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
Saturday September 8, 2007
9:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Portland, Oregon
at the PSR office, 812 SW Washington Street, Suite 1050
Sponsor: Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility
The In Harm's Way Program is designed to educate health professionals about the links between environmental toxins and brain and reproductive development, as a means to prevent exposures. In Harm's Way is a one-hour presentation on health effects of environmental neurotoxins and clinical tips for diagnosis and prevention. The training will prepare you to present this material at grand rounds, departmental meetings, conferences, brown bag lunches, etc. The material is appropriate for physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, naturopaths, and medical students. Please register in advance, as space is limited.
Price: free
Contact: Sara Wright, 503-274-2720 or sarawright@oregonpsr.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
Wednesday September 12, 2007 -- Launch
2:00 p.m. Eastern/11:00 a.m. Pacific
Sponsors: Collaborative on Health and the Environment's Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative; American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities; Autism Society of America; Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4; Institute for the Study of Disadvantage and Disability; Learning Disabilities Association of America; John Merck Fund; National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities; Southeast Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit; University of Maryland School of Nursing
This seven-part teleconference series is based on the agenda of the conference, "Priming for Prevention: An Ecological Approach to Research, Education and Policy," that was to be held at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia, in May 2007. Presenters for this first call on September 12th: 1) Elise Miller, MEd, executive director of the Institute for Children's Environmental Health and national coordinator of the Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative (LDDI), will provide an overview of the series and LDDI's mission and activities; and 2) Ted Schettler, MD, MPH, science director of the Science and Environmental Health Network will present "An Ecological Approach for Understanding and Enhancing Child Development." Price: free Number: dial-in number will be circulated separately closer to the time of the call as well as the dates for the other teleconference calls in the series
Website: http://www.iceh.org/LDDImeetings.html
Tuesdays from September 18 - November 20, 2007; application deadline is September 10th
6:30 - 9:00 p.m.
Seattle, Washington
at the American Lung Association of Washington's office downtown
Sponsor: American Lung Association of Washington
In this 35-hour training, participants will learn how to 1) conduct home environmental assessments and identify indoor health hazards that contribute to asthma, allergies, and chemical sensitivities; 2) educate your community and those you care about and facilitate others to live healthier lives; 3) improve lung health for children by improving indoor air quality; and 4) be part of a successful community-based program and have fun helping others.
Price: free
Website: http://www.alaw.org/air_quality/master_home_environmentalist
Contact: Casey Coulombe, 206-441-5100 or casey@alaw.org
Wednesday September 19, 2007
5:00 p.m. Eastern/6:00 p.m. Pacific
Sponsors: Collaborative on Health and the Environment's Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative; American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities; Autism Society of America; Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4; Institute for the Study of Disadvantage and Disability; Learning Disabilities Association of America; John Merck Fund; National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities; Southeast Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit; University of Maryland School of Nursing
Presenters in this second of a seven-part series: 1) Leslie Rubin, MD, president of the Institute for the Study of Disadvantage and Disability and Visiting Scholar at the Morehouse School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics: "From Substances to Society"; 2) David Bellinger, PhD, MSc, professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital: "Lead, Socioeconomic Factors and Child Development"; and 3) Jane Houlihan, vice president for research at the Environmental Working Group: "Toxics in Cord Blood and Body Burden Studies: Implications for Child Development."
Price: free
Website: http://www.iceh.org/LDDImeetings.html
Contact: Elise Miller, emiller@iceh.org
Monday September 24, 2007, 9:00 - 11:30 a.m. (Portland, Oregon)
or Tuesday September 25, 2007, noon - 2:30 p.m. (Seattle, Washington)
Sponsor: Oregon Center for Environmental Health, Healthy Building Network, Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility
Learn how hospitals, health systems and architecture firms are working together to reduce the use of toxic materials in hospitals, promoting green building and healthier environments. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), heavy metals, dioxins (by-products of polyvinyl chloride), phthalates and halogenated flame retardants (HFRs) are hazardous substances commonly found in the materials that coat the floors, walls and ceilings of health care facilities. These materials have a multitude of impacts on the healing environment of the patient, the working environment of the doctor, nurse and other staff, the health of the surrounding communities and the environment. They also create a toxic burden through their manufacture, disposal and maintenance. This workshop is targeted to nurses, physicians, facilities managers, architects, designers, specifiers, environmental health & safety officers, purchasing staff and building managers.
