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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 16, 2007
7:30 a.m. - 5:15 p.m.
Houston, Texas
at the Denton A. Cooley Auditorium at the Texas Heart Institute, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, 6770 Bertner Avenue
This activity addresses a number of needs, including environmental health challenges specific to the Gulf Coast, paucity of pediatric environmental health research and educational programs in Gulf Coast region, lack of training in environmental health hazards and disease in children among primary care health professionals and teachers, lack of programs to prevent exposure to environmental health hazards, articulated desire of regional health professionals for accurate and useful environmental health information, articulated desire of physicians, teachers, and others for specific tools for diagnosing and treating children who have been exposed to environmental hazards, lack of training among health care professionals to be advocates for environmental health in children, and desire for practical actions that make a difference.
Website: http://envirohealthhouston.org/symposium07/
Contact: Tamara Greiner, 713-798-8237 or tgreiner@bcm.edu
March 16, 2007
7:00 p.m.
Seattle, Washington
at the University of Washington, Kane Hall, Room 120
We are reaching a tipping point in the debate on American health care. Equality and fair access for everyone must outweigh the inequities we face in our current health care system. We have the opportunity to create an excellent quality American health care system rooted in dignity, equality and respect. Come learn how you can be involved.
Website: http://www.pnhpwesternwashington.org/
Contact: pnhp.westernwashington@comcast.net
March 17, 2007
8:30 a.m.
Portland, Oregon
at the Salvation Army Moore Street Community Center, 5325 N. Williams Avenue
Sessions include 10 Years of Environmental Justice, Tribal EJ Issues, EJ the Law, Local EJ Update, Green Jobs: Emerging Industries and The Living Newsletter. Free admission and lunch.
Contact: eja@lclark.edu
March 29 - 31, 2007
Washington, DC
at the Howard University School of Law
It has been more than 25 years since the Warren County protest that arguably gave birth to the environmental justice movement in this country. It has been twenty years since the United Church of Christ published Toxic Waste and Race in the United States, a nationwide study that further documented the association between hazardous waste facilities and the racial composition of the communities hosting such facilities. It has been ten years since the United Church of Christ, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Center for Policy Alternatives published Toxic Waste and Race Revisited, a study that found that the associations documented in Toxic Waste and Race were just as active as they were in the original study. The National Small Town Alliance, the Howard University School of Law, and the United States Department of Energy are teaming with others to review the environmental justice movement and to determine the State of Environmental Justice in America. This effort will team with communities, scholars, researchers and others to issue a comprehensive report and conduct this conference.
Contact: Michelle Hudson, hudsonmi@saic.com
May 10 - 11, 2007
Atlanta, Georgia
at the Morehouse School of Medicine
The theme of this second national conference of the Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative is "Priming for Prevention: An Ecological Approach to Research, Education and Policy." Dr. David Satcher, former Surgeon General is our invited keynote speaker, and many other leading researchers, health professionals and advocates will be presenting their cutting-edge work on environmental factors and neurological development. Visit the website below for an updated agenda, a full list of presenters and registration information.
Website: http://www.iceh.org/LDDImeetings.html
Contact: Elise Miller, emiller@iceh.org
The Community Coalition for Environmental Justice (CCEJ) is seeking a part-time administrative co-director to handle the management tasks of the organization that include administrative work, financial management and technology. The co-director will also share executive responsibility with the program co-director for the daily operation of CCEJ, which includes providing leadership in the implementation of the vision and mission of the organization, fundraising, maintaining board relationships and providing staff support. The mission of CCEJ is to achieve environmental and economic justice in low-income communities and communities of color. Our overall goal is to level unequal distributions of power created by racism and other oppressions by bringing informed community voices to the table. We do this through community-organizing campaigns, projects, outreach and education. We have a highly dedicated board of directors, talented staff and numerous volunteers who manage the day-to-day operations of the organization. For more information about CCEJ, visit our website: http://www.ccej.org.
