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Coordinated nationally by the Institute for Children's Environmental Health |
These bulletins are archived and searchable on the Partnership's website: http://www.partnersforchildren.org/bulletins.html To join the Partnership for Children's Health and the Environment (PCHE) and receive this bulletin, please complete the form on our website: http://www.partnersforchildren.org/members.html#member
Wednesday November 7, 2007
7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Seattle, Washington
at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center, Theater, 104 17th Avenue South
Sponsor: Climate Solutions, King county, Earth Ministry, El Centro de la Raza, SAGE, Seattle Climate Action Now
Van Jones, founder and president of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, is a national leader working to combine solutions to America's two biggest problems: social inequality and environmental destruction. In the summer of 2007, Jones launched a new initiative called Green For All, a national campaign for green-collar jobs and opportunities. A moderated Q & A will follow the lecture.
Price: free
Website: http://www.seattlegreendrinks.org/node/259
Contact: Meagan@climatesolutions.org
Thursday November 8, 2007
Two events: noon at the GSA Auditorium (First floor in the old BPA building), 911 NE 11th Avenue
or 6:00 p.m. at Portland State University Campus, Smith Center, Room 327-329, 1825 SW Broadway
Portland, Oregon
Presentation by Howard Frumkin, MD, MPH, DrPH, director of the National Center for Environmental Health
Price: free
Contact: Pete Farrelly, 503-358-5185
Thursday November 8, 2007
10:00 Pacific time/1:00 Eastern time
Sponsor: Women's Health and Environment Initiative
Stacy Malkan is communications director of Health Care Without Harm and a media strategist for the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a national coalition working to eliminate hazardous chemicals from personal care products. Her book, Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry, offers an insider's view of the five-year campaign by environmental and health groups to pressure the US cosmetics industry to use safer ingredients.
Price: free
Contact: Heather Sarantis, heather@healthandenvironment.org
Thursday November 8, 2007
2:00 p.m. Eastern/11:00 a.m. Pacific
Sponsor: 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 include Maureen Swanson, director of the Healthy Children Project, Learning Disabilities Association of America; Laura Abulafia, MHS, director of the Environmental Health Initiative, American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities; Lee Grossman, president and CEO of the Autism Society of America; and Rob Fletcher, executive director of the National Association for the Dually Diagnosed. CME credits will not be available for these calls.
Price: free
Website: http://www.iceh.org/LDDImeetings.html
Contact: Elise Miller, emiller@iceh.org
Sunday through Wednesday, November 11 - 14, 2007
San Antonio, Texas
at the Holiday Inn Riverwalk
The conference theme is "Environmental Etiologies of Neurological Disorders."
Price: see http://www.neurotoxicology.com/conf2007/registration.pdf
Website: http://www.neurotoxicology.com/conf2007/conference.htm
Contact: Dr. Joan Cranmer, Conference Chair, 501-364-2986 or CranmerJoanM@uams.edu
Sunday through Wednesday, November 11 - 14, 2007
Charlotte, North Carolina
at the Westin Charlotte
Sponsor: American College of Toxicology
Conference offerings include a wide variety of presentations, posters and continuing education courses.
Price: see http://www.actox.org/attmtg/28th/28ProgWeb.pdf
Website: http://www.actox.org/
Contact: Secretariat, American College of Toxicology, 301-634-7840 or ekagan@actox.org
Sunday through Thursday, November 11 - 15, 2007
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
at the Midwest Airline Center
Sponsor: Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
The meeting theme is Urban Environmental Issues: Impacts on Ecological Systems. Tentative sessions will be in topics including biological contamination, ecotoxicology, environmental policy and management, human and ecological epidemiological integration, human health risk assessment, and life cycle assessment.
Price: see http://milwaukee.setac.org/registration/register.asp
Website: http://milwaukee.setac.org/home.asp
Tuesday November 14, 2007
Atlanta, Georgia
Sponsor: US Environmental Protection Agency Region 4, EPA Office of Research and Development and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry/National Center for Environmental Health/Centers for Disease Control
Check the website below for information.
Price: unknown
Website: http://es.epa.gov/ncer/events/#nov1407
Contact: Kara Belle, 404-562-8322
Friday November 16, 2007
10:00 a.m. Pacific time / 1:00 p.m. Eastern time
Sponsor: Collaborative on Health and the Environment, Hospitals for a Healthy Environment and Green Guide for Health Care
This call will be a discussion with author and professor Bill McKibben and pediatrician and professor Katherine Shea as they discuss how global warming impacts human health and what health care providers and the rest of us can do to address these problems. This call will last 90 minutes.
