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.
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 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
The Oregon Collaborative on Health and the Environment, coordinated by the Oregon Environmental Council seeks a person trained in health economics and environmental health/public health to conduct an evaluation of the cost of environmental disease in Oregon. Current masters and doctorate levels students are especially encouraged to apply. The evaluator will estimate the economic cost to Oregon of certain diseases and disabilities that are attributable to environmental contaminants. Such diseases include asthma, cardiovascular disease, cancer, lead poisoning, birth defects and neurobehavioral effects. The evaluator will follow the same process as a Washington State evaluation conducted by Professor Kate Davies, DPhil, at Antioch University. Dr. Davies evaluated the economic costs of asthma, cardiovascular disease, cancer, lead exposure, birth defects and neurobehavioral effects. For asthma, cancer, lead exposure and neurobehavioral effects she relied heavily on Phil Landrigan of Mt. Sinai 's 2002 study at http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2002/110p721-728landrigan/abstract.html. For cardiovascular disease and birth defects she utilized Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and Trust for America's Health estimates. Her study concluded that the costs of environmental disease in Washington State are $1.875 billion in 2004 dollars (with a range of $1.6 – 2.2 billion a year depending on the methods and assumptions used). See http://washington.chenw.org/pdfs/EnvironmentalCosts.pdf.
The evaluator will conduct the economic evaluation, write a report based on the evaluation, and develop a draft proposal on how best to disseminate the information to both media and policy makers. Compensation will be $20 per hour for up to 200 hours total compensated time. The contract is scheduled to be issued by June 18th, and work should be completed by August 31st. To apply, please submit a 1 page cover letter and your resume by June 8th to:
Renee Hackenmiller-Paradis, Program Director
Oregon Environmental Council
222 NW Davis Street, Suite 309
Portland, OR 97209
503.222.1963 x110
reneep@oeconline.org
Email application is preferred.
The focus of this position is on education and training of key stakeholders, leadership in child health advocacy and support of pediatric environmental health research opportunities. The position will be open May 29, 2007 until filled. CEHN's mission is to protect the fetus and the child from environmental health hazards and promote a healthy environment. Goals include promoting the development of sound public health and child-focused national policy; stimulating prevention-orientation research; educating health professionals, policy makers and community members in preventive strategies; and elevating public awareness of environmental hazards to children. Please visit http://www.cehn.org/ for more information.
Job duties and responsibilities include assisting the executive director in planning, developing and implementing programs; coordinating fundraising; drafting fundraising proposals, media, outreach, educational and promotional materials; facilitating communications and information exchange; managing organization listservs, responding to public inquiries, networking with and keeping constituents informed; and other communications and administrative tasks. A master's degree in environmental health/public health/policy and/or sciences is required. Salary level is based on experience and education; medical and dental benefits will be provided. CEHN is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on gender, age, ethnicity or physical impairments. Resume review begins in early June. To apply, send a cover letter, resume, salary requirements, and short writing sample to
Nsedu Obot Witherspoon, Executive Director
Children's Environmental Health Network (CEHN)
Suite #505
Washington, DC 20002
or fax to 202-543-8797
or send an e-mail message to nobot@cehn.org.
by Barbara Anderson, Fresno Bee
May 29, 2007
http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/50472.html
Article Summary: Throughout Fresno County, hundreds of children are sickened each year by lead. Some are poisoned by folk medicine. Some have eaten candies contaminated with lead. But the biggest problem is crumbling, lead-based paint in the older homes where many of the county's renters live. This month, state health officials warned parents not to buy imported Mexican candy because of high lead levels. Some Mexican candy has been found to have contaminated chili powder or lead in the ink on wrappers. The city of Fresno also is taking notice. City code enforcers are receiving training in how to inspect homes for lead. It doesn't cause alarming symptoms, such as a high fever or rash that would make a parent rush a child to a doctor. Instead, it might cause loss of appetite, crankiness, headaches, stomachaches, hyperactivity -- all symptoms that can be confused with common childhood illnesses. A blood test is the only way to tell whether a child has lead poisoning. No amount of lead in the blood is safe. Even a small amount of lead can affect a child's concentration and ability to learn. Higher amounts can damage the nervous system, kidneys and other organs. Very high levels of lead in the blood can cause seizures -- and even death. Dr. Edward Moreno, the health officer for Fresno County, suspects poverty is a factor in the county's lead poisoning problem. Poorer children tend to live in older homes where flaking lead paint can be a danger. It wasn't until 1978 that the federal government banned lead in paint for residences.
