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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.
March 2, 2007
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Seattle, Washington
at William H. Gates Hall
This program brings together speakers from Alcoa, Weyerhaeuser and other global corporate leaders with top policymakers from Washington, Oregon and California to discuss the impact of global warming on the corporate bottom line. The conference will emphasize the economic risks and opportunities to corporations presented by pending federal and state legislation, evolving carbon trading markets, emissions registries and reporting, and "clean energy" technologies. The program has been approved for 7.0 General CLE credits.
Website: http://www.uwcle.org
Contact: 206-543-0059 or 800-253-8648 or uwcle@u.washington.edu
March 5 - 7, 2007
Long Beach, California
at the Coast Long Beach Hotel, 700 Queensway Drive
The conference is tailored to the policies, regulations and programs that are specific to the states in the Western Region. This will provide attendees with information, technical assistance and program ideas they can put to practical use in carrying out their job responsibilities and business activities. This will be an educational and networking conference for public officials, lead-industry practitioners, environmental consultants and contractors, facility operators, health educators and community advocates from the western United States.
Contact: Conference Hotline, 800-590-6522
March 5 - 7, 2007
Alexandria, Virginia
at the Radisson Hotel Old Town, 901 N. Fairfax Street
An independent panel of 15 scientists convened by the Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction (CERHR), of the NIEHS and National Toxicology Program, will review recent scientific data and reach conclusions regarding whether or not exposure to a commonly used chemical, Bisphenol A (BPA) is hazardous to human development or reproduction. Time is set aside on March 5th for oral public comments, limited to seven minutes per speaker or organization. No registration is required. Details about the meeting, including panelists and agenda, are posted on the NTP website.
Website: http://cerhr.niehs.nih.gov/news/fedreg/fr-12-12-06.pdf
Contact: Robin Mackar, 919-541-0073 or rmackar@niehs.nih.gov
from the Associated Press, Cincinnati Post
February 26, 2007
http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070226/NEWS01/702260373
COLUMBUS -- State officials say they hope a new law barring schools from buying any device that contains mercury will help eliminate spills of the toxic liquid metal. State records show at least 96 mercury spills at schools and universities in the past five years. In addition to the law, which takes effect in April, health inspectors plan to start going through school buildings next school year to look for mercury and order it removed. Many districts already have banned mercury because of its risk to children's brains, nervous systems and kidneys, but school officials don't always know they have the metal in their buildings.
Article Summary: It's common for schools to overlook mercury thermometers, said Mike Dalton, an emergency response coordinator for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency's central district. The devices frequently are used in chemistry, biology and physics labs. The metal also is used often in barometers for science class and in school nurses' blood pressure gauges.
from Reuters
February 26, 2007
http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSN2631036920070226?pageNumber=2
BOSTON -- A judge rejected on Monday a bid for a new trial in a landmark case that found three U.S. companies liable for harming the health of children and creating a public nuisance by manufacturing lead paint. Rhode Island accused paint manufacturers of covering up the risk of lead paint in its lawsuit filed in 1999, the first in the nation to hold paint makers responsible. The suit could trigger a wave of litigation against the industry. The three former lead paint makers -- Sherwin-Williams Co., NL Industries Inc. and Millennium Holdings -- were ordered to clean up contaminated paint in the state, which could cost as much as $3 billion. The companies, which were found liable by a jury on February 22, 2006, said they would appeal Monday's decision.
Article Summary: Lead paint was banned by the U.S. government in 1978 after studies showed it caused health problems in children, including learning disabilities and permanent brain damage. But it remains widespread, especially in older homes in the northeastern United States. Rhode Island children routinely test above the national average for blood-lead levels. Rhode Island authorities say more than 30,000 children were poisoned by lead paint in the state, with an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 homes contaminated by the paint. The cost of cleaning one home is estimated at up to $15,000. The paint companies had denied that they were directly responsible, saying landlords, not paint makers, should be held accountable for conditions that expose children to lead. The court last year denied punitive damage claims against the paint companies.
