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Coordinated nationally by the Institute for Children's Environmental Health |
To join the Partnership for Children's Health and the Environment (PCHE) and receive this bulletin, please complete the form at http://www.partnersforchildren.org/members.html#member.
For information about additional events, please visit our searchable calendar of events at http://www.partnersforchildren.org/conferences.html.
February 1 - 2, 2007
Washington, DC
at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center
The conference theme is "Integrating Environment and Human Health." Over 850 scientists, policymakers, businesspeople, and civil society representatives will explore the linkages between the environment and human health. The conference will address the many essential roles the environment plays on our well-being as well as the multi-dimensional relationships between human health and environmental components, which may have far-reaching consequences for society. Over 120 experts will speak in plenary sessions, symposia, and topical breakout sessions.
Website: http://www.NCSEonline.org/2007conference/
Contact: conference2007@ncseonline.org
February 8, 2007
9:00 a.m. Pacific / Noon Eastern
Jointly hosted by CHE, Health Care Without Harm, and Physicians for Social Responsibility, this call will feature special guest Cindy Parker, MD, MPH, of the Center for Public Health Preparedness at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. For this call Dr. Parker's presentation will first review the latest scientific consensus on climate change and human contributions to it, and then explore the broad array of human health impacts expected or suspected -- these include not only infectious disease risks, but also increased human risks from extreme weather events, from drought and water shortages, and from changes to agriculture and food systems. To join this call and receive dial-in information, please RSVP as described below. A copy of the presentation will be made available to registered participants prior to the call.
Contact: Julia Varshavsky, Julia@HealthandEnvironment.org
February 8 - 10, 2007
Los Angeles, California
at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel
The 2007 conference will bring together partners who work toward our common goal of creating safe, healthy, and livable communities for all.
Website: http://www.newpartners.org/index.html
Contact: Vallia Dahdouh, 916-448-1198 x327 or vdahdouh@lgc.org
The American Public Health Association is announcing the Call for Abstracts for the 2007 Annual Meeting to be held November 3-7, 2007, in Washington, DC. The theme of the meeting is "Politics, Policy & Public Health." Abstracts are encouraged in all areas of public health and also that focus on the Annual Meeting theme. Abstracts should be no more than 250 words and must include learning objectives. All abstracts must be submitted online. An online form is available at http://www.apha.org/meetings. Authors do not have to be a member of APHA to submit an abstract. The deadline for submission of abstracts range from February 5 to February 9, 2007, depending on the Section, SPIG or Caucus to which you wish to submit.
by Amy Quinton, New Hampshire Public Radio
January 30, 2007
http://www.nhpr.org/node/12220
Article Summary: Lead is a heavy metal that can be disastrous to a child's health -- a fact that has been known since the early 1900's. By 1909, France, Belgium and Austria had banned the use of lead paint inside homes. America also banned lead paint -- in 1978. But almost three decades later, New Hampshire still confronts about 250 cases of lead poisoning each year. Such paint is not the only source of the metal, but today, it is the most widespread. One group that has been hit hardest by lead poisoning is newly arrived refugees from Africa. African refugees are a tiny fraction of the Manchester population, but they account for a full third of the lead poisoning cases in the city. Sue Gagnon, with Manchester's Public Health Department, says that's because their malnourished bodies -- presenting with iron deficiency anemia -- soak up lead like sponges. Many homes built prior to 1978 have lead-based paint. If any of that flakes, or if lead dust is stirred up in a doorway or window, a child can become poisoned. Sometimes lead is released when an older home is refurbished and renovated, but most of the lead paint problem is found in lower income housing. Many property owners simply can't afford to remove the lead themselves.
by Kevin Schofield, Edinburgh Scotsman
January 30, 2007
http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=154472007
BY ANY measure, the rise in autism rates in the past 20 years has been astronomical. Pre-1990 estimates put the number at about four or five cases per 10,000 people. But a study published last year in the medical journal the Lancet suggested that the condition now affects one person in every hundred. Such a huge surge has inevitably led to much speculation about the cause, but there has not been a definitive answer.