from the Associated Press, Baltimore Sun
May 29, 2007
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bay_environment/bal-te.greenschools29may29,0,3923419.story
Article Summary: A "green school" movement is growing in popularity nationwide, with schools leaning toward solar panels, living roofs and wetlands. School districts say the environmentally friendly properties save energy costs while educating students about the world around them. Nearly 300 schools are on a waiting list for certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, which sets nationally recognized standards for environmentally friendly buildings. So many schools are going green that the council, which previously certified schools based on commercial building guidelines, just came out with benchmarks specifically for schools. So far, 27 schools have received the green certification. A study by school officials in Washington state found that green schools have better student performance and fewer absences. In 2005, lawmakers used the study to require new schools getting state money to be green. Most school districts building green schools are willing to shell out more money on the front end -- generally about 2 percent more in construction costs -- to ensure lower utility bills over the long run. The Washington state study found that green schools cut energy costs as much as 50 percent.
from BBC News
May 28, 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6684757.stm
Article Summary: In National Heart and Lung Institute research, published in the European Respiratory Journal, children who drank apple juice at least once a day were half as likely to suffer from wheezing as those drinking it less than once a month. Eating fresh apples themselves gave no apparent benefits, the study concluded. The study looked at five to 10-year-old schoolchildren in the Greenwich area of London, asking their parents about their child's fruit intake, and about any symptoms they had suffered. While no link was found between apple juice consumption and a reduced chance of an actual asthma diagnosis, the link between wheezing and drinking the juice was quite strong. A similar, but weaker, benefit was found for children eating bananas at least once a day compared with less than once a month. Dr. Peter Burney, who led the project, said that it was possible that 'phytochemicals' in apples, such as flavanoids and phenolic acids, were helping to calm the inflammation in the airways which is a key feature of both wheezing and asthma. Research from the University of Aberdeen published last week suggested that women who ate plenty of apples during pregnancy were protecting their unborn children against asthma later on.
by Cheryl Hogue, Chemical and Engineering News
May 28, 2007
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/government/85/8522gov1.html
Article Summary: Tons of mercury now housed in eight U.S. chemical plants may eventually get into the hands of poverty-stricken people panning for gold in developing countries and then into rivers and the air. With a goal of preventing that from happening, policy analysts now are studying how best to manage domestic stocks of the neurotoxic metal. As a start, the government is examining national and worldwide supply and demand trends for mercury. Soaring values of gold have fostered a gold rush as increasingly more impoverished people in developing countries have turned to small-scale gold mining for a livelihood. Millions of these miners rely on quicksilver to separate grains of gold from small bits of sand and rock in pans or other small-scale equipment. The technique -- which yields a gold-mercury amalgam from which the gold can later be extracted by heating -- is easy, effective, and generally, cheap. An estimated 10 million to 15 million small-scale miners around the world use mercury, and up to half of these miners have symptoms of mercury poisoning, according to Michael T. Bender, executive director of the Mercury Policy Project. International aid agencies and charitable groups are working with small-scale gold miners in developing countries to promote separation techniques that are not mercury-based and thus are safer from the standpoint of health and less damaging to the environment. But the use of mercury is more widespread than the reach of these efforts. The largely unregulated flow of mercury is polluting waterways, land, and the miners themselves in South America, Asia, and Africa. To sell the gold, the miners need to extract it from their amalgam, which is often done by heating in open pans exposing people nearby to toxic fumes. The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) estimates that small-scale gold mining releases between 650 and 1,000 metric tons of mercury per year, accounting for about a third of all mercury releases to the environment from human activities.
While demand for mercury is soaring in several developing countries for gold-mining purposes, it is declining dramatically in the U.S. and elsewhere in the industrialized world. The U.S. has significant privately held stocks of the metal, the largest pool in eight chlor-alkali plants that employ an older industrial process. In coming years, all these plants are expected to be shut down or converted to a process that does not use mercury. Historically, mercury has been recovered from closed or converted chlor-alkali plants and sold on the commodity market, according to EPA. If mercury from closed or converted chlor-alkali plants reaches the international market, it probably ends up in the developing world and in small-scale gold mining operations, according to UNEP. As the U.S. government considers how it might manage nonfederal supplies of mercury in the face of a shifting global market for the troublesome element, it faces policy conundrums. It must determine whether or how it can continue to encourage domestic recycling and reclamation of the metal to prevent pollution at home while attempting to forestall releases of mercury elsewhere in the world. The government also is not eager to get into the mercury storage business, although the Departments of Defense and Energy have stockpiled the element for decades. Representatives of the chlorine, mining, and recycling industries as well as environmentalists and academics provided a variety of perspectives on what to do about mercury at EPA's stakeholder meeting.