Interested applicants should submit a cover letter, a resume, responses to the application questions below and three references from a present/former supervisor, employee and peer. Email the entire application to CCEJBoard@gmail.com by April 15th. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. We hope to fill the position by June 1st. Please direct any questions about this position to the above email address. Please limit your written response for all three questions to one page:
by Marla Cone, Los Angeles Times
March 13, 2007
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-food13mar13,1,5668581.story
In an effort to prevent more illnesses from bacteria-tainted produce, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday announced voluntary guidelines for processors of packaged fruits and vegetables, the produce industry's fastest-growing sector. The list of steps to minimize the spread of bacteria includes recommendations for multiple washings of produce, cold storage, regular water testing and monitoring employees for signs of infectious disease. Many processing and packaging companies already follow the federal guidelines, which were first proposed a year ago. The national guidelines will apply to bagged spinach, shredded lettuce, salad mixes, baby carrots, cut melons, broccoli florets and other fresh-cut produce.
Article Summary: In recent years, there has been an increase in illnesses traced to such produce. "More and more, we're seeing fresh-cut produce implicated in outbreaks," said Nega Beru, director of the FDA's food safety office, adding that it has been linked to 25% of all illnesses from produce. The increase is in part because of the growing number of packaged products available to consumers, and the risk of cross-contamination is heightened because they are handled so much. Critics in Congress and from consumer groups say voluntary programs are inadequate because numerous lethal outbreaks of food-borne illnesses have been traced to produce. Beru said adopting voluntary guidelines addressed the issue faster than mandatory rules would. FDA officials said they would consider what else should be done after hearing comments at public meetings over the next month. California's Department of Food and Agriculture and the produce industry plan to begin implementing a voluntary program for leafy greens April 1. Companies that sign the agreement would accept products only from farmers who followed food safety procedures prescribed by the industry.
by Stephen Koff, Cleveland Plain Dealer
March 13, 2007
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1173775762225460.xml&coll=2
Washington -- The federal government suppresses or manipulates information about the environment, prescription drugs and public safety, making it increasingly hard for members of the public to learn about matters that could affect their lives. That was the assessment Monday of former government officials, librarians, scientists and others at a session billed as "a national dialogue with government-openness experts." Several speakers suggested the manipulation was politically motivated -- a way for the Bush administration to downplay global climate change or appease groups opposed to controversial birth control.
Article Summary: Others at the session did not ascribe motives, but they agreed that the public's right to know is frequently compromised. Scientists get a message not to speak out about their research if it doesn't conform to policy. The White House disputes these assertions. Despite their concerns, some speakers said they were optimistic. Among the reasons: Democrats are holding oversight hearings. And the Internet is making it possible for scientists, whistleblowers and bloggers to spread information that otherwise would be suppressed.
by Abigail Leichman, Bergen County [New Jersey] Record
March 13, 2007
http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk1NDImZmdiZWw3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTcwOTA0OTcmeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk1
Article Summary: In 1938, Congress passed the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act regulating chemical colorants. Today, those FD&C dyes remain the only cosmetic ingredients regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Cosmetics firms are responsible for substantiating their claims. However, in the past 30 years, the industry's Cosmetic Ingredient Review Panel has completed studies on just 10 percent of some 10,500 synthetic, multisyllabic ingredients in products sold to us so we can cleanse, beautify and deodorize. Beyond a lack of information on many chemicals is the short-term focus of tests: "The vast majority of decisions the industry's safety panel makes are based on allergy and skin irritation," said Jane Houlihan, vice president for research at the Environmental Working Group (EWG)), a watchdog organization in Washington, DC. "They are not considering long-term chronic effects." About one of every 100 personal-care products contains known or possible carcinogens, claims EWG. A coalition of health and environmental groups, including the EWG and the Breast Cancer Fund, is working with manufacturers to eliminate or reformulate chemical ingredients suspected of hazards as mild as skin irritation and as serious as cancer, genetic mutation and nerve damage. Last year, the EWG persuaded the FDA to crack down on companies that are violating a law requiring a safety warning on cosmetics containing untested ingredients -- usually, artificial preservatives or fragrances. But testing is expensive and often involves controversial animal studies. Manufacturers may dodge the issue with marketing strategies such as abbreviating or changing the names of ingredients. Label phrases like "dermatologist tested," "all natural" and "hypoallergenic" don't mean much, warns the FDA, nor does the use of the title "Dr." in a brand name. Consumer advocate Paula Begoun argues in "Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me" that it's "completely far-fetched" to assume every man-made ingredient is bad for skin. Some plant extracts, particularly fragrant ones like peppermint, lemon, camphor and menthol, "are inherently potent sources of skin problems."
