Please check the CHE-WA website to stay abreast of the latest postings, news and events: http://washington.chenw.org.
If you would like to join the Collaborative on Health and the Environment (CHE) and the CHE-Washington regional group, please complete the application at http://www.healthandenvironment.org/roles/register?&phase=registerform. 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) CHE-WA held its quarterly meeting on Wednesday, May 16th. The notes and slides from that meeting will be posted shortly on the CHE-WA web site. The next quarterly CHE-WA meeting will be held Friday September 14th from 10:00 a.m. to noon at Antioch University Seattle. Michael Lerner, PhD, founder and president of Commonweal and co-founder of the Collaborative on Health and the Environment, will be our featured guest speaker.
May 24, 2007
8:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Seattle, Washington
at the University of Washington Arboretum, Graham Visitors Center, Large Meeting Room
This half-day training program will introduce participants to a new clinical resource for practitioners, the Pediatric Environmental Health Toolkit. Attendees will receive a complete toolkit to test in your own practices. This contains handy reference and guidance cards, and attractive "Rx for Prevention" patient materials. The training focuses on the relationship between environmental exposures and children's health and the clinical use of the toolkit provider and patient materials. Sessions presented by physician experts in environmental health will include 1) routes of exposure to common toxic chemicals/substances including metals (mercury, lead, arsenic), solvents, pesticides, PCBs.; 2) health effects linkages; 3) anticipatory guidance keyed to well-child visits; 4) patient communications on environmental health issues; and 5) key concepts on the unique vulnerabilities of children, susceptible populations, the "built" and "food" environments and other important issues. Attendees will commit to training several colleagues and using the toolkit in their practices for three months. Physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and nurses in pediatric and family practices are encouraged to register. This toolkit is supported by a grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency and endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Website: http://www.wpsr.org/calendar/default.htm
Contact: Nancy Dickeman, 206-354-2170 or nancyd@wpsr.org
May 24, 2007
12:00 noon Pacific / 3:00 p.m. Eastern time
This North American webcast features Dr. Richard Denison, Senior Scientist at Environmental Defense, who will present the findings and discuss his recent report, in cooperation with Canada NGO Pollution Probe, (http://www.ed.org/go/chempolicyreport) that critically compares the European Union's new REACH Regulation, The US Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), and the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA). To participate, please RSVP by close of business on Tuesday May 22. Details and a toll-free call-in number will then be forwarded prior to the call.
Contact: Cathy Malina, cmalina@environmentaldefense.org
May 24, 2007
1:00 - 2:30 EDT
Participants will be able to listen in via telephone and view presentations via Microsoft Live Meeting. Speakers will be Katherine M. Shea, MD, MPH; Pamela Emerson; and Roger Rosenblatt, MD, MPH, MFR.
Contact: OCHPWebcast@icfi.com
May 24, 2007
4:00 p.m. Eastern, 1:00 p.m. Pacific time
1-800-371-8200 (Toll Free in USA and Canada)
1-805-620-4010 (for callers outside the USA and Canada)
Participant Access Code: 13531#
Featured speakers are Deborah Cory-Slechta, PhD, director of The Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute (EOHSI) and chair of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine at the UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School; and Mona Thiruchelvam, PhD, assistant professor at Rutgers and the Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine at the UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Both have been studying early exposures to pesticides and developmental impacts as well as adult onset of Parkinson's Disease.
Contact: Jackie Hunt Christensen, jackiehc@gmail.com
May 24, 2007
7:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Seattle, Washington
at Kane Hall Room 120, University of Washington
The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska, is one of the nation's largest environmental disasters and the world's most studied oil spill. Pioneering ecosystem studies, toxicity tests, and hydro-acoustic monitoring have revealed widespread damage to generations of fish and wildlife from the spill. Further, thousands of workers became chemically poisoned due to clean-up activities. Out of this tragedy, new paradigms in biological and social sciences have emerged. What are the public health ramifications of this spill and, more generally, of dependence on fossil fuels? What are the socio-economic implications of this oil spill on a natural resource-based community? The talk provides recommendations for how communities can prepare for, and respond to, future environmental and health risks. Riki Ott, PhD, will speak.
Website: http://www.washington.edu/alumni//activities/lectures/2007ocean_0524.html
Contact: 206-543-0540 or 1-800-AUW-ALUM
May 30, 2007 in Port Townsend
May 31, 2007 in Bainbridge Island
7:00 p.m.