by Anna Gosline, Los Angeles Times
May 28, 2007
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-grilling28may28,1,308393.story?coll=la-headlines-health
Article Summary: The natural chemicals that give barbecued foods their trademark crusty-brown smokiness are toxic and carcinogenic. Researchers have linked consumption of flame-grilled meat to all sorts of ailments: breast, prostate and colon cancer; diabetes; glaucoma; heart disease; and Alzheimer's disease. Fumes from burning fat drippings, along with smoke from wood and charcoal, add another layer of carcinogenicity to grilled foods. A diet high in red meat is a known cancer risk factor. Compared with other high-heat cooking methods such as pan-frying or oven broiling, grilling almost always leads to the biggest, worst HCA numbers. The best-known toxic barbecue chemicals are heterocyclic amines, or HCAs, which form under high heat conditions, such as grilling, from amino acids, sugars and a muscle meat chemical called creatine. In laboratory tests, high doses of HCAs have proved to be potent carcinogens and tumor promoters. So, too, have tests on another class of cooking-related meaty carcinogens, PAHs, or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. PAHs are the incomplete combustion products of fuel and are best known as components in air pollution and cigarette smoke. However, the World Health Organization estimates that 80% to 90% of our exposure to PAHs comes through food. Smoke clouds from charcoal grills and those fat drip flare-ups are packed with PAHs. As a general rule, the levels increase sharply with higher cooking temperatures and longer cooking times. Another class of toxic cooking chemicals called advanced glycation end products, or AGEs, are flavorful chemicals generated when all foods are cooked, processed and browned under high heat. AGEs are powerful oxidants. Animal and human studies have shown that they can damage cells and trigger widespread inflammation throughout the body. They are implicated in many chronic diseases of aging: Accumulation of AGEs in the brain is linked to Alzheimer's disease, accumulation in the eyes to glaucoma, buildup in arteries to premature stiffening, buildup in the blood to insulin resistance and diabetes. There is substantial controversy over how much of AGEs survive digestion and whether they cause much damage.
The good news is that most studies find a significant increase in cancer risk only for people who eat several portions of well- or very well-done meat a week. One 1999 study led by cancer and cooking expert Rashmi Sinha, a senior investigator at the National Cancer Institute, found that for every 2.5 ounces of grilled meat consumed per week, colon cancer risk rises 26%. For frying, it was only 10%. A 2002 study of 1,658 men and women from North Carolina found that those who ate 2 ounces of well- or very well-done meat a day had a 70% increase in colon cancer risk. Similarly, a 1998 study of nearly 42,000 women from Iowa found that those who preferred to eat their steak, hamburgers and bacon very well-done were 4.62 times more likely to get breast cancer than women who liked their red meats rare or medium done. But other studies find no connection between cooking methods, meat doneness and cancer risk. A 1999 study of nearly 33,000 women in the Nurses' Health Study in Massachusetts found no increase in breast cancer risk related to meat cooking habits. A study of 800 New Zealand men found barely any connection between meat doneness preferences and prostate cancer. Dr. Zei Wheng, director of the Vanderbilt University epidemiology center, believes the risks are hard to detect in human studies because of nuances of genetics.
by Barbara F. Meltz, Boston Globe Staff
May 27, 2007
http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/articles/2007/05/27/heavy_tv_viewing_under_2_is_found/
About 40 percent of 3-month-olds watch television or videos for an average of 45 minutes a day, or more than five hours a week, according to the first-ever study of the viewing habits of children under the age of 2. The study, by pediatric researchers at the University of Washington, also found that by age 2, 90 percent of children are watching television for an average of more than 90 minutes a day. Such early exposure to screens can have a negative impact on an infant's rapidly developing brain and put children at a higher risk for attention problems, diminished reading comprehension, and obesity, researchers said.
Article Summary: Researchers were surprised not only by the number of hours young children are spending in front of the television but also by the primary reason: Most parents are using television as an educational tool, not for the more conventional explanation of babysitting. Despite nearly a decade of warnings by pediatricians to the contrary, parents believe that the content of programs aimed at babies is good for brain development. According to the study, the families interviewed were more likely to be highly educated and higher-income than the general US population. Andrew Meltzoff, a developmental psychologist, said, "The best evidence shows that early viewing puts children on a trajectory that places them at a high risk for attention deficit, diminished reading ability, and obesity." A baby is born with 100 billion brain cells, but only 17 percent of them are immediately operational. "The rest of the wiring follows in the days, weeks, months, and years to come," said child psychologist David Walsh, president of the National Institute on Media and the Family. What's not hard-wired by genetics gets soft-wired by experience and exposure. According to study co-author Dmitri Christakas, what parents identify as attention and learning scientists say is a primitive reflex known as the orienting response. "He or she has no choice in the matter. He's hard-wired to pay attention to anything that is fast-moving, brightly colored, or loud. It's a survival response." Early screen-viewing has a negative effect on soft-wiring even when the content is baby-safe, he said.
