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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
LDDI Scientific Consensus Statement. The Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative has created a scientific consensus statement on environmental agents associated with neurodevelopmental disorders. Reviewing a vast amount of literature regarding the status of knowledge about neurotoxicants, this statement will be used to create specific policy recommendations in the coming weeks. The document and a signature form for scientists, researchers and health professionals are posted on the LDDI website: http://www.iceh.org/LDDI.html Signatures are requested by Friday December 14, 2007.
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
Tuesday through Thursday, December 11 - 13, 2007
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
at the Bahia Mar Beach Resort & Yachting Center, 801 Seabreeze Boulevard
Sponsor: Marshall University, Vaseashta Foundation, Nanotechnology Industry Association (UK), Asia Pacific Nanotechnology Forum
The objective of the ISNEPP series of symposia is to advance the emerging field of nanotechnology in the areas of environmental protection and remediation, public health, energy resources and production, and standards and regulation. The ISNEPP audience comprises researchers from academia and R&D organizations as well as government policy makers and representatives from industry and industry bodies.
Price: $580 with discounts for students, groups of two or more, or Asia Pacific Nanotechnology Forum members
Website: http://www.isnepp.org/ISNEPP07/front1.htm
Contact: Min Cai, 61-2-9261-8857 or MinCai@apnf.org
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/
New Members. The Partnership for Children's Health and the Environment welcomes these new members:
For a searchable database with a wealth of information about PCHE members, please visit the PCHE website: http://www.partnersforchildren.org/members.html
Toxic Toys database. Michigan-based Ecology Center has just released new research on over 1,500 toys in collaboration with the Washington Toxics Coalition and other leading environmental health groups across the country. Parents will be able to easily check how products rank from highest to lowest in terms of lead, cadmium and other chemicals that are associated with reproductive problems, developmental and learning disabilities, hormone problems and cancer. Toys made with PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, were also tested.
http://www.healthytoys.org
Report commissioned by Collaborative on Health and the Environment released. The report, "Environmental and Occupational Causes of Cancer: New Evidence, 2005-2007," by scientists Dick Clapp, DSc, MPH, and Molly Jacobs, MPH, of Boston University and the University of Massachusetts-Lowell synthesizes the recent peer-reviewed scientific literature related to environmental and occupational exposures and cancer and finds compelling new evidence linking cancer with specific exposures.
http://www.healthandenvironment.org/wg_cancer_news/2633
Health and Environment Alliance listserv on climate change and health. The Health and Environment Alliance has launched a new specialized listserv on "Climate Change and Health."
http://www.env-health.org/a/2599
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) blog. NIOSH had introduced a new NIOSH Science Blog to further communicate the scientific issues related to NIOSH's research and recommendations and to stimulate discussion on those issues. The blog is and online conversation intended as a new way to help NIOSH fulfill its mission of translating research into practice for preventing work-related injuries, illnesses and deaths.
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/blog/
Call for presentations and tribal-specific interventions. "Nurturing Mother Earth: Our People’s Destiny" is the title of the 8th National Tribal Conference on Environmental Management scheduled for June 23-27, 2008 in Billings, Montana. This conference is cosponsored by EPA and the Montana/Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council and is designed to assist tribal environmental professionals, tribal administrators, tribal health professionals and EPA representatives in developing, implementing and evaluating tribal environmental programs to meet tribal environmental needs and improve tribal environmental management capacity. The conference planning team is seeking experience-based learning activities that provide tribes with tools, skills and ideas for addressing the issues of concern. Proposals are due by January 8, 2008. Presentations from the 2007 Tribal Nations Children's Environmental Health Summit that was held August 22-23, 2007, in Denver, Colorado can be seen on the US Environmental Protection Agency's website: http://epa.gov/region8/humanhealth/children/2007summit.html
http://www.ntcem8.org/
Hidden household toxins. That couch you're sitting on could be making you sick. That's because it's likely to have been coated in PBDEs, a class of flame retardant chemicals. But it's not the only toxin likely hiding in your home. Forbes, 4 December 2007.