Price: free, but space is limited; please register by September 17, 2007
Website: http://www.noharm.org:80/us/healthybuilding/roundtables
Contact: for the Portland session: Emma Sirois, 503-233-1510 or emma@oregon-health.org
or for the Seattle session: Nancy Dickeman, 206-354-2170 or nancyd@wpsr.org
Thursday September 27, 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
Narrated by Alanis Morissette and Keanu Reeves, The Great Warming is a dramatic film about climate change that sweeps around the world to reveal how a changing climate is affecting the lives of people everywhere. It has been called "the best film about global warming ever shot", and taps into the growing groundswell of public interest in this topic to present an emotional, accurate picture of our children's planet. The Great Warming includes hard-hitting comments from scientists and opinion-makers about America's lack of leadership in what is certainly the most critical environmental issue of the 21st century, as well as new scenes documenting the emerging voice of the American Evangelical community urging action on climate change.
Price: free, but donations will be accepted
Website: http://www.nweec.org/ea.htm
Contact: sluoma@nweec.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/
Nominations sought. The Leadership Council of the Puget Sound Partnership is soliciting nominations for appointments to the Puget Sound Science Panel. The Panel will be an integral link between the Leadership Council and the scientific work being carried out in Puget Sound. The Council is looking for nominees from a range of disciplines: science, engineering and social science. Application deadline is September 14, 2007.
http://www.psp.wa.gov/about_us/science.htm
Toxic air pollution in urban parking garages study finds SUVs bigger polluters. The pollution produced by light trucks, SUVs and minivans is only half a percent higher than that produced by conventional cars, based on a recent study. This tiny difference becomes enormous when considering the number of light trucks. SPX, 28 August 2007.
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Toxic_Air_Pollution_In_Urban_Parking_Garages_Study_Finds_SUVs_Bigger_Polluters_999.html
Durbin having little luck on getting toys checked for lead. For more than three weeks, Dick Durbin and three other senators have been pestering the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to spot-check toys for lead contamination. The response so far: Forget it. Chicago Sun-Times, Illinois, 28 August 2007.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/530600,CST-NWS-toys28.article
EPA may adopt California air standard. California's smog benchmark is tougher than the nation's, but is often ignored because the state can't take away billions of dollars in highway money like the federal government can, if regions fail to clean up the air. That may be about to change. San Diego North County Times, California, 27 August 2007.
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/08/27/news/top_stories/1_03_038_26_07.txt
Air pollution linked to premature birth in pregnant women. Women who lived in regions with high carbon monoxide or fine-particle levels — pollution caused mainly by vehicle traffic — were approximately 10 to 25 percent more likely to have a preterm baby than women who lived in less polluted areas. Science Daily, 27 August 2007.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070823150343.htm
Talcum powder 'poses cancer risk to women'. The practice of discreetly puffing underwear with a dab of talcum powder may be increasing women's risk of ovarian cancer. London Independent, England, 26 August 2007.
http://news.independent.co.uk/health/article2896194.ece
Regulators want UVA ratings on sunscreens. The Food and Drug Administration proposed a new system of rankings that would appear on the packaging of sunscreens to reflect their power against ultraviolet A radiation from the sun. Wall Street Journal, 25 August 2007.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118788673314606640.html
Chemicals in fire retardant may make cats sick. While certain PBDEs have been phased out in California, other chemical cousins continue to be used in flame retardant for furniture, bedding and other products including electronics. Environmental groups are co-sponsoring a bill that would ban all brominated fire retardants in California. San Francisco KPIX TV, California, 25 August 2007.
http://cbs5.com/consumer/local_story_235184924.html
Smokers side with car ban's logic. Many Queens smokers side with proposed legislation that would make it illegal for anyone in a vehicle to smoke when someone under age 18 is present. Queens Tribune, New York, 25 August 2007.
http://www.queenstribune.com/news/1187980928.html
Why school stinks this year. As perfume makers target teens with new scents, some critics worry about health risks. Wall Street Journal, 25 August 2007.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118799086084008302.html
Practical tips on how to get the lead out. With recent child-product recalls because of lead-paint concerns, what is OK to give to teethers? Chicago Tribune, Illinois, 24 August 2007.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/health/chi-0819deardorffdoneaug19,0,870727.column
Sex hormone-breast cancer link explained. Australian researchers have discovered why high levels of the female sex hormone oestrogen can lead to breast cancer. Australian Associated Press, 24 August 2007.
http://news.brisbanetimes.com.au/sex-hormonebreast-cancer-link-explained/20071424-v4d.html
U.S. panel sets Sept 19 hearing on lead-tainted toys. Amid a fresh spate of toy recalls, members of Congress said Thursday that they would hold hearings about product safety and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. vowed to increase testing and oversight of the playthings it sold. Los Angeles Times, California, 24 August 2007.