by Keith Leslie, Canadian Press
February 26, 2007
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=fe0373c1-8cb4-4214-b73e-7bde8d33fe19&k=98839
Article Summary: Armed with tests that suggest the body of every Canadian carries trace evidence of dangerous chemicals, Ontario's New Democrats are spearheading an effort that would help them learn exactly what carcinogens or toxins they are exposed to on a daily basis. Toxic chemicals are in many everyday products, from household cleaners and laundry detergents to hair dyes and cosmetics, said NDP environment critic Peter Tabuns, who is pushing for a new law that would compel manufacturers to disclose dangerous ingredients in their products. Consumers would demand changes if labels told them exactly what a product contains, Tabuns said in an interview. After a similar law was passed in California, manufacturers opted to find alternatives rather than list carcinogens on their labels. The members of Canada's Chemical Producers Association believe in right-to-know legislation, but "the devil is in the details," said Michael Bourque, the association's vice-president of public affairs. He cautioned that the group does not support giving people information that's going to confuse them or alarm them unnecessarily. Tabuns' bill also calls for better worker access to warnings about harmful chemicals they are exposed to on the job, and he plans to introduce companion legislation, a Toxic Use Reduction act, to force companies to cut the use, waste and spillage of toxic chemicals.
by Colleen Diskin, Bergen County [New Jersey] Record
February 26, 2007
http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkzJmZnYmVsN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk3MDg0Mjc5JnlyaXJ5N2Y3MTdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5Mg==
Article Summary: Polluted sites in North Jersey sit idle for decades, with chemicals poisoning the soil and groundwater. Environmental regulators can do little more than flash a badge at the owners of the estimated 18,000 contaminated sites in the state, critics say. They are at the mercy of polluters who often dictate the terms and time frame of a cleanup. One polluted site in Ridgefield Park has been languishing for 20 years despite suspicions that benzene, coal tar and other chemicals have contaminated the groundwater and that an on-site landfill threatens the adjacent Overpeck Creek. Frustrated over situations like this, lawmakers, developers, environmentalists and even DEP officials are calling for tougher laws about contaminated sites. The push comes after the disclosure last summer that a child-care center named Kiddie Kollege had unknowingly opened in an old factory in South Jersey that was contaminated with mercury. The understaffed DEP had lost track of the site. To fix the ailing system, DEP Commissioner Lisa Jackson has asked the Legislature to give the DEP more muscle, including:
Developers and private consultants bristle at the idea of more regulations, because they don't think caseworkers have the expertise to know the best methods to clean up contaminated sites. They also complain about the bottlenecks at the DEP. While it waits for changes, the DEP is creating a list that would give priority to properties located near homes or water. It may step up enforcement at sites where voluntary cleanups have stalled, Kropp said.
by Martin Mittelstaedt, Toronto Globe and Mail
February 26, 2007
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070226.PESTICIDE26/TPStory/Environment
Ontario is being lobbied by a number of well-known medical, public-health and environmental organizations to institute a provincewide ban on the aesthetic use of pesticides. If the Liberal government accepts the idea, Ontario would be the second province, after Quebec, to take this action and it would mean that more than half of the country's residents live in areas where the use of pesticides for cosmetic reasons has been made illegal, based on health concerns. Dozens of cities, including Toronto and Halifax, also have bans.
Article Summary: A delegation from his organization, along with the Canadian Cancer Society's Ontario wing, the Ontario College of Family Physicians, Pesticide Free Ontario, and the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario, plans to meet with Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Health officials today to seek a ban. It would mean homeowners would not be permitted to spray lawns with herbicides, such as 2,4-D, to kill dandelions just because they don't like the looks of the weed; they would only be able to use products to kill pests, such as rats or mosquitoes, that pose recognized health threats. According to the poll, 71 per cent of Ontario residents support a ban, while 22 per cent are opposed. There is a growing body of scientific research linking pesticides to some illnesses, such as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and breast cancer, although not all studies have found associations.
by Jia-Rui Chong, Los Angeles Times
February 25, 2007
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-disease25feb25,0,7795423.story
Article Summary: Global climate change is changing the importation of infectious diseases, such as Vibrio food poisoning in Alaska, encephalitis carried by ticks in Sweden or malaria at new elevations. The spread of human disease has become one of the most worrisome subplots in the story of global warming. Incremental temperature changes have begun to redraw the distribution of bacteria, insects and plants, exposing new populations to diseases that they have never seen before. A report from the World Health Organization estimated that in 2000 about 154,000 deaths around the world could be attributed to disease outbreaks and other conditions sparked by climate change. The temperature change has been small, about 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit over the last 150 years, but it has been enough to alter disease patterns across the globe. "No one's saying global warming is the whole picture here," said Dr. Paul R. Epstein, associate director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard University. "But it is playing a role. As climate changes, it's projected to play an even greater role."