http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/2007/12/03/health-toxins-household-forbeslife-cx_rr_1203health.html
'Greening' your baby from head to toe. From organic food to eco-friendly fashion and hybrid cars, more and more people, including new parents, are "going green" these days. FOX News, United States, 4 December 2007.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,314741,00.html
Vinyl shares lead's taint. Consumer and environmental groups say the alarm raised over lead is helping them in their campaign to turn public attention to vinyl, a possible source of exposure to chemical additives in consumer goods and toys, most of them imported. Washington Post, 4 December 2007.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/03/AR2007120301844.html?hpid=sec-business
Common water pollutant could harm babies. A chemical pollutant [perchlorate] that is commonly found in water supplies could harm nursing babies, even lead to mental impairment in extreme cases. London Daily Telegraph, England, 4 December 2007.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2007/12/03/scimilk103.xml
Fireplace smoke damaging to health. Because wood fires in homes are a common tradition, it can be hard to believe fireplace and stove smoke is harmful. Marin Independent Journal, California, 4 December 2007.
http://www.marinij.com/ci_7622884?source=most_emailed
Albany panel to assess health risks of mold. It is the scourge of tenants, landlords and homeowners alike, and now, state officials and Gov. Eliot Spitzer are getting serious about it. New York Times, 3 December 2007.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/03/nyregion/03mold.html
High dioxin levels found near Dow Chemical. An area downstream from a Dow Chemical plant is polluted with one of the highest concentrations of dioxins in the nation. Great Lakes Radio Consortium, Michigan, 3 December 2007.
http://www.environmentreport.org/story.php3?story_id=3767
Linking ailments to air pollutants is a challenge. Linking human ailments to air pollution isn't easy, but state health officials want to hear from people who are having problems. Glenwood Springs Post Independent, Colorado, 3 December 2007.
http://www.postindependent.com/article/20071203/VALLEYNEWS/112030051
Don't drink at all, pregnant women told. Pregnant women should never drink alcohol and the industry should be forced to introduce warning labels that it can cause brain damage to unborn children, according to a lobby group. Sydney Morning Herald, Australia, 3 December 2007.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/dont-drink-at-all-pregnant-women-told/2007/12/03/1196530563323.html
Empowering FDA. A new law is one of the most wide-ranging revisions of the federal Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act passed in 40 years and is likely to affect the pharmaceutical industry for decades to come. Chemical & Engineering News, 3 December 2007.
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/coverstory/85/8549cover3.html
Bhopal gas tragedy is still claiming victims: activists. Hundreds of thousands of babies have been born in the years since a deadly gas billowed over Bhopal in 1984, but the survivors of that night say their children have been forever stunted by the tragedy. Agence France-Presse, 3 December 2007.
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=188046&version=1&template_id=40&parent_id=22
Southern California ports move to curb emissions from shipping industry. California hopes to reduce the pollution that officials say causes stunted lung development in children, chronic lung diseases in adults, and aggravates an epidemic of asthma. New York Times, 3 December 2007.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/03/us/03port.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Mercury poses serious health hazard. Despite decades of government attempts to erase it from household use, the poisonous metal mercury remains a threat to the environment and public health, especially to children and women of childbearing age. Poughkeepsie Journal, New York, 3 December 2007.
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071203/NEWS01/712030316
Risks of nanos no small matter. Nanoscale materials behave in unusual ways, combining with other materials like nothing else. In that uniqueness lies their potential for amazing new products worth trillions, and unknown environmental threats. Wilmington News Journal, Delaware, 2 December 2007.
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071202/NEWS/712020375/1006/NEWS
Dry cleaning dilemma. Perchloroethylene remains the cleaner of choice for the vast majority of Tucson's dry cleaners. But it is under fire and some alternatives are cropping up. Tucson Arizona Daily Star, Arizona, 2 December 2007.
http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/214336
Mom saw tot's slow progress before city warning on lead. Even relatively low levels of lead can be harmful, causing a variety of health problems, including speech and language delays, behavioral issues such as hyperactivity, irritability and aggression, and anemia. Chicago Tribune, Illinois, 2 December 2007.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/health/chi-1202_health1_r_p_ddec02,1,4323257.story?ctrack=2&cset=true
Warning: Known to cause severe health risks to laboratory animals, bisphenol A is in you. Investigative reporting finds that the federal government's assurances that bisphenol A is a safe chemical are based on outdated and incomplete government studies and science mostly funded by the chemical industry. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin, 2 December 2007.
