To join the Collaborative on Health and the Environment (CHE) and the LDDI Working Group, please complete the form at http://www.healthandenvironment.org/roles/register?&phase=registerform. Be sure to mark that you want to join the Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative Working Group at the bottom of the application.
LDDI's National Conference 2007, "Priming for Prevention: An Ecological Approach to Research, Education and Policy" will be held May 10-11, 2007, at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta. Former US Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher, among other distinguished speakers, will be presenting at this conference. The full agenda and registration information will be available on our website by the end of January. To view the conference flyer, please visit http://www.iceh.org/pdfs/LDDI/LDDIFlyer2007.pdf.
For information about additional events, please visit our searchable calendar of events at http://www.iceh.org/calendar.html.
January 22 - 23, 2007
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
at the NIEHS Campus
The goal of this workshop is to develop new strategies for research, exposure and effects monitoring, intervention and prevention in children's environmental health. Specific objectives are to maximize the effectiveness of scientific research -- basic science, exposure monitoring/biomonitoring, epidemiology, toxicology, clinical medicine and multidisciplinary studies -- and to enhance the translation of research to the bedside, to the community and to public policy. A discussion will follow each case study presentation to consider the opportunities, the barriers and the design challenges that confront future clinical, toxicological, epidemiological, exposure monitoring, and basic research in children's environmental health. This meeting is open to the public with time set aside for public discussion.
Website: http://www-apps.niehs.nih.gov/conferences/od/cehr/
Contact: Dr. Kristina Thayer, 919-541-5021 or thayer@niehs.nih.gov
January 26, 2007
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Silver Spring, Maryland
at Holy Cross Hospital, 1500 Forest Glenn Road
The course will focus on diabetes (types 1 and 2), growth disorders, pubertal disorders, and thyroid problems and test interpretation. Speakers will focus on identifying which patients are most likely to benefit from an endocrine consultation and which pre-visit lab tests are the most helpful.
Website: guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?i=ae9db9fa-6379-4a9c-abf2-b59a888b342e
Contact: Joel Ranck, jranck@cnmc.org
January 28 - 30, 2007
San Francisco, California
at UCSF Mission Bay Conference Center
This groundbreaking conference will further the efforts of researchers, clinicians, policymakers and community health leaders to understand and mitigate the reproductive and developmental health impacts of exposures to environmental contaminants -- including the periconceptional and fetal origins of adult disorders. The Summit will provide overviews by leading researchers of the science on these topics and will also explore translation of this research to clinical care, medical training, and public health policy; to federal regulatory agency and research institute priorities; and to patient advocate and community health concerns, including health disparity issues. Collaborative working groups and partnerships will form to further explore and take action on these environmental health issues.
Website: http://www.ucsf.edu/coe/prhesummit.html
Contact: Mary Wade, Summit Manager, 415-476-2563 or wadem@obgyn.ucsf.edu
February 1 - 2, 2007
Washington, DC
at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center
The conference theme is "Integrating Environment and Human Health." Over 850 scientists, policymakers, businesspeople, and civil society representatives will explore the linkages between the environment and human health. The conference will address the many essential roles the environment plays on our well-being as well as the multi-dimensional relationships between human health and environmental components, which may have far-reaching consequences for society. Over 120 experts will speak in plenary sessions, symposia, and topical breakout sessions.