Join People For Puget Sound's executive director Kathy Fletcher at one of three free community presentations. Kathy will share her thoughts on how this past legislative session addressed the health of Puget Sound and what it will take to bring the Sound back to health by 2020. She will examine what is needed in funding, citizen involvement, and political will for the new Puget Sound Partnership to get the job done.
Website: http://www.pugetsound.org/
Contact: People For Puget Sound, 206-382-7007 or people@pugetsound.org
May 31, 2007
7:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Seattle, Washington
at Kane Hall Room 120, University of Washington
The precautionary assessment of environmental risks incorporates both scientific evaluations, such as quantitative estimates of chemical exposures, and ethics of the precautionary principle, such as the duty to prevent disease and promote human and environmental health, even in the absence of scientific certainty. While an advantage of traditional risk assessment is mathematical simplicity, a corresponding disadvantage is neglect of complex issues such as equity. How can the classical risk assessment approach be augmented by a precautionary approach to provide a more comprehensive evaluation of hazards? This talk by Steven G. Gilbert, PhD, DABT, will present ways that a precautionary assessment can more effectively protect and promote environmental and human health, especially for children.
Website: http://www.washington.edu/alumni//activities/lectures/2007ocean_0524.html
Contact: 206-543-0540 or 1-800-AUW-ALUM
May 31 - June 3, 2007
Seattle, Washington
at various locations (see the website below for details)
The Interfaith Creation Festival seeks to inspire you with insights from religious leaders and prophetic responses to the crucial environmental issues of our time; sharing of meals, stories, and the richness of our diverse faith communities; connection with people who are innovative in caring for creation; unity in our efforts towards a world based upon justice; and engagement in a Year of Interfaith Dialogue and Action! Walk-up registration is available at the door, although advance registration is strongly encouraged.
Website: http://www.interfaithcreationfest.org
Contact: info@interfaithcreationfest.org
June 4, 2007
Troutdale, Oregon
at McMenamin's Edgefield Manor
This full-day session is designed to bring together people interested in developing a joint framework for chemicals policy reform in the Northwest. Representatives from business, government agencies, and nonprofits are encouraged to attend. The event is designed for those who are new to chemicals policy issues as well as those who have had significant experience. Participants will finalize a vision statement for chemicals policy reform in the Northwest and develop a framework and next steps for reaching that vision. Come prepared to learn, participate and have fun. Registration for will be free with details to follow. If you'd like to be added to the email list to receive registration information, please forward your contact information to the address below.
Contact: Cheyenne Chapman at the Oregon Center for Environmental Health, cheyenne@oregon-health.org
June 5, 2007
9:00 a.m. Pacific / 12 noon Eastern time
This teleconference will be a discussion on antibiotic resistance, agriculture and public health issues. The moderator of this call will be Steve Heilig, MPH, Director of Public Health and Education at the San Francisco Medical Society and the Collaborative on Health and the Environment. We will hear a science update from Ted Schettler, MD, MPH, Science Director at Science and Environmental Health Network.
Website: http://www.healthandenvironment.org/articles/partnership_calls/1214
June 6, 2007
1:00 - 2:30 p.m. EDT
Children's health advocates will be introduced to emerging conceptual frameworks that integrate social and environmental conditions as more holistic approaches to evaluate and address disparities in environmental health. The panel of speakers will discuss how these social and environmental factors impact disparities in children's environmental health and identify areas for policy changes to reduce these disparities. Speakers will be Gilbert C. Gee, David Williams, Janean E. Dilworth-Bart and Phil Landrigan.
Contact: OCHPWebcast@icfi.com
June 6 - 9, 2007
Portland, Oregon
at the Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront Hotel
The conference theme is Environmental Awareness and Health Care: Tools for Patients and the Planet, and the conference offers clinically focused information that will help participants address concerns about toxicity within the context of an expanded ecological picture. This in-depth exploration of common threats to human and planetary health will help participants gain both the inspiration and tools to enact positive and sustainable change in clinical practice and in life. In addition to learning what can be done about the human/ecosystem health challenges posed by modern life, attendees will also enjoy educational opportunities for general clinical topics, personal development, and daily experiential sessions, offered by a distinguished faculty of local and national leaders. Plenary speakers include Michael Lerner, PhD; Scott Shannon, MD; John Peterson "Pete" Myers, PhD; Devra Lee Davis, PhD, MPH; Charlotte Brody, RN; Ted Schettler, MD; Jamie Harvie, PEng; and Kenny Ausubel.