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=692145
Mercury advisories issued. Louisiana is ramping up its efforts to ensure residents are safe when they consume the bounty from state bays and bayous. Associated Press, 2 December 2007.
http://www.sunherald.com/218/story/220544.html
Additives may make youngsters hyper. The colorings and preservatives in soft drinks, candy, and other foods can boost kids' activity levels. Science News, 1 December 2007.
http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20071201/note13.asp
New study published on long-term effects of secondhand smoke. A new study using a special type of MRI shows visual evidence of what many in the medical community already suspected. Exposure to secondhand smoke, over an extended period of time, causes structural changes in the lungs of non-smokers. Hernando Today, Florida, 1 December 2007.
http://www.hernandotoday.com/health/MGBL4OSEN9F.html
Household dust laden with toxin. Kids, because they are lower to the ground and often put their hands in their mouths, breathe in or eat the dust on our homes' floors, shelves and windowsills. Tucson Arizona Daily Star, Arizona, 1 December 2007.
http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/213991
National study hopes to find causes of autism. Researchers are launching the largest-ever U.S. study aimed at solving one of the most perplexing mysteries of modern times: the cause of autism. Contra Costa Times, California, 30 November 2007.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/health/ci_7599365?nclick_check=1
Worst pollution risks increasingly indoors. More and more chemicals and unhealthful substances are embedded in our daily lives. And they swirl together inside our tightly built personal spaces to create new, and very personal, toxic hot spots: our homes. Tucson Arizona Daily Star, Arizona, 30 November 2007.
http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/214061
So pretty, but handle with care. Before you toss those holiday lights out and rush out to buy new ones, realize that regardless of whether the lights are made in China or not, most holiday lights contain some level of lead. Baltimore Sun, Maryland, 30 November 2007.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-bz.lights30nov30,0,3081357.story
Duke scientists map 'silenced genes.' A new research finding marks an important step in studying how our environment -- food, stress, pollution -- interacts with genes to help determine why some people get sick and others do not. Associated Press, 30 November 2007.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Silenced-Genes.html
Pesticide use down on California farms in 2006. California farmers used 10 million fewer pounds of pesticides on crops last year, but strawberry growers increased their reliance on fumigants, which are considered among the most dangerous pest-killing chemicals, according to a state report released Thursday. Los Angeles Times, California, 30 November 2007.
http://www.newsday.com/news/health/ny-hsmold305482034nov30,0,4600099.story
State task force to focus on mold. Various types of mold - especially toxic forms - have long been a public concern, and now a New York State task force will investigate related health issues in a first-of-its-kind meeting next week. New York Newsday, New York, 30 November 2007.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/archives.jsp?sm=fr13%3Bhumhealthcond34%3B5Cognitive_neurological_behavioral20%3BCognitive%2Fbehavioral
Report links increased cancer risk to CT scans. Millions of Americans, especially children, are needlessly getting dangerous radiation from "super X-rays" that raise the risk of cancer and are increasingly used to diagnose medical problems, a new report warns. Associated Press, 29 November 2007.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/29/us/29scan.html?_r=1&ref=us&oref=slogin
State sues U.S. over eased EPA rules. Attorney General Jerry Brown sued the U.S. government Wednesday, accusing environmental regulators of relaxing rules that require industry to report toxic pollution. Contra Costa Times, California, 29 November 2007.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/animals/ci_7588970?nclick_check=1
Cancer institute updates risk calculator. A widely used tool for predicting a woman's risk of breast cancer is getting an update -- to better reflect black women's risk. Associated Press, 28 November 2007.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-11-27-breast-cancer_N.htm
Mold is the source for many flu-like afflictions. One of the most notorious offenders is a spore-producing black mold that can severely sicken people and pets and is one of the leading causes of the phenomenon known as sick building syndrome, in which occupants experience acute illness from contaminants. New York Newsday, New York, 28 November 2007.