press release from Market Wire
March 12, 2007
http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release_html_b1?release_id=225603
LOS ANGELES, CA -- Today, Robert Weiss, a seasoned mass torts litigation attorney, who has devoted his career to the pursuit of justice for the middle class, has filed a billion dollar class action suit Monday morning at the Los Angeles Superior Court against five leading manufacturers of baby bottles. The suit has been filed on behalf of the babies of California, who may have been injured by drinking out of plastic bottles that contain the toxic chemical Bisphenol-A. Bisphenol-A, also called BPA, is used in making poly-carbonate plastic food and drink packaging. BPA is known to cause neurological and hormonal damage to lab animals.
Article Summary: Wednesday, scientists convened at the National Institutes of Health in Washington, DC to discuss whether or not exposure to this toxic chemical would cause long term damage to these infants. The meeting had to be postponed due to all demands of the consumer groups and the submission of more than 200 pieces of evidence proving harm was being caused. Lab tests prove that when these bottles are heated, as many parents do to warm formula or breast milk, potentially dangerous levels of BPA leak into the liquid. While industry leaders continue to defend the use of BPA, environmental experts question the possible link between BPA and early puberty, and possibly autism.
by Lewis Smith, London Times
March 12, 2007
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article1499696.ece
Fatty acids can help children in exams and improve their behaviour in class and at home, a study suggests. Overweight children who took fatty acid dietary supplements showed dramatic improvements in concentration, reading, memory and mental agility. The advances that their brains made in three months would normally take three years, researchers found.
Article Summary: Researchers said that the results, while based on a small sample, supported recent findings that fatty acids boost brain development and suggest that fast food may stunt mental growth, because processed foods do not contain these acids. After three months the children's reading abilities were a year ahead, their handwriting was neater and more accurate and they paid more attention in class. Improvement were made in every area of academic activity but the most surprising change, said researchers, was in levels of Nacetylaspartate, or NAA, a biochemical indicator of brain development. The children were asked to change their diet but there was no evidence that they did to any great extent and Professor Puri believes that the changes were caused by the supplement, which is derived from oily fish and evening primrose oil. It contains an essential fatty acid called EPA, but significantly, another type of fatty acid, DHA, is absent. Previous studies by Professor Puri have shown this formula can improve brain function in adults.
from Reuters
March 12, 2007
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN1236662020070312
CHICAGO -- Black children may be far more susceptible to the ill effects of second-hand tobacco smoke than their white counterparts, U.S. researchers said on Monday. In a study of 220 children with asthma, black children who were exposed to at least five cigarettes a day had significantly higher toxin levels in their hair and blood than white children who were exposed to the same amount of smoke. The study, published in the March issue of the journal Chest, may shed light on why black children are more susceptible to tobacco-related disorders, like asthma, sudden-infant death syndrome and low birth weight, said Dr. Stephen Wilson of the University of Cincinnati, who led the research.
Article Summary: Dr. Wilson speculated that African-American children may metabolize or break down nicotine ... more slowly than white children. He also said the study raises questions about whether ethnic differences play a role in other tobacco toxins and that the study provides one more reason for limiting children's exposure to second-hand smoke.
by Bette Hileman, Chemical & Engineering News
March 12, 2007
http://pubs.acs.org/email/cen/html/031207105801.html
Over the past decade, evidence has accumulated that environmental contaminants, often at low levels, are causing infertility, declines in sperm count, miscarriages, birth defects, and cancers. Yet, a majority of health professionals, policy makers, and public health advocates have little knowledge of these findings. To help remedy this, the University of California, San Francisco, and the multinational advocacy group known as the Collaborative on Health & the Environment (CHE) convened a cross-disciplinary conference at the end of January. UCSF's department of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences and CHE brought together basic and clinical researchers, physicians, public health professionals, policy makers, and environmental activists with the goal of bridging the knowledge gaps among these groups.