Website: http://www.holisticmedicine.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=21
Contact: 425-967-0737 or info@holisticmedicine.org
June 10 - 15, 2007
Vancouver, British Columbia Canada
at the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre
The conference title is "Health Promotion Comes of Age: Research, Policy & Practice for the 21st Century." The overall mission of the conference is to review and critically reassess health promotion's progress since the Ottawa Charter and to help set the course for navigating through the new challenges facing health promotion in an increasingly globalized world. By linking policy, practice and research, Canada 2007 will enhance partnerships and intersectoral collaborations for health promotion. Canada 2007 will be an international venture that will take into account the needs and concerns of health promotion at a global level and encourage members to come from all corners of the world to celebrate the renewal of the Ottawa Charter. Conference themes are reducing health inequities, assets for health and development, enabling system transformations, and assessing the effectiveness of health promotion. The conference is approved for 24 prescribed American Association for Family Physicians credits / 1.5 elective credits and Category I continuing education contact hours in health education.
Website: http://iuhpeconference.org/en/index.htm
Contact: Valarie Bodnarchuck, 250-472-5385 or canada2007@iuhpeconference.org
June 12, 2007
2:00 - 3:00 p.m. EDT
Chemicals in commerce include pharmaceuticals, pesticides and a large number of industrial chemicals used in consumer products and for other purposes. Each of these large categories of chemicals is regulated by a governmental agency under the authority granted by specific pieces of legislation. Most nonpesticidal industrial chemicals are regulated by the US EPA under the authority as outlined in the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Unfortunately, as interpreted and implemented, TSCA has not been adequate to protect public health and the environment, especially for chemicals that have long been in use and that were grandfathered in when TSCA was adopted. The good news is that state and local governments are stepping up to the challenge presented by a system that is not effectively protecting our children's health and development. Several state-based coalitions composed of health, environmental, business and labor leaders are moving forward with practical policy solutions. These solutions are focused around reducing threats, promoting safer alternatives and creating new economic development opportunities. There are also personal and clinical resources to help individuals make informed decisions in their own lives. Speakers will be Ted Schettler MD, MPH, and Sarah Doll.
Website: http://www.ehinitiative.org/Projects/tele_con.htm
Contact: Laura Abulafia, Laura@aaidd.org
from Eva Dale, Pharmaceuticals and the Environment Project
Northwest Product Stewardship Council
Wondering what to do with expired or leftover medications? Washington residents can now return our unwanted medicines to seven Group Health pharmacies for proper disposal. More locations will be added later in 2007. Studies show that medications are making their way into Washington waterways. Medicines can enter waterways when they are flushed down toilets, put into sinks, or put into the garbage. Improper disposal and storage of unwanted household medicines also increases the risk of accidental poisonings and abuse. To find a pharmacy drop-off location near you, visit http://www.MedicineReturn.com or call 1-800-RECYCLE (1-800-732-9253).
The Environmental Protection Agency requests comment on whether and to what extent the agency should consider offering tailored incentives to encourage new owners of regulated entities to discover, disclose, correct and prevent the recurrence of environmental violations. The agency is considering whether actively encouraging such disclosures has the potential to yield significant environmental benefit, since new owners may be particularly well situated and highly motivated to focus on, and invest in, making a clean start for their new facilities by addressing environmental noncompliance.
Any tailored incentives for new owners would be beyond those offered as EPA is currently implementing EPA's April 11, 2000, policy on Incentives for Self-Policing: Discovery, Disclosure, Correction and Prevention of Violations commonly referred to as the Audit Policy. These incentives would be designed to enhance implementation of the Audit Policy and encourage its use in the new owner context, but would not constitute a change to the Policy overall. After the comment period closes, the agency plans to review all comments and decide whether to develop a pilot program to test the policy of offering tailored incentives to encourage new owners to self-audit and disclose under the audit policy. Should the agency decide to proceed, EPA would then publish a second Federal Register notice to seek comment on a proposed pilot program.
For more information regarding this federal register notice, including information on how to submit comments, please visit http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getpage.cgi?dbname=2007_register&position=all&page=27116.
from Reuters, The Australian
May 22, 2007
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21774609-23289,00.html
"HEALTHY" children of smokers may not show any signs of breathing difficulties, but they may still be experiencing reduced lung function -- which could progressively worsen with continued exposure. Multiple studies have shown that children of smokers have more breathing problems than children of non-smokers, but until now it's been unclear whether lung function is impaired in children of smokers who don't have any breathing complaints or diagnosed lung problems like asthma. Dr. Bert Arets from the University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands and his colleagues assessed the lung function of 244 children aged 4 to 12 without any lung or airway disease and found that children of smoking parents had significantly reduced lung function. The trend today is to ban smoking in public places. Arets worries that this might cause parents to smoke more in their own homes, "which might increase the harmful effects for children."