Price: free
Website: http://h2e-online.org/teleconferences/ConferenceDetails.cfm?Date=2007-11-16&teleconfid=375
Contact: Janet Brown, 415-253-0254 or Janet.brown@h2e-online.org
Monday November 19, 2007
2:00 p.m. Eastern/11:00 a.m. Pacific
Sponsor: 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 include Peggy Shepard, executive director of West Harlem Environmental Action, Inc.: "Translating Research Findings into Policy"; Lorraine Maxwell, PhD, director of graduate studies in the Cornell University Department of Design and Environmental Analysis: "Addressing the Physical Environment's Role in Children's Learning and Health"; and Terry Collins, PhD, Lord Professor of Chemistry at Carnegie Mellon University: "Green Chemistry and the Future." CME credits will not be available for these calls.
Price: free
Website: http://www.iceh.org/LDDImeetings.html
Contact: Elise Miller, emiller@iceh.org
Friday November 30, 2007
10:00 a.m. Pacific time / 1:00 p.m. Eastern time
Sponsor: Collaborative on Health and the Environment
This teleconference will be moderated by Michael Lerner, president of Commonweal and co-coordinator of the CHE Breast Cancer and Cancer Working Groups.
Price: free
Website: http://www.healthandenvironment.org/articles/partnership_calls/2505
Friday through Monday, November 30 - December 3, 2007
Burwood, Victoria Australia
at Deakin University, Melbourne Campus at Burwood
Following on from the success of the EcoHealth One Conference held in Wisconsin, USA, in 2006, this conference plans to build on and explore further some of the key issues surrounding the interdependent relationships of humans and their environments. Unsustainable living, climate change and disassociation from nature are beginning to take their toll and disastrous repercussions for human health and survival are anticipated by researchers across the globe. The transdisciplinary nature of ecohealth is an innovative way of addressing these issues.
Price: see http://www.deakin.edu.au/events/ecohealth2007/registration.php
Website: http://www.deakin.edu.au/events/ecohealth2007/index.php
Contact: Deakin Event Management Services, +61 3 5227 8121 or marika.thomson@deakin.edu.au
Thursday through Saturday, December 6 - 8, 2007
Washington, DC
at the Grand Hyatt Hotel
Sponsor: US Environmental Protection Agency
Interactive sessions led by IAQ experts and peer faculty will focus on key drivers that lead to successful IAQ management programs. Themes include communicating your IAQ successes, creating a plan to address IAQ issues, assessing your facilities, and organizing, launching and sustaining an effective IAQ management program. Special technical sessions will address managing mold in schools, the fundamentals of risk communication, high-performing schools, green cleaning products and practices, managing health risks from radon, asthma-friendly schools and more.
Price: $330
Website: http://www.iaqsymposium.com/
Contact: Symposium Coordinator, 703-247-6194
Online Calendar. Upcoming events extending more than one month in the future are listed in a searchable calendar: http://www.iceh.org/cgi-bin/searchevents.cgi
Most of the articles below come from Environmental Health News, http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/
EPA seeks comments. The Environmental Protection Agency is seeking comments on the External Review Draft of the Framework for Determining a Mutagenic Mode of Action for Carcinogenicity: Using EPA's 2005 Cancer Guidelines and Supplemental Guidance for Assessing Susceptibility from Early-Life Exposure to Carcinogens. There is a 60-day public comment period (9/27/07-11/26/07). The framework document will be used by EPA risk assessors determine whether data are available to support a finding of a mutagenic mode of action (MOA) for carcinogenicity. A finding that a chemical has a mutagenic MOA for carcinogenesis will determine whether EPA will invoke use of additional safety factors to address the impacts of early childhood exposure as per the Supplemental Guidance.
http://www.epa.gov/osa/mmoaframework/
HealthySEAT Version 2 is available. Schools can manage environmental health and safety issues with the HealthySEAT software tool from the US Environmental Protection Agency. The software is fully integrated, flexible and free.
http://www.epa.gov/schools/healthyseat
Link between environment, health explored in film. Writer, editor and filmmaker Barri Cohen is hoping that her latest documentary, Toxic Trespass, will enlighten Canadians about the relationship between environmental degradation and children's health. Canadian Jewish News, 6 November 2007.
http://www.cjnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13464&Itemid=86
Wisconsin jury rejects claim in lead paint case. The verdict in the closely watched civil case, in which a 17-year-old boy sued paint makers after ingesting deteriorated lead paint as a baby, is a setback for perhaps thousands of young people who say they were poisoned by lead as children and hope to hold paint makers liable. USA Today, 6 November 2007.