Article Summary: Conference participants discussed public policies to improve reproductive health and how some research results might be used to influence clinical care. They also developed new research strategies to help illuminate the relationship between chemical contaminants and reproductive outcomes. Researchers are finding that health effects seen in animals correlate with effects seen in humans. Presentations indicated that exposures over a lifetime, or sometimes even before birth, influence the reproductive success of the adult, although in most cases research has not yet led to consistent or definitive conclusions. Rates of testicular cancer, low sperm counts, undescended testes and hypospadias have increased. There is evidence that all of these conditions have their basis in a common origin: specific errors during development of fetal testes. One type of chemical exposure that could be responsible for this decline in men's reproductive health involves phthalates. Phthalates are ingredients in nearly all personal care and cleaning products that contain fragrances and are added to polyvinyl chloride to make it flexible. Exposure to environmental and workplace chemicals may in some cases lead to preterm delivery, unusually low birth weights, and stillbirths. Twelve percent of babies in the U.S. are delivered preterm, a 30% increase since 1980. There is clear evidence that smoking and secondhand tobacco smoke cause preterm delivery. There is less certain, but good, evidence that exposure to DDT, carbon monoxide, benzene, ethylene oxide, lead, diethylstilbestrol (DES), and particulate air pollution can lead to preterm delivery, and there is "limited" evidence that carbon disulfide, phenoxyacetic herbicides, and phthalates -- especially di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) -- cause preterm birth. Other research raises the possibility that BPA and other substances -- both man-made and naturally occurring -- that mimic or interfere with the action of estrogen may affect early egg development in humans. Exposure to environmental chemicals is clearly harming reproductive health and fertility, but not enough research has been done to tease out the relative importance of the various contaminants.
by Meredith Heagney, Columbus Dispatch
March 11, 2007
http://www.columbusdispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2007/03/11/20070311-B1-01.html
A family planning to build a new home might want to know whether any dangerous chemicals are stored nearby. So might an entrepreneur shopping for commercial property. For those reasons, among others, a federal law says the information should be public. But there's a complicating factor: The same list might be of interest to a terrorist. The Ohio attorney general's office says state law gives officials the right to shield some records containing information that could endanger security. Because the law is vague, local authorities are left to decide what qualifies. As a result, lists of chemical storage locations, details about how the chemicals are transported and descriptions of possible evacuation routes during emergencies are public information in some counties but not all.
Article Summary: Congress enacted the federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 to give people more information about the chemicals used and stored in their communities. The law says emergency response plans and chemical inventories should be available to the public. Federal law does not provide for keeping confidential any parts of the plan, said Roxanne Smith, spokeswoman for the Environmental Protection Agency. But Ohio law says that documents classified as "security records" aren't open. It also says the request has to be in writing and the requester should provide a name and address, another departure from the state public-records law, under which none of that is required. County officials can decide what citizens can see.
from BBC News
March 10, 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6433897.stm
Article Summary: No colors or sweeteners are allowed in foods and drinks for the under-threes and most preservatives are banned. The Food Magazine examined 41 medicines aimed at the under-threes, and found only one was free of the additives. The survey found four azo dye colorings, eight benzoate and two sulphite preservatives, and six sweeteners contained in the products examined. Preservatives were present in all but 10, and sweeteners in all but four of the medicines surveyed. Some medicines warned the additives they contained could have harmful side effects, including irritation of the skin and eyes, stomach upset and diarrhea. Survey spokesman Ian Tokelove said colorings and artificial sweeteners could be replaced with natural alternatives. The manufacturers of medicines for the under-threes have insisted their products are safe. Helen Darracott, of the Proprietary Association of Great Britain, the trade association for manufacturers of over-the-counter medicines, said: "Unlike foods, additives in medicines are in very small quantities and are only taken for a short period of time."
by Don Hopey, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
March 9, 2007
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07068/768097-113.stm
Despite possessing data showing lagoons and landfills filled with coal ash present a cancer risk up to 10,000 times greater than federal rules allow, a coalition of environmental groups says, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has failed to fulfill a promise to adopt public health regulations for those sites.