Website: http://www.NCSEonline.org/2007conference/
Contact: conference2007@ncseonline.org
by Jonathan Curiel, San Francisco Chronicle
January 14, 2007
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2007/01/14/INGGENGN9T1.DTL
Article Summary: Arthur Firstenberg is a leading activist in what amounts to a war against cell phones and cellular technologies. Firstenberg says the millions of people who are expected to buy Apple's iPhone should consider this first: Mobile phones emit radiation, cause damage to brain tissue, and produce the kind of cancer that kills rats in laboratory experiments. A study by Swedish neurosurgeon Leif Salford exposed rats to cell-phone levels of radiation. Theoretically, cell phones emit radiation that's non-ionizing, meaning radiation that doesn't ionize (or dissolve) atoms and molecules in the brain, and is therefore safe, but Salford's study on rats suggest otherwise. Salford has warned that prolonged, years-long exposure to radiation from cell phones, cell-phone towers and other wireless technologies can increase the likelihood of people getting Alzheimer's or dementia, even in middle age. Other recent studies, including one from Denmark last month, have concluded there is no link between cell-phone use and cancer. The report from Denmark, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, studied 420,000 Danish cell-phone users, some of whom had used the phones for 21 years. Critics say the study was flawed. While critics have called Firstenberg a "quack", his alarms are being sounded by a number of groups, scientists and environmental specialists, including the San Francisco Neighborhood Antenna-Free Union and Andrew Michrowski, president of an organization called the Planetary Association for Clean Energy.
by Rex Springston, Richmond Times-Dispatch
January 14, 2007
http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149192644263&path=!news&s=1045855934842
Article Summary: On Tuesday, Virginia's Air Pollution Control Board will consider regulations that, for the first time, would require coal-burning power plants to cut emissions of the highly toxic metal. High mercury levels can damage the brain, kidneys and developing fetuses. People are exposed to mercury largely by eating fish from rivers tainted by air emissions. In 2005, the federal Environmental Protection Agency announced a national plan to cut power plants' mercury emissions. In Virginia, the EPA plan would require a 64 percent cut in mercury emissions by 2018, from current releases of about 1,300 pounds a year. However, states can develop their own mercury-cutting programs, although those programs must get EPA approval. The rules going before the air board Tuesday were required a year ago by the General Assembly and are tougher than the federal plan, including a call for a 64 percent cut by 2015. Virginia's rules would limit trading credits to plants that are having trouble cleaning up. Environmentalists oppose trading, saying some plants could buy credits instead of cleaning up, creating mercury "hot spots." Virginia's mercury-cutting program could cost utilities close to $1 billion over the next 30 years to install and operate pollution controls, the state says.
by Judy Fahys, Salt Lake Tribune
January 13, 2007
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_5006732
Article Summary: U.S. Magnesium, for years the nation's worst toxic polluter, says Congress exempted its processing waste from the nation's cradle-to-grave hazardous waste law, even though it was contaminated with toxic chemicals. The company is asking U.S. District Court Judge Dee Benson to throw out a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. U.S. Mag collects magnesium chloride from Great Salt Lake waters to make pure magnesium and alloys for use as a steel strengthener. Its plant discharges thousands of gallons of liquid waste each day into ditches and a 400-acre pond. The waste includes cancer-causing dioxins and hexochlorobenzene, a manufacturing byproduct that, until being banned in 1976, was produced as a pesticide. The EPA insists the waste should be tracked under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the federal law that requires close oversight of industrial waste from the time it is created until it is disposed of. In 2005, the company faced another EPA environmental lawsuit for dumping cancer-causing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at the site.
by Jeff Nesmith, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
January 13, 2007
http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/stories/2007/01/12/0113meshmercury.html
Article Summary: More than two years after the Environmental Protection Agency admitted it does not know what happens to tons of toxic mercury used in chemical plants in Georgia, Ohio, Louisiana, Tennessee, Wisconsin and West Virginia, the agency says it is still "reviewing" the matter. The six plants involved use mercury in a century-old process to produce chlorine and lye. Environmentalists say the plants appear to be purchasing tons of the metal for which neither the companies nor EPA can account. The American Medical Association in November noted that "there is a huge discrepancy between what the industry reports having consumed and what it reports having released." The missing mercury exceeded the amount the companies were allowed under federal rules at that time. Missing amounts are 30 tons in 2003, seven tons in 2004 and three tons in 2005. Since the chemical reactions involved generate heat and mercury evaporates easily, environmentalists suspect the missing mercury is escaping from the plants and not being measured. If the chlor-alkali plants' missing mercury was released into the environment, it poses a health risk, especially for pregnant women. Exposure to low levels of the metal in the womb can damage a fetus's brain. Mercury from the chlor-alkali industry has received much less attention than mercury from power plants, even though just the reported emissions from the six plants represent nearly one-seventh as much mercury pollution as the 48 annual tons attributed to approximately 450 coal-burning power plants in the country. Ninety percent of the chlor-alkali plants in America have shifted to non-mercury technology, and they are saving money in the process.