by Nicholas Bakalar, New York Times
May 22, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/22/health/22teen.html
Article Summary: That advertising liquor and tobacco increases their sales may not be a revelation. But two new studies suggested that fairly simple public policy changes might significantly reduce underage smoking and drinking. In the first study, published in the May issue of the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, researchers used a nationwide survey of more than 26,000 students in 8th, 10th and 12th grades from 1999 to 2003. The scientists found that point-of-sale advertising is associated with getting children to try smoking, but has little effect in encouraging habitual tobacco use. However, cigarette promotions, especially those that involve price reductions, may tempt teenagers who have already experimented with tobacco to become regular smokers. The study's authors estimated that if stores had no advertising, there would be a decrease of 11 percent in children who try smoking. If promotions were eliminated, there would be a decrease of 13 percent in the number who become habitual smokers. A second study, published online April 13 in the Journal of Adolescent Health, suggested alcohol advertising was also effective among teenagers. Scientists surveyed 1,786 sixth graders in South Dakota, measuring their exposure to alcohol marketing. The researchers found that exposure to advertising in sixth grade strongly predicted drinking in seventh grade. The most consistent predictor of drinking was ownership of a hat, poster, or T-shirt that advertised alcohol, they said, and the one-fifth of sixth graders who owned such items were almost twice as likely to take up drinking as those who did not.
by Bruce Lambert, New York Times
May 22, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/22/nyregion/22pollute.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1179853763-FyFXDPHrWYCMBvultNuqAA
Article Summary: A trial opened in Garden City on Monday regarding contamination of drinking-water wells by gasoline stations. The nation's water supply industry and major oil companies were watching closely. The outcome of the case could set a national precedent on who will pay the estimated tens of billions of dollars to clean up contamination caused by MTBE, a potentially carcinogenic fuel additive, now widely banned, that seeped into the ground as gasoline leaked from fuel storage tanks across the country. MTBE, short for methyl tert-butyl ether, was first added to gasoline to raise octane and also fostered cleaner combustion, reducing air pollutants. But critics say it is especially dangerous because it is soluble in water, fast-moving and hard to remove. More than 150 other lawsuits involving MTBE from 15 states have been consolidated in United States District Court in Manhattan, with the first trial set for next spring. But because the Plainview case predated them, it is proceeding on its own in State Supreme Court.
About half the population of the United States drinks water pumped from the ground, according to the American Water Works Association. Fearing costly litigation, the gasoline industry lobbied Congress intensely for an exemption from lawsuits over MTBE, but the effort failed. The industry estimated the national bill for cleaning up MTBE contamination at a minimum of $29 billion. Some experts have estimated costs at as high as $100 billion.
by Karen Hensel, WISHTV News
May 22, 2007
http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6547816&nav=0Ra7
INDIANAPOLIS -- There are new concerns about chemicals hidden in consumer products. These chemicals have the potential to cause serious health problems and several countries have banned them, but the U.S. has not. Nearly every American is exposed to these chemicals. It is especially troubling for millions of women of child-bearing age and their children.
Article Summary: Phthalates are a group of chemicals that make plastics flexible, lotions and lipsticks creamy and dollies' skin feel soft and real. Phthalates are everywhere and they are harmful to our health. One kind of phthalate is known to cause cancer, kidney and liver damage and reproductive problems. Others interfere with hormones and can cause obesity, diabetes, allergies and asthma. Phthalates are in hairspray, shampoo and nail polish. They are in our homes and can leach out from vinyl floors, PVC pipes, even shower curtains and clear plastic wrap when used in the microwave and from plastic water bottles left in a hot car. Phthalates are even in children's toys. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission asked companies, including Mattel and Playskool, to voluntarily remove phthalates from teethers, bath toys and squeeze toys. But even one year later, toy companies chose not to comply, removing phthalates only from teethers. Democratic Congressman Henry Waxman of California plans to reintroduce the Kids Safety Chemical Act, which died in the last Congress.