Article Summary: Traditionalists insist that autism is a genetic condition and that the increase in cases is due to the medical profession's better diagnosing. But others say that, while that may explain part of the rise, there must be other reasons given the enormous scale of the increase. This argument appeared to be given some weight in 1998 when the Lancet published research linking autism with the triple measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. That paper by Dr Andrew Wakefield has since been discredited, but the effects of his claims are still felt today.
Dr. Iain McClure, a consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist based at the Vale of Leven hospital in Alexandria, is a specialist in autism assessment and intervention and subscribes to the view that there is no evidence linking MMR and autism. He warned: "Parents are worried about this, and if parents are worried, scientists and clinicians need to pay attention to that worry and not be seen as dismissing it, because then people start to suspect that there is some kind of cover-up." As chairman of the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network's (SIGN) forthcoming guideline on autism spectrum disorder (ASD), he has also spent the past three years examining all the available evidence on screening, assessment and clinical interventions in ASD, as regards children and young people. The research will lead to the publication in March of guidance for medical practitioners involved in the treatment of autism. "The purpose of the guidance we are publishing is to make sure that clinicians are using the best evidence available and the best interventions are being used for children and young people with autism." These interventions can take the form of drugs to address the young person's behavior or therapy to improve their communication skills. Dr. McClure stressed that doctors were reluctant to take the pharmacological route unless all other options had been explored.
by Samantha Young, Associated Press, San Jose Mercury News
January 29, 2007
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/northern_california/16575140.htm
California homebuilders on Monday won the right to use less-expensive plastic water piping instead of copper, ending a two-decade-long battle against groups that warned of plastic's potential health hazards. Developers called the decision by the California Building Standards Commission a victory for consumers because it will reduce plumbing costs in new homes and when doing retrofits.
Article Summary: Chlorinated Polyvinyl Chloride, otherwise known as CPVC piping, is a sturdy material that -- unlike most plastics -- holds up even when filled with hot water. That makes it an ideal substitute for the metal pipes traditionally used in homes. It also costs several thousands dollars less in a typical home than copper piping. But environmental concerns and fire hazards prompted state regulators to ban its use in drinking-water lines throughout the state. Environmental and consumer groups have argued that chemicals in the type of plastic piping preferred by the industry are dangerous, leaching into the soil and contaminating water that eventually runs out the faucet. Labor groups had sought to protect workers from the fumes given off by the glue used to fit the pipes together, while fire officials warned of the toxic fumes CPVC emits when it burns. The regulations adopted unanimously Monday by the 11-member commission are expected to be made final early next year as part of an update to the state building code. They will give builders the option to install the cheaper plastic pipes anywhere in the state.
by John Richardson, Portland [Maine] Press Herald
January 29, 2007
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/state/070129dust.html
Maine may become one of the first states to crack down on a common flame retardant chemical that is found in household dust and, according to researchers and state officials, may be affecting how children's brains develop. The chemical, known as deca-BDE, is the last of a group of brominated flame retardants that were added to TV sets, computers, furniture and other consumer goods starting in the 1970s. Two others, penta-BDE and octa-BDE, were banned by the Legislature in 2004 and have since been taken off the market because of potential toxic effects. Maine's Department of Environmental Protection issued a report to the Legislature last week calling for a phaseout of deca in residential products such as the plastic casings on many televisions. A handful of other states, including Washington, also are considering bans or phaseouts. The chemical industry, however, is fighting the efforts, saying alternatives may not provide the same fire safety benefits and could end up being more dangerous to human health.