Article Summary: A group of 27 environmental groups this week made public a summary of the EPA's own cancer risk assessments for coal ash disposal sites and called on the agency finally to control the waste from coal-fired power plants. According to Earthjustice attorney Lisa Evans, coal combustion waste currently disposed without adequate safeguards poses an imminent and substantial endangerment to health and the environment in dozens of communities throughout the country. Coal ash is one of the largest streams of solid waste in the United States and includes fly ash, bottom ash and air emission scrubber sludge. Analysis of the waste has found toxins including arsenic, mercury, chromium, cadmium, lead, selenium and boron that can cause deformities, reproductive problems and cancers in humans. The EPA's report on coal combustion waste has been submitted to the federal Office of Management and Budget for review, according to Roxanne Smith, an EPA spokeswoman. No date is scheduled for its release. The EPA has been working with1en the Utility Solid Waste Activities Group, a lobbying consortium of 80 utility operating companies, to develop a voluntary plan for managing the waste. Nationwide, 40 percent of the landfills accepting coal waste and 80 percent of the impoundment lagoons do not have liners that would prevent pollutants from leaching into the groundwater. Fewer than half of the landfills and one percent of the impoundments have leachate collection systems. The agency's calculations indicate that the cancer risk for adults and children drinking groundwater contaminated with arsenic from unlined sites can be as high as one in 100. Most federal health regulations require that the risk of contracting cancers from pollutants be limited to one in 100,000 or one in 1 million.
by Anna Salleh, Australian Broadcasting Corporation
March 9, 2007
http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/2007/1865724.htm
A chemical used to make non-stick frying pans and baking trays should be phased out due to safety concerns, say Australian authorities. But a toxics watchdog is worried it will still be used in developing countries and be present in imported products. The chemical is known as perfluorooctanoic acid, pentadecafluorooctanoic acid or PFOA. It is traditionally used as a processing aid in the manufacture of coatings on metal surfaces and non-stick cookware. In such cases the chemical may be present in small amounts in the end product as a residue, says Australia's industrial chemicals regulator NICNAS. It is also used in dyes, paints and fire-fighting foam.
Article Summary: Evidence shows that PFOA could be released during normal heating of non-stick cookware and microwave popcorn bags, according to a US paper published this year in the journal Environmental Science and Technology. A US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) study shows that the chemical persists in living organisms and the environment and is a developmental toxin. The research presented to the workshop by the US EPA "sent a shock wave, I think, through most of the governments that were there," says Dr. Mariann Lloyd-Smith of the National Toxics Network. She says that nongovernmental organizations, many researchers and some governments concluded at an EPA workshop that PFOA should be regarded as a persistent organic pollutant under the Stockholm Convention. Companies in developed nations are phasing out PFOA. DuPont recently announced it will stop using it by 2015. But NICNAS, Australia's industrial chemicals regulator, says that it is safe to use non-stick cookware at normal cooking temperatures. It advises consumers not to let cookware overheat.
by Vanessa Ho, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
March 9, 2007
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/306782_pregnancyhealth09.html
Article Summary: For many moms-to-be, eating for two is a baffling obstacle course around off-limits foods, with Byzantine medical rules, worries about birth defects, endless unhelpful opinions and an overwhelming amount of health information. Last month, a British medical journal published a large study concluding the lower the amount of seafood a pregnant woman ate, the higher her chances of having a child with poor motor and social development and lower verbal IQ. The findings appear to counter longstanding U.S. recommendations that pregnant women limit the amount of seafood they eat because of mercury concerns. For many women, the recent uncertainty over fish is just the latest thing to fret about. Obstetricians and midwives often warn patients about alcohol, cold deli meats and soft cheeses to guard against birth defects, but some women find that the restrictions turn into nine months of stress.
by Adam Cresswell, Sydney Australian
March 8, 2007
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21344162-23289,00.html
CHILDREN in rural Australia will face health problems as climate change starts to bite, and the impact on adults will go much further than the depression that is already affecting some drought-hit farming communities.
Article Summary: Health effects of climate change on rural communities would also include family stress, breathing and respiratory problems caused by more airborne dust and domestic hygiene and infection problems caused by poorer-quality drinking water. Disruption to agriculture would affect food production, raising prices and lowering the quality and availability of vegetables and other healthy products. Rates of smoking, alcohol and other drug use could also be expected to rise. There would also be direct effects, such as the increases in numbers of people killed by heat waves, storms, floods and bushfires. Suitable strategies included better early-warning systems for severe weather events, better community supports and better infrastructure design.
by Jerry Hirsch, Los Angeles Times
March 8, 2007
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-milk8mar08,0,3491697.story
Under pressure from supermarket chains and their customers, California cows are going drug-free. The giant Central Valley dairy co-op that produces 4 of every 10 glasses of milk drunk by Californians is phasing out the use of a synthetic bovine growth hormone that increases how much milk cows produce.