The impact of global warming has not been all bad. Researchers recently found that rising temperatures have helped reduce some diseases related to cold weather. One British study found that the number of children infected with a cold-like virus known as respiratory syncytial virus has been declining with warming temperatures.
by Sue Lowe, South Bend [Indiana] Tribune
February 25. 2007
http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070225/News01/702250319/-1/NEWS01
Our state and federal governments monitor a litany of chemicals that are released into the air and water. State Rep. Ryan Dvorak, D-South Bend, thinks we need to find out how much of those chemicals actually ends up in our bodies. He has introduced legislation calling for establishment of a biomonitoring program to test for the presence of toxic and cancer-causing chemicals in human bodies.
Article Summary: The bill would require creation of a panel of scientific experts who would set up a biomonitoring program. The state would analyze samples of human blood, bone, fat, hair, milk, saliva or urine for chemicals. Only volunteers would be tested and, at least initially, they would be people who would fit into whatever studies the panel of scientists had set up. He said the chemical and pesticide industries have long criticized regulations they say are based on vague data. "With biomonitoring, you really know what is in people," Dvorak said. He also thinks the state needs to know what is in people's bodies in order to decide what regulations are needed to protect its citizens. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a biomonitoring program, but the number of people sampled is so small that the results apply only to national studies and cannot be used for state action.
by Anne Paine and Brad Schrade, Nashville Tennessean
February 25, 2007
http://www.ashlandcitytimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070225/NEWS0201/702250386/1291/MTCN01
Article Summary: Titanium dioxide, known by its chemical formula of TiO2, goes into paper, automobile finishes and plastic to whiten them, brighten them and make them opaque. DuPont's New Johnsonville facility is the largest of its kind in the world, turning out 350,000 tons of the white stuff a year, or nearly 1,000 tons a day. During the production, chlorine is added, creating dioxin, a colorless compound that has been deemed likely to cause cancer and auto-immune disorders. Almost 2,000 lawsuits have been filed in Mississippi by people claiming DuPont made them or their children sick. The Mississippi plant makes the same white pigment for paints, plastics and paper as the huge DuPont facility in this small Tennessee River town about 65 miles west of Nashville. Both plants produce dioxin waste, a toxic substance, and Humphreys County had the highest cancer rate in the state during the most recent reporting period, according to the state Health Department's cancer registry. State of Tennessee environmental officials were surprised to learn that the plant produces dioxin and that it's the fourth-largest producer of dioxin in the nation. The company has so far not provided the state with details about the type of dioxin it creates. Some versions are less harmful than others; "pure" dioxin has been labeled as one of the most toxic chemicals known to science. The issue has divided the community, with some taking offense at criticism of a company that is viewed as the economic backbone of the area and a supporter of schools, parks and ball teams, while others say they want answers to questions raised about possible contamination.
from the Associated Press, Jonesboro [Arkansas] KAIT News
February 24, 2007
http://www.kait8.com/Global/story.asp?S=6135582&nav=0jsh
Article Summary: WASHINGTON -- Some children's jewelry is being recalled because the products contain high levels of lead, including "Kidsite" necklace and earring sets and "Claudia Jublot" children's rings. Mark Ross, a spokesman for the Consumer Product Safety Commission, says if children ingest the jewelry "they can suffer from lead poisoning, it can make them sick and it can be deadly."
by Adrienne Lu, Bergen County [New Jersey] Record
February 24, 2007
http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2NSZmZ2JlbDdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5NzA4MjM0MyZ5cmlyeTdmNzE3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTQ=
Harsh scrubbing powders, caustic cleaning fluids and pungent disinfectant sprays may be headed the way of the chalkboard in classrooms, as more and more schools trade conventional cleaning products for less toxic and more environmentally friendly alternatives. Even though New Jersey has yet to require "green cleaning" in schools, many school districts are switching on their own, citing health and environmental reasons.
Article Summary: According to Deirdre Imus, many of the chemicals found in conventional cleaners can trigger allergies and rashes and may even contain carcinogens and neurotoxins. Scientists are trying to determine the nature of the threat from cleaning products. Some cleaning products contain chemicals that have not been independently tested or approved. Besides benefiting schoolchildren, the change also provides fewer offensive odors and less skin irritation for the custodians and the maintenance workers. In New York, all public and private schools must switch to green cleaning this school year, which means that all-purpose cleaners, cleaning products for window, carpets and bathrooms and even hand soaps must comply with detailed guidelines developed by the state's Office of General Services. The state is believed to be the first to require green cleaning in all its schools. Former New Jersey Gov. Richard Codey signed an executive order a year ago requiring state agencies to use environmentally friendly cleaning products, but the ruling does not apply to schools.
