|
 |
|
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
various dates from March to May 2008
various times
at six locations throughout Multnomah County, Oregon
Sponsor: Multnomah County Health Department
Join Multnomah County in learning how your health is more than health care or personal choice. Each episode of the PBS documentary Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick? will sound the alarm about America's glaring socio-economic and racial inequities in health, and search for root causes. The county is asking the community, especially those who have historically been left out of decision-making, to help them understand what actions they should take to address these challenges.
Price: free and open to the public
Website: http://www.mchealth.org:80/healthequity/calendar.shtml
Contact: Health Equity Initiative, 503-988-3030 ext. 22068 or health.equity@co.multnomah.or.us
Thursday and Friday, March 13 - 14, 2008
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, 1000 Fort Duquesne Boulevard
Sponsor: Blue Green Alliance
This conference will launch a nationwide dialogue about moving our country rapidly toward leadership in promoting the benefits of a new green economy. The conference has been designed for advocates representing the labor, environment and public health movements; local, state and federal policymakers; business leaders; economic and workforce development specialists; investors; and scientists and technology experts. More than 50 experts and leaders will speak. Registration ends March 3rd.
Price: $150 for both days
Website: https://www.kintera.org/site/c.rvI3IiNWJqE/b.3820537/
Contact: Sue Cardillo, sue@mcmahon-cardillo.com
Friday March 14, 2008
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Portland, Maine
Sponsor: Learning Disabilities Association of Maine, Environmental Health Strategy Center, American Lung Association of Maine, Maine Council of Churches, Toxics Action Center, University of Southern Maine Department of Environmental Science, and Physicians for Social Responsibility/Maine Chapter
Since its inception in 2003, the Making the Connection conferences have become a means of translating environmental health research into effective action. The conference will connect the work of organizations and individuals concerned about the impact of toxics on Maine children's health including the important connection between exposure to toxic chemicals and learning and developmental disabilities. Philip J. Landrigan, MD, MSc, author of the report on pesticides and children's health that was instrumental in securing passage of the major pesticide law in the United States, will keynote.
Price: $45 general, $75 medical professionals, $20 students
Website: http://www.ldame.org/events.html
Contact: Physicians for Social Responsibility, psr_maine@yahoo.com
Friday through Sunday, March 14 - 16, 2008
Berkeley, California
at UC Berkeley Clark Kerr Campus, 601 Warring Street
Sponsor: Whole Foods, Organic Valley, Frey Wine, Aveda, Natural Lawn of America
This event is convened by Beyond Pesticides, Californians for Pesticide Reform and Pesticide Action Network North America. The theme is "Reclaiming Our Healthy Future, Political Change to Protect the Next Generation," and will include topics such as children's health and public policy; pesticides and the secret history of the war on cancer; DDT and malaria; biomonitoring and pesticide drift; water quality and more. Speakers this year will include Marla Cone, Arturo Rodriguez, James Roberts, MD, and many others.
Price: see http://www.beyondpesticides.org/forum/brochures/index.htm
Website: http://www.beyondpesticides.org/forum/index.htm
Contact: 202-543-5450 or info@beyondpesticides.org
Monday March 17, 2008
9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Albany, New York
at the New York State Education Department (NYSED), Conference Room 129, 625 Broadway
Sponsor: Children's Environmental Health Partnership of New York
Please join us for the Second New York State Children's Environmental Health Symposium, where experts in research, practice and policy will meet to learn of emerging issues in children's environmental health. Preregistration is required by March 13th. To register, please send your name, organization, mailing address, email address and telephone number to Pam Hadad Hurst, pshhurst@gw.dec.state.ny.us or call Pam or Stephanie Petrone at 518-402-8533.
Price: free, but there are fees for parking
Contact: Stephen Boese, 518-462-0632 or sboese@healthyschools.org
Thursday March 20, 2008
11:00 a.m. Pacific time
Sponsor: Collaborative on Health and the Environment
What is the connection between breast cancer and the environment? Join us for or a discussion of the 2008 edition of the Breast Cancer Fund's State of the Evidence report, which is scheduled to be released in mid March. The report summarizes current evidence linking breast cancer and environmental contaminants.