Article Summary: The report says evidence continues to grow that household dust is a collector of potentially toxic chemicals. Scientists say deca leaches out of the TV sets and other electronic products and attaches to dust. Deca is believed to enter people's bodies when they breathe in or eat traces of dust, as well as through food containing residues of the chemical, health experts said. It also has been found in the breast milk that mothers feed their babies. The deca compound has been considered safer than the other bromine flame retardants because it is a bigger, less soluble molecule. While the DEP report cites "increasing recognition" that the compound can break down into smaller forms, Kyte said that has not yet been proven. Vincent Markowski, a lead researcher and an associate professor of psychology at USM, said the state-financed pilot study is one of the first to raise questions about deca's toxic effects on humans. To conduct the study, the USM research team fed varying doses of deca to newborn mice, simulating what a nursing human baby might receive from its mother. Mice that ate deca developed reflexes later, were slower to develop grip strength and were more likely to be hyperactive than those that didn't eat deca. The chemical seemed to affect males more than females. A representative for chemical manufacturers defended deca's safety and said the industry is eager to see more details and evaluate the USM research. He also argued that alternatives are unlikely to be as effective at preventing fires. Research by the DEP found that there are safer alternatives to meet flammability standards for TV sets and other products, according to Commissioner David Littell.
by Spencer Hunt, Columbus Dispatch
January 28, 2007
http://www.columbusdispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2007/01/28/20070128-A1-02.html
Article Summary: Smog can damage lungs, spurring asthma attacks and worsening lung diseases. Cars and power plants are the prime culprits behind Ohio's smog problems. But the state's latest effort to clear the unhealthful haze from summer skies focuses on such products as hair sprays, deodorants, furniture polish, glass cleaners and even urinal cakes. Estimates indicate that these products release about 100 tons of smog-forming chemicals into Ohio's air every day. Throw in cars and mowers, gas stations, dry cleaners and paint, and the amount grows by more than tenfold, says the Lake Michigan Air Directors Consortium. Faced with a federal mandate to reduce smog, environmental agencies in Ohio and several other states are thinking about ordering manufacturers to cut back on these chemicals. The chemicals, called "volatile organic compounds," along with nitrogen oxides released by cars, power plants and factories, form smog when they are cooked in the air on hot, stagnant days. Many of the proposed cutbacks are aimed at aerosol-products -- everything from glues and engine degreasers to insecticides and hair sprays. Washington, D.C., and states including New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia have proposed the same product limits, which California already enforces. A manufacturers group contends that consumer products "are actually a very tiny percent of (smog) generation."
by Tom Pelton, Baltimore Sun
January 28, 2007
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-te.md.cars28jan28,0,3719475.story
Article Summary: Ground-level ozone -- the main ingredient in smog -- is created when car exhaust and other pollutants are cooked by sunlight on hot summer days. It inflames lungs and triggers burning sensations, coughing and asthma attacks, causing permanent lung damage. Despite all the tailpipes in this South Bronx neighborhood, asthma hospitalization rates among children here have fallen by two-thirds over the past decade. Dr. Samuel De Leon, medical director of El Nuevo San Juan Health Center, says one reason is the drop in ozone air pollution since New York adopted California's tough vehicle emission standards. New York from 1993 to 1996 was among the first states to phase in California's mandate that all new cars include an extra $150 worth of smog-control equipment not standard on vehicles sold in other states. Today, the "clean cars" law is on the books in 11 states, covering about a third of the nation's drivers. Maryland is among five more states talking about adopting the legislation this year. Statistics from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency show that ozone air pollution has decreased more rapidly in the New York region and in California than in other parts of the country that didn't adopt the tougher standards. Tighter federal rules on power plants and other sources of air pollution have also contributed to the national decline.
Recently, California updated its standards to include a hotly debated requirement that greenhouse gas emissions from new vehicles be cut 30 percent by 2016. The additional step is meant to curb global warming. A manufacturer would have to demonstrate that the vehicles it sells in the state as a group produce about a third less greenhouse gases. If necessary, the company would have to offer price incentives for certain models to make sure the goal is met. If it isn't met, the automaker could be fined. The auto industry vehemently opposes the new provision, saying the regulations would inevitably hurt their business and prevent customers from getting the big SUVs they want. New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, Rhode Island, Maine and the three West Coast states are passing such legislation. As part of a 1977 amendment to the Clean Air Act, Congress forbade states from regulating auto emissions -- with the exception of California. It was given authority because it has the worst air pollution in the nation. Since then, states have had the choice of following either federal vehicle standards or California's more strict limits.
by Tom Meersman, Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune
January 28, 2007
http://www.startribune.com/462/story/963411.html
The widening discoveries of groundwater contamination from chemicals once manufactured by 3M has intensified concerns about the safety of drinking water used by thousands in the east metro.