by Ross Coulthart, NineMSN, Australia
May 27, 2007
http://sunday.ninemsn.com.au/sunday/cover_stories/article_2209.asp
Article Summary: For about 50 years one of the technologies that has made international jet travel possible is the bleed air pressurization -- which draws hot air out of the engine, cools it down, and then ducts it into the plane cabin and cockpit. On occasion these bleed air systems can be contaminated with oil that leaks into the cabin air from the engines. The jet oil most commonly used in commercial aviation contains a number of compounds that can potentially cause fumes in passenger jet air -- including an organophosphate called tricresyl phosphate (TCP), which is a known neurotoxin. TCP can cause headaches, nausea, dizziness, loss of concentration, blurred vision, temporary paralysis and long-term neurological damage, chronic fatigue and chemical sensitivity. Swabs of the interiors of passenger aircraft all over the world indicate that TCP is indeed getting into aircraft cabins. University of NSW toxicologist Professor Chris Winder wants the aviation industry to fund research to see whether those levels of TCP being found are toxic.
by Martin Hickman, London Independent
May 27, 2007
http://news.independent.co.uk/health/article2586652.ece
Article Summary: Research from a British university suggests a common preservative found in drinks such as Fanta and Pepsi Max has the ability to switch off vital parts of DNA. The problem -- more usually associated with ageing and alcohol abuse -- can eventually lead to cirrhosis of the liver and degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's. The findings will intensify the controversy about food additives, which have been linked to hyperactivity in children. Concerns center on the safety of sodium benzoate, a preservative used for decades by the global carbonated drinks industry. Sodium benzoate derives from benzoic acid. It occurs naturally in berries, but is used in large quantities to prevent mold in soft drinks such as Sprite, Oasis and Dr Pepper. It is also added to pickles and sauces. Sodium benzoate has already been the subject of concern about cancer because when mixed with the additive vitamin C in soft drinks, it causes benzene, a carcinogenic substance. A British Food Standards Agency survey of benzene in drinks last year found high levels in four brands which were removed from sale. Professor Peter Piper, a professor of molecular biology and biotechnology, tested the impact of sodium benzoate on living yeast cells in his laboratory and found the benzoate was damaging an important area of DNA in the "power station" of cells known as the mitochondria. According to Piper, "The mitochondria consumes the oxygen to give you energy and if you damage it -- as happens in a number if diseased states -- then the cell starts to malfunction very seriously. And there is a whole array of diseases that are now being tied to damage to this DNA -- Parkinson's and quite a lot of neurodegenerative diseases, but above all the whole process of aging."
by Robert Cohen, Newark Star-Ledger
May 27, 2007
http://www.nj.com/business/ledger/index.ssf?/base/business-0/1180239903218120.xml&coll=1
WASHINGTON -- OPI Products, a leading professional nail-care company, reformulated its nail polishes, treatments and hardeners in the past year to remove chemicals that some have warned could pose potential health threats. The California company insisted its products were completely safe and met all Food and Drug Administration requirements, but said it altered the formulas to comply with new safety standards recently imposed by the European Union and to eliminate concerns raised by a number of public interest groups.
Article Summary: The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a coalition of health and environmental organizations, for several years has been pressuring personal-care product and cosmetic companies to phase out chemicals they say have been linked to cancer, birth defects and other health problems. While chemicals in any one consumer item alone are unlikely to cause harm, the coalition argues, repeated exposure to industrial chemicals from many different sources on a daily basis could have negative long-term health consequences. A newly enacted California chemical ingredient disclosure law for cosmetics and a 2007 EU policy require all companies, including cosmetic firms that produce or use chemicals, to collect extensive data on possible human health risks of the substances. So far, the consumer coalition has convinced about 550 companies to sign a compact agreeing to remove all toxic chemicals and replace them with safer alternatives. Many of the companies are part of the "natural products" industry, including the Body Shop, Burt's Bees, Avalon Natural Products and Aubrey Organics. Now many of the industry's big players, including Estée Lauder, Revlon, Chanel, Clinique, L'Oreal, Unilever and Procter & Gamble, are fighting back against the public campaign, refuting claims there are any health or safety problems. Estée Lauder, however, recently removed dibutyl phthalate from its nail polishes to meet EU marketing requirements, while Revlon and other companies have taken similar steps with some of their product lines. Under U.S. law, the FDA neither tests, reviews nor approves cosmetics and personal-care products before they go on the market, and only bans certain color additives and a handful of substances from use. Under the law, companies are required to list ingredients on product labels or package inserts and prepare the products under sanitary conditions. They are prohibited from making false or misleading claims. Cosmetic firms are responsible for substantiating the safety of their products and ingredients before marketing, but the agency has never de fined what constitutes a safe product. The industry says the standard for a safe product is one that does not irritate the skin when used as directed. According to Jane Houlihan, vice president of research for the Environmental Working Group, one of the members of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, there is no requirement that cosmetic injuries be reported and no tracking system in place. Houlihan's organization and others in the coalition, including the Breast Cancer Fund, Commonweal, Friends of the Earth and the National Environmental Trust, say they will press Congress to strengthen the FDA law to set firm standards for testing and safety, arguing the time is long overdue and the list of suspect ingredients is quite extensive, including mercury, formaldehyde and toluene, petroleum distillates, ethylacrylate, coal tar, dibutyl phthalate and lead acetate.