Article Summary: Despite evidence that the rBST hormone doesn't harm humans, California Dairies Inc. said its biggest customers didn't want it in the cows. The demand for milk from these hormone-free cows is part of a nationwide consumer swing toward products that are either labeled organic or are perceived to be more natural. Food safety advocates and academics say there is no scientific evidence that milk from cows injected with the compound is any different from that of heifers free of the hormone. "There has been no real evidence of a health impact from milk from cows treated with the hormone," said Caroline Smith DeWaal, food safety director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest in Washington.
by Moises Velasquez-Manoff, Christian Science Monitor
March 8, 2007
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0308/p13s02-sten.html
Mountains of outdated electronics are rising worldwide, and a United Nations-led initiative launched in Bonn, Germany, Wednesday is trying to set standards on how to recycle it. Known as "e-scrap" or "e-waste," discarded electronics are one of the fastest-growing segments of municipal garbage, piling up three times faster than other refuse. Some of this waste is dumped in landfills, where the toxic substances it contains may leach into groundwater. But 80 percent ends up in developing countries where labor is cheap enough to make the harvesting of materials profitable. There, crude extraction methods and an absence of regulations expose workers to a host of toxic substances. The UN initiative, called Solving the E-waste Problem (StEP), includes industry, environmental, academic, and government groups. Discussions revolve around how to make electronics easier to recycle.
Article Summary: The UN expects the amount of e-waste generated worldwide every year to soon reach 40 million tons, enough to fill a line of garbage trucks stretching halfway around the world. Modern electronics don't lend themselves to speedy disassembly. That means more labor, more labor means higher costs, and high costs make e-scrap recycling less attractive. If products could be designed for easy dismantling, recycling would be profitable not only in poor countries, but in the United States and European Union nations as well. One way to bring this about is to hold firms responsible for their products from the beginning to the end of their life spans. Some companies, including Xerox, HP, and Dell, have proactively established recycling programs for their outdated products. Legislation mandating e-waste recycling is already in place in the EU and in four US states. Some argue that recycling is profitable now and necessary in order to keep rare materials in circulation. From a recycler's point of view, profit depends on keeping labor costs low, but many electronics contain toxic materials -- batteries and LCDs, for example -- that must first be removed, often by hand.
Consumer electronics contain many potentially toxic substances, from lead and mercury to flame retardants and PCBs. The EPA estimates that e-waste accounts for only one to four percent of municipal waste, but according to the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition it makes us 70 percent of the heavy metals in landfills, including 40 percent of all lead. Energy expenditure is another issue. The average desktop computer and monitor require at least 10 times their mass in fuel to manufacture, compared with automobiles or refrigerators, which need only one to two times their weight.
by Perry Backus, Missoula [Montana] Missoulian
March 8, 2007
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2007/03/08/news/mtregional/news06.txt
With all of this state's clean air and clear blue water, Montanans might think they're immune from something as insidious as exposure to mercury. But recently, 28 Montana legislators, directors of the state's Health and Human Services and Environmental Quality departments, and Gov. Brian Schweitzer learned that's not the case. The group all tested positive for mercury exposure as participants in an event organized by Missoula-based Women's Voices for the Earth. All of the lawmakers provided hair samples, which were later tested for mercury exposure. Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that has been linked to learning disabilities and developmental delays in children and can damage the heart, nervous system and kidneys in adults. The major pathway for mercury exposure is through eating contaminated fish. Most people have some amount of mercury in their bodies.