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-toys24aug24,0,4034807.story
Cutting carcinogens a worthy goal. A coalition of about two dozen health and labour groups challenged the Ontario government to become the first jurisdiction in Canada to aggressively target a wide array of toxins and environmental carcinogens in a way never done before. Toronto Star, Ontario, 23 August 2007.
http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/248947
U.N. says infectious diseases spreading faster. Infectious diseases are emerging more quickly around the globe, spreading faster and becoming increasingly difficult to treat, the World Health Organisation said on Thursday. Reuters, 23 August 2007.
http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL2273204.html
Court OKs clean-air ruling on government fleets. Cleaner-burning vehicles can be required for public agencies, but it's still unclear if the South Coast Air Quality Management District can regulate private fleets, a federal appeals court ruled this week. Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, California, 23 August 2007.
http://www.dailybulletin.com/news/ci_6694427
Compelling crime story: The lead in the air did it. Crime rates suddenly fell by more than 30% throughout the 1990s. Now two independent studies link the drop in crime to an unexpected source: the coordinated removal of lead from gasoline about 20 years earlier. Chicago Tribune, Illinois, 23 August 2007.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-crime_thinkaug19,0,419928.story
What's in the water? At high levels, exposure to mercury in the environment can be extremely dangerous to humans, potentially leading to brain damage or death, researchers at Trent University say. Peterborough Examiner, Canada, 23 August 2007.
http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/webapp/sitepages/content.asp?contentid=662841&catname=Local%20News&classif=
Organic lawns slowly catch on. Nationally, lawn care is starting to go green as concerns rise about the health and environmental effects of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Raleigh News & Observer, North Carolina, 23 August 2007.
http://www.newsobserver.com/business/story/679743.html
Let your children chew the fat. Low-fat foods for children can deprive them of vital nutrients and lead to obesity later in life, according to recent research, instead a varied diet is the key. London Times, England, 23 August 2007.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/healthy_eating/article2308151.ece
Non-stick chemicals may cut birth weight. Babies exposed in the womb to chemicals used in non-stick cookware and other products may be born slightly smaller than other infants, two new studies report. USA Today, 23 August 2007.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-08-22-baby-cookware_N.htm
Though some reject vaccinations, there's safety in numbers. But Colorado parents can just as easily opt out of vaccinating their children, a move hailed by practitioners of alternative medicine and frightening to local public health officials. Colorado Springs Gazette, Colorado, 22 August 2007.
http://www.gazette.com/articles/county_26356___article.html/children_risk.html
Know your seafood. A recent New York Health Department survey says a quarter of the New York City populace has elevated levels of mercury in their blood, linked to how much fish they eat. Asheville Citizen-Times, North Carolina, 22 August 2007.
http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200770821084
Acrylamide won't raise breast cancer risk. There seems to be little or no link between breast cancer and acrylamide, a substance found in many baked and fried foods, according to the largest epidemiological study on the subject conducted to date. Health Day News, 22 August 2007.
http://www.forbes.com/fdc/welcome_mjx.shtml
Three amigos end summit, agree to block imports of unsafe toys. Stephen Harper and his fellow North American leaders wrapped up their summit Tuesday with an agreement to crack down on the import of unsafe goods, especially toys. Canadian Press, 22 August 2007.
http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=55908&sc=145
Research underlines powerline cancer risk. People who live close to high-voltage powerlines during childhood are up to five times more likely to develop cancer, according to Australian research. Sydney Morning Herald, Australia, 22 August 2007.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/science/research-underlines-powerline-cancer-risk/2007/08/21/1187462266196.html
For parents, bottle safety still unclear. Clear baby bottles are likely to include bisphenol A and have for decades. Periodically, however, environmental and consumer groups have questioned the chemical's safety. Those questions are arising again. Washington Post, 22 August 2007.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/21/AR2007082102029.html
Air pollution reduces kids' lung function. Children exposed to higher levels of air pollution show reduced lung growth and function that may affect them decades later, researchers in Mexico suggested. United Press International, 21 August 2007.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-20070816-14430800-bc-mexico-kidsbadair.xml
Asthma risk '9 times higher near main road'. Children genetically susceptible to asthma are up to nine times as likely to develop the disease if they live near a main road, a study shows. Life Style Extra, United Kingdom, 21 August 2007.
http://www.lse.co.uk/ShowStory.asp?story=YW2141056Q&news_headline=asthma_risk_9_times_higher_near_main_road_
Toy recalls prompt a sharp rise in lead exposure tests. Worried parents have been rushing to pediatricians to have their children tested for lead exposure in the wake of back-to-back recalls of Chinese-made toys and now vinyl baby bibs that could contain the toxic metal. Los Angeles Times, California, 20 August 2007.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-lead20aug20,1,2249209.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-california&ctrack=7&cset=true
As ethanol use rises, so do concerns. Two years after lawmakers put the kibosh on a gas additive that became a national scourge, the country's new recipe for fuel is under the microscope for its potential to cause the environmental problems it was meant to prevent. Allentown Morning Call, Pennsylvania, 20 August 2007.
http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-a1_2ethanol.5942578aug20,0,3026160.story
4 ways to green your Kid's lunch box. With school just around the corner for millions of kids, the possibility of greening their lunch box is just another way to introduce safe, sustainable foods and products into their burgeoning environmentally-friendly lifestyle. The Daily Green, 20 August 2007.