Charles Weschler, a professor at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and an expert in the field, said some conventional cleaning products may indeed pose either chronic or acute health risks to people, meaning anything from asthma attacks to cancer. However, he warned that so-called green cleaning products may or may not be any better "Green is such an ill-defined word right now when it comes to cleaning products," he said.
[Editor's note: See a related article about a proposed legislation in Illinois that attempts to clean up indoor air in schools by requiring the use of environmentally friendly cleaning supplies at http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stcharles/story/DC315211A5D2CD558625728900141E01?OpenDocument.]
by Douglas Fischer, Oakland Tribune
February 23, 2007
http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_5287682
Flame retardants are generating some heat of their own as concerned researchers and lawmakers note rising levels in the environment and are stepping up efforts to ban them from everyday household products. The latest and most sweeping effort came Thursday as Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, unveiled a bill that would ban from upholstered furniture and bedding products any flame retardant made with bromine or chlorine. Compounds with such elements are related to PCBs, a long-lived and potent neurotoxin banned in the United States in 1979 but still found in the blood of anyone tested. Various governments, including California and the European Union, have banned individual flame retardants, a few of which were marketed as "safe" alternatives to PCBs. None have succeeded in banning an entire class of chemicals, allowing manufacturers to swap a problematic compound with a chemically related but untested one.
Article Summary: Chemical manufacturers warn that such bans replace a very real threat -- death by fire -- with an unknown and potentially empty one -- cancer years later. For many compounds, there is no evidence that they are harmful, they are increasing or they are accumulating. There's no evidence, whatsoever, because such investigations are expensive, difficult and have not been done. Some lawmakers and activists say society has no time to wait for scientists to confirm the toxicology and environmental fate of all the so-called brominated and chlorinated compounds. The chemicals, they say, have a proven track record and should be banned as a precaution. To do otherwise risks waiting until levels in our bodies are high enough to cause harm. That is like what happened with a collection of widely used brominated flame retardants known as PBDEs, which saw production explode after the PCB ban. PBDEs, or polybrominated diphenyl ethers, are astonishingly effective at retarding fire in foam and plastic. Until recently, they were sold in three mixtures: Penta and Octa for foam and upholstery -- including bedding; Deca for hard plastic and some textiles. Then researchers discovered that concentrations of Penta and Octa were doubling every few years in wildlife and nursing mothers. California and the European Union banned them from products. Deca is different. It has eluded bans in large part because industry has successfully argued the chemical does not pollute the environment or our bodies to the extent Penta and Octa do. Manufacturers claim Deca, unlike Penta and Octa, neither leaches from products nor breaks down into more toxic compounds. But new findings are challenging both notions.
from the Economist
February 22, 2007
http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8733763
Article Summary: Bruce Blumberg of the University of California, Irvine, has conducted research into endocrine disrupters -- chemical compounds that interfere with the body's normal processing of hormones such as estrogen. His research has led him to conclude that some of them may well encourage obesity. The notion of such "obesogens", as Dr Blumberg calls them, is controversial. Some insist that diet and exercise (or, rather, the lack thereof) are the simpler explanations for obesity, with perhaps a dash of genetic predisposition thrown in. However, a panel of experts convened at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting argued that those factors are insufficient to explain the dramatic increase in obesity seen across the world since 1980. Caloric intake and exercise levels have not altered enough to explain the difference, the scientists maintained, and human genes cannot have changed in such a short time. Some environmental-health experts suspect that fetal exposure to nasties found in everyday plastics might be the underlying explanation of the recent obesity trend. John Peterson Meyers of Environmental Health Sciences, an advocacy group, observes that a number of synthetic chemicals widely found in the environment have been shown to alter the activity of genes, even when they are present at extremely low concentrations. Retha Newbold of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has discovered that early DES exposure leads to obesity in adult mice, in addition to causing damaged reproductive organs in children of women who took it during pregnancy. Other synthetic hormones and endocrine disrupters common in the modern world seem to have a similar impact, including bisphenol-A and tributyl tin. Frederick vom Saal of the University of Missouri has investigated the impact of early exposure to this compound, showing that fetal exposure to bisphenol-A led to obesity and cancer in animals.
by Tom Meersman, Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune
February 22, 2007
http://www.startribune.com/587/story/1019852.html
Certain chemicals once made by 3M would be defined as "hazardous substances" and their health risks would receive new scrutiny under bills introduced at the Legislature this week.