Price: free
Website: http://www.healthandenvironment.org/articles/partnership_calls/3220
Contact: The Collaborative on Health and the Environment, info@healthandenvironment.org
Thursday March 20, 2008
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Portland, Oregon
at the Doubletree Hotel-Lloyd Center, 1000 NE Multnomah
Sponsor: Oregon Environmental Council
Heart health is increasingly being linked to the health of our environment and has even led to the emergence of a new discipline, environmental cardiology. The implications of environmental cardiology are potentially huge, as environmental pollutants and toxins are ubiquitous and have a major impact on cardiovascular disease. This event will feature Aruni Bhatnagar, PhD, who will share the latest research findings and discuss the implications for patient care and public health.
Price: $35, $25 for members and nonprofit or governmental agency employees
Website: http://www.oeconline.org/events
Contact: Oregon Environmental Council, 503-222-1963 or info@oeconline.org
Thursday March 20, 2008 (Seattle, Washington)
Friday March 21, 2008 (Spokane, Washington)
Monday March 24, 2008 (Portland, Oregon)
check the website for times, specific locations, and sponsors for each event
Curious how over 80,000 chemicals are approved for use in the United States? Do you trust that they are safe? Dr. Richard Denison, senior scientist in Environmental Defense's Washington, DC, office, will speak about our nation's policies regarding chemicals used in everyday products and their risks. He will talk about the risks, rewards and need for thoughtful policies for the emerging industry of nanotechnology. Ken Zarker from the Department of Ecology will give a State Chemical Policy update. Brown bag lunch.
Price: unknown
Website: http://www.nahmma.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=18
Contact: North American Hazardous Materials Management Association, 877-292-1403 or nahmma@imigroup.org
Thursday and Friday, March 20 - 21, 2008
8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Spokane, Washington
1101 West College Avenue
Sponsor: National Healthy Homes Training Center and Network
Everyone from a public health nurse visiting a client to an environmental health professional doing a rodent inspection will gain insight into how housing and health are related and actions they can take to improve the health of their clients. The training complements hazard-specific training in lead-based paint, radon, mold, pests and asbestos.
Price: $40
Website: http://www.nwcphp.org/essentials-for-healthy-homes-practitioner-course-2008-3/
Contact: Trudy San Jose White, 206-685-2931 or sanjose@u.washington.edu
Tuesday March 25, 2008
12:00 - 1:00 p.m. Pacific time
Sponsor: Northwest Center for Public Health Practice
This online, interactive session will bring presenters from Washington and Georgia together to discuss short- and long-term public health lessons of flood response. Presenters will provide a state-level perspective on the public-health system response to the Washington floods of December 2007, including a description of how events unfolded, responses to key public health issues and lessons learned. The session will also explore the long-term consequences of the July 1994 Tropical Storm Alberto floods in Georgia, including the initial impacts, the public health flood recovery program and its outcomes and lessons for future public health practice.
Price: see http://www.nwcphp.org/training/hot-topics/registration-for-htip
Website: http://www.nwcphp.org/training/hot-topics/2008-hot-topics/tale_of_two_floods/
Wednesday through Friday, March 26 - 28, 2008
Seattle, Washington
Sponsor: Public Health -- Seattle & King County
2008's conference will build on the success of the 2006 conference by expanding the topic areas covered. The topics for Access 2008 are disrupting access to tobacco, creating access to smoke-free living, and assuring access to cessation. The agenda will emphasize innovative and promising strategies toward a tobacco-free future as well as practices proven to be successful. The conference is open to all tobacco professionals, educators, law enforcement, researchers, policy-makers, students and others who work or learn in a tobacco-related field. Application for CHES Category I continuing education contact hours (CECH) has been made to the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. (NCHEC).
Price: unknown
Website: http://www.accessconference.org/
Contact: Access 08, 206-296-7613 or info@accessconference.org
begins Thursday March 27, 2008
Mount Vernon, Washington
at the Skagit Valley Food Co-op Room 309, 202 South First Street
Sponsor: Skagit Valley Food Co-op and Northwest Earth Institute
This is the first of a seven-session course which includes approaches to create healthy home environments for children, explores ways to foster a child's connection to nature, and looks into how media might hinder child development.