Article Summary: In the next two weeks, state investigators will extend their search by taking samples from both city and private residential wells, as well as some that serve institutions such as businesses, churches and schools. The state health and environmental officials, as well as 3M, are trying to understand how the pollution moves underground and where else it might show up. The pollution is from a family of compounds called perfluorochemicals (PFCs), which were used in nonstick cookware, stain-resistant carpets and fabrics and other products. Two of the chemicals, which have been linked to thyroid, liver and developmental problems in animal studies, have turned up in private and public wells. The likely sources are the three landfills that 3M used to dispose of PFC production wastes from 1956 to 1974. The company also disposed of PFCs intermittently near its Cottage Grove manufacturing plant but stopped the practice in 1974, Nelson said, when 3M began destroying all PFC wastes in an incinerator.
by Marla Cone, Los Angeles Times
January 28, 2007
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-fish28jan28,1,5225551.story
Many fish caught off Los Angeles County still contain extremely high levels of DDT, a sign that anglers and consumers remain at risk and that the ocean's ecosystem may be far from recovery 35 years after the pesticide was banned. Newly released data from a federal survey indicate that fish caught in the area contained the world's highest-known DDT concentrations.
Article Summary: The data, collected primarily in 2002, offer the most comprehensive look at the scope of contamination from a 100-ton deposit of DDT that still covers several square miles of the ocean floor decades after the pesticide flowed into county sewers beginning in the late 1940s. The data from the federal survey by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency suggest that there has been no improvement since the late 1980s, when the last regional fish survey was conducted. In response to the new federal findings, the state's environmental health agency is reevaluating the risks of eating locally caught fish, which could result in updates to a health advisory and a commercial fishing ban that have been in effect since 1991. Fish from local waters are often eaten by recreational anglers and subsistence fishermen, who catch them from piers and boats. Some highly contaminated white croaker is still showing up in a handful of Asian markets in Los Angeles and Orange counties.
Banned in the United States in 1972, DDT is classified as a probable human carcinogen and has been linked to liver disease, reproductive damage and altered hormones in lab animals and wildlife. So much DDT remains in bald eagles on Santa Catalina Island that their chicks die unless the weakened eggs are removed from the island to hatch.
by Brad Cain, Associated Press, Portland Oregonian
January 27, 2007
http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-18/1169928581212700.xml&storylist=orlocal
Article Summary: At times resembling miniature nuclear explosions, towering pillars of smoke rise up over Oregon's populous Willamette Valley each summer, billowing to 6,000 feet and higher. They're the handiwork of Oregon grass seed farmers like Doug Duerst, who, when weather permits, set the fires to burn the stubble left after harvest to kill off weeds and pests and to sanitize their fields before the next planting. The field burning creates large volumes of smoke that sometimes drifts into areas where people live. That prompts hundreds of complaints each summer, often from asthma sufferers who say the smoky haze makes it hard for them to breathe. A state lawmaker from Eugene wants to end the burning, saying it threatens public health and contributes to global warming.
The grass seed industry plans an all-out lobbying effort to try to kill the bill, saying that field burning helps Oregon's growers maintain their competitive edge by producing some of the purest grass seed available. Oregon has become the world's largest producer of grass seed. Oregon supplies nearly 50 percent of the seed that's used to grow grass on soccer fields, golf courses and lawns around the globe, including China. Dave Nelson of the Oregon Seed Council cites figures from the state's environmental agency showing that field burning accounts for only 2 percent of total particulate pollution in the Willamette Valley during the summer months. Grass seed farmers Doug Duerst hopes the state will allow him to continue to selectively burn his fields, which he contends is a more environmentally friendly means of cleansing fields than using lots more chemicals or tilling the soil more.
by Lisa Carolin, Ann Arbor News
January 26, 2007
http://www.mlive.com/news/aanews/index.ssf?/base/news-8/1169826392194290.xml&coll=2
Students in two local school districts are being exposed to less diesel exhaust from school buses. The Hartland and Howell school districts are working with the state of Michigan, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and NextEnergy, Michigan's alternative energy accelerator, to implement a new program to purchase and install 58 EPA approved diesel oxidation catalysts on qualifying school buses.