Article Summary: The proposals came after a chemical called PFBA and other 3M chemicals were detected in drinking-water wells in the area. Several of the chemicals were formerly manufactured by Maplewood-based 3M for use in products such as stain-resistant fabrics, firefighting foams, film and nonstick cookware. State health officials said that the levels of PFBA in the water do not represent an immediate threat to public health, but that little is known about long-term exposure to the chemical. One of the proposed bills would define PFBA and similar compounds called perfluorochemicals (PFCs) as hazardous substances under the Minnesota Environmental Response and Liability Act, commonly known as the state Superfund law. The effect would be to ensure that any costs of removing or cleaning up PFCs in the environment would be borne by the polluters, rather than taxpayers. Another proposal at the Capitol would set interim health risk limits for PFBA and at least temporarily tighten the existing limits for two other perfluorochemicals, PFOA and PFOS. The bill would require the department to reassess the health risks and develop limits for all three chemicals by Aug. 1. Another proposal includes PFCs in a larger bill that would establish an environmental health tracking system in the state. One provision would authorize a small-scale study of the concentrations of different chemicals, including PFCs, in the blood of volunteers.
by Amanda Spake, The Nation, Biloxi SunHerald
February 22, 2007
http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/16754150.htm
Article Summary: Hurricane Katrina survivors living in trailers supplied by the Federal Emergency Management Administration are suffering from a constellation of similar health problems. They wake up wheezing, coughing and gasping for breath. Their eyes burn; their heads ache; they feel tired, lethargic. Nosebleeds are common, as are sinus infections and asthma attacks. Children and seniors are most severely afflicted, but no one is immune. Most of the trailers are camperlike units, designed for overnight stays. The interiors are fabricated from composite wood, particle board and other materials that emit formaldehyde, a common but toxic chemical. The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified formaldehyde as a human carcinogen. Complaints of respiratory problems to the Sierra Club led the organization to test 52 FEMA trailers last April, June and July. Some 83 percent of the 13 different types tested had formaldehyde in the indoor air at levels above the EPA recommended limit. Air sampling by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration at holding stations where groups of trailers were kept before they were set up revealed high formaldehyde levels even in outdoor air. At the holding station in Pass Christian, formaldehyde in outdoor air was 30 to 50 times the level recommended by the EPA, and several times OSHA's workplace standard. The Department of Housing and Urban Development has set standards to limit formaldehyde in building materials used in manufactured housing and mobile homes. But for travel trailers and recreational vehicles there is no federal standard.
by Tamara McLean, Australia Herald Sun
February 22, 2007
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,21268910-5005961,00.html
GLOBAL warming will take a toll on children's health, according to a new report showing hospital admissions for fever soar as days get hotter. The new study found that temperature rises had a significant impact on the number of pre-schoolers presenting to emergency departments for fever and gastroenteritis. The two-year study at a major children's hospital showed that for every five-degree rise in temperature two more children under six years old were admitted with fever to that hospital. The University of Sydney research is the first to make a solid link between climate changes and childhood illness.
Article Summary: The study, published in the International Journal of Environmental Health Research, analyzed several different climate factors, including UV index, rainfall and humidity, collected from the Bureau of Meteorology in 2001 and 2002. Temperatures were the only negative risk factor, with findings linking heat to both fever and gastro disease but not to respiratory conditions. Researcher Dr. Lawrence Lam, a pediatrics specialist, said the results, collated from The Children's Hospital at Westmead admissions, back up beliefs that children are less able to regulate their bodies against climate change than adults. He said it was still unclear whether the heat directly triggered the illnesses or whether other heat-related problems, like pollution, were responsible.
by Sheryl Ubelacker, Canadian Press, Toronto Globe and Mail
February 21, 2007
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070221.wcancer0221/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home
TORONTO -- Women who take vitamins containing folic acid before and during pregnancy appear to significantly cut the risk that their infants will develop three common childhood cancers, Canadian researchers say. Folic acid is already known to diminish the chance that a child will be born with spina bifida or other neural tube defects, but it may also have powerful effects in preventing some cases of pediatric leukemia, brain tumours and neuroblastoma, the study by researchers at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children suggests.