by Roxanne Khamsi, New Scientist
January 12, 2007
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn10946-plastics-chemical-harms-eggs-in-unborn-mice.html
Female mice exposed to a common chemical found in plastics while in the womb develop abnormal eggs, according to a new study. Based on this finding, researchers speculate that the chemical, bisphenol A, might increase the risk of spontaneous abortion and genetic disorders in humans, such as Down's syndrome.
Article Summary: Bisphenol A, or BPA, is commonly found in hard plastics and the lining of tin cans. The chemical has come under scrutiny before because it can mimic the hormone estrogen. Patricia Hunt at Washington State University in Pullman, US, and colleagues exposed pregnant mice to 20 micrograms of BPA per kilogram of their bodyweight each day over a one-week period. During this same period, the reproductive cells of female mice inside in the womb begin to develop. Researchers followed the female mouse pups that had been exposed to BPA in the womb. When these mice reached adulthood, Hunt's team examined their eggs. More than one in every 20 cells taken from those mice had unpaired chromosomes -- an abnormal trait. This trait was completely absent in cells taken from the BPA-free control mice. An analysis of slightly more mature eggs taken from another group of females exposed to BPA in utero found that 10 eggs out of 56 sampled had one or more extra chromosomes than normal. In contrast, only one out of 57 such cells from a control group showed the same defect. Hunt is concerned that BPA might disrupt egg development in humans as well. Previous research has found that mice exposed to the chemical in utero have abnormal prostate and breast tissue development that could put them at greater risk of developing cancer in these tissues. Steve Hentges of the American Plastics Council in Arlington, Virginia, argues against drawing conclusions about human health from the study: He believes that the unborn mice were exposed to higher levels of BPA because they received it through implanted pellets rather than through their food.
by Cornelia Dean, New York Times
January 12, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/12/washington/12risk.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
The Bush administration yesterday withdrew a proposal to change the way federal agencies assess environmental hazards, health threats and other risks, after an expert panel declared that it was so scientifically flawed that it "could not be rescued." The panel, appointed by an arm of the National Academy of Sciences, had been convened to evaluate a proposal by the White House Office of Management and Budget to standardize evaluation procedures. The budget office, which proposed the changes a year ago, said they would improve the quality of risk assessments by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation and other agencies.
Article Summary: Although the panel endorsed the idea of improving risk assessment in the federal government, the panel called the proposal simplistic and said it was "fundamentally flawed" and lacked "information for gauging the benefits to be achieved" by putting it into effect. The panel also recommended that the development of technical standards "be left to the agencies" conducting the assessments. Critics said the proposed changes were an effort to weaken government regulatory protections against environmental and other hazards.
by Chris McGann, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
January 12, 2007
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/299491_retardant12.html
As Washington moves to become the first state in the nation to ban a fire retardant found in mattresses, computers and furniture, lawmakers on Thursday accused the industry of putting up a smokescreen to stop the ban. With concerns about finding toxic chemicals from the retardants -- known as PBDEs -- in everything from breast milk to brown bears, the proposed ban passed out of a House committee and appeared headed for passage in both chambers.