Article Summary: According to Brian Wiles, fleet supervisor for Howell Schools Transportation Department, "There is a noticeable difference. You can stand behind a bus and it really cuts down on the smell of fuels and the emissions." The combination catalytic converter and muffler cost close to $1,000 apiece. The EPA says that when installed, diesel oxidation catalysts can reduce particulate matter pollution from 20 percent to 90 percent per bus.
by Nic Fleming, London Daily Telegraph
January 26, 2007
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/25/nmobile25.xml
Long-term users of mobile phones are significantly more likely to develop a certain type of brain tumour on the side of the head where they hold their handsets, according to new research. The results seem to suggest health risks in people who have regularly used mobiles for over 10 years A large-scale study found that those who had regularly used mobiles for longer than 10 years were almost 40 per cent more likely to develop nervous system tumours called gliomas near to where they hold their phones.
Article Summary: The research is to be published later this year in the International Journal of Cancer, and is the second study to suggest increased risks of specific types of brain tumors in regions close to where mobile phone emissions enter the head. A number of other studies have found no increased health risks associated with mobile phone use.
by Patricia Anstett, Detroit Free Press
January 26, 2007
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007701260322
More than 500 companies have signed agreements to eliminate potentially unsafe ingredients in their cosmetic and body care products, a national health and environmental coalition said Thursday. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics requires companies to meet standards, now in place in Europe, to ban chemicals linked to birth defects, cancer and other health problems. Among those to sign the agreements are the Body Shop and Burt's Bees manufacturers. Names of the companies signing the agreement can be found at http://www.safecosmetics.org/companies/signers.cfm.
by Hiawatha Bray, Boston Globe
January 26, 2007
http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2007/01/26/cambridge_considers_nanotech_curbs/
The Cambridge City Council is considering a law to regulate the use of super-small nanoparticles in research and manufacturing. If the council decides to act, it will make Cambridge the second city in the United States, after Berkeley, Calif., to regulate nanotechnology.
Article Summary: According to council member Henrietta Davis, the aim is not to stifle nano-based businesses, which are expected to be a big part of new industry in Cambridge. The efforts in Cambridge and Berkeley underscore growing concern about health and environmental risks from nanoparticles, which are used in an increasing number of manufactured goods. Certain materials, such as carbon, acquire unusual and useful properties when fabricated into particles of 100 nanometers or smaller. Carbon nanotubes, for example, can be used to make extremely strong but flexible materials, and are turning up in bicycle frames and bullet-resistant T-shirts. But these materials also behave differently when they are reduced to tiny particles, and there has been little research into their effects on living organisms, if inhaled or ingested, or their effect on the environment. The Environmental Protection Agency last year said it would regulate nanosilver -- super-small silver particles used as a disinfecting agent in shoe liners and washing machine tubs. There's no explicit EPA regulation covering nanosilver particles, but the agency concluded that existing pesticide regulations could be applied to the material. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is studying whether exposure to nanoparticles poses a risk to factory workers. A nano-industry executive countered that Adding a new layer of regulation will only burden businesses with extra costs and legal hassles.
by Janet Wilson, Los Angeles Times
January 26, 2007
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-drycleaner26jan26,0,3404540.story
California will become the first state to phase out the use of perchloroethylene, or perc, a chemical used by commercial dry cleaners that has been linked in studies to bladder, esophageal and other cancers. After several hours of debate between environmentalists and owners of small, family-owned dry cleaners who fear being put out of business, the California Air Resources Board voted unanimously Thursday to ban the purchase of new perc machines as of 2008 and to phase out the use of all perc by 2023.
