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.
CHE-WA's next meeting will be held Monday December 10th from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at Antioch University Room 100. As always, the meeting will start with a science update from a regionally based researcher. Catherine Karr, PhD, of the University of Washington and the Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit, will speak about some of the latest research on climate change and health.
The primary focus of the rest of the meeting will be "Opportunities to Promote Environmental Health in the 2008 Washington State Legislative Session" based on our current understanding of the emerging science. Speakers will include Mo McBroom, policy director of the Washington Environmental Council; Margaret Shield, PhD, coordinator of the Toxic Free Legacy Coalition; Suellen Mele and Eva Dale with Washington Citizens for Resource Conservation; and Michael Grenetz with the Washington Toxics Coalition.
The chairs of the CHE-WA working groups will also update the full group on their progress. A new working group has formed to focus specifically on children's environmental health and will be discussed as well.
A detailed meeting agenda is posted on the CHE-WA website: http://washington.chenw.org/meetings.html
Wednesday January 23, 2008
7:00 p.m.
Seattle, Washington
at Town Hall Seattle, 1119 Eighth Avenue (at Seneca Street)
Sponsor: The Seattle Biotech Legacy Foundation
Cosponsors: Antioch University Seattle and The Russell Family Foundation
What is ecological economics? Dr. Robert Costanza, an internationally renowned ecological economist, will present an overview. He will explain the key concepts of ecological economics -- notably, how ecosystems and their functions provide vital goods and services that directly benefit people, and how the valuation of ecosystem services in dollar terms gives critical economic justification for ecological sustainability. He will also discuss how the framework of ecological economics will promote and sustain human health and well-being. Dr. Costanza is Professor and Director of the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics at the University of Vermont, a premier institution studying the relationships between human, ecological and economic systems. He is the cofounder and past president of the International Society for Ecological Economics; is past chief editor of the society's journal, Ecological Economics; and currently serves on editorial boards of various journals and steering committees of many organizations relating to sustainability.
This is the first of a four-lecture series. A $5 donation is appreciated for this special first lecture, while a $10 fee applies to the remaining three lectures if paid in advance. Dates and topics of the remaining three lectures are:
Details are on the CHE-WA website: http://washington.chenw.org/lectures.html
Tuesday December 11, 2007 (Bellevue Community College)
Wednesday December 12, 2007 (Snohomish PUD Commission Room, Everett)
or Thursday December 13, 2007 (Tacoma Public Library Main Branch)
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Sponsor: Priorities for a Healthy Washington coalition
The Priorities for a Healthy Washington coalition has selected four legislative proposals for the 2008 session beginning in January. This upcoming session Priorities are 1) Washington Climate Action, 2) Local Solutions to Global Warming, 3) Evergreen Cities and 4) Local Farms -- Healthy Kids. These events are a great chance to learn about the 2008 environmental priorities, find out what you can do to help get these important proposals passed and meet your elected officials.
Price: free
Website: http://www.wcvoters.org/getinvolved/forum.php
Contact: Washington Conservation Voters, 206-374-0760 or info@wcvoters.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/
New Members. CHE-Washington welcomes these new members:
For a searchable database of organizations with which CHE-WA members are affiliated, please visit the CHE-WA website: http://washington.chenw.org/members.html
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.
http://www.healthytoys.org
Report commissioned by Collaborative on Health and the Environment released. The report, "Environmental and Occupational Causes of Cancer: New Evidence, 2005-2007," by scientists Dick Clapp, DSc, MPH, and Molly Jacobs, MPH, of Boston University and the University of Massachusetts-Lowell synthesizes the recent peer-reviewed scientific literature related to environmental and occupational exposures and cancer and finds compelling new evidence linking cancer with specific exposures.
http://www.healthandenvironment.org/wg_cancer_news/2633
Health and Environment Alliance listserv on climate change and health. The Health and Environment Alliance has launched a new specialized listserv on "Climate Change and Health."
http://www.env-health.org/a/2599
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) blog. NIOSH had introduced a new NIOSH Science Blog to further communicate the scientific issues related to NIOSH's research and recommendations and to stimulate discussion on those issues. The blog is and online conversation intended as a new way to help NIOSH fulfill its mission of translating research into practice for preventing work-related injuries, illnesses and deaths.
