These bulletins are now archived and searchable on the CHE-WA website: http://washington.chenw.org/bulletins.html If you would like to join the Collaborative on Health and the Environment (CHE) and the CHE-Washington regional group, please complete the application on the CHE website: http://www.healthandenvironment.org/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.
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.
Thursday August 30, 2007
7:00 p.m.
Seattle, Washington
at the Camp Long Environmental Learning Center Main Building, 5200 35th Ave. SW
Sponsor: Northwest Environmental Education Council
Ecological Design: Inventing the Future covers the philosophical and aesthetic issues of industrial design with admirable insight. This is an example of first class filmmaking; it is a unique survey of the fields of contemporary architecture and city planning. The views are as controversial as they are deep. Even when one disagrees, the film never fails to be intellectually challenging." from Theodore Roszak, author of The Voice of the Earth and director of the Ecopsychology Institute at California State University
Price: free, but donations will be accepted
Website: http://www.nweec.org/ea.htm
Contact: sluoma@nweec.org
Sunday September 9, 2007
10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Seattle, Washington
at the Seattle Center Pavilion
Sponsor: Global Warming Shop
The expo features green energy products and renewable energy technologies. Reduce global warming with biodiesel, CF lights, electric cars, electric lawnmowers, Energy Star appliances, LED lights, micro-hydro, renewable energy, solar power, transit solutions, water saving devices, wind turbines and much more. Learn from experts on climate crisis, home improvement, ecology, energy conservation, habitat and wildlife preservation. Hear speakers from local and state government, research scientists and industrial leaders with updated news on global warming, clean energy generation and energy conservation in the Pacific Northwest.
Price: free
Website: http://www.globalwarmingshop.com/flyer.html
Contact: 206-718-9991 or info@globalwarmingshop.com
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
9:00 a.m. Pacific / noon Eastern time
Sponsor: Collaborative on Health and the Environment
This discussion will focus on the Faroes Statement, a consensus statement on the importance of fetal exposures for adult health. The statement was recently issued by the International Conference on Fetal Programming and Developmental Toxicity at a conference in Torshavn, Faroe Islands that took place in May of 2007. The featured presenter will be Dr. Philippe Grandjean, adjunct professor of environmental health in the Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health. The moderator of this call will be Steve Heilig, MPH, director of public health & education at the San Francisco Medical Society and Collaborative on Health and the Environment. Participants will hear a science update from Ted Schettler, MD, MPH, science director of the Science and Environmental Health Network.
Website: http://www.healthandenvironment.org/articles/partnership_calls/1903
Tuesday September 11, 2007
2:00 - 3:00 p.m. EDT
Sponsor: American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Betty Mekdeci, Founder of Birth Defects Research for Children, will speak.
Website: http://www.ehinitiative.org/Projects/tele_con.htm
Contact: Laura Abulafia, Laura@aaidd.org
Online Calendar. Upcoming events extending more than one month in the future are listed in a searchable calendar: http://www.chenw.org/cgi-bin/searchevents.cgi
Most of the articles below come from Environmental Health News, http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/
Call for Papers, Ecocity World Summit 2008. Completed research papers, research-in-progress papers, case studies, panels and posters/round table discussion papers will be considered. Abstract submissions must be received by October 1, 2007.
http://www.ecocityworldsummit.org/papers.htm
Draft report released. The US Environmental Protection Agency has released its draft 2007 Report on the Environment: Highlights of National Trends for public review and comment. The purpose of the ROE HD is to describe national environmental trends for the general public. The draft document is available for comment from August 3 through September 17, 2007.
http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocketDetail&d=EPA-HQ-OEI-2007-0464
Secondhand smoke: What you should know. With the move in Illinois to provide smoke-free environments starting in January in all indoor workplaces, including all bars and restaurants, it's important to understand the facts and dangers of secondhand smoke. Chicago Daily Southtown, Illinois, 14 August 2007.
http://www.dailysouthtown.com/lifestyles/506632,145LIF1.article
Mercury hair tests reveal scary facts about fish. Before getting pregnant with her baby, Miami mom Laura Pugliese decided to have her hair tested for mercury. The results startled her when high levels of the toxin showed up. Miami CBS 4, Florida, 14 August 2007.
http://cbs4.com/consumer/local_story_225154522.html
Smoking mums ignore dangers. Many smokers are unaware tobacco smoke can make children more susceptible to deadly diseases such as meningococcal or sudden infant death syndrome, experts have warned. Queensland Courier Mail, Australia, 13 August 2007.