Article Summary: Six of the people tested had levels higher than 1 part per million, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Food and Drug Administration jointly call the safe limit for women of child-bearing age, pregnant and nursing women, and children younger than age 15. Fish, especially large predators like shark, swordfish and king mackerel, are the main source of mercury in humans, said Erin Thompson of Women's Voices for the Earth. The FDA recommends that women of child-bearing age and children under 15 abstain from eating any of those types of fish.
by Martin Mittelstaedt, Toronto Globe and Mail
March 8, 2007
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070308.wxhmercury08/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home
So much mercury has accumulated in fish that there should be a worldwide public warning about eating seafood contaminated by the dangerous heavy metal, says a report summarizing the latest scientific evidence on global mercury pollution. The report, compiled by many of the leading academic experts on mercury pollution at a conference last year, is being published today in Ambio, the journal of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
Article Summary: Those most at risk from exposure to the metal -- mainly children and women of childbearing age -- should be careful about the quantity and types of fish they eat. Health officials worry about mercury because it is a potent neurotoxin. By interfering with brain development, it can reduce the intelligence levels of children, particularly through exposures during fetal development. One of the researchers who helped compile the report says mercury is such a big problem that international policy makers should do more to reduce emissions to safeguard both public health and the environment, where the metal is causing widespread contamination in wildlife. Mercury is ending up in the food chain because large amounts are being added to the atmosphere as a trace contaminant of burning coal. Humans are also exposed to it through gold-mining byproducts and consumer goods containing it.
Mercury in seafood poses a big dilemma because fish also has major dietary benefits. It is an excellent source of proteins and one of the only dietary sources of health-boosting omega-3 fatty acids. The experts who wrote the new report recommend buying species with high amounts of fatty acids and low mercury levels. The best course for consumers is to limit consumption of many types of freshwater sports fish, which are often badly polluted with mercury, along with such ocean species as shark, swordfish and fresh and frozen tuna. Large, long-lived ocean fish are a worry because they have time to build up high amounts of the contaminant. The better choice would be cold-water species such as salmon, which are generally low in the metal but high in fatty acids. Canned light tuna is a mix of different varieties of the fish that have lower levels of mercury.
from the US Environmental Protection Agency
March 8, 2007
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/news/npl_030707.htm
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is adding five new hazardous waste sites that pose risks to human health and the environment to the National Priorities List of Superfund sites. To date, there have been 1,562 sites listed to the NPL. Of these sites, 317 sites have been deleted, resulting in 1,245 sites currently on the NPL. EPA is also proposing to add five other sites to the list. Contaminants found at these final and proposed sites include arsenic, barium, benzene, butyltins, cadmium, cesium-137, chromium, cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cis-1,2-DCE), copper, dibenzofuran compounds, dioxin, lead, lindane, mercury, pentachlorophenol (PCP), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), silver, tetrachloroethene (PCE), thorium-230, trichloroethene (TCE), zinc, and other metals.
Article Summary: With all Superfund sites, EPA tries to identify and locate the parties potentially responsible for the contamination. For the newly listed sites without viable potentially responsible parties, EPA will investigate the full extent of the contamination before starting significant cleanup at the site. Therefore, it may be several years before significant cleanup funding is required for these sites. Sites to be added are in Terre Haute, Indiana; Flowood, Mississippi; Leon Valley, Texas; Odessa, Texas; and Seattle, Washington. Proposed sites are located in Oxnard, California; Hillsboro, Illinois; Socorro, New Mexico; Douglas County, Oregon; and Woods Cross/Bountiful, Utah.
by Deborah Zabarenko, Reuters
March 7, 2007
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN0718073520070307?pageNumber=2
WASHINGTON -- States from Alabama to Wyoming collected such low fees from major polluters that they may have shortchanged efforts to fight air pollution by up to $50 million, an environmental group reported on Wednesday. Those states either charged emissions fees lower than the minimum federal government standard or put a limit on how much each polluter was compelled to pay in those fees, according to the nonprofit Environmental Integrity Project.
Article Summary: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requires states to pay nearly $40 for each ton of emissions of the most noxious air pollutants, including sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and smog-forming volatile organic compounds. Businesses that emit those compounds include power plants, refineries, cement kilns, incinerators and chemical plants. States are responsible for collecting those fees and bear most of the burden of monitoring emissions, inspecting and enforcing the law. The environmental group said at least 18 states collected fees that fell below the federal minimum standard. More than a dozen of the states collected millions less than they might have, the report said. The Environmental Protection Agency's John Millett questioned the report, saying EPA has reviewed all of the 112 emissions programs submitted and found the fees to be adequate.
by Don Hopey, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
March 7, 2007
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07066/767332-115.stm
The tiniest bits of airborne soot from vehicle exhaust, power plants and industries have the potential to affect global climate and take a much bigger toll on human health than previously thought, according to a new study by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University. Published last week in the journal Science, their findings show that the microscopic particles, altered by chemical processes in the atmosphere, produce more clouds and are potentially more toxic, and their contributions to unhealthy pollution are larger and spread over a wider area.