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/ny-txtmold285478989nov28,0,766868.story
Asbestos turns up in toys, children's clay. Asbestos has been found in a variety of consumer products, including one of this season's biggest-selling Christmas toys, according to the nation's largest asbestos victims organizations. Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Washington, 28 November 2007.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/341381_asbestos28.html
Most kids' toys never tested for safety. The only line of defense between children and potentially dangerous toys is a handful of federal product-safety inspectors who lack the resources and the authority to deal with problems before goods are put on sale. CanWest News, Canada, 28 November 2007.
http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/story.html?id=28fe28cb-2dd9-4d33-a630-b0d93019fa9d&k=50504
Beware of candy that could be harmful. The New Mexico Department of Health is reminding parents to be cautious of certain candies that may contain lead and can be harmful to children. Las Cruces Sun-News, New Mexico, 28 November 2007.
http://www.lcsun-news.com/ci_7572422
Ads target smoking mothers. With more West Virginia women smoking while pregnant than at any time in the past decade, a state anti-tobacco agency started an advertising blitz Tuesday designed to educate mothers about the dangers of smoking to themselves and their babies. Charleston Gazette, West Virginia, 28 November 2007.
http://wvgazette.com/section/News/2007112726
Will it be safe to eat fish from the Duwamish? Health authorities condone eating salmon out of the Duwamish River up to four times a month. But some tribal members are consuming far more. Lower estimates of how much seafood will be eaten will translate into less pollution being cleaned up. Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Washington, 28 November 2007.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/specials/duwamish/341220_duwamish27.html?source=mypi
The CDC's assay for atrazine has systematically underestimated American exposures to the herbicide. New research by scientists at the Centers for Disease Control indicates that the analysis the CDC has used to estimate human exposure to atrazine and atrazine-related breakdown products has strongly underestimated its extent. Environmental Health News, 27 November 2007.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/newscience/2007/2007-1126barretal.html
What determines Junior's DNA? A new field of science -- epigenetics -- is showing us that almost every aspect of our environment -- from stress to our food to toxin exposure -- can affect our genetic makeup in ways that can affect our bodies, and those of the next generation, for life. Toronto Star, Ontario, 27 November 2007.
http://www.thestar.com/SpecialSections/article/280167
Exposing a toxic US policy. Unlike the European Union, the U.S. doesn't require businesses to minimize toxic risks -- or even to list them, so consumers can evaluate the risks. Fresh Air, NPR, 27 November 2007.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16616951
Study: low lead levels still dangerous. A new study finds that exposure to even very low lead levels can cause brain damage in children. Great Lakes Radio Consortium, Michigan, 26 November 2007.
http://www.environmentreport.org/story.php3?story_id=3752
Green schools have their advantages. Studies have shown green buildings can increase productivity and improve health for those who spend large amounts of time in them. Fort Collins Coloradoan, Colorado, 26 November 2007.
http://www.coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071125/UPDATES01/71125003/1002/NEWS01
Cleaning up school buses exhaust. A total of 265 of the 800 school buses in Butler, Warren, Clermont, Hamilton and Kenton counties have been retrofitted with special muffler parts that reduce the amount of harmful chemicals in the exhaust. Cincinnati Enquirer, Ohio, 26 November 2007.
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071126/NEWS0102/711260367
Dangerous chemicals found in or around the Duwamish River. Scores of chemicals have been dumped into or alongside the Duwamish. Many can still be found in the river bottom and on its banks. Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Washington, 26 November 2007.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/specials/duwamish/341062_duwamish-chemicals26.html
Despite known dangers, PCBs used for decades in huge array of products. The makers of the class of chemicals known as PCBs were aware that their product caused a weird pattern of blackheads and blisters known as chloracne. They knew it caused workers in plants producing the substance to complain of loss of appetite, lethargy and a lessening of their get-up-and-go in the bedroom. Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Washington, 26 November 2007.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/specials/duwamish/341059_duwamish-pcbhistory26.html
Are your products safe? You can't tell. A Journal Sentinel investigation has found that the government has failed to regulate endocrine-disrupting chemicals, despite repeated promises to do so. The regulatory effort has been marked by wasted time, wasted money and influence from chemical manufacturers. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin, 25 November 2007.