Recent research on mice by Swapan Ghosh, a cancer researcher at Indiana State University, finds a link between phthalates and Lupus and it is getting national attention from Johns Hopkins and the FDA. When mice predisposed toward Lupus were injected with phthalates, more of them got Lupus, got it sooner and died sooner. Women wear makeup and use a range of beauty products every day. Women also are five times more likely than men to get Lupus. While the link between phthalates and Lupus is not yet definitive, it is yet another indication of potential harm. The Toy Industry Association insists phthalates are safe and so does the chemical industry. Both dismiss animal studies that link phthalates with health problems.
by Martin Mittelstaedt, Toronto Globe and Mail
May 22, 2007
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070522.FISH22/TPStory/TPNational/Ontario/
Back in the summer of 2001, a team of Canadian and U.S. researchers spiked a lake in Northwestern Ontario with traces of synthetic estrogen used in human birth control pills. They then repeated the unusual treatment for the next two years and sat back and watched what happened to minnows living in the lake. The results were nothing short of frightening. Exposing fish to tiny doses of the active ingredient in the pill, amounts little more than a whiff of estrogen, started turning male fish into females. Instead of sperm, they started developing eggs. Instead of looking like males, they became indistinguishable from females. Within a year of exposure, the minnow population began to crash. Within a few years, the fish, which at one time teemed in the lake, had practically vanished.
Article Summary: The scientists added just enough estrogen to give the lake water the same level of the sex hormone found in water discharged from sewage treatment plants in Canada and in other countries where the birth control pill is widely used. The dramatic results, being published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences are likely to raise further concerns about the possible impact on wildlife and humans of drug residues in waterways. Over the past decade, there have been a number of studies in North America and Europe showing skewed sexual development in aquatic life living near outfalls from sewage plants. This study is the first to show that exposure to drugs not only changes sexual characteristics, but can also destroy fish populations. Dr. Kidd doesn't think women should stop taking the pill out of worry for wildlife. She said municipalities need to build more advanced sewage treatment plants, which are able to degrade more of the estrogen into harmless chemicals.
It's not known what effect, if any, human exposure to estrogen in drinking water might have, although Dr. Kidd said it is an area that should be a research priority. Reproductive problems in human males, such as declining sperm counts and testicular cancer, have been rising in recent decades, and the causes are not known. There are currently no regulations in Canada covering estrogen or other drug residues in waterways. Municipalities typically don't check for them and it is not known if there are human health effects for people who draw drinking water from sources receiving sewage, a common practice in Canada.
by Daniel Martin, United Kingdom Daily Mail
May 21, 2007
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=456534&in_page_id=1770&in_a_source=
Britain's top health watchdog has called for an inquiry into the use of wireless Internet networks in schools because of concerns they could be exposing children to the risk of cancer. The demand came after it was revealed that classroom "wi-fi" networks give off three times as much radiation as a typical mobile phone mast. Guidelines from the Health Protection Agency already state that masts should not be sited near schools because of a possible cancer link and other health risks. Now its chairman, Sir William Stewart, is seeking a review of the health effects of wi-fi networks amid fears they could pose even greater dangers.
Article Summary: Scientists believe children may be more vulnerable to radio-frequency radiation emissions than adults because their skulls are still growing and are thinner. This raises questions over the safety of children bent over computers being exposed to radiation at very close quarters. Wi-fi works by transmitting information via radio waves from a telephone line to a computer and back. The World Health Organisation, backed by the government, says there are "no adverse health effects from low-level, long-term exposure" to wi-fi radiation. The levels of radiation found were 600 times lower than those deemed dangerous by the Government, which bases its data on radiation safety limits provided by a group of scientists called ICNIRP. But it does not take the biological effects of radio-frequency radiation into account, basing exposure limits solely on a "thermal effect." Professor Malcolm Sperrin, director of medical physics at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, said wi-fi radiation was about 100,000 times less intense than that emitted by domestic microwave ovens.
[Editor's note: See a related article at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/panorama/6674675.stm.]
by Peter B. Lord, Providence Journal
May 20, 2007
http://www.projo.com/news/content/environmental_journal20_05-20-07_AD5LMF9.29e5a1d.html
Article Summary: Two medical experts from Rhode Island who believe there is not enough time to wait for the government to regulate dangerous chemicals used in household products have published their own book on how to avoid such chemicals. Safer for Your Baby: A Guide to Living Better with Fewer Chemicals is meant to help people use safer household products and minimize exposure to harmful chemicals for babies or young children, who are most vulnerable to the dangerous chemicals. The book gives directions for reading warning labels and understanding ingredient lists. It suggests what chemicals to avoid, and discusses how household chemicals get into peoples' bodies -- often by breathing the fumes. The book gives advice on cooking, food packaging, cleaning products, carpets and home furnishings. The authors contend that more than 1,000 new manmade chemicals are introduced each year without being tested for safety.
by Abram Katz, New Haven [Connecticut] Register
May 20, 2007
http://www.nhregister.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18364333&BRD=1281&PAG=461&dept_id=590581&rfi=6
Connecticut air that meets federal pollution limits still contains enough harmful chemicals to stunt babies before they are born, a groundbreaking Yale University study has found.