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20071106/a_leadpaint06.art.htm
Target will reduce PVC use. Amid pressure from consumer, health and environmental groups, Target Corp. said it is reducing its use of the plastic polyvinyl chloride. Wall Street Journal, 6 November 2007.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119431301352883368.html
Houston mayor sets 6-month pollution deadline. Mayor Bill White on Monday gave industrial polluters six months to clean up their act, after an industry-led task force delivered a report earlier in the day calling for chemical plant operators to act voluntarily. Houston Chronicle, Texas, 6 November 2007.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/5276188.html
World's growing dependence on coal leaving a trail of environmental devastation. It takes five to 10 days for the pollution from China's coal-fired plants to make its way to the United States, like a slow-moving storm. It's linked not just to global warming but a host of health issues. Associated Press, 5 November 2007.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/11/05/asia/AS-FEA-GEN-China-Coal-The-Dark-Side.php
An ounce of prevention: off target in the war on cancer. The war on cancer remains focused on commercially fueled efforts to develop drugs and technologies that can find and treat the disease -- to the tune of more than $100 billion a year in the United States alone. Meanwhile, the struggle basically ignores most of the things known to cause cancer, such as tobacco, radiation, sunlight, benzene, asbestos, solvents, and some drugs and hormones. Washington Post, 4 November 2007.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/02/AR2007110201648.html
To burn or not to burn. For safety and health reasons, more and more cities and towns are making autumn smoke-free by prohibiting the burning of leaves and other yard waste. Sioux City Journal, Iowa, 4 November 2007.
http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2007/11/04/news/top/84e3bfadd643cee18625738700755b16.txt
Free thinkers abandon fluoride in water. When it comes to water quality, the people of Juneau are among the most informed in the state. In October, capital city residents voted to ban fluoride from their water supply. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Alaska, 4 November 2007.
http://newsminer.com/2007/11/04/9701
Air pollution seen raising preterm birth risk. A study conducted in Los Angeles County and published today shows the harmful effects traffic-related air pollution can have on pregnant women. Reuters, 3 November 2007.
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/45137/story.htm
submitted to this bulletin by Jim DiPeso
Lead starts doing harm at low levels. Children with blood lead levels lower than the U.S. standard may still suffer lower IQs or other problems, a government advisory panel said as it urged doctors to be more alert to signs of lead poisoning. Omaha World-Herald, Nebraska, 3 November 2007.
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=1219&u_sid=10174623
Children overexposed to rocket fuel chemical. 250,000 American one-year-olds are exposed to perchlorate above the government's safe dose from food sources alone. This is the equivalent of one in every 16 one-year-olds in the country. In the 28 states where perchlorate contaminates tap water, children face even higher exposures and potential health harm. Environmental Working Group, 3 November 2007.
http://www.ewg.org/reports/perchlorateintoddlers
Cutting car emissions saves lives: T.O. report. Soaring pollution linked to cancer and asthma and costs city billions, medical officer finds. Toronto Star, Ontario, 3 November 2007.
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/273199
Dangerous chemicals in common baby products. The Environmental Working Group surveyed 3,300 parents asking what products they use and compared the ingredients to lists of chemicals know to cause allergies, hormone disruption, damage to the nervous system, and cancer. San Francisco KPIX TV, California, 2 November 2007.
http://cbs5.com/consumer/local_story_305191434.html
EPA staff recommends slashing amount of lead in air. Environmental Protection Agency scientists on Thursday recommended drastically reducing the amount of lead in the air to protect the health of the nation's children. St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Missouri, 2 November 2007.
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/sciencemedicine/story/1E5CCFBD4A28F7DF86257387000DAE6A?OpenDocument
Ships are an increasing source of air pollution. Recognition is growing that ships are major sources of air pollution as they cross the globe with massive engines burning highly polluting fuel. Hampton Roads Virginian-Pilot, Virginia, 2 November 2007.
http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=136053&ran=210997
Flame retardants slammed. Toxic and potentially hazardous flame retardants are common throughout homes in Canada and the federal government must take action to ban the substances, says a coalition of environmental groups and firefighters. CanWest News, Canada, 2 November 2007.