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=689731
Catch fish; just don't eat them. Tarrant County, TX has a number of popular waterways where you can't eat the fish you catch. Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas, 25 November 2007.
http://www.star-telegram.com/metro_news/story/322853.html
Danger in the dust: toxic flame retardants lurking in every home? Cat food, house dust, human breast milk, televisions, and sperm whales all have one thing in common: They are laced with a group of flame retardants known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers or PBDEs. FOX News, United States, 24 November 2007.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,312641,00.html
Tribe gains tool for keeping air clean. The Mohawk tribe -- and its government -- has become the first reservation in the nation to have an official say-so in protecting its air from pollution generated elsewhere. Albany Times Union, New York, 24 November 2007.
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=641629&category=REGION&newsdate=11/24/2007
Activist, author challenges cosmetics industry over amount of lead in lipsticks. The way author and Campaign for Safe Cosmetics co-founder Stacy Malkan sees it, banning potentially harmful chemicals from personal care products like makeup and shampoo is a no-brainer. San Francisco Chronicle, California, 24 November 2007.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/11/25/LVSETGBTD.DTL
Critics raise red flag over fluoride in tap water. Nearly a half-century after water fluoridation became widespread, a small but growing number of medical officials and environmentalists are again raising concerns over the practice. Toronto Globe and Mail, Ontario, 24 November 2007.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071123.wlfluoride23/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home
FDA: flu drugs affecting kids' behavior. Government health regulators recommended adding label precautions about neurological problems seen in children who have taken flu drugs made by Roche and GlaxoSmithKline. Associated Press, 24 November 2007.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/ats-ap_health10nov23,1,716696.story?ctrack=7&cset=true
Air pollution impact is deadly: study. Air pollution is killing more than 1,500 Quebecers prematurely and causing more than 9,000 cases of bronchitis in children each year, a conference on environmental impacts on public health heard today. Montreal Gazette, Quebec, 24 November 2007.
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=6f26a464-a6a0-4926-9f1a-b039346c9d34&k=84388
Program targets lead poisoning. Although many lead poisoning prevention programs take action when a child has a blood lead level of 10 micrograms per deciliter, the UNCA program looks at children with blood lead levels between 5 and 9 micrograms. Asheville Citizen-Times, North Carolina, 24 November 2007.
http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071124/NEWS01/711240309/1250
Additives 'a risk to children's health.' Parents have been warned to remove food additives linked to hyperactive behaviour from children's diets by the EU's leading expert on the issue. Daily Mail, United Kingdom, 23 November 2007.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=495514&in_page_id=1774&ct=5
Prenatal arsenic exposure may cause cancer later. Children of mothers whose water supplies were contaminated with arsenic during their pregnancies harbored gene expression changes that may lead to cancer and other diseases later in life, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found. Environment News Service, 23 November 2007.
http://www.ens-newswire.com:80/ens/nov2007/2007-11-23-04.asp
submitted to this bulletin by Jim DiPeso
Baby bottle chemical not a concern for many. According to consumer experts and retailers, parents concerned about bisphenol A are in the minority and say most people either aren't aware of the controversy or simply aren't worried. Canadian Press, 22 November 2007.
http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/National/2007/11/22/4675733-sun.html
Hazardous toys still on U.S. store shelves: groups. Two consumer groups called on Tuesday for tougher toy oversight by the U.S. government's product safety agency, saying they had easily found toys in stores with high lead levels and other dangers. Reuters, 21 November 2007.
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN2031513820071120
Study to track pollutants in pregnant women. In the largest survey of its kind undertaken in Canada, researchers plan to track chemical pollutants in about 2,000 pregnant women and their babies over the next five years to see what kind of industrial contaminants are in their bodies. Toronto Globe and Mail, Ontario, 21 November 2007.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071121.wpregnant21/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home