http://www.thedailygreen.com/2007/08/15/4-ways-to-green-your-kids-lunch-box/5195/
How much mercury is in your fish? A neurotoxin has been found in unsafe levels in seafood bought in a Gainesville grocery store, in fish caught in local lakes and in the hair of residents. Gainesville Sun, Florida, 19 August 2007.
http://www.gainesvillesun.com/article/20070819/NEWS/708190310/1018
Minimize pollutants in new carpeting. New carpet can be a contributor to air pollution but ventilation and frequent vacuuming practically will eliminate the problem. Scripps Howard News Service, 19 August 2007.
http://www.saukvalley.com/articles/2007/08/19/features/home_and_garden/6899119494377.txt
Study finds volatile organics in turf fields. Significant amounts of four volatile organic compounds are released into the air when tire crumbs used in synthetic turf athletic fields is under conditions mimicking a hot summer day. New London Day, Connecticut, 19 August 2007.
http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=491e8ad8-406e-440d-8670-6f51901cc457
Studies highlight hazards of manicurists' chemicals. The health of the nation's 300,000 nail salon workers has become a major concern for many environmental and women's organizations, which point to academic studies that highlight the hazards posed by the chemicals manicurists use. New York Times, 19 August 2007.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/19/nyregion/19nailside.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
International ship pollution. California is pushing to clean up emissions from international cargo ships. Now, thanks to growing research on health effects, there are signs that even the international shipping industry may be feeling the pressure to make changes. Living On Earth, 18 August 2007.
http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.htm?programID=07-P13-00033&segmentID=2
Keeping the lid on solvent dangers. It has been nearly four years since the rare cancer death of a young Christchurch painter triggered alarm bells about the potentially lethal effects of solvent-based paint products. New Zealand Press Association, 18 August 2007.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/thepress/4168581a6530.html
Panel snuffs field-burning ban. The Oregon state Environmental Quality Commission declined to order an immediate ban on field burning based on research that smoke endangers people's lungs. Eugene Register Guard, Oregon, 18 August 2007.
http://www.registerguard.com/news/2007/08/17/a1.fieldburning.0817.p1.php?section=cityregion
Toys 'R' Us halts sales of vinyl bibs. Toys "R" Us said today that it was halting sales of all vinyl bibs after laboratory tests showed evidence that some of the bibs were contaminated with lead. New York Times, 18 August 2007.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/17/business/17cnd-bibs.html?hp
Water, air and soil pollution causes 40 percent of deaths worldwide. About 40 percent of deaths worldwide are caused by water, air and soil pollution, concludes a Cornell researcher. SPX, 16 August 2007.
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Water_Air_And_Soil_Pollution_Causes_40_Percent_Of_Deaths_Worldwide_999.html
Children at risk from chemical exposures. Nearly 30% of children around the world experience negative health effects from environmental causes, according to a series of reports from the WHO's International Programme on Chemical Safety. Environmental Science & Technology, 16 August 2007.
http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2007/aug/policy/nl_who.html
FDA panel to discuss safety of children's cold medicines. The Food and Drug Administration said it will convene an outside panel of medical experts in October to discuss the safety and effectiveness of over-the-counter cold and cough medicines in children. Wall Street Journal, 16 August 2007.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118719531530998553.html?mod=health_home_stories
Effects of water on breast milk studied. Representatives from the University of Texas at Arlington and Texas Tech University are conducting research in the area to determine the effects of perchlorate exposure to infants through ingestion of breast milk. Clovis News Journal, New Mexico, 16 August 2007.
http://www.cnjonline.com/news/kirk_22666___article.html/perchlorate_breast.html
Consumer product safety commission wants lead out of kids products. The federal agency charged with regulating toxic chemicals in household products is taking steps to ban lead in all children's toys in reaction to a second recall Tuesday of popular toys within two weeks. San Francisco Chronicle, California, 15 August 2007.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/08/15/MN01RIG01.DTL
Scientists warn against exposure to methamphetamine. U.S. scientists warn that exposure to methamphetamine in young adults leads to long-term behavioral consequences and risk of symptoms similar to Parkinson's disease. Xinhua News Agency, China, 15 August 2007.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-08/15/content_6541656.htm
You are what your mom eats, study suggests. Researchers say kids likely to crave unhealthy fare if their mothers ate junk food while pregnant. Toronto Star, Ontario, 15 August 2007.
http://www.thestar.com/living/Health/article/246434
Hospitals move to phase out chemical. A growing number of hospitals are trying to protect newborns from a newly recognized threat -- [DEHP] in the medical equipment that provides them with lifesaving blood, medicine or nutrition. USA Today, 15 August 2007.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-08-14-dehp_N.htm