Article Summary: The Yale study found that emissions from cars, diesel engines and power plants increase the frequency of low birth-weight babies, who face a multitude of medical problems, including impaired cognitive ability, infection, heart disease and stroke. Yale researchers, led by Michelle L. Bell, assistant professor of environmental health at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, found that exposure to pollution, even at low levels, apparently increases the risk of low birth weight. Black women were affected more strongly than whites. The study showed that different pollutants had varying effects when breathed by the mother at different time in the pregnancy. The study is the first to measure air pollution and birth weight in the Northeast. Similar research has been conducted in California, Nevada and Georgia, with inconsistent results. Occupational health experts and environmentalists said the study represents more evidence that air pollution standards need to be tightened and that current limits are too lax to protect the population. "All of the counties in the study are in compliance (with federal clean air standards) so the lower levels are dangerous," Bell said. Many factors determine birth weight, including poor nutrition, exposure to alcohol and drugs, smoking and prematurity, said Dr. Robert Herzlinger, chief of neonatology at Bridgeport Hospital.
Why breathing air pollutants while pregnant should influence the weight of the full-term infant is not well understood. Bell and fellow researchers said air pollution could affect a fetus directly through the placenta, or indirectly by degrading the mother's health. The same mechanism at work in smoking, premature rupture of membranes, may be to blame. Inhaling smog may disrupt endocrine and nervous systems, and soot particles could reduce the amount of oxygen reaching the fetus. Carbon monoxide, nitrogen and sulfur oxide particles tend to travel together, making the task of figuring out which ones cause lower infant weight difficult.
by Rick Weiss, Washington Post
May 20, 2007
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/19/AR2007051901273.html
Article Summary: Just last month, the Food and Drug Administration detained 107 food imports from China at U.S. ports, along with more than 1,000 shipments of tainted Chinese dietary supplements, toxic Chinese cosmetics and counterfeit Chinese medicines. For years, US inspection records show, China has flooded the United States with foods unfit for human consumption. And for years, FDA inspectors have simply returned to Chinese importers the small portion of those products they caught -- many of which turned up at U.S. borders again, making a second or third attempt at entry. While activists and members of Congress demand that the United States tell China it is fed up, change will prove difficult, policy experts say, in large part because U.S. companies have become so dependent on the Chinese economy that tighter rules on imports stand to harm the U.S. economy, too. It is not just that food from China is cheap, said William Hubbard, a former associate director of the FDA. For a growing number of important food products, China has become virtually the only source in the world.
FDA inspectors are able to check out less than one percent of regulated imports. But deception by Chinese exporters is not limited to plant products, and some of their most egregiously unfit exports are smuggled into the United States., such as illegal meat and poultry products. John C. Bailar III, a University of Chicago professor emeritus who chaired a 2003 National Academies committee that recommended major changes in the U.S. food safety system -- which have gone largely unheeded -- said he has become increasingly concerned that corporations and the federal government seem willing to put the interests of business "above the public welfare."
from CBC News
May 17, 2007
http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2007/05/17/carseat-chemicals.html
A new study suggests that "toxic" chemicals used in the materials to make car seats can put children in danger of developing health problems if ingested or inhaled. The study, released Wednesday by the Michigan-based environmental group Ecology Center, provides analysis of more than 60 different car seat models for chemicals including bromine, chlorine and lead. "These chemicals can be associated with developmental disorders, learning impairment, liver disease, cancer, as well as other allergic type diseases," said Jeff Gearhart, lead author of the report.
Article Summary: In March, the Ecology Center released a report saying that plastics and materials used inside the car, from the steering wheel to the dashboard to the carpets -- can expel gas or leach into the environment. According to the report, the same toxic chemicals that are used to make interior auto components are also used to make child car seats. Health Canada, which evaluates the use and safety of chemicals used in products sold in Canada, said in a statement on car seat safety that the presence of a chemical does not necessarily mean it poses a health risk. Gearhart recommends that owners of car seats that tested poorly should keep the window ajar when traveling in the car. He also says the seat should be kept out of direct sunlight and use of the product should be restricted to use in the car. The authors of the report caution that parents should always use a car seat, despite the presence of potentially harmful chemicals.
from Reuters
May 17, 2007
http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN1625458820070517
A type of chromium highlighted in the film "Erin Brockovich" causes cancer in lab animals when they drink it in water, and it could be harmful to people, the U.S. National Institutes of Health said on Wednesday. Hexavalent chromium, also called chromium 6, already has been shown to cause lung cancer when inhaled and is controlled by the Environmental Protection Agency as well as by states.