Article Summary: An estimated 40% of the state's dry cleaners already are subject to a 2020 deadline for phasing out perc, passed by the South Coast Air Quality Management District in 2003. The agency's regulation also bans relocation of perc facilities within 300 feet of a school but allows the purchase of perc machines until 2020. The tougher state ban on new purchases as of 2008 will apply within the agency's jurisdiction, which includes Los Angeles. Board members said that with an elevated risk of cancer to workers and nearby residents, it was important to get rid of a known toxic air and water contaminant. Nationally, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rejected a proposal in July to phase out all perc machines, instead phasing them out only at dry cleaners in residential buildings. The EPA was sued by the Sierra Club, and the case is pending in federal court.
by Thomas H. Maugh II, Los Angeles Times
January 26, 2007
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-lungs26jan26,0,2051206.story?coll=la-home-headlines
In the largest and longest study of its kind, USC researchers have found that children living near busy highways have significant impairments in the development of their lungs that can lead to respiratory problems for the rest of their lives. The 13-year study of more than 3,600 children in 12 Central and Southern California communities found that the damage from living within 500 yards of a freeway is about the same as that from living in communities with the highest pollution levels, the team reported Thursday in the online version of the medical journal Lancet.
Article Summary: The greatest damage appears to be in the small airways of the lung and is normally associated with the fine particulate matter emitted by automobiles. The research is part of an ongoing study of the effects of air pollution on children's respiratory health. Previous findings have detailed how smog can stunt lung growth and how living close to freeways can increase the risk of children being diagnosed with asthma. In the study, lead author W. James Gauderman, an epidemiologist at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, and his colleagues found that by their 18th birthday, children who lived within 500 yards of a freeway had a 3% deficit in the amount of air they could exhale and a 7% deficit in the rate at which it could be exhaled compared with children who lived at least 1,500 yards, or nearly a mile, from a freeway. The effect was independent of the overall pollution in their community. Gauderman cautioned that when local governments are planning new schools and new housing developments, "this should be taken into account."
January 24, 2007
http://www.greenseal.org/newsroom/pr012407.cfm
Green Seal, a national non-profit organization, announces the beginning of a comprehensive review and revision of GS-37, its environmental standard for institutional and industrial cleaning products, and invites all interested stakeholders to actively participate. The review and revision of GS-37 will be managed by Green Seal with the help of an executive committee. Green Seal develops its environmental standards in an open and transparent process. The public will have an opportunity to comment when the standard is proposed for public review. Stakeholders will also have the opportunity, through a representative stakeholders committee, to provide input throughout the process, including scoping, drafting of the proposed revised standard, and addressing issues raised in the public review. All stakeholders or interested parties who want to be more actively involved in the review process of GS-37 should send an e-mail to Green Seal with their full contact information, including their organization or occupation, by February 15, 2007, at GS37@utk.edu.
by Scott Streater, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
January 24, 2007
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/business/16539249.htm
TXU Corp., which has been sharply criticized by clean-air advocates over its proposal to build 11 coal-fired power plants, is moving forward on a plan that would dramatically cut pollution from its four largest power plants, a move that should improve the region's air quality. The Dallas-based energy company is negotiating with state regulators on a binding agreement that would require TXU, over the next four years, to add pollution controls at the four plants to chemically change ozone-forming pollutants into harmless water vapor.
Article Summary: The agreement could cut the amount of ozone-producing emissions at each plant by at least half and should aid regional efforts to improve air quality and bring the nine-county region into compliance with federal ground-level ozone standards by a 2010 deadline. The agreement would also mandate pollution controls that would significantly cut emissions of toxic mercury at each plant. The additional pollution controls are part of a promise by TXU to cut pollution companywide by 20 percent in exchange for permission from the state to build 11 coal-fired power plants in East and Central Texas. But the proposed agreement would require the company to add the pollution controls regardless of whether the state approves TXU's $10 billion plan to build the plants. The goal is to complete the work by 2011, the company said.
by Peter N. Spotts, Christian Science Monitor
January 24, 2007
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0124/p03s03-uspo.html
The nation's new program to regulate mercury may be short-lived. Several draft bills in Congress -- as well as a suit in federal court -- are challenging the Bush administration's mercury pollution program, which took effect last year. A key reason, they charge, is that the plan's emissions-trading scheme -- which has worked to curb other pollutants that spread far and wide -- doesn't work for mercury, which accumulates locally as well as spreading over long distances.