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,22233638-23272,00.html
On playing fields, grass is an endangered species. A need to increase recreational space has led officials to rely on synthetic turf. But its use has also prompted health concerns, about possible dangers in the materials used to make it, as well as its tendency to heat up to extreme temperatures. New York Times, 13 August 2007.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/13/nyregion/13citywide.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
38 scientific experts raise concerns about health risks of bisphenol A. Thirty-eight of the world's leading scientific experts on bisphenol A have warned policymakers of potential adverse health effects of exposure to the widespread molecule used to make plastic and food can lining. Environmental Health News, 13 August 2007.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/newscience/2007/2007-0803chapelhillconsensus.html
Under suspicion. Researchers now believe that autism can be caused by genes in combination with environmental triggers. The question is, what are those triggers? Boston Globe, Massachusetts, 13 August 2007.
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/health_science/articles/2007/08/13/under_suspicion/
Birth defects study conducted in Valley going national. A study [of the impact of some medications and nitrates and nitrites in food and water] on birth defects conducted in South Texas about a decade ago is expanding to the rest of the country. McAllen Monitor, Texas, 13 August 2007.
http://www.themonitor.com/news/defects_4440___article.html/birth_study.html
Fertility drugs do not increase breast cancer risk. The use of fertility drugs does not appear to be associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, according to a report in the July issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention. Reuters Health, 12 August 2007.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2007/08/10/professional/links/20070810epid002.html
Food imports leave a bad taste. In the past year, federal inspectors have found salmonella in candy imported from Mexico, illegal pesticides and toxins in peanut butter from India, and scores of shipments of Chinese seafood tainted by unsafe animal drugs and unregistered pesticides. Portland Oregonian, Oregon, 12 August 2007.
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/118680452555600.xml&coll=7
Flushing old pills? Toss out that idea. The problem being addressed in Kendall County, IL, is, wastewater treatment plants and septic systems don't remove all the toxic waste from discarded drugs -- which is not good news for any living creature on this good earth, particularly the kind that sport gills. Aurora Beacon News, Illinois, 12 August 2007.
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/507213,2_1_AU12_DENISE_S1.article
Farmworkers tell EPA about chemicals. The EPA is proposing restrictions on fumigant use after hearing stories from Florida farm workers who have been harmed by chemicals such as methyl bromide. Bradenton Herald, Florida, 11 August 2007.
http://www.bradenton.com/local/story/119248.html
Ties between autism, mercury are clear. No one questions that pregnant and nursing women should avoid mercury pollution, mercury-containing seafood and should not have dental work involving amalgam silver-colored fillings. But some doctors still say that injecting a pregnant woman or a newborn baby with a mercury-containing vaccine is OK. Contra Costa Times, California, Opinion, 11 August 2007.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/columns/ci_6600802?nclick_check=1
Wall paint outstrips toys as lead source. Despite the recent headlines of lead-tainted toys, lead in household paint is a more serious health hazard. Baltimore Sun, Maryland, 11 August 2007.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-te.lead07aug07,0,3920628.story
Respiratory woes. African American and Hispanic children are exposed to higher levels of lead than Caucasian children. Children of color also exhibit higher levels of asthma. Coincidence? Maybe not, according to a new study. Living On Earth, 11 August 2007.
http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.htm?programID=07-P13-00032&segmentID=2
Fact or fiction?: Antiperspirants do more than block sweat. Underarm antiperspirants guard against odor and wetness, but could the aluminum-based compounds that reduce sweat actually cause Alzheimer's disease and breast cancer? Scientific American, 10 August 2007.
http://sciam.com/article.cfm?articleId=4AEC3DB0-E7F2-99DF-3150B82197D70864&chanId=sa013&modsrc=most_popular
How to avoid a controversial plastics chemical. Scientists aren't in full agreement about whether the chemical known as bisphenol A, which is used in the production of certain plastics and can leach into food and drink, poses health hazards. But for people who want to play it safe, experts have some tips. US News & World Report, 10 August 2007.
http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/articles/070808/8bisphenola.htm
End fluoridation, say 600 physicians, dentists, scientists, and environmentalists. In a statement released today, over 600 professionals are urging Congress to stop water fluoridation until Congressional hearings are conducted. They cite new scientific evidence that fluoridation, long promoted to fight tooth decay, is ineffective and has serious health risks. Earth Times, 9 August 2007.
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,156446.shtml
EPA taps pesticides for its first round of high-throughput testing. Hundreds of pesticides that have already undergone traditional toxicity studies will be among the first chemicals run through rapid computer tests, EPA announced. Chemical & Engineering News, 9 August 2007.