Article Summary: The measure's quick progress this year comes after two years of debate and opposition by chemical companies that spent more than $107,000 lobbying the Legislature last year. Opposition highlighted the fire-safety issues and downplayed the health risks, even as proponents -- including some fire officials -- insisted safer alternatives could be used. This week, Glade Squires, a representative of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, identified himself as such when he testified before the House Select Committee on Environmental Health. He neglected to mention that he also is employed by Ameribrom, a chemical company that makes the PBDE fire retardant. His oversight was seen as a failure to disclose who he represented in his testimony and an attempt by the industry to preserve the misconception that the proposed ban will decrease public safety. The bill would ban three forms of polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs: penta and octa -- both of which already have been phased out -- and deca, which is still in wide use. However, many companies already make PBDE-free products in order to comply with European trade laws. Although the health effects of PBDEs have not been studied in people, animal tests indicate that PBDEs' effect on brain development during the prenatal period may alter behavior, learning and memory later in life. Studies of animals also show that these chemicals can affect reproduction, and it is listed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a possible carcinogen.
Brad Tower, a contract lobbyist for the chemical manufacturers' group, said targeting the wrong chemical would reduce fire safety. Rep. Ross Hunter, D-Medina, has been making sure there are safe alternatives and also working with companies such as Boeing to craft what he called reasonable exceptions. For example, Boeing uses PBDEs on the escape slots of their planes. "It was one place we found it actually did have an impact on fire safety, and we made an exemption," he said.
by Nancy Hiler, Bellmore [New York] Herald
January 11, 2007
http://zwire.townnews.biz/site/news.cfm?notn=1&ncdr=1&newsid=17698697&BRD=1601&PAG=461&dept_id=478673&rfi=6
Article Summary: New York's new state law mandating "green cleaning" in schools has come under scrutiny by activists. Although there is universal support for the move toward healthier schools and widespread acceptance of the new "green-clean" measure, there is concern that a lack of specific information regarding "green" cleaners, plus a complete absence of any health or environmental requirements for floor finishers, waxes and other maintenance and specialty disinfectant products used in schools. There is also controversy that the "green" standard adopted for cleaning products is based on adult standards and does not go far enough to protect children. "Children may be more vulnerable to environmental exposures than adults, in part due to the fact that their organ systems are in various stages of development," explained Maida Galvez, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. A growing body of scientific evidence suggests that children's exposure to toxins may be linked to a variety of illnesses, including asthma, childhood cancers, developmental and learning disabilities. Children's health advocates and environmentalists want the green-clean law strengthened by including additional cleaning products and floor finishers in the measures and by defining "truly green" in the law.
by Sam Wood, Philadelphia Inquirer
January 11, 2007
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/16432859.htm
Drinking water at a South Jersey elementary school has been found to be tainted with a chemical that the Environmental Protection Agency has labeled a likely carcinogen, a union and environmental groups announced yesterday.
Article Summary: Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a chemical used to manufacture Teflon nonstick cookware, Gore-Tex fabrics, and Stainmaster carpeting. It is also used to create nonstick coatings on pizza boxes and microwave popcorn bags. It does not remain in the finished product. PFOA is suspected to cause cancer in humans, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, and is known to cause developmental and reproductive problems in laboratory animals, and it is also suspected of damaging the human thyroid. Water samples taken at several sites near the massive Chambers Works plant run by DuPont Co. revealed high levels of PFOA. Scientists hired by the union found a level of combined PFOA and PFCs (perfluorinated chemicals) totaling 0.112 parts per billion in a school's water and 0.18 parts per billion of PFOA in a Penns Grove water-supply well. DuPont maintains that they're combining six chemicals to create that 0.112 number, scaring people unnecessarily.