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/blog/
Hidden household toxins. That couch you're sitting on could be making you sick. That's because it's likely to have been coated in PBDEs, a class of flame retardant chemicals. But it's not the only toxin likely hiding in your home. Forbes, 4 December 2007.
http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/2007/12/03/health-toxins-household-forbeslife-cx_rr_1203health.html
'Greening' your baby from head to toe. From organic food to eco-friendly fashion and hybrid cars, more and more people, including new parents, are "going green" these days. FOX News, United States, 4 December 2007.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,314741,00.html
Vinyl shares lead's taint. Consumer and environmental groups say the alarm raised over lead is helping them in their campaign to turn public attention to vinyl, a possible source of exposure to chemical additives in consumer goods and toys, most of them imported. Washington Post, 4 December 2007.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/03/AR2007120301844.html?hpid=sec-business
Common water pollutant could harm babies. A chemical pollutant [perchlorate] that is commonly found in water supplies could harm nursing babies, even lead to mental impairment in extreme cases. London Daily Telegraph, England, 4 December 2007.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2007/12/03/scimilk103.xml
Fireplace smoke damaging to health. Because wood fires in homes are a common tradition, it can be hard to believe fireplace and stove smoke is harmful. Marin Independent Journal, California, 4 December 2007.
http://www.marinij.com/ci_7622884?source=most_emailed
Don't drink at all, pregnant women told. Pregnant women should never drink alcohol and the industry should be forced to introduce warning labels that it can cause brain damage to unborn children, according to a lobby group. Sydney Morning Herald, Australia, 3 December 2007.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/dont-drink-at-all-pregnant-women-told/2007/12/03/1196530563323.html
Empowering FDA. A new law is one of the most wide-ranging revisions of the federal Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act passed in 40 years and is likely to affect the pharmaceutical industry for decades to come. Chemical & Engineering News, 3 December 2007.
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/coverstory/85/8549cover3.html
Mercury poses serious health hazard. Despite decades of government attempts to erase it from household use, the poisonous metal mercury remains a threat to the environment and public health, especially to children and women of childbearing age. Poughkeepsie Journal, New York, 3 December 2007.
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071203/NEWS01/712030316
Risks of nanos no small matter. Nanoscale materials behave in unusual ways, combining with other materials like nothing else. In that uniqueness lies their potential for amazing new products worth trillions, and unknown environmental threats. Wilmington News Journal, Delaware, 2 December 2007.
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071202/NEWS/712020375/1006/NEWS
Dry cleaning dilemma. Perchloroethylene remains the cleaner of choice for the vast majority of Tucson's dry cleaners. But it is under fire and some alternatives are cropping up. Tucson Arizona Daily Star, Arizona, 2 December 2007.
http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/214336
Mom saw tot's slow progress before city warning on lead. Even relatively low levels of lead can be harmful, causing a variety of health problems, including speech and language delays, behavioral issues such as hyperactivity, irritability and aggression, and anemia. Chicago Tribune, Illinois, 2 December 2007.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/health/chi-1202_health1_r_p_ddec02,1,4323257.story?ctrack=2&cset=true
Warning: Known to cause severe health risks to laboratory animals, bisphenol A is in you. Investigative reporting finds that the federal government's assurances that bisphenol A is a safe chemical are based on outdated and incomplete government studies and science mostly funded by the chemical industry. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin, 2 December 2007.
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=692145
Additives may make youngsters hyper. The colorings and preservatives in soft drinks, candy, and other foods can boost kids' activity levels. Science News, 1 December 2007.
http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20071201/note13.asp
New study published on long-term effects of secondhand smoke. A new study using a special type of MRI shows visual evidence of what many in the medical community already suspected. Exposure to second hand smoke, over an extended period of time, causes structural changes in the lungs of non-smokers. Hernando Today, Florida, 1 December 2007.
http://www.hernandotoday.com/health/MGBL4OSEN9F.html
Household dust laden with toxin. Kids, because they are lower to the ground and often put their hands in their mouths, breathe in or eat the dust on our homes' floors, shelves and windowsills. Tucson Arizona Daily Star, Arizona, 1 December 2007.