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/85/i33/8533news5.html
Lead-test kits may miss mark. In the wake of recent recalls involving lead-tainted toys, parents are left wondering how to know if kids' products are safe. Some are turning to lead-testing kits, but U.S. safety officials warn they may be inaccurate. Wall Street Journal, 9 August 2007.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118661466873192314.html
Nuclear facilities may pose childhood leukemia risk. A significant pattern of increased leukemia incidence and mortality extends at least 25 km from nuclear facilities, a meta-analysis has found, just as a worldwide push to increase nuclear power gathers steam. Environmental Science & Technology, 9 August 2007.
http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2007/aug/science/rw_leukemia.html
Some risk linked to plastic chemical. A federal panel finds 'some concern' that exposure to bisphenol A -- an estrogen-like compound in plastic and found in low levels in virtually every human body -- affects brain development in children and infants. Los Angeles Times, California, 9 August 2007.
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-na-plastic9aug09,1,1093654.story?ctrack=6&cset=true
Omega-3 again linked to calmer ADHD kids. High-dose supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids calmed children with attention and hyperactivity issues, says a new study from the US. Nutraingredients.com, 8 August 2007.
http://www.nutraingredients.com:80/news/printNewsBis.asp?id=78872
Fighting arsenic: News of chemistry professor's water filter is spreading around the world. When Abul Hussam started finding ways to remove arsenic from drinking water, his primary aim was to help his family and native Bangladesh people, who had been poisoned from arsenic in well water. He never expected to be helping people all over the world. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pennsylvania, 8 August 2007.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07220/807569-114.stm
Research seeks autism answers. Researchers have long suspected that autism's causes are rooted in one's genes, combined with some kind of a hit from the environment. Sacramento Bee, California, 8 August 2007.
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/313971.html
Unhealthy kids primed for adult heart disease. Overweight children with high cholesterol, blood pressure and sugar levels are much more likely than children with normal readings to have heart disease or strokes by their 30s and 40s, a study suggests today. USA Today, 8 August 2007.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-08-05-unhealthy-kids_N.htm
Pollution cleanups a matter of justice. Environmental justice policies are aimed at ensuring minority and low-income communities aren't voiceless dumping grounds for polluting industries. In many cases, these policies aren't working. Chillicothe Gazette, Ohio, 7 August 2007.
http://www.chillicothegazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070807/OPINION/708070320/1014
What's in your water? The Food and Drug Administration, which regulates the bottled water industry, maintains that most stories about chemicals leaching into the water are urban myths. Orlando Sentinel, Florida, 7 August 2007.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/consumer/orl-bottledh2o07aug07,0,2049204.story
Coffee 'protects female memory.' Caffeine may help older women ward off mental decline, research suggests. BBC, United Kingdom, 7 August 2007.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6930114.stm
Study links mom's obesity, birth defects. Infants born to obese mothers are a third more likely to suffer significant birth defects, including spina bifida, heart defects and at least five others, according to a study released today. Los Angeles Times, California, 7 August 2007.
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-obesity7aug07,0,5101603.story
Girls entering puberty by the age of six -- but are drugs the answer? Some girls now enter puberty as early as six -- with toxic chemicals widely held to blame. But are new drugs to hold back the years really the right answer? Daily Mail, United Kingdom, 7 August 2007.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/femail/article.html?in_article_id=473584&in_page_id=1879&ct=5&ico=Homepage&icl=TabModule&icc=picbox&ct=5
Sensor badges sniff out toxicity. Step into a new home and take a whiff of the fresh carpet and furniture. Does it have that brand-spanking new smell? That scent may be from formaldehyde. Palm Beach Post, Florida, 6 August 2007.
http://www.miamiherald.com/business_monday/story/192362.html
Boys' birthrate advantage is slipping. Pollution and hormone-scrambling chemicals that are ubiquitous in household products, some scientists say, are driving a trend toward fewer male births in the United States and Japan. Philadelphia Inquirer, Pennsylvania, 6 August 2007.
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/health_science/weekly/20070806_Carnal_Knowledge___Boys_birthrate_advantage_is_slipping.html
Veterans' rare cancers raise fears of toxic battlefields. In the wake of an Iraqi official last month blaming America's use of depleted uranium munitions in its 2003 "Shock and Awe" campaign for a surge in cancer there, the Defense Department is facing an October deadline for providing a report to Congress on the health effects. New York Sun, New York, 6 August 2007.
http://www.nysun.com/article/59915
Bid to root out lead trinkets falters in U.S. Despite a two-year effort to eliminate the threat of poisonous lead in inexpensive children's jewelry, hundreds of thousands of tainted items are still being sold across the United States, the federal government has found. New York Times, 6 August 2007.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/06/business/06toys.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Both triggers and treatment for asthma begin at home. The air that we breathe is littered with triggers that precipitate asthma attacks. San Francisco Chronicle, California, 5 August 2007. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/08/05/CMDDR9NNK2.DTL
Soot sense: Test tallies exposure to diesel pollution. Researchers have found a way to measure people's exposures to diesel pollution by tracking a specific chemical in their urine. Science News, 4 August 2007.
http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20070804/fob6.asp
Folic acid doubts. Fortifying foods with the vitamin has reduced certain birth defects but may have raised rates of colon cancer. Los Angeles Times, California, 4 August 2007.