Article summary: Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are preparing bills that would tackle the toxic pollutant by reducing mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants by 90 percent, rather than the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) target of 70 percent. The bills also would set up a nationwide monitoring network to track airborne mercury and its effects on the environment. Three major scientific studies published during the past several months have added urgency to legislative efforts. The research indicates that airborne mercury is far more likely than pollutants such as sulfur dioxide to drop back to earth close to its source, generating "hot spots" of contamination and accumulating in the food chain. The research also is cited in a lawsuit 16 states and a handful of environmental groups have filed with the US Court of Appeals in Washington. The studies:
[Editor's note: See a related article about attempts to implement an emissions-trading system in Texas: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-txu_24bus.ART.State.Edition1.1cc05b6.html.]
by Richard L. Hill, Portland Oregonian
January 24, 2007
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1169612728115700.xml&coll=7
Article Summary: In the most widespread survey of mercury in the nation's streams, four Corvallis researchers with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Oregon State University sampled more than 2,700 fish in Oregon, Washington and 10 other Western states. They found detectable -- and in some cases, high -- amounts of mercury in every fish sampled from 626 randomly selected rivers and streams that flow nearly 190,000 miles. Although they found only a few fish with high enough mercury levels that could pose a risk to people who eat them frequently, the scientists suggested that consumers -- especially pregnant women and young children -- follow federal guidelines that limit intake of fish known to contain mercury. They, as well as federal officials, recommend calling state and county agencies for any advisories issued on locally caught fish. The highest mercury concentrations were primarily in larger fish-eating species including northern pike, bass, walleye and pikeminnow. The levels in more than half of these samples were similar to those found in cans of albacore or "white" tuna. The EPA and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommend pregnant women eat no more than one 6-ounce can of albacore tuna each week. Levels in trout and other salmonid species had far lower levels of mercury. The scientists did not test salmon but speculated that mercury in salmon would be similar to the low levels found in trout.
Mercury is a neurotoxin. It is emitted by natural sources such as volcanoes and geothermal springs -- making it a "background" element -- but also by coal-burning power plants, waste incinerators, forest fires and cement kilns.
by Megan Rauscher, Reuters, Scientific American
January 23, 2007
http://sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa003&articleID=2F093E72FA038B855C80131EC3FBA75C
Among 21 multivitamin products for adults and children independently selected and tested by ConsumerLab.com, problems were found with more than half -- including unacceptably high levels of lead, and too much or too little of a particular ingredient.
Article Summary: Dr. Tod Cooperman, president of ConsumerLab.com, said one of the most serious problems was a women's multivitamin that contained 15.3 micrograms of lead per daily dose. This is more than 10 times the amount of lead allowed without a warning label in the state of California, the only state to regulate lead in supplements. Another "disturbing finding," Cooperman said, was a children's vitamin that contained 216 percent of its labeled amount of vitamin A -- an amount far in excess of the "upper tolerable intake level for kids under the age of 9. The report is available at http://www.consumerlab.com/results/multivit.asp.
by Cheryl Hogue, Chemical & Engineering News
January 23, 2007
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/85/i05/8505rules.html
Article Summary: A new directive from President George W. Bush to federal agencies will slow down regulation. Critics say it also shifts regulatory priorities, which were set by Congress in federal laws, away from protection of health and environment to economic rationales. Some industry groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, praise the directive. Under the new directive, agencies can regulate only when they can demonstrate to the White House Office of Management & Budget (OMB) that the free market is not producing the desired results of the rule, such as health protection. In addition, the directive requires each agency to have a presidentially appointed "regulatory policy officer." The agency cannot begin work on a new rule -- even one required by Congress through a law -- until it gets a green light from its regulatory policy officer or unless the head of the agency gives approval. In addition, the directive requires agencies to calculate the costs and benefits of each of the upcoming rules they plan to issue in a calendar year. The Administration will use these economic analyses to set regulatory priorities for that year. Guidance documents, which agencies often distribute to companies to help them comply with regulations or to the public at large, must undergo the same rigorous economic cost-benefit analysis and White House review as regulations currently do.