Article Summary: Hexavalent chromium compounds are often used in electroplating, leather tanning and textile manufacturing and have been found in some drinking water sources, the NTP said. Environmentalists, who have been fighting for decades for tighter limits on how much chromium can be present in drinking water, said the findings offered a basis for restrictions. "The chromium industry has been trying to convince regulators for years that hexavalent chromium is actually quite safe when consumed via drinking water, even though it has long been known to be carcinogenic when inhaled," said Renee Sharp, a senior analyst at the Environmental Working Group. She added, "NTP's findings will finally allow state and federal regulators to set drinking water standards based on up-to-date sound science."
by Ian Urbina, New York Times
May 17, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/17/us/17sarin.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
WASHINGTON -- Scientists working with the Defense Department have found evidence that a low-level exposure to sarin nerve gas -- the kind experienced by more than 100,000 American troops in the Persian Gulf war of 1991 -- could have caused lasting brain deficits in former service members.
Article Summary: The report, to be published in the June issue of the journal NeuroToxicology, found apparent changes in the brain's connective tissue -- its so-called white matter -- in soldiers exposed to the gas. The extent of the brain changes -- less white matter and slightly larger brain cavities -- corresponded to the extent of exposure, the study found. White matter volume varies by individual, but studies have shown that significant shrinkage in adulthood can be a sign of damage. In a companion study, the researchers also tested 140 troops believed to have experienced differing degrees of exposure to the chemical agents to check their fine motor coordination and found a direct relation between performance level and the level of potential exposure. Individuals who were potentially more exposed to the gases had a deterioration in fine motor skills, performing such tests at a level similar to people 20 years older. Phil Budahn, a spokesman for the Department of Veterans Affairs, said the research required further examination. "It's important to note that its authors describe the study as inconclusive,” Mr. Budahn said, adding, “It was based upon a small number of participants, who were not randomly chosen." Dr. Roberta F. White of Boston University said she did not describe her study as inconclusive, though she said it would be accurate to call it preliminary.
Previous studies had suggested that exposure affected the brain in some neural regions, but the evidence was not convincing to many scientists. The new report is likely to revive the long-debated question of why so many troops returned from that war with unexplained physical problems. Many in the scientific community have questioned whether the so-called Gulf War illnesses have a physiological basis, and far more research will have to be done before it is known whether those illnesses can be traced to exposure to sarin. The long-term effects of sarin on the brain are still not well understood. Several lawmakers who were briefed on the study say the Department of Veterans Affairs is now obligated to provide increased neurological care to veterans who may have been exposed. The Pentagon has not decided whether to inform veterans about the possibility of a link between exposure and brain damage. In 2005, the Pentagon notified about 100,000 gulf war veterans who had been exposed that a study showed a link between brain cancer and gas exposure.
by Mitchell Owens, New York Times
May 17, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/17/garden/17room.html?_r=1&ref=garden&oref=slogin
Lead paint degrades over time, creating flakes and dust that are hazardous to children under age 6, who may ingest it if they put their fingers or toys into their mouths. The elevated blood lead levels that result are known to affect emotional and mental development.
Article Summary: Around 300,000 children in the United States have more than 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood, the federal standard definition of lead poisoning. The primary culprit is paint that was produced before 1978, the year a new law limited the acceptable level of lead in commercial paints in the United States to a barely perceptible 0.06 percent, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Lead is a heavy metal that settles into the bones and blood when ingested, and it was long used by manufacturers of oil paint as a drying agent, a pigment and an additive that increased durability. It is still used as an additive in gasoline in many parts of the world, and more recently has shown up in children's metal jewelry. Lead paint may also remain in older furniture finishes.
by Marian Burros, New York Times
May 16, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/16/dining/16fda.html
Article Summary: After Elizabeth Armstrong's daughter was affected by the outbreak of E. coli 0157:H7 in spinach last year, she has become something of a food-safety activist. Testifying before Congress in April, she said that the Food and Drug Administration, the agency responsible for regulating much of the food we eat, including spinach, needed to be reformed. The agency has known about contamination issues with fresh produce for 10 years, she said in a telephone interview. "They have sent threatening letters to growers and packagers, but they never stepped in and told them they need to change their operations," she continued. The call for an overhaul of the agency gained momentum in the past year as at least three people died and more than a thousand were sickened by contaminated tomatoes, lettuce, peanut butter and spinach. The recent contamination of pet food, which has killed many animals, seems to have been the last straw. Leaders in the food industry and three former secretaries of the Department of Health and Human Services have joined longtime critics to form the Coalition for a Stronger FDA, which seeks agency reform, in part by giving it more money and regulatory authority. A few small changes were made in an amendment attached to the FDA reauthorization bill that passed in the Senate last week. Some of the agency's inability to prevent food-borne illness is the result of a serious lack of money. Its resources have not kept pace with a growing mandate that includes not only food but medical devices, veterinary drugs, cosmetics and dietary supplements. Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach, the agency's commissioner for the last 18 months, believes the agency can achieve its goals through voluntary guidelines. But after seven years of discussions about food safety advice on the farm, the agency has issued only voluntary guidelines; not even hand-washing is mandatory. critics say the agency lurches from one recall to another, reacting to outbreaks of illnesses rather than preventing them.