Article Summary: The analysis found that prenatal supplementation with multivitamins containing folic acid is associated with a 39 per cent protective effect for leukemia, 27 per cent for brain tumors and 47 per cent for neuroblastoma. Leukemia, the most common childhood cancer, accounts for up to 35 per cent of new pediatric cases each year; brain and spinal tumors, the second most common form of cancer, account for 17 per cent; while neuroblastoma, the most prevalent solid tumour that occurs outside of the brain in children under age five, affects one in every 6,000 to 7,000 children in North America. Neuroblastoma arises in the adrenal gland or related nervous system tissue and can spread to the area behind the eyes and to the bones. The tumors may press on the spinal cord, causing paralysis. Often the cancer is present at birth but it not detected until later in infancy or childhood. But doctors stress that there are many causes of cancer and it's not known exactly what role folic acid alone plays -- or, indeed, the contribution of other components of multivitamins. Dr. Rogers said factors such as diet as well as exposure to viral infections or environmental toxins could also be responsible for planting the seeds of these childhood cancers, but more research is needed.
by Barbara Booth, Environmental Science & Technology
February 21, 2007
http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2007/feb/science/bb_asrice.html
Article Summary: The largest market basket survey of arsenic in U.S. rice indicates that rice from California contains, on average, about 40% less arsenic than rice from the south central U.S. -- Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and Missouri. Andrew Meharg and co-workers at the University of Aberdeen (U.K.) measured arsenic levels in 134 samples of rice purchased from Arkansas and California supermarkets. Arsenic levels in south central U.S. rice averaged 0.27 micrograms per gram (µg/g), whereas arsenic in rice from California averaged 0.16 µg/g. Meharg speculates that the higher level of arsenic in rice from the south central U.S. can be traced to residual arsenic-containing pesticides still present in old cotton fields now used for growing rice. But not everyone is convinced. The higher amounts of arsenic in south central U.S. rice could be due solely to natural background levels in soils, notes Mark Barnett, an arsenic expert at Auburn University. Meharg asserts in the paper that regardless of the original arsenic source, "the consequences for human health are identical." He added that on average, half the arsenic in rice is composed of the more dangerous inorganic form, although this varies widely. He points out that "none of the levels of arsenic in rice exceeded the 1.0 milligram per kilogram threshold recommended by some countries." Barnett also notes that arsenic is a normal part of the human diet and that arsenic intake from food often exceeds that from drinking water.
by Kellyn S. Betts, Environmental Science & Technology
February 21, 2007
http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2007/feb/science/kb_indoorair.html
Article Summary: Research published today uses an innovative approach to show that indoor air releases far more PCBs to the atmosphere around England's second-largest city than does the area's soil. The findings go against the widely held hypothesis that soil volatilization is the main source of PCBs in the environment, according to Stuart Harrad and his colleagues at the University of Birmingham (U.K.). PCBs are one of the 12 "dirty dozen" pollutants banned by the United Nations' Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. The paper adds important new data to the growing body of research showing that older consumer products still in use are a significant source of PCBs on a global basis. The ventilation of contaminated indoor air "to outside is what is driving outdoor air concentrations, which in turn is what drives food concentrations," Harrad explains. At present, food is the main route through which most people are exposed to PCBs, explains Linda Birnbaum, director of the experimental toxicology division of the U.S. EPA's National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory. Harrad's new data corroborate recent measurements of the sources of PCBs in and around Toronto. The findings could lead to a reevaluation of remediation and cleanup priorities. Although the levels of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs have been falling, the concentrations of nondioxin-like PCBs in U.K. food have not declined since 1992, according to a draft report (594KB PDF) by the country's Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
[Editor's note: See a related article on PCB pollution in Oregon at http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1172116502284670.xml&coll=7.]
by Ken Ward Jr., Charleston [West Virginia] Gazette
February 21, 2007
http://sundaygazettemail.com/section/News/2007022125
Newborn babies exposed to low levels of the chemical C8 have been found to have decreased birth weight and head circumference, according to preliminary results from Johns Hopkins University researchers. The findings, if confirmed, could represent a dramatic new piece of evidence -- actual developmental effects in humans -- about the potential dangers of C8 and similar chemicals.