by Bryn Nelson, Newsday
January 10, 2007
http://www.newsday.com/news/health/ny-hsdowl0111,0,6286729.story?coll=ny-leadhealthnews-headlines
Article Summary: A simple chemical technique known as Fenton's reaction has been recognized for its potential to treat water pollutants by degrading compounds such as formaldehyde, phenols and pesticides. The reaction uses copper to convert hydrogen peroxide into free radicals and water. These radicals, or highly reactive oxygen-containing molecules, have been implicated in cell damage and the aging process in humans. In a study reported in the journal Environmental Pollution, researchers took advantage of the molecules' ability to kill microbes by attacking their outer membranes. Using a commercially available polymer resin resembling tiny yellow beads to bind the copper and hold it fast, researchers were able to transform hydrogen peroxide into an effective bacterial killer. Tests showed the technique was effective against at least eight bacterial species, and Shah's group tested the technique on New Orleans floodwaters in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, with water collected from the Industrial Canal and 17th St. Canal breach sites and sent to Shah by scientists in Louisiana. After a 15-minute treatment, tests revealed no microbial contamination in either sample. A key advantage of the technique, Shah said, is that the often-maligned free radicals are never released into the environment since they remain firmly bound to the copper-treated polymer resin. In addition, the reaction requires no added energy. However, small leaching of copper from the resin remains to be solved. "It's a technology, which in the future, has lots and lots of applications," said Vishal Shah, co-author of the new study and a microbiologist at Dowling College in Oakdale.
by Anke Schaefer, Environmental Science & Technology
January 10, 2007
http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2007/jan/science/as_roxarsone.html
The addition of roxarsone to chicken feed has stirred up debate ever since it was revealed that this organoarsenic compound can be transformed into more toxic inorganic arsenic. New research published today on ES&T's Research ASAP website identifies the microorganisms that are responsible for the conversion and shows that carcinogenic arsenic (As) is formed faster and more effectively than previously thought.
Article Summary: Roxarsone is routinely used by most U.S. broiler-chicken farms as a feed additive to prevent disease and stimulate growth. Chickens primarily excrete roxarsone unchanged into their waste, which is typically applied as a fertilizer on the surrounding farmlands. Previous research had shown that inorganic arsenic is slowly formed from roxarsone after litter composting or field application. John Stolz and his colleagues at Duquesne University now show that roxarsone is rapidly transformed to 3-amino-4-hydroxybenzene arsonic acid and inorganic As(V) in chicken-litter enrichments under anaerobic conditions by bacteria of the Clostridium species. As(V) emerged in less than 10 days, which is much faster than previously observed. If arsenic levels build up in crop soils, a possibility exists that it could transfer into food crops. The risk is greater in soils used for anaerobic cultivation, such as rice. Inorganic arsenic has been found in pelletized chicken waste that is sold as a garden fertilizer, potentially exposing consumers to the arsenic through dust. A recent study found elevated arsenic levels in house dust near chicken farms. A recent report by the Institute of Agriculture and Trade Policy notes that the uptake of part of the roxarsone into the chicken body leads to elevated arsenic concentrations in the chicken meat sold in U.S. supermarkets. The European Union declared the use of roxarsone undesirable in 1999 and has abandoned its use since then.
from the Associated Press, International Herald Tribune
January 10, 2007
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/01/10/europe/EU-GEN-EU-Mercury.php
Health and environmental experts called on the European Union on Wednesday to push for a global ban on the use of mercury, warning that the highly toxic chemical continues to pose severe health risks. In a report, a pan-European group of health care experts, professionals and activists called on the 27-nation EU to step up efforts to rid the continent of mercury, which it said continues to be used in everything from dental fillings to medical devices such as thermometers. "Even if we stopped all mercury production and spills and emissions today, our global food supply would still be contaminated for years to come," said Genon Jensen, director of the Health and Environment Alliance, who presented the report to EU lawmakers at the European Parliament. The report calls for a "general restriction on all remaining uses of mercury in products."
Article Summary: The EU is the world's biggest exporter of mercury, although use is gradually being phased out by industry. Mercury has long been recognized as a major source of toxicity in children causing reduced cognitive functioning, including reduced IQ. Harmful human exposure to mercury is mainly through the consumption of certain types of fish. The EU's executive Commission has called for a ban on exports of mercury from 2011, and the European Parliament is backing a phase-out of mercury in measuring devