across from Asia. A recent court decision raises the possibility that foreign firms could be held liable for polluting the United States.
by Rick Weiss, Washington Post
November 23, 2006
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/22/AR2006112201979.html
The Environmental Protection Agency has decided to regulate a large class of consumer items made with microscopic "nanoparticles" of silver, part of a new but increasingly widespread technology that may pose unanticipated environmental risks, a government official said yesterday. The decision -- which will affect the marketing of high-tech odor-destroying shoe liners, food-storage containers, air fresheners, washing machines and a wide range of other products that contain tiny bacteria-killing particles of silver -- marks a significant reversal in federal policy. It also creates an unexpected regulatory hurdle for the burgeoning field of nanotechnology, which involves the creation of materials just a few ten-thousandths the diameter of a human hair.
Article Summary: Unregulated until now, the tiny germ-fighting particles of silver have concerned environmentalists because the growing amount of nanosilver washed down drains may be killing beneficial bacteria and aquatic organisms and may also pose risks to human health. Under the EPA determination, any company wishing to sell a product that it claims will kill germs by the release of nanotech silver or related technology will first have to provide scientific evidence that the product does not pose an environmental risk. Most nanomaterials will remain unaffected by the new EPA decision, but Andrew Maynard, chief scientific adviser for the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies at the Washington-based Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars see this as a test case. At least one company is skirting the determination by dropping all references to germ killing from its marketing materials. The Natural Resources Defense Council, is concerned about this loophole. Another potential loophole exists regarding the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, or FIFRA. FIFRA requires that pesticidal chemicals be proved safe before they are marketed but exempts pesticidal "devices." Samsung has created a new washing machine that it claims sanitizes clothes in cold water by releasing tiny charged particles of silver into the wash water. Because the machine is "more of a mouse trap than a mouse poison", it may not be subject to regulatory review. Also, because some nanoparticles are applied to the body, they would be regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, which is currently considering whether it needs new rules for nanoproducts.
See a related article at http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/11/24/MNGP9MJ4KI1.DTL.
[Editor's note: A lecture on February 7th at Seattle's Town Hall will further discuss this topic. Please see http://washington.chenw.org/lectures.html for more information.]
by Lidia Wasowicz, UPI
November 22, 2006
http://www.upi.com/ConsumerHealthDaily/view.php?StoryID=20061121-020244-9498r
SAN FRANCISCO -- Going against the mainstream grain, some parents and physicians tie neurodevelopmental and certain other chronic health problems increasingly diagnosed in America's children to the mercury-based preservative thimerosal, once widely used in vaccines and still present in some booster and flu shots. Others are convinced potential harm also may lurk in other components of the ever-expanding childhood immunization schedule.
Article Summary: Barbara Loe Fisher, co-founder and president of the advocacy group National Vaccine Information Center, posits that the whole environment of newborns and infants has been altered by vaccines -- by age 6, a child will have received 48 doses of 14 vaccines. She speculates that the cumulative effects of over-vaccinating children, including the effects of simultaneous injection (of) many vaccines at once, is a plausible explanation for why so many children today are chronically ill, suffering with a variety of brain and immune system problems, including autism. Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, replied that we don't have answers to the cause of this disorder or the disorders that fall into the autism spectrum. Others point out that we don't even have firm dividing points for the disorder. Autism has arrived at the stage where polio stood in the mid-1950s, addressing the immediate needs of affected families. However, research to the causes of the disorder are also needed, including the biological basis of autism, an understanding of what is happening at a molecular and cellular level, early identification models and better ways to find the resources.
by Vicki Smith, Associated Press, Houston Chronicle
November 22, 2006
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/science/4355082.html
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Not a single West Virginia grocery store is warning consumers of the possible dangers of mercury in fish, an environmental group says, even though the state and federal governments have been issuing advisories to anglers for at least two years. Oceana, a Washington, D.C.-based activist group, issued a report this week that concludes fewer than 20 percent of the nation's grocery stores are posting in-store warnings about mercury. West Virginia is one of four states with zero in-store warnings, the report says. The others are Mississippi, Alabama and North Dakota.
Article Summary: Mercury is a toxic metal that can cause nerve damage in humans and is particularly dangerous to children, developing fetuses and women of childbearing age. Some states post warnings with businesses that sell fishing licenses or publish publications including recommendations for women, especially pregnant women, on grocery store fish that contain higher levels of mercury, but do not require the information to be posted in grocery stores. Jackie Savitz, director of Oceana's Campaign to Stop Seafood Contamination, said that while some of the nation's largest grocers are posting Food and Drug Administration recommendations in stores, "many consumers, especially in the Eastern U.S., still are not getting the message." Hawaii, the District of Columbia and Alaska are doing the best job of educating consumers, and 15 companies are on Oceana's "green list," including Safeway, Trader Joe's and Albertson's. Jeff Lowrance, spokesman for North Carolina-based Food Lion LLC, countered that there is no state or federal law requiring supermarkets to post such information. Meghan Glynn, a spokeswoman for Kroger Co., said Kroger requires all stores to make information about mercury available near the area where seafood is sold. In September, 45 states issued consumption advisories about locally caught fish.