Article Summary: C8 is another name for ammonium perfluorooctanoate, or PFOA. DuPont has used the chemical since the 1950s to make Teflon, other non-stick products, oil-resistant paper packaging and stain- and water-repellent textiles. Researchers are finding that people around the world have C8 in their blood. The blood levels may be generally small, but it is unclear whether these amounts are dangerous. Nonstick cookware may be one route of exposure to C8, but recent studies suggest that food packaging may be a much bigger source. DuPont has consistently maintained there are no human effects known to be caused by C8.
Dr. Lynn Goldman, a professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, is leading the new study with a team from Johns Hopkins and the federal Centers for Disease Control. Goldman said that there are still unknowns, such as exactly how the babies were exposed to C8 and whether other factors may have also contributed to the developmental effects. Previous results of the Johns Hopkins study, announced in February 2006, found C8 in umbilical cord blood samples from 298 of 300 babies tested. Overall, the C8 levels in the babies tested were "at concentrations lower than typically reported in adult [blood] collected from other regions of the United States," according to an abstract of Goldman's presentation last week. Previous animal studies have shown that C8 can travel across the placental barrier. In animal studies, effects including birth defects, developmental delays and neonatal death have been observed. C8 has also been linked to cancer in animal studies, and an EPA science panel recommended that the agency classify C8 as "likely" to cause cancer in humans. Enesta Jones, an EPA spokeswoman, said that the agency is "absolutely" concerned about the Johns Hopkins findings and would consider the study as it finishes a broad risk assessment of C8.
by Denis Cuff, Contra Costa [California] Times
February 21, 2007
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/16746844.htm
People of color bear an unfair burden of exposure to air pollution in the Bay Area because they make up nearly two-thirds of the population living within a mile of refineries, chemical plants and other sources of toxic air contaminants, a new study reported Tuesday. A coalition of health and environmental groups called their report the first comprehensive attempt to document unequal access to clean air in the Bay Area.
Article Summary: Researchers for the Bay Area Environmental Health Collaborative combed through census records and federal records on industrial pollution emissions to search for racial and economic trends in neighborhoods exposed to pollution that can increase risks of asthma, cancer and heart problems. They found that Latinos, African Americans, and Asians or Pacific Islanders made up 62 percent of those living within a mile of plants or industries that reported toxic air emissions to the federal government. Whites made up 33 percent of residents in those neighborhoods. The racial breakdown changed dramatically in neighborhoods further from the plants. Minorities made up 33 percent of the population living 2.5 miles or more from the plants, and whites made up 63 percent, the study found. The researchers conceded that the relatively cheap price of housing near industrial plants attracted many people there. Authors of the report said it shows that government agencies need to change their policies to provide environmental justice in the approval of new industrial plants and regulation of existing ones. Bay Area cities and counties need to consider the cumulative impacts of all pollution in a neighborhood when reviewing plans for new plants, the study recommended, and the Bay Area's air quality agency must do more to consider cumulative pollution impacts in setting emission limits on industries. Mark Ross, a Martinez city councilman who heads the Bay Area air pollution board said the air district has begun a multiyear study to estimate which communities in the Bay Area are at most risk from the cumulative effects of industrial and auto pollution. The district plans to use the study results to set priorities for awarding grants to reduce pollution, such as subsidizing replacement of diesel engines in businesses near highly polluted neighborhoods.
by Michael Milstein, Portland Oregonian
February 21, 2007
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1172028342143560.xml&coll=7
Environmental groups and nine states are suing the federal government for refusing to control toxic mercury released into the air by existing cement kilns, including one in Eastern Oregon that is among the largest sources of airborne mercury nationwide. The Environmental Protection Agency decided in December that it would be too expensive for cement companies to refit their plants to cut down on mercury emissions. The new lawsuits filed Friday and Tuesday contend that the EPA defaulted on an earlier court decision that ordered the agency to regulate mercury from the plants.
Article Summary: Nine Eastern and Midwestern states sued the EPA on Tuesday for not controlling cement kilns, following a similar lawsuit filed last week by environmental groups including the Sierra Club, Downwinders at Risk, Desert Citizens Against Pollution, and Montanans Against Toxic Burning. Cement plants can emit as much or more mercury as power plants. A cement plant in eastern Oregon was the third-largest source of airborne mercury in the country in 2004, according to estimates the company reported to the EPA. Mercury collects in the food chain -- especially in fish -- causing neurological damage and birth defects in people who consume too much contaminated fish. Some forms of the compound fall out of the air quickly, while others can travel thousands of miles around the globe. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality wants to know more specifically what forms of mercury come from the cement plant.
by Sandy Bauers and Tom Avril, Philadelphia Inquirer
February 21, 2007
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/16744098.htm
Faced with a reality they have fought for months, Pennsylvania's coal-plant operators now have to figure out how they can vastly reduce the mercury emissions from their plants. Under a new rule that went into effect Saturday, they must cut mercury emissions 80 percent by 2010 and 90 percent by 2015. With the rule, Pennsylvania joins Illinois among the country's major coal-producing states that have adopted measures tougher than federal legislation. That legislation requires cuts of about 86 percent in emissions over the next 20 years.