by Sue Goetinck Ambrose, Dallas Morning News
May 27, 2007
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/healthscience/stories/052707dnentendocrine.3a08215.html
Scientists say the Bush administration is developing a chemical testing program that favors the chemical industry when it comes to judging whether certain substances in the environment might cause cancer, infertility, or harm to babies in the womb. What's billed as one of the most comprehensive screening programs ever to check whether chemicals can disrupt human hormones, scientists say, may instead prove to be a misleading $76 million waste. Federal officials defend the program, which aims to identify so-called "endocrine disruptors." They say that no tests can cover everything, and that the process of setting up the program has been open and transparent.
Article Summary: Scientists began to suspect that manmade chemicals could interfere with hormones in the 1960s. Since then, scientists have documented wildlife abnormalities in areas contaminated with industrial chemicals. Lab studies have also established that hormone-disrupting chemicals can cause abnormalities in mammals, namely rats and mice. And some studies have made correlations -- but not cause-and-effect links -- between hormone-disrupting chemicals and human deformities. Based on these multiple lines of evidence, researchers suspect long-term effects on people -- such as lower sperm counts, abnormal genitals, infertility and cancer. As part of the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996, Congress ordered the EPA to come up with an animal-screening program to see if pesticide chemicals had the potential to interfere with hormone systems in people. Substances such as those used in industrial processes or found in consumer products could also be tested at the EPA's request. The 1996 act said the EPA had to implement the program within three years, but testing still has not begun. When the National Resources Defense Council sued the EPA for missing the deadline, the EPA said it interpreted "implement" to include validating the lab assays for the program, a process that is still ongoing. The EPA now anticipates that the first round of tests, on an initial battery of 50 to 100 chemicals, will begin early next year.
Charges of poorly designed tests, inappropriate breeds of lab animals, the wrong test chow, failure to guarantee tests on prenatal exposure to chemicals, wrong dosage ranges, and chemical company involvement in test design have been made. "If your objective is not to find anything, that's the perfect way to do it," said Fred vom Saal, a developmental biologist at the University of Missouri. EPA officials say the agency has thoroughly and openly considered the test animal, test dose and animal chow issues. As for allowing the chemical industry to make decisions on how to test chemicals, the EPA said it is not worried about foul play.
by Polly Curtis, London Guardian
May 25, 2007
http://www.guardian.co.uk/smoking/Story/0,,2087871,00.html
Children whose mothers smoked during their pregnancy are up to nine times more likely to develop attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, scientists say. US researchers found smoking acts as a trigger for the disorder when children are already genetically predisposed to ADHD. The dangers of smoking during pregnancy are well documented. But the links between smoking and ADHD have not been proven until now.
Article Summary: In the US the most recent study indicated that around 3.3% of children under 10 have ADHD. Scientists contacted just over 5,000 families with twin children aged seven to 18 in Missouri. The parents were asked to complete questionnaires on their children's behavior and their habits during pregnancy. A significantly increased risk of ADHD was found in those who smoked. ADHD, in turn, increases the risk for substance abuse. "Thus, it appears in utero exposure to nicotine may help to perpetuate a cycle across generations that links addiction and behavioral problems," said John Krystal, editor of Biological Psychiatry in which the research will be published in June. The researchers found no relationships between alcohol during pregnancy and ADHD. A separate study, published last night, reveals that smoking cannabis while pregnant affects the brain development of unborn babies. Scientists believe taking the drug could restrict naturally occurring compounds in the embryonic brain which join up nerves and promote fetal growth.
by Marla Cone, Los Angeles Times
May 25, 2007
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-na-fetuses25may25,0,6037457.story?coll=la-home-center
In a strongly worded declaration, many of the world's leading environmental scientists warned Thursday that exposure to common chemicals makes babies more likely to develop an array of health problems later in life, including diabetes, attention deficit disorders, prostate cancer, fertility problems, thyroid disorders and even obesity. The declaration by about 200 scientists from five continents amounts to a vote of confidence in a growing body of evidence that humans are vulnerable to long-term harm from toxic exposures in the womb and during their first years. Convening in the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic, toxicologists, pediatricians, epidemiologists and other experts warned that when fetuses and newborns encounter various toxic substances, growth of critical organs and functions can be skewed. In a process called "fetal programming," the children then are susceptible to diseases later in life -- and perhaps could even pass on those altered traits to their children and grandchildren.