Price: $20 book fee
Website: http://www.nwei.org/discussion_courses/course-offerings/heathty-children-healthy-planet
Contact: Marilene Richardson, 360-863-1820 or contact@nwei.org
Thursday and Friday, March 27 - 28, 2008
8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Sacramento, California
at the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria, Sacramento Public Library, 828 I Street
Sponsor: Northwest Environmental Training Center
This introductory course provides participants with an understanding of the foundations of aquatic toxicology and how these concepts are applied to managing pollutants in aquatic environments. The course covers terminology, common test designs, and endpoints such as lethality, cancer, and endocrine disruption. Continuing education credits are available.
Price: $495, $395 reduced tuition is available for those who qualify.
Website: http://www.nwetc.org/etox-410_03-08_sacramento.htm
Contact: Northwest Environmental Training Center, 206-762-1976
Thursday April 3, 2008
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Midland, Michigan
at the Valley Plaza Resort and Conference Center, 5221 Bay City Road
Sponsor: American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) Environmental Health Initiative
AAIDD launched an Environmental Health Initiative in July 2003 designed to promote good health and reduce disability by forging groundbreaking partnerships among the developmental disabilities networks and the environmental health communities. The goals of this unique collaboration are 1) to raise awareness about the complex links between exposure to neurotoxic chemicals and developmental disabilities and 2) raise awareness that those living with mental retardation and related developmental disabilities may be at greater risk of secondary health effects from toxic exposures than individuals without disabilities. Nicholas Newman, DO, FAAP, will provide participants with information on strategies to reduce the environmental impact of neurotoxic chemicals in children, discuss the research regarding the connection between the exposure to neurotoxic chemicals and disability, and provide a call to action that leads to an increase in the positive developmental outcomes for children.
Price: free, but registration is required
Contact: Angela Martin, 313-577-9470 or Angela.M.Martin@wayne.edu
Tuesday April 8, 2008
2:00 - 3:00 p.m. Eastern time
Sponsor: American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD)
A description of the event will be posted at the website below.
Price: free
Website: http://www.ehinitiative.org/Projects/tele_con.htm
Contact: Laura Abulafia, 800-424-3688 or laura@aaidd.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
Job opening: Florida. The Center For Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ) is currently seeking a full-time experienced community/coalition organizer to help develop and implement a strategy for community engagement and leadership to win justice for communities across the state of Florida. CHEJ has established relationships working with groups from faith, organized labor, school and community-based issues. Our community organizer would advance this work and create new exciting statewide efforts to prevent harm and win justice in Florida.
http://www.chej.org/contact.htm
Job opening: Boston, Massachusetts. Clean Water Fund and Clean Water Action will be hiring a full-time campaign and coalition organizer to help lead a team of organizers and advocates seeking to create fundamental change in government policies on toxic chemicals. This organizer will coordinate a broad-based grassroots campaign in conjunction with the Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow in Massachusetts. Applicants should send a letter of interest and a resume via mail or email to Jennifer Bonkowski, Clean Water Fund, 262 Washington St., Suite 301, Boston, MA 02108; or email jbonkowski@cleanwater.org or phone 617-338-8131 extension 204.
World Health Day. World Health Day has been celebrated on April 7th since 1950. Annual themes highlight priority areas of concern for the World Health Organization. The 2008 theme is "protecting health from climate change," putting health at the center of the global dialogue about climate change.
http://www.who.int/world-health-day/en/
American Academy of Pediatrics reports on global climate change and children's health. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released two documents on global climate change and children's health in late 2007. AAP represents 60,000 pediatricians and its technical reports provide background information to support AAP policy while policy statements provide organizational principles to improve the health of all children. The technical report on global climate change and children's health is available at http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;120/5/e1359 The policy statement is available at http://www.aap.org/pressroom/GlobalPS.pdf
TOXMAP has updated cancer and other mortality data. TOXMAP is a Geographic Information System (GIS) from the Division of Specialized Information Services ( http://sis.nlm.nih.gov ) of the US National Library of Medicine (NLM) ( http://www.nlm.nih.gov ) that uses maps of the United States to help users visually explore data from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s Toxics Release Inventory and Superfund Program. TOXMAP also now shows more detailed roads at a variety of map scales.
http://toxmap.nlm.nih.gov
Nuclear Power Information Tracker. This website from the Union of Concerned Scientists allows users to search for nuclear reactors by various criteria such as reactor type, operational status and safety concerns. Information about individual reactors includes ownership, the dates of operations, residential population within 10 miles and safety issues.
http://www.ucsusa.org/nucleartracker
EPA knows more about children's health today than ever. A 10-year research effort on children's environmental health was highlighted in a new report, "A Decade of Children's Environmental Health: Highlights from EPA's Science to Achieve Results Program." The report summarizes research from the STAR children's health program over the past 10 years, highlighting scientific findings in epidemiology, exposure science, genetics, community-based participatory research, interventions, statistics and methods. This body of work has impacted policy in the United States and influenced scientific directions internationally.
http://www.healthyenvironmentforkids.ca/english/news/index.shtml?x=3678
Bill raises a stink over body sprays. Those all-over body sprays that promise to turn teenage boys into babe magnets? Instead of attracting girls, they could be making students sick. Associated Press, 11 March 2008.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-fragrance-freemar11,0,6425993.story
Chemical exposure link to war syndrome. The diverse and debilitating symptoms of Gulf War syndrome have been linked to chemicals found in pesticides, nerve gas and, ironically, in medication given to troops to protect them from exposure to nerve agents during the 1990-91 conflict. Sydney Australian, Australia, 10 March 2008.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23353688-31477,00.html
Pharmaceuticals found in drinking water. A vast array of pharmaceuticals including antibiotics, anticonvulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, an Associated Press investigation shows. Associated Press, 10 March 2008.
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/homepage/x1574803042
Diesel exhaust stresses brain. Even a brief exposure to the level of diesel exhaust typical of heavy traffic is enough to stress the brain, according to a study. South African Press Association, South Africa, 10 March 2008.
http://www.health24.com/news/Brain_Neurological/1-896,45425.asp
Benzene on the rise in Houston's air, city officials say. Mayor Bill White challenged Texas' chemical industry to reduce its emissions of toxic chemicals such as benzene four months ago and promised punitive measures if it failed to do so. Houston Chronicle, Texas, 9 March 2008.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5604561.html
The vitamin D miracle: Is it for real? The benefits of vitamin D are no longer restricted to cancer prevention: Studies have linked a shortage of the compound to such serious, chronic ailments as multiple sclerosis, diabetes, heart disease, influenza and schizophrenia. Toronto Globe and Mail, Ontario, 9 March 2008.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080308.wxvitamin08/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home?cid=al_gam_mostview
Canadian dentists missed mercury control target. Thirty per cent of Canadian dentists missed a voluntary 2007 target to better control how they release mercury into the environment, but the dentists insist they're making good progress in cleaning up their act. Canadian Press, 9 March 2008.
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080308/dentists_mercury_080308/20080308?hub=Health
Alarm bells sound over threat of mercury contamination. A coalition of environmental groups, First Nations and academics are demanding that the province investigate the threat of mercury contamination from industrial activities in the Canadian Boreal Forest. Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal, Ontario, 9 March 2008.
http://www.chroniclejournal.com/stories_local.php?id=96787
Great Lakes fish soak in new poison. Toxic flame retardants commonly used in computers, televisions and textiles have accumulated dramatically in Great Lakes fish over the past two decades, prompting legislative efforts to ban the compounds. Muskegon Chronicle, Michigan, 9 March 2008.
http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/03/retardant_poisoning_fish.html
Is TV to blame for fat epidemic? Junk-food hawkers manipulate the minds of young children to get to their mouths. There was little disagreement about that at a conference here this week sponsored by the Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance of Canada. Toronto Star, Ontario, 9 March 2008.
http://www.thestar.com/living/Health/article/326315
E numbers still rife in hundreds of foodstuffs. Additives linked to hyperactivity in children are used as ingredients in hundreds of products, campaigners warned last night. Edinburgh Scotsman, Scotland, 9 March 2008.
http://news.scotsman.com/health/E-numbers-still-rife-in.3859033.jp
CDC scrambles to reassure on vaccine safety. CDC officials scrambled to reassure the public that childhood vaccines are safe after news spread that another agency had acknowledged a link between a child's autism and the shots she received as a toddler. Baltimore Sun, Maryland, 8 March 2008.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-te.autism07mar07,0,4923337.story
Analysis: Vaccine-autism link unproven. For those convinced that vaccines can cause autism, the sad case of a Georgia girl, daughter of a doctor and lawyer, seems like clear-cut evidence. Associated Press, 8 March 2008.
http://www.mercurynews.com/healthandscience/ci_8488207?nclick_check=1
Smokers 'make their children ill.' A leading hospital says up to a third of the children it treats for certain conditions are ill because their parents smoke in front of them. BBC, UK, 8 March 2008.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/merseyside/7284793.stm
Senate OKs sweeping product safety reform. The Senate on Thursday passed the most sweeping reform of the nation's consumer safety system in a generation, including stricter tests for toys, greater public access to complaints about products and an overhaul of the federal safety agency charged with regulating most items in American homes. Chicago Tribune, Illinois, 8 March 2008.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-billmar07,1,7229855.story?page=1
State Senate approves bill banning 'toxic toys.' The Senate overwhelmingly approved a measure outlawing toys that contain certain levels of toxins, overcoming objections by opponents who said it effectively steals Christmas and sales tax income. Tacoma News Tribune, Washington, 8 March 2008.
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/updates/story/303398.html
Lead exposure may hasten mental decline. Could it be that the "natural" mental decline that afflicts many older people is related to how much lead they absorbed decades before? Belleville Intelligencer, Ontario, 8 March 2008.
http://www.intelligencer.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=934397
EPA set for new ozone standard. An increasing amount of research shows high ozone levels adversely affect children, the elderly, and people with chronic breathing problems caused by asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Greater Danbury News Times, Connecticut, 8 March 2008.
http://www.newstimes.com/ci_8488121
Sewage-based fertilizer safety doubted. A federal judge is challenging the validity of data behind the government's assertion that converting industrial pollution and raw sewage into free fertilizer for farmers poses no health risk. Associated Press, 7 March 2008.
http://www.charlotte.com/nation/story/524922.html
Florida farmworkers want UN intervention. Nobody helps with their illnesses traced to pesticides, so farmworkers from Lake Apopka are asking for intervention by the UN based on racial bias. Orlando Sentinel, Florida, 7 March 2008.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orl-locfarmworkers07030708mar07,0,7585131.story
Fight looms over consumer database. Industry groups are vigorously fighting a proposal for an Internet site where complaints about products, such as toys, could be posted. Los Angeles Times, California, 6 March 2008.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-consumers6mar06,1,2239010.story?ctrack=1&cset=true
Beware of cancer pill. Long-term use of the cancer pill Gleevec may produce fertility problems in women, Greek doctors reported on Wednesday. Reuters, 6 March 2008.
http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=117&art_id=nw20080305193409840C222242
Scientist says chemical might not be so harmful. Dale Sickles, a neurotoxicologist and vice chairman of Cell Biology and Anatomy at Medical College of Georgia, serves on an external review panel for the EPA on acrylamide. Augusta Chronicle, Georgia, 6 March 2008.
http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/030608/met_189894.shtml
[Editor's note: see a related article at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/earth/2008/03/06/scipots106.xml ]
Companies opt to provide less information on toxics release inventory reports. More chemical makers are submitting less information to EPA about their releases of toxic substances, according to data the agency has provided to C&EN. Chemical & Engineering News, 6 March 2008.
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/86/i10/8610news2.html
Contaminant found in heparin. The Food and Drug Administration has detected a "contaminant" in many samples of Chinese-supplied heparin that may be the cause of hundreds of severe and sometimes deadly allergic reactions to the blood-thinning drug, agency officials said yesterday. Washington Post, 6 March 2008.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/05/AR2008030502476.html
Industry trying to block smog cleanup. Big industries are waging an intense lobbying effort to block new, tougher limits on air pollution that is blamed for hundreds of heart attacks, deaths and cases of asthma, bronchitis and other breathing problems. Associated Press, 5 March 2008.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/03/05/national/w102217S88.DTL&type=politics
Hormone use linked to cancer risks. The first follow-up of a landmark study of hormone use after menopause shows heart problems linked with the pills seem to fade after women stop taking them, while surprising new cancer risks appear. Associated Press, 5 March 2008.
http://www.newsday.com/news/health/ats-ap_health11mar04,0,1532704.story
Higher cancer, stroke risk found in C8 workers. Chemical plant workers exposed to C8 {PFOA} face an increased risk of death from prostate cancer and stroke, according to a new industry study recently submitted to federal regulators. Charleston Gazette, West Virginia, 5 March 2008.
http://wvgazette.com/News/200803040687
Pesticides may be hidden danger to child IQ. Household pesticides may cause some of the intellectual development problems in children previously associated with lead, an Australian toxicologist says. ABC News, Australia, 5 March 2008.
http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2008/03/05/2178230.htm
Public urged to lead on environmental safety. From testing schools for PCBs in window caulk to ridding those schools of caustic cleaning supplies, the public must play a larger role in making their communities safer, speakers said at a major environmental conference on Monday. Bergen County Record, New Jersey, 5 March 2008.
http://www.northjersey.com/environment/environmentnews/Public_told_to_take_the_lead__on_environmental_safety.html
USDA official raises figure on recalled beef already eaten by schoolchildren to 30 million pounds. Schoolchildren have eaten about 30 million pounds of beef targeted in the nation's largest food recall -- 10 million pounds more than previous estimates. Riverside Press-Enterprise, California, 5 March 2008.
http://www.pe.com/localnews/sbcounty/stories/PE_News_Local_D_hearing05.39f708e.html
Cutting TV time makes children healthier, says US study. Stopping children from watching TV really does make them healthier and less fat, according to one of the few studies to observe the effects of intervening directly in their watching habits. London Guardian, England, 4 March 2008.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/mar/04/medicalresearch.health1
Hinchey proposes tougher TCE standards. U.S. Rep. Maurice D. Hinchey and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton will introduce legislation today that would mandate protective standards for the industrial solvent TCE in air and water, taking into account the vulnerability of women and children. Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin, New York, 4 March 2008.
http://www.pressconnects.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080304/NEWS01/803040330/1006
Environmental speaker sheds light on toxins. When the Environmental Working Group commissioned a study of 10 people to find if any of 413 toxic chemicals were in their bodies, the group was surprised that 287 chemicals were detected. Southtown Star, Illinois, 4 March 2008.
http://www.southtownstar.com/news/823617,030408environment.article
Blood lead levels in Alaska raise concern. Roughly one in 10 Alaska workers tested for lead in their blood in recent years had an amount that the CDC considers unhealthy. Anchorage Daily News, Alaska, 3 March 2008.
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/333066.html
Flood of drugs, little oversight. Last week, a team of Food and Drug Administration inspectors visited the Chinese plant owned by Baxter supplier Scientific Protein Laboratories of Waunakee, Wis. There they found evidence of lax hygiene and safety standards. Chicago Tribune, Illinois, 3 March 2008.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-sun_baxter-heparin-baxmar02,0,2155065.story
PCBs get a closer look. With a crucial PCB report looming later this month, an environmental advocacy group is seeking to refocus attention on the chemical's health and environmental effects. Pittsfield Berkshire Eagle, Massachusetts, 3 March 2008.
http://www.berkshireeagle.com/localnews/ci_8434349
Legislator wants to snuff out smoking in rental units. Advancing California's continuing war against smoking in public and private, a San Fernando Valley lawmaker is pushing a statewide measure that could prohibit renters from smoking inside their own homes. Los Angeles Daily News, California, 3 March 2008.