Article Summary: Pennsylvania has 36 coal-fired power plants and is second only to Texas in mercury emissions. The new rule would stop an estimated 3.6 tons of mercury from flowing into the air per year. Mercury becomes airborne when coal is burned. Once it falls into waterways, it becomes methylmercury, which is more toxic and accumulates in fish. It can cause nervous-system damage in a developing fetus and young children. PennEnvironment's energy and clean-air advocate, Nathan Wilcox, called the rule a "tremendous victory for Pennsylvania's environment and public health." He said nearly 11,000 citizens submitted comments in support of the rule. But Douglas L. Biden, president of the Electric Power Generation Association, predicted that many older, smaller plants, unable to afford the new technology, will shut down. Many in the industry had hoped the Pennsylvania rule would allow trading, so companies able to reduce pollution more than required could sell "credits" to plants that could not make the reductions without great expense. One legislator has indicated that she planned to introduce legislation that would incorporate the Rendell plan but also allow interstate trading of emissions.
by Truman Lewis, ConsumerAffairs.Com
February 18, 2007
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2007/02/peanut_butter_recall03.html
Article Summary: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration widened a warning to say that all Peter Pan peanut butter purchased since May 2006 should be discarded. The agency had earlier said that certain batches of Peter Pan and Wal-Mart's Great Value brand peanut butter -- those with a product code on the lid beginning with 2111 -- might contain salmonella. The ConAgra Foods plant in Sylvester, Georgia, has been shut down since Wednesday, when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned that Peter Pan brand peanut butter and some batches of Wal-Mart's Great Value house brand were linked to a salmonella outbreak that has sickened at least 300 people nationwide since August. Symptoms of foodborne illness caused by Salmonella include fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramps. In persons with poor underlying health or weakened immune systems, Salmonella can invade the bloodstream and cause life-threatening infections. Individuals who have recently eaten Peter Pan and Great Value brand peanut butter beginning with product code 2111 and have experienced any of these symptoms should contact their doctor or health care provider immediately. Any such illnesses should be reported to state or local health authorities.
by Ivan Oransky, The Scientist
February 2007
http://www.the-scientist.com/article/home/43585/
Article Summary: Cow's milk contains steroid hormones such as estradiol and testosterone, and peptide hormones such as IGF-1. Drinking milk has been shown to boost serum levels of certain hormones, particularly IGF-1, in humans. High levels of certain hormones, particularly IGF-1, have been shown to increase the risk of certain cancers. Some epidemiologists have connected those three dots and have suggested that cow's milk increases the risk of cancer. Large epidemiologic studies have appeared in major journals, reporting that prostate cancer -- particularly aggressive forms -- seem to be associated with dairy intake, and perhaps more strongly with total calcium intake. Such intake may double or triple the risk of aggressive prostate cancers, which kill about 2-3% of men. From this study and others presented at a McGill and Harvard-sponsored conference, Harvard epidemiologist Walter Willett to conclude that current US dietary guidelines, updated in 2005, promote too much milk. "I think it's not wise to recommend three [8-ounce] glasses per day for adults. Probably, a serving a day is OK; I don't see much reason that would be harmful. I'm concerned about two glasses a day, and three has a strong potential for harm."
While no one really disagrees that drinking milk is associated with higher serum levels of IGF-1, the mechanism is the subject of debate. There are also many other factors that are raising levels of IGF-1, including genetic differences. Other problems with associating hormone levels with cancer include difficulty in measuring hormones and a lack of a relationship in epidemiologic studies. And there are benefits to milk, including the calcium that can prevent osteoporosis; a weak protective effect against colorectal cancer; and decreased risk of fracture, insulin resistance, and stroke. Also unknown is whether the selective breeding of cows has selected for endocrine variants in modern cows. On average, cows are producing six times the milk they did in 1900.