Article Summary: Chemicals with evidence of developmental effects include compounds in plastics, cosmetics and pesticides. Many governmental agencies and industry groups, particularly in the United States, have said there is no or little human evidence to support concerns about most toxic residue in air, water, food and consumer products. About 80,000 chemicals are registered in the United States. Yet the scientists urged leaders not to wait for more scientific certainty and recommended that governments revise regulations and procedures to take into account subtle effects on fetal and infant development. For centuries, the basic rule of toxicology has been "the dose makes the poison." Now, the scientists say "the timing makes the poison" -- in other words, when a toxic exposure occurs is as important as the amount people are exposed to. The "Barker hypothesis," conceived by a British scientist in 1992, says human fetuses are "programmed" for diseases by their early environment. The scientists concluded that this is now well documented for toxic exposures by a large collection of animal experiments and some human data. In a more optimistic vein, the researchers said that if contaminants do play a big role in human health problems, some diseases could be prevented. The growing brain is the most sensitive. Mothers' exposure to mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in fish and other seafood can cause slight declines in a child's IQ and motor skills. In addition, early exposure to pesticides might trigger Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. Lead, organophosphate pesticides, cigarette smoke, bisphenol A, phthalates, brominated flame retardants and arsenic are also implicated in health disorders. The newest animal research suggests that chemicals can alter gene expression -- turning on or off genes that predispose people to disease. Although the DNA itself would not be altered, such genetic misfires in the womb may be permanent, and all subsequent generations could be at greater risk of diseases.
by Tom Pelton, Baltimore Sun
May 24, 2007
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/bal-te.epa24may24,0,1479893.story?coll=bal-nationworld-headlines
Article Summary: Lawsuits against polluters have fallen by more than half under the Bush administration, and penalties and investigations of environmental crimes are also down, according to a new report by the Washington-based Environmental Integrity Project. The advocacy group said that "the Justice Department has become reluctant to sue violators," filing fewer than 16 lawsuits a year against polluters who refused to settle since Bush took office. This compares with an average of 52 a year in the last three years of the Clinton administration. Penalties have declined on both the civil and criminal side. Matthew J. McKeown, acting assistant general for the U.S. Justice Department's environmental division, said his agency is more aggressive than ever in forcing the cleanup of air, water and land. On the positive side, settlements requiring industries to add pollution-control equipment have totaled $26 billion under the Bush administration, which is more than during the Clinton years. But many of the Bush-era settlements arose from lawsuits filed during the Clinton years, said Eric Schaeffer, executive director of Environmental Integrity Project and a former top official at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
by Susanne Rust, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
May 23, 2007
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=610084
Potential panelists for a federal asbestos advisory board have financial conflicts that could pose a threat to public health and safety, according to researchers and environmental groups. Watchdog groups are wary about nominees who have argued on behalf of asbestos trade associations for other federal agencies, including the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Although the EPA does not regulate asbestos, the agency provides a risk assessment that state and other federal agencies use to define exposure safety. These assessments are used as guides in the cleanup of asbestos-contaminated sites, including Superfund sites. According to Jennifer Sass of the Natural Resources Defense Council, the recommendations of this panel are "likely to impact federal clean-up standards and may have further impacts on occupational and public health protections in the U.S. and internationally." The EPA panel is charged with reviewing a new risk assessment model, designed by the agency's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, which would allow the office to develop site-specific cancer assessments for Superfund sites. The panel will have no policy or regulatory role. Its advice will be used to inform regulation, not set it, said Tony Maciorowski, deputy director of the EPA's scientific advisory board office. Asbestos is a known human carcinogen. Its inhalation has been linked to lung cancer and mesothelioma, a cancer that infects the lining of the lungs and other organs.
by David Danelski, Riverside [California] Press-Enterprise
May 23, 2007
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_D_rail24.3ee3a58.html
Diesel pollution from Southern California rail yards can significantly increase cancer risks among people who live nearby, according to state findings released Wednesday. The population living near a rail yard in Commerce, for example, faces a 69 percent greater risk of contracting cancer, which means about 1.7 cancer cases per 1,000 people instead of one case in 1,000.