http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=5eb2693d-79b2-47a3-9b58-ffc336be93e2
Author exposes the ugly side of the beauty industry. The label on your shampoo may read "pure and natural" and your face wash may claim to be "gentle", but according to at least one activist group, some of the products that make such claims are actually full of toxic chemicals linked to cancer, infertility, birth defects and chronic disease. Bozeman New West, Montana, 2 November 2007.
http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/book_explores_ugly_side_of_beauty_industry/C38/L38/
Top toys of 2007 all lead-free. A complete crackdown on lead content in toys topped the criteria for items added to the Top Toys Guide of 2007, released by Today's Parent magazine. Toronto Star, Ontario, 2 November 2007.
http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/272858
L.A. panel OKs cleanup plan for port trucks. The Los Angeles Harbor Commission on Thursday unanimously approved a phased ban of old-model trucks, a move that is expected to reduce harmful diesel emissions by 80% within five years. Los Angeles Times, California, 2 November 2007.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-port2nov02,1,2161924.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-california&ctrack=1&cset=true
Health department launches anti-smoking campaign. New York City's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is buying up subway ads in an effort to help Harlem residents make a critical connection -- smoking at home may be making their children sick. Columbia Spectator, New York, 2 November 2007.
http://www.columbiaspectator.com/node/27890
Cash for mercury: a new, controversial way to cut pollution. Centuries ago, alchemists thought mercury was the source of gold. In roughly two years, through a bit of government alchemy, mercury pollution could end up being worth even more than gold. Charleston Post and Courier, South Carolina, 1 November 2007.
http://www.charleston.net/news/2007/oct/30/cash_mercury_new_controversial_way_cut_pollution/
The mercury connection. Some people who eat fish from South Carolina's rivers and lakes have potentially dangerous levels of mercury, new lab tests for The Post and Courier show. Charleston Post and Courier, South Carolina, 1 November 2007.
http://www.charleston.net/news/2007/oct/28/the_mercury_connectionwe_know_mercury_ta20361/
Poor diet ratchets up cancer risk. The most comprehensive study ever undertaken on the association between cancer and obesity concludes that excess body fat triggers many types of the disease, as does the consumption of even moderate amounts of alcohol, red meats and processed meats. Toronto Globe and Mail, Ontario. 1 November 2007.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071101.wcancer1101/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home
'Mercury is a poison. People only begin to show symptoms when enough cells die.' Scientists have known for centuries that mercury causes severe health problems when people are exposed to high doses, but they're only now beginning to understand how low levels harm people over long periods of time. Charleston Post and Courier, South Carolina, 1 November 2007.
http://www.charleston.net/news/2007/oct/28/mercury_poison_people_only_begin_show_symptoms_whe/
'Endocrine disruptor' won't be on label. Though scientists, environmentalists and manufacturers probably will debate the dangers of chemicals in popular products for years to come, many consumers wonder what they can do today to make "greener" choices at the store. USA Today, 31 October 2007.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-10-30-endocrine-main_N.htm
Toxic legacy: can a plastic 'alter human cells'? Rodent studies of bisphenol A, used in polycarbonate bottles, food cans and other products, have linked the synthetic estrogen to a host of cancers, early-onset puberty, obesity and type-II diabetes. USA Today, 31 October 2007.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-10-30-plastics-cover_N.htm
Consumer Reports finds lead in unrecalled toys. A leading consumer magazine's four-month investigation into lead-tainted children's products and toys has uncovered items that aren't on any federal recall list and is raising questions about wider lead contamination of products marketed toward kids. White Plains Journal News, New York, 30 October 2007.
http://www.nyjournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071030/NEWS03/710300365
Organic food is healthier and safer, four-year EU investigation shows. A £12m EU-funded investigation into the difference between organic and ordinary farming has shown that organic foods have far more nutritional value. London Independent, England, 29 October 2007.
http://environment.independent.co.uk/green_living/article3106906.ece
Global warming may hit kids harder, pediatrics group says. Global warming is likely to disproportionately harm the health of children, and politicians should launch "aggressive policies" to curb climate change, the American Academy of Pediatrics said today. USA Today, 29 October 2007.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/globalwarming/2007-10-28-kids-effects_N.htm?csp=34
Where does lead go? Into bones. Lead was once so pervasive that, even three decades after the government banned the chemical in paint and began phasing it out of gasoline, the country has still not shaken free of its legacy. USA Today, 29 October 2007.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-10-28-lead-bone_N.htm
China birth defects soar due to pollution -- report. Birth defects in Chinese infants have soared nearly 40 percent since 2001, a government report said, and officials linked the rise to China's worsening environmental degradation. Reuters, 29 October 2007.