See a related article at http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2006/11/23/activists_get_stores_eateries_to_post_mercury_alerts/.
by Virginia A. Rauh, ScDa, Robin Garfinkel, PhDa, Frederica P. Perera, DrPHa, Howard F. Andrews, PhDa, Lori Hoepner, MPHa, Dana B. Barr, PhD, DLSb, Ralph Whitehead, MPHb, Deliang Tang, DrPHa and Robin W. Whyatt, DrPHa, Pediatrics
November 20, 2006
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?CMD=search&DB=PubMed
Article Abstract:
OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of prenatal exposure to chlorpyrifos on 3-year neurodevelopment and behavior in a sample of inner-city minority children.
METHODS. As part of an ongoing prospective cohort study in an inner-city minority population, neurotoxicant effects of prenatal exposure to chlorpyrifos were evaluated in 254 children through the first 3 years of life. This report examined cognitive and motor development at 12, 24, and 36 months (measured with the Bayley Scales of Infant Development II) and child behavior at 36 months (measured with the Child Behavior Checklist) as a function of chlorpyrifos levels in umbilical cord plasma.
RESULTS. Highly exposed children (chlorpyrifos levels of >6.17 pg/g plasma) scored, on average, 6.5 points lower on the Bayley Psychomotor Development Index and 3.3 points lower on the Bayley Mental Development Index at 3 years of age compared with those with lower levels of exposure. Children exposed to higher, compared with lower, chlorpyrifos levels were also significantly more likely to experience Psychomotor Development Index and Mental Development Index delays, attention problems, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder problems, and pervasive developmental disorder problems at 3 years of age.
CONCLUSIONS. The adjusted mean 36-month Psychomotor Development Index and Mental Development Index scores of the highly and lower exposed groups differed by only 7.1 and 3.0 points, respectively, but the proportion of delayed children in the high-exposure group, compared with the low-exposure group, was 5 times greater for the Psychomotor Development Index and 2.4 times greater for the Mental Development Index, increasing the number of children possibly needing early intervention services.
by Christine Gorman, Time Magazine
November 19, 2006
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1561137,00.html
Article Summary: The massive reorganization that Julie Gerberding ordered at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) -- combined with painful budget cuts in key divisions -- seems to be tearing the agency apart. Problems include the loss of six directors of the CDC's eight primary scientific centers, sniping in public and on the Internet and chaos and mismanagement at the very top, as reported by an outside consultant who studied the agency's response to Hurricane Katrina. The CDC is responsible for researching, tracking and counteracting newly emerging infectious diseases, plus it develops unbiased recommendations on a wide range of medical issues from when to vaccinate children to how best to battle obesity and directs funds to individual state and local public agencies to shore up their own community health efforts. Increased CDC funding mandated by Congress for high-profile threats like bioterrorism and flu pandemics has drained money from areas of public health that may be more pressing. Among the hardest-hit programs: AIDS prevention (down 19%), tuberculosis control (down 16%) and preventive-health block grants for outbreaks of West Nile disease and other unexpected events (down 17%). Critics complain that the CDC's devotion to pure science has been sabotaged. Gerberding's reorganization centered on her decision to replace the agency's 11 often insular centers with four coordinating bodies that would respond to emergencies with more agility. Closer contact between infectious-disease and environmental experts has resulted in faster tests for detecting botulism. But some within the agency complain that the main difference they have seen is that their work is more subject to bureaucratic filtering. Some of the dissatisfaction is due to general government-wide belt tightening rather than to Gerberding's reorganization. Experts believe that the agency needs at least $15 billion a year to do all the jobs it has been assigned -- nearly twice the current budget of $8.5 billion. Another problem is the age of the CDC workforce -- 40% of the CDC's 9,000 employees will be eligible to retire in 2008.
by Julie Deardorff, Chicago Tribune
November 19, 2006
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/health/chi-0611190297nov19,1,7985070.column?coll=chi-health-hed
Article Summary: In addition to anti-bacterial hand soaps and shampoos, the microbe-averse can buy bacteria-fighting clothes, toys, towels, sheets, sponges, mops and even pens. Never mind that trillions of bacteria happily reside on our skins and noses and in our mouths and intestines. Or that some exposure to germs helps develop a healthy immune system. In 2004, Americans spent more than $540 million on anti-bacterial soaps, hand cleaners and detergents that contain chemicals such as triclosan to kill germs, though a Food and Drug Administration panel found that they are no better than soap and water. People in health-care settings may see benefits, but not in the general population. Problems with antibacterial products go beyond wasting money, however. They could promote the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, something the Soap and Detergent Association maintains happens in the lab but not in the real world, but more disturbing is that the germ-fighting chemicals found in anti-bacterials, namely triclosan and triclocarban, are turning up in fish, breast milk and wastewater. From wastewater, they are released into the environment through municipal sludge, which is recycled and spread on agricultural fields. The spread of these chemicals into the environment is widespread -- the United States Geological Survey has shown that triclosan, which mimics the thyroid hormone and is commonly added to soaps, toothpaste, deodorant, dog shampoo, cutting boards, clothing, toys and other anti-bacterial products, is present in 60 percent of U.S. waterways investigated. Even the tiny amounts found are enough to disrupt thyroid function in frogs. Equivalent data on humans isn't yet available. A member of the FDA panel that looked at the benefits and hazards of antiseptic hand soaps commented that "these chemicals are remarkably persistent and possibly bioaccumulating, not only through products [applied to the skin] but environmentally through drinking water and potentially contaminated crops." Scientists are questioning the added value of these chemicals to soap. The American Medical Association has opposed routine use of anti-bacterial soaps since 2002.