Article Summary: Officials of the California Air Resources Board, which conducted the studies, said people whose homes are near rail yards face cancer risks that are similar to those of people who live near busy freeways. Diesel exhaust produced by locomotives, ships, trucks and other heavy machinery is linked to an array of illnesses, including cancer and heart disease. The state study assessed only the cancer risk, using pollution data from the various equipment and residents' estimated exposure to the diesel soot. The agency will seek stricter emissions standards for trucks that serve rail yards and will push the federal government to impose higher standards on locomotives, said Mike Scheible, the air board's deputy executive director. The air district recently lost a legal fight to place strict controls on idling locomotives. The railroads say only the federal government can impose pollution rules on them.
by Naomi Lubick, Environmental Science & Technology
May 23, 2007
http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2007/may/policy/nl_autism.html
One in 150 children in the U.S. has autism, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Decades ago, that number was thought to be about 5 out of 100,000. As more and more children demonstrate autismlike symptoms, their parents are asking whether environmental exposure to chemicals, such as mercury in vaccines, is causing the disease. In April, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services called a meeting to explore a path for research on the broader impacts of environmental factors on autism.
Article Summary: In recent years, parents and activists have pressed CDC to declare the rise in autism cases a public-health emergency. The meeting brought to the table new voices who introduced lessons learned from investigating the origins of other vexing diseases, including asthma and schizophrenia. The causes of autism, which slows down the development of young children's social and communication skills by affecting the central nervous system, have remained elusive. Autism research has focused on genetic causes or on one compound that could be inflicting harm. The main suspect, in the minds of many activists and parents, has been thimerosal, the mercury-containing vaccine preservative that has generated controversy over the past several years. Some, including both researchers and activists, suspect food preservatives, pesticides, and a variety of chemicals. The variability in the manifestations of the disease has led to a shift in its name, to autism spectrum disorders, to cover the variety of symptoms. It is also leading researchers to search for an array of causes and triggers, much like the cancer research community started to do decades ago, says Institutes of Medicine forum participant Isaac Pessah of the University of California, Davis. Teasing out the different mechanisms and timing can only happen with broad databases, participants at the meeting agreed. Many are looking to the Danish National Birth Cohort as well as the new Autism Birth Cohort (run by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and Columbia University) and the CDC's new National Children's Study. CDC's Larry Needham said that current biomonitoring includes a targeted approach that searches for exposures to preselected chemicals, such as PCBs, polybrominated diphenyl ether flame retardants, and the plastics component bisphenol A (tracked by parts of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, or NHANES). However, because the cause of autism is unknown, Needham noted that a broader analytical approach should be developed that identifies several chemicals and their concentrations in blood and urine. But mining the data remains complicated with regard to the timing of exposure, especially for nonpersistent chemicals.
by Rebecca Renner, Environmental Science & Technology
May 23, 2007
http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2007/may/science/rr_PFOApeople.html
Although scientists and regulators are concerned and intrigued about the presence of anthropogenic perfluorinated chemicals in the blood of people from developed countries, little is known about the source of this contamination. Research interest and controversy have focused on the presence of these chemicals in the remote Arctic, where the source of contamination is a mystery. In contrast, the problem for people is just the opposite, because these chemicals are used on everything from fast-food wrappers to stain-resistant carpet. The challenge is figuring out which sources -- food, drinking water, outdoor air, indoor air, or dust -- are the most important.
Article Summary: Researchers at Johns Hopkins University found PFOA in 100% and PFOS in 99% of 297 serum samples collected in 2004 and 2005 from the umbilical cords of children born in Baltimore. "Exposure to PFOS and PFOA is fairly universal; this is of particular concern because of the potential toxicity, especially developmental toxicity, for these chemicals and the lack of information about health risks at these exposure levels." says Lynn Goldman of Johns Hopkins University, coauthor of the study. The U.S. EPA's Science Advisory Board in 2006 classified perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) as a likely human carcinogen. Animal studies also indicate that perfluorinated chemicals affect the liver, neonatal development, the immune system, and hormone levels. The Chemicals, Health, and Pregnancy Study in Canada aims to find out whether perfluorinated chemicals and brominated flame retardants have an influence on thyroid hormone levels during pregnancy -- an important question because thyroid hormones help to control fetal brain development.
Anthropogenic perfluorinated contaminants consist of perfluorinated carboxylic acids (PFCAs), such as PFOA, and perfluorinated sulfonic acids (PFSAs), such as perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS). PFCAs are still being manufactured around the world, but PFSAs are no longer made in the U.S. and Europe. A growing body of evidence shows that direct exposure to PFOS or PFOA is not a significant source of contamination to the general population. This suggests that other chemicals capable of breaking down to form them are the sources. These indirect sources include fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs) that break down to PFOA and perfluorinated sulfonamides that break down to PFOS. Ongoing U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) studies indicate that the perfluorinated chemicals that make food wrappers greaseproof can migrate into some foods at levels up to several hundred times higher than current FDA-approved guidelines indicate, suggesting an overlooked and potentially important source. Currently, about 15 different perfluorinated chemicals are approved by FDA for treating paper or other materials that contact food. Food papers treated with PAPS -- which can metabolize into perfluorochemicals including PFOA -- include microwave-popcorn bags, bags for muffins or French fries, pizza liners, boxes for burgers and small pizzas, and sandwich wrappers.
from Terra Daily
May 23, 2007
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Scientists_Concerned_About_Effects_Of_Global_Warming_On_Infectious_Diseases_999.html
As the Earth's temperatures continue to rise, we can expect a significant change in infectious disease patterns around the globe. Just exactly what those changes will be remains unclear, but scientists agree they will not be for the good.