http://sport.guardian.co.uk/breakingnews/feedstory/0,,-7032085,00.html
New York wants federal help in curbing mercury pollution. Gov. Eliot Spitzer and governors of the six New England states are expected to call on the federal government as early as next week to take steps to reduce mercury emissions from Midwest states that prevailing winds carry into New York. Gannett News Service, 28 October 2007.
http://www.nynews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071028/NEWS05/710280334
Proposal would require more stringent pollution regulations. Proposed legislation announced Saturday would combat acid rain, smog, mercury contamination and global warming by controlling smokestack emissions from the nation's power plants. Associated Press, 28 October 2007.
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--pollutionlegislat1027oct27,0,5197121.story
Folic acid use declining among Latinas. Use of vitamins with folic acid -- which can prevent neural tube birth defects -- declined among Latinas in California from 2002 to 2006, despite a public health effort that has raised consumption among black, white and Asian women of childbearing age. Los Angeles Times, California, 27 October 2007.
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-sci-folic26oct26,1,255429.story?ctrack=1&cset=true
Schools embrace environmental efforts, though critics see a costly fad. Since 2004, dozens of public and private schools in Westchester and New York City and on Long Island have adopted no-idling zones, switched to plant-based cleaners in their buildings and, to a lesser extent, banned pesticides from playgrounds and playing fields. New York Times, 26 October 2007.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/25/education/25green.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Troubling meaty 'estrogen'. Researchers find that a chemical that forms in overcooked meat is a potent mimic of estrogen. That's anything but appetizing, since studies have linked a higher lifetime cumulative exposure to estrogen in women with an elevated risk of breast cancer. Science News. 27 October 2007.
http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20071020/food.asp
Population pressure takes Earth to its limits. The UN Global Environment Outlook report on the planet's health has found water, land, air, plants, animals and fish stocks are all in "inexorable decline" as 2007 became the first year in human history when most of the world's population lived in cities. Sydney Morning Herald, Australia, 26 October 2007.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/environment/population-pressure-takes-earth-to-its-limits/2007/10/25/1192941241428.html
CDC says it should do more in shaping climate change response. Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is "uniquely poised" to deal with emerging health threats, the director of the Atlanta-based center said Tuesday, it has not done enough to help shape the world's response to climate change. Cox News Service, 26 October 2007.
http://www.ajc.com/green/content/shared/green/stories/green_cdc.html
Consumer worries spur new product-recall database. Health Minister Tony Clement unveiled a new website on Wednesday combining food and children's product recalls, with the aim of informing concerned consumers about potential safety problems. CBC Canada, Canada, 25 October 2007.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2007/10/24/recall-website.html
Theo Colborn: exposing the devastating effects of chemical pollution. At age 80, she continues to blaze a trail with her work on the health effects of pollution. Time Magazine, 25 October 2007.
http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1663317_1663323_1669901,00.html
The trouble with leaf blowers. A grand jury in Orange County, California says the pollution that comes out of one gas powered leaf blower equals the amount of smog from 17 cars driving on the road for only one hour. Terre Haute WTHI TV, Indiana, 25 October 2007.
http://www.wthitv.com/Global/story.asp?S=7262218&nav=menu593_2
While humans slept, bacteria were evolving. With each passing day, more bacteria become resistant to our arsenal of antibiotics, and we have no new and effective drugs to fight the microbes. Philadelphia Inquirer, Pennsylvania, 24 October 2007.
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20071024_While_humans_slept__bacteria_were_evolving.html
What's in furniture? It's enough to make you sick. Consumers can read a list of the ingredients in their cornflakes and a summary of what nutrients they contain, but good luck trying to find out what's in the new set of bedroom furniture we spend eight hours with every night. San Francisco Chronicle, California, 24 October 2007.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/24/HO3FSCHLN.DTL
N-Waste menaces tribe. The demonstration on Tuesday came during testimony on the problems faced by those living in the Navajo Nation -- 27,000 square miles across Arizona, Utah and New Mexico -- where more than 500 former uranium mines were abandoned after the rush to find nuclear material during the 1940s to the 1970s. Salt Lake Tribune, Utah, 24 October 2007.
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_7264690
Global warming creating public health woes, Senate panel told. It's not a question of if there will be health effects from global warming, said Julie Gerberding, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "It's a question of who, where, when and how," she said. McClatchy Newspapers, 24 October 2007.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/20774.html