http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/213991
National study hopes to find causes of autism. Researchers are launching the largest-ever U.S. study aimed at solving one of the most perplexing mysteries of modern times: the cause of autism. Contra Costa Times, California, 30 November 2007.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/health/ci_7599365?nclick_check=1
Worst pollution risks increasingly indoors. More and more chemicals and unhealthful substances are embedded in our daily lives. And they swirl together inside our tightly built personal spaces to create new, and very personal, toxic hot spots: our homes. Tucson Arizona Daily Star, Arizona, 30 November 2007.
http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/214061
So pretty, but handle with care. Before you toss those holiday lights out and rush out to buy new ones, realize that regardless of whether the lights are made in China or not, most holiday lights contain some level of lead. Baltimore Sun, Maryland, 30 November 2007.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-bz.lights30nov30,0,3081357.story
Duke scientists map 'silenced genes.' A new research finding marks an important step in studying how our environment -- food, stress, pollution -- interacts with genes to help determine why some people get sick and others do not. Associated Press, 30 November 2007.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Silenced-Genes.html
Report links increased cancer risk to CT scans. Millions of Americans, especially children, are needlessly getting dangerous radiation from "super X-rays" that raise the risk of cancer and are increasingly used to diagnose medical problems, a new report warns. Associated Press, 29 November 2007.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/29/us/29scan.html?_r=1&ref=us&oref=slogin
State sues U.S. over eased EPA rules. Attorney General Jerry Brown sued the U.S. government Wednesday, accusing environmental regulators of relaxing rules that require industry to report toxic pollution. Contra Costa Times, California, 29 November 2007.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/animals/ci_7588970?nclick_check=1
Cancer institute updates risk calculator. A widely used tool for predicting a woman's risk of breast cancer is getting an update -- to better reflect black women's risk. Associated Press, 28 November 2007.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-11-27-breast-cancer_N.htm
Mold is the source for many flu-like afflictions. One of the most notorious offenders is a spore-producing black mold that can severely sicken people and pets and is one of the leading causes of the phenomenon known as sick building syndrome, in which occupants experience acute illness from contaminants. New York Newsday, New York, 28 November 2007.
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/ny-txtmold285478989nov28,0,766868.story
Asbestos turns up in toys, children's clay. Asbestos has been found in a variety of consumer products, including one of this season's biggest-selling Christmas toys, according to the nation's largest asbestos victims organizations. Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Washington, 28 November 2007.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/341381_asbestos28.html
Most kids' toys never tested for safety. The only line of defense between children and potentially dangerous toys is a handful of federal product-safety inspectors who lack the resources and the authority to deal with problems before goods are put on sale. CanWest News, Canada, 28 November 2007.
http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/story.html?id=28fe28cb-2dd9-4d33-a630-b0d93019fa9d&k=50504
Beware of candy that could be harmful. The New Mexico Department of Health is reminding parents to be cautious of certain candies that may contain lead and can be harmful to children. Las Cruces Sun-News, New Mexico, 28 November 2007.
http://www.lcsun-news.com/ci_7572422
Ads target smoking mothers. With more West Virginia women smoking while pregnant than at any time in the past decade, a state anti-tobacco agency started an advertising blitz Tuesday designed to educate mothers about the dangers of smoking to themselves and their babies. Charleston Gazette, West Virginia, 28 November 2007.
http://wvgazette.com/section/News/2007112726
Will it be safe to eat fish from the Duwamish? Health authorities condone eating salmon out of the Duwamish River up to four times a month. But some tribal members are consuming far more. Lower estimates of how much seafood will be eaten will translate into less pollution being cleaned up. Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Washington, 28 November 2007.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/specials/duwamish/341220_duwamish27.html?source=mypi
The CDC's assay for atrazine has systematically underestimated American exposures to the herbicide. New research by scientists at the Centers for Disease Control indicates that the analysis the CDC has used to estimate human exposure to atrazine and atrazine-related breakdown products has strongly underestimated its extent. Environmental Health News, 27 November 2007.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/newscience/2007/2007-1126barretal.html
What determines Junior's DNA? A new field of science -- epigenetics -- is showing us that almost every aspect of our environment -- from stress to our food to toxin exposure -- can affect our genetic makeup in ways that can affect our bodies, and those of the next generation, for life. Toronto Star, Ontario, 27 November 2007.