http://www.dailynews.com//ci_8412738
Nanomagnets 'could target cancer.' A team at the University of Edinburgh has developed a method of making nanomagnets stronger, opening the way for their use in cancer treatment. BBC, UK, 2 March 2008.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7270913.stm
Pediatric asthma linked to traffic. Children who live close to traffic-clogged roads are more likely to have asthma than children who live farther from heavily traveled streets, according to a new state report that focuses on six Merrimack Valley communities. Boston Globe, Massachusetts, 2 March 2008.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/03/02/pediatric_asthma_linked_to_traffic/
Non-toxic tots. There's a six-week wait for a $15 stainless steel sippy cup made without harmful compounds and retailers are anxious to take orders for a tea set made of recycled plastic milk jugs and organic crib mattresses. Washington Post, 1 March 2008.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/29/AR2008022903658.html
Md. House votes to curb lead in products for children. Maryland would hire inspectors to enforce a ban on manufacturing, selling, importing or distributing toys and other children's products containing dangerous levels of lead under legislation that passed overwhelmingly yesterday in the House of Delegates. Washington Post, 1 March 2008.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/29/AR2008022901861.html
Maine supports bill to target toxic toys. The Baldacci administration Thursday joined others in support of legislation to more closely regulate toxic chemicals used in toys and other children's products, saying the federal government has fallen short on the job. Associated Press, 1 March 2008.
http://www.hemscott.com/news/latest-news/item.do?newsId=60917668879249
CO2 and pollution don't mix well. A new climate-modeling study indicates that as the world warms, CO2 will cause more pollution-related deaths, although other forms of air pollution will continue to kill far more people. Science, 1 March 2008.
http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2008/229/2
New report focuses on the effects of secondhand smoke. U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona this week issued a comprehensive scientific report which concludes that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Bend KFXO FOX, Oregon, 1 March 2008.
http://www.foxcentraloregon.com/health/3280206.html
[Editor's note: see a related article at http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Health/2008/03/10/secondhand_smoke_a_risk_to_children/7572/ ]
Outspoken scientist dismissed from panel on chemical safety. Deborah Rice, an award-winning toxicologist, was removed from a group of experts researching a widely-used flame retardant after industry lobbyists complained that she was biased. Los Angeles Times, 29 February 2008.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-epa29feb29,0,6191299.story
Concerns grow but the grass doesn't. Health concerns and evidence that synthetic turf contributes to the urban "heat island" effect and storm water runoff problems have led elected officials and environmental groups to call for a time-out in the use of synthetic turf. Gotham Gazette, New York, 29 February 2008.
http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/parks/20080229/14/2449
People drinking well water vulnerable to contaminants. More than 2 million people across the state are living with the prospect that the water they use daily for drinking, cooking and bathing could be tainted with dangerous toxins. Fayetteville Observer, North Carolina, 28 February 2008.
http://www.fayobserver.com/article?id=286932
Mom's cleaning products tied to kids' wheezing. Children exposed to cleaning products and other household chemicals before or after birth may be at increased risk of breathing problems, results of a study published Wednesday hint. Reuters Health, 28 February 2008.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2008/02/27/eline/links/20080227elin002.html
Birth control pills spark an environmental debate. Birth control pills, like batteries and baby bottles, have become the latest item in American homes to become a focus of environmental and health concerns. Columbia News Service, 27 February 2008.
http://www.kansascity.com/238/story/508076.html
Kids vaccine linked to fever, seizures. Children suffered higher rates of fever-related convulsions when they got a Merck & Co. combination vaccine instead of two separate shots, according to a new study presented Wednesday. Associated Press, 27 February 2008.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5j2Gafsj5iWxlQZZP1JUO2ksLt9SgD8V30TK80
Lead programs help residents take action. Did you know your child could be getting poisoned right in front of your eyes, and you not even know it? It happens all the time. Hartford WFSB, Connecticut, 27 February 2008.
http://www.wfsb.com/money/15418877/detail.html
New Jersey joins states seeking to ban toxic chemicals in baby products. New Jersey is joining a growing number of states seeking to ban potentially toxic chemicals found in name-brand children's baby bottles, toys, powders and lotions. Newark Star-Ledger, New Jersey, 27 February 2008.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/02/new_jersey_is_joining_a.html
The danger behind coal-fired power plants. There is new concern in Utah over the generation of power, and there's a smoldering debate over coal-fired power plants. What is the cost of these power plants to human health? Salt Lake City KTVX TV, Utah, 27 February 2008.
http://www.abc4.com/content/features/story.aspx?content_id=258d00a8-f1a6-4996-9dc1-7ba85d1925be