Article Summary: Airborne particles or soot pose a serious health risk because they are breathed deep into the lungs. Approximately 20,000 Americans die prematurely each year because of particle exposure -- primarily from heart disease -- and almost 70 million live in areas that violate the federal limits. Each year, soot also causes nearly 300,000 asthma attacks and 2 million lost workdays due to respiratory ailments. Dr. Allen Robinson, an associate professor of mechanical engineering and engineering and public policy said the government's pollution models overestimate direct emissions from diesel trucks, cars and power plants, but fail to accurately account for the more toxic particulates formed aloft. The Carnegie Mellon research shows that the chemical production of particles in the atmosphere also leads to a spreading of pollution over a wider geographic area. The research raises questions about the effectiveness of federal particle regulations that were just tightened in September and concludes that the government needs new ways of measuring and regulating smoke and soot.
by Rene Bruemmer, Montreal Gazette
March 7, 2007
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=19bc1074-0316-4ade-b4f8-3e0624cd4696&k=74888
Article Summary: Montreal residents received letters sent out by the city this week advising them lead levels in their drinking water might exceed provincial limits. The notice targets buildings erected before 1970, with eight units or fewer, that are connected to the municipal water system with lead pipes, the city says - a total of 75,000 buildings located in all the municipalities on the island of Montreal. Lead pipes were outlawed in 1967, although surplus pipes were permitted in construction until 1970. They were never used in buildings with more than eight units because they couldn't withstand the pressure. While Montreal's water is clean, standing water can pick up particles from the lead pipes that connect homes to municipal water mains. In humans, lead poisoning is cumulative, building up in the body over time, and can lead to organ failure and neurological damage. Children and pregnant women are particularly at risk. In the letter, the board recommends "pregnant women and parents of children under age 6 use commercially available water filters, such as faucet-mounted filters, filter pitchers certified by the NSF for lead reduction ... or drink bottled water. This precaution applies particularly to nursing infants who are fed commercial water-based reconstituted milk formulas." City officials said there was no cause for alarm, however. They noted lead levels were still extremely low and no case of lead poisoning from tap water has ever been reported in Montreal.
by Martin Mittelstaedt, Toronto Globe and Mail
March 7, 2007
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070307.wxchemical07/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home
High levels of bisphenol A, a compound that mimics the hormone estrogen and is used to make many types of plastic products, have been found to be leaching out of tin cans and baby bottles in separate tests conducted by two U.S. environmental groups. The largest amounts were found by the Washington, D.C.-based Environmental Working Group in brand-name canned goods purchased at U.S. supermarkets, with the most elevated readings detected in chicken noodle soup and mixed vegetables. The highest U.S. level found was about four times above top readings detected in canned food in Europe. The findings are likely to add to the current controversy over bisphenol A, a chemical that its manufacturers insist is safe, but that has been linked in independent laboratory testing on animals to a raft of hormonally related health effects, including declining sperm counts, earlier onset of puberty, birth defects, breast cancer and prostate cancer.
Article Summary: Bisphenol A is used to make polycarbonate plastic, which is a sturdy, glass-like compound used in many water bottles. It is commonly identified by the plastic industry's triangle symbol containing the number 7. Bisphenol A is also added to the resins used to line the inside of tin cans to prevent foods from picking up a metallic taste. The chemical bonds that hold bisphenol A together in products are unstable, allowing some of it to dissolve off containers into foods and beverages. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency doesn't monitor bisphenol A residues in food, a spokesperson said yesterday. Currently, there are no regulatory limits on the amount of bisphenol A residues allowed in Canadian food. However, bisphenol A is one of the first chemicals slated for review under a policy the Harper government announced late last year to consider thousands of compounds in widespread use that were never given thorough safety assessments. A spokesman for bisphenol A manufacturers says the amounts inadvertently being eaten in food are nothing to worry about. "Human exposures to BPA from these kinds of products is well below a level that would cause concern," said Steven Hentges, executive director of the polycarbonate business unit of the American Plastics Council.