http://www.thestar.com/SpecialSections/article/280167
Exposing a toxic US policy. Unlike the European Union, the U.S. doesn't require businesses to minimize toxic risks -- or even to list them, so consumers can evaluate the risks. Fresh Air, NPR, 27 November 2007.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16616951
Study: low lead levels still dangerous. A new study finds that exposure to even very low lead levels can cause brain damage in children. Great Lakes Radio Consortium, Michigan, 26 November 2007.
http://www.environmentreport.org/story.php3?story_id=3752
Green schools have their advantages. Studies have shown green buildings can increase productivity and improve health for those who spend large amounts of time in them. Fort Collins Coloradoan, Colorado, 26 November 2007.
http://www.coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071125/UPDATES01/71125003/1002/NEWS01
Dangerous chemicals found in or around the Duwamish River. Scores of chemicals have been dumped into or alongside the Duwamish. Many can still be found in the river bottom and on its banks. Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Washington, 26 November 2007.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/specials/duwamish/341062_duwamish-chemicals26.html
Despite known dangers, PCBs used for decades in huge array of products. The makers of the class of chemicals known as PCBs were aware that their product caused a weird pattern of blackheads and blisters known as chloracne. They knew it caused workers in plants producing the substance to complain of loss of appetite, lethargy and a lessening of their get-up-and-go in the bedroom. Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Washington, 26 November 2007.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/specials/duwamish/341059_duwamish-pcbhistory26.html
Are your products safe? You can't tell. A Journal Sentinel investigation has found that the government has failed to regulate endocrine-disrupting chemicals, despite repeated promises to do so. The regulatory effort has been marked by wasted time, wasted money and influence from chemical manufacturers. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin, 25 November 2007.
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=689731
Danger in the dust: toxic flame retardants lurking in every home? Cat food, house dust, human breast milk, televisions, and sperm whales all have one thing in common: They are laced with a group of flame retardants known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers or PBDEs. FOX News, United States, 24 November 2007.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,312641,00.html
Activist, author challenges cosmetics industry over amount of lead in lipsticks. The way author and Campaign for Safe Cosmetics co-founder Stacy Malkan sees it, banning potentially harmful chemicals from personal care products like makeup and shampoo is a no-brainer. San Francisco Chronicle, California, 24 November 2007.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/11/25/LVSETGBTD.DTL
Critics raise red flag over fluoride in tap water. Nearly a half-century after water fluoridation became widespread, a small but growing number of medical officials and environmentalists are again raising concerns over the practice. Toronto Globe and Mail, Ontario, 24 November 2007.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071123.wlfluoride23/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home
FDA: flu drugs affecting kids' behavior. Government health regulators recommended adding label precautions about neurological problems seen in children who have taken flu drugs made by Roche and GlaxoSmithKline. Associated Press, 24 November 2007.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/ats-ap_health10nov23,1,716696.story?ctrack=7&cset=true
Additives 'a risk to children's health.' Parents have been warned to remove food additives linked to hyperactive behaviour from children's diets by the EU's leading expert on the issue. Daily Mail, United Kingdom, 23 November 2007.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=495514&in_page_id=1774&ct=5
Prenatal arsenic exposure may cause cancer later. Children of mothers whose water supplies were contaminated with arsenic during their pregnancies harbored gene expression changes that may lead to cancer and other diseases later in life, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found. Environment News Service, 23 November 2007.
http://www.ens-newswire.com:80/ens/nov2007/2007-11-23-04.asp
submitted to this bulletin by Jim DiPeso
Baby bottle chemical not a concern for many. According to consumer experts and retailers, parents concerned about bisphenol A are in the minority and say most people either aren't aware of the controversy or simply aren't worried. Canadian Press, 22 November 2007.
http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/National/2007/11/22/4675733-sun.html
Hazardous toys still on U.S. store shelves: groups. Two consumer groups called on Tuesday for tougher toy oversight by the U.S. government's product safety agency, saying they had easily found toys in stores with high lead levels and other dangers. Reuters, 21 November 2007.
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN2031513820071120
Study to track pollutants in pregnant women. In the largest survey of its kind undertaken in Canada, researchers plan to track chemical pollutants in about 2,000 pregnant women and their babies over the next five years to see what kind of industrial contaminants are in their bodies. Toronto Globe and Mail, Ontario, 21 November 2007.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071121.wpregnant21/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home