Article Summary: In its April 2007 report on the impacts of climate change, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned that rising temperatures may result in "the altered spatial distribution of some infectious disease vectors," and will have "mixed effects." The direction of change -- whether the diseases will increase or decrease -- is much more difficult to predict, because disease transmission involves many factors, some of which will increase and some decrease with environmental change. One impact of rising global temperatures can be fairly accurately predicted, says Stephen Morse of Columbia University. In the mountains of endemic areas, malaria is not transmitted above a certain altitude because temperatures are too cold to support mosquitoes. As temperatures rise, this malaria line will rise as well. Another change could be the flu season. Influenza is a year-round event in the tropics. If the tropical air mass around the Earth's equator expands, as new areas lose their seasons they may also begin to see influenza year-round. And extreme weather events will also lead to more disease, unless we are prepared. As the frequency, intensity, and duration of extreme weather events change, water supplies become more at risk, according Joan Rose of Michigan State University. There will also be indirect effects of climate change on infectious disease as well. For instance, says Morse, the effect of global warming on agriculture could lead to significant changes in disease transmission and distribution.
by Scott Norris, National Geographic News
May 18, 2007
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/05/070518-cfls-bulbs.html
Article Summary: Long billed as a "green" product for environmentally conscious consumers, compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) are quickly becoming the norm in household lighting -- and may soon replace traditional incandescent bulbs altogether. But CFLs' cool-burning illumination is made possible by a pinch of poison -- about five milligrams of mercury sealed inside every glass tube -- and the need for the element is unlikely to change anytime soon. Mercury is a potent neurotoxin and long-lived environmental contaminant, and even the small amount present in CFLs poses a problem. When the bulbs break, either in the house or at a waste disposal site, their mercury content is released. Like with many other household products, the use of CFLs requires some commonsense precautions. But if a bulb breaks, services of a company that specializes in the cleanup of sites contaminated with mercury are not required. While their mercury doesn't make CFLs unsafe, experts say, it does place them alongside many other household products -- from paint to batteries -- that need to be used and disposed of in a responsible manner. If recycling is not possible, used CFLs should be sealed inside a plastic bag and taken to a household hazardous waste disposal site, just as should batteries, oil-based paint, and motor oil, EPA recommends. And if a CFL does shatter on the floor, the greatest danger may be the broken glass, but to minimize exposure to mercury vapor, EPA and other experts advise a few precautions. Children and pets should stay away from the area, the agency says, and windows should be opened for at least 15 minutes so that vapors may disperse. Cleanup can be done by hand using disposable materials, the experts add.
According to a recent report by the Washington, D.C.-based Earth Policy Institute, a worldwide shift to CFLs would permit the closing of more than 270 coal-fired power plants. Switching to CFLs in the U.S. alone could save the energy output of 80 plants. For environmentalists, the clincher is that by requiring less energy, CFLs will actually cut down on mercury pollution produced by coal burning, and EPA agrees.
by Ohshima Y, Yamada A, Tokuriki S, Yasutomi M, Omata N, Mayumi M., Pediatric Research
May 18, 2007
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?CMD=search&DB=journals
Article Abstract: Bisphenol A (BPA) is a representative endocrine disruptor that may have adverse effects on human health. Since the development of oral tolerance during infancy may play an important role in the prevention of food allergies, we examined whether transmaternal exposure to BPA influences the development of oral tolerance. To measure antigen-specific responses, female wild-type mice mated with male ovalbumin (OVA)-specific T-cell receptor transgenic (TCR-tg) mice were fed with BPA during pregnancy and while nursing. OVA was administered to OVA-TCR-tg offspring during their weaning period. Oral administration of both high and low doses of OVA suppressed OVA-specific cell proliferation and cytokine production in both BPA-exposed and nonexposed control mice, but the OVA-mediated suppression was significantly more diminished by the BPA exposure. The accumulation of CD4CD25Foxp3 T cells was diminished in the BPA-exposed offspring. Moreover, after low dose OVA administration, serum OVA-specific IgG1 and IgG2a levels were higher in the BPA-exposed offspring than in nonexposed ones. Taken together, our results indicate that transmaternal exposure to BPA seems to modulate the mechanisms underlying tolerance induction; therefore, BPA may partially interrupt the development of oral tolerance.