This year the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, added the country's food safety system to its list of "high risk" operations. The fact that 12 different agencies have some responsibility for food safety does not help, said a GAO report, which recommended that all food safety matters be regulated by one agency. Efforts to create a single food agency date from 1997 but may finally be gaining traction.
by Wade Rawlins, Raleigh News & Observer
May 16, 2007
http://www.newsobserver.com/102/story/574591.html
A new center at Duke University will be the first in the South to study the complex roles that environment, genes and socioeconomic status play in causing premature births and lower birth weights among babies born in the South. Stephen Johnson, administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, on Tuesday announced a $7.7 million grant to fund a five-year study aimed at reversing the recent rise in premature births and low birth weights reported in many Southern states. Both factors contribute to infant mortality, which has also started to increase in the South after years of progress in reducing it.
Article Summary: Compared to the rest of the nation, babies born in the South are more likely to be born early and weigh too little for optimum health. Many Southern states also have infant death rates that are higher than those for the rest of the nation. And the rates vary significantly among whites and minorities. Nationally, 18 percent of babies born to black women are premature, Miranda said. For other groups, the rates are much lower -- 12 percent for Hispanics and 11 percent for whites. Researchers will explore these disparities and the combinations of factors that prevent and cause early births. Premature births and low weight accounted for 20 percent of the deaths of infants younger than a year old, state health officials have said. Marie Lynn Miranda, an associate research professor and director of the new center, said many potential hazards during pregnancy affect birth outcomes, including environmental exposures to substances such as mercury, lead and pesticides; social stress; a mother's health; and genetic predisposition to disease. Researchers will work with community groups and local health clinics, examining how fetal growth is affected by environmental factors such as breathing polluted air and growing up in substandard housing. Miranda said premature birth can lead to obesity, heart disease and diabetes in adults.
by Garance Burke, Associated Press, Washington Post
May 15, 2007
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/15/AR2007051501123.html?hpid=sec-health
Article Summary: An Associated Press investigation has found that over the past decade, hundreds, possibly thousands, of schoolchildren in California and other agricultural states have been exposed to farm chemicals linked to sickness, brain damage and birth defects. The family of at least one California teenager suspects pesticides caused her death. As suburbs push close to farmland, the rate of pesticide poisoning among children nationwide has risen in recent years, according to a 2005 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study found that 40 percent of all children sickened by pesticides at school were victims of drift -- pesticide carried on the breeze. The Environmental Protection Agency does not keep comprehensive national figures on students and teachers sickened by drifting pesticide. EPA officials say they have no real idea how often pesticides waft onto school grounds. The EPA must register pesticides before they are sold, but federal law does not restrict where they can be sprayed. In California, the No. 1 farm state and the one with the best records, there were 590 pesticide-related illnesses at schools from 1996 to 2005, according to figures given to the AP by the state. More than a third of those were due to pesticide drift, the figures show. Activists say that those numbers are low and that many cases are never even reported.
There are no federal laws specifically against spraying near schools, and advocates say California and the seven other states that have laws or policies creating buffer zones around schools to protect them from pesticides don't do enough to enforce them. The pesticide industry says it is committed to safety, and regulators say they are doing their best to enforce the laws with a shortage of agricultural inspectors. Once the EPA approves a product, federal law requires manufacturers to report any "unreasonable adverse effects on the environment of the pesticide" that their products cause. Activists say industry is essentially allowed to police itself. Research on pregnant women exposed to common pesticides has suggested higher rates of premature birth, and poor neurological development and smaller head circumferences among their babies. The effects on children of small, repeated exposures over a long period of time are unclear, said University of California, Berkeley epidemiologist Brenda Eskenazi. But acute pesticide poisoning can cause nausea, blurred vision, an abnormally fast heart rate, paralysis and death.
[Editor's note: See a related article at http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_5907945.]