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-folic6aug06,1,3919660.story?ctrack=5&cset=true
Protecting your children from lead dangers in your home. Lead toxicity involves learning disabilities, mental retardation and behavioral problems -- all of which can occur at very low levels of lead. KVBC, Nevada, 4 August 2007.
http://www.kvbc.com/Global/story.asp?S=6884771&nav=menu107_2
What autistic girls are made of. The scant data on autistic girls make it impossible to draw firm conclusions about why their numbers are small and how autistic girls and boys with normal intelligence may differ. New York Times, 4 August 2007.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/05/magazine/05autism-t.html
Neonatal exposure to low levels of bisphenol A causes adverse impacts in middle-aged mice. A new study with mice is the first to link low level neonatal exposure to bisphenol A to uterine diseases the women develop as they age, including fibroids, adenomysois and cystic ovaries. Environmental Health News, 3 August 2007.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/newscience/2007/2007-0802newboldetal.html
Wildfire smoke can pose serious health threat to some. Smoke from wildfires can be a serious health hazard, a Montana state health official said Friday, especially for children, the elderly, and people who have existing heart or lung diseases. Liberty County Times, Montana, 2 August 2007.
http://highline.townnews.com/articles/2007/08/01/news/news9.txt
Clinton bill would set stricter TCE standards. The 'TCE Reduction Act' would set a timeline for the EPA to establish new or revised standards for a variety of TCE-related measures, including the health advisory standards for vapor intrusion and drinking water. Ithaca Journal, New York, 2 August 2007.
http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070802/NEWS01/708020348/1002
Unsafe levels of chemical leaching into drinks, US panel says. The chemical industry has long insisted that bisphenol A levels in people are so low as to not be a concern. But a new assessment has found the estrogen-like chemical used to make plastic is present in humans at levels similar to those shown to be harmful in animal experiments. Toronto Globe and Mail, Ontario, 2 August 2007.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070801.wlchemical01/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home
Mattel recalls one million toys. Mattel, the maker of Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels cars, is recalling nearly one million toys in the United States today because the products' surfaces are covered in lead paint. They were made in China. New York Times, 2 August 2007.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/02/business/02toys.html
New athletic turf raises questions. Preliminary tests show artificial surface could pose some health risks [from Volatile organic compounds]. New London Day, Connecticut, 1 August 2007.
http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=49a76430-5978-469d-a68d-f1f68d8ce2d7
EPA faces suit over farm use of once-banned insecticide. The government continues to let farmers spread a controversial pesticide on the state's apple orchards even though it has admitted the chemical may pose unacceptable health risks, according to a lawsuit being filed today. Seattle Times, Washington, 1 August 2007.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003815723_pesticide01m.html
Environmental connections: A deeper look into mental illness. Mental illnesses produce some of the most challenging health problems faced by society. Now, thanks to a growing union of epidemiology and molecular biology, the role of the environment in the etiology of mental illness has become more clear. Environmental Health Perspectives, 1 August 2007.
http://www.ehponline.org/members/2007/115-8/focus.html
Audit of controversial chemical report shows no impropriety. The federal government says there was no impropriety in the preparation of a commissioned report on a chemical that many researchers say should be banned. But some scientists remain unconvinced. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin, 1 August 2007.
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=641039
Sen. Kerry pushes for chemical probe. Concerned about contamination at military bases, Sen. John F. Kerry is set to file legislation today to direct the EPA to study trichloroethylene and determine whether relevant federal safety standards are outdated. Springfield Republican, Massachusetts, 1 August 2007.
http://www.masslive.com/chicopeeholyoke/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-10/1185955198167970.xml&coll=1
Laser printers as bad as cigarette smoke. Some laser printers emit as much fine-particle pollution as cigarette smoke, which can lodge deep in people's lungs to pose a significant health threat, Australian researchers have found. Toronto Globe and Mail, Ontario, 1 August 2007.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070731.wprinters0731/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home
Murray's asbestos bill advances. Sen. Patty Murray celebrated a major step forward for her bill to ban cancer-causing asbestos from commonly sold products. Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Washington, 1 August 2007.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/325817_asbestos01.html
Broad international coalition issues urgent call for strong oversight of nanotechnology. A broad international coalition of consumer, public health, environmental, labor, and civil society organizations spanning six continents have called for strong, comprehensive oversight of the new technology and its products. International Center for Technology Assessment, 31 July 2007.
http://www.icta.org/press/release.cfm?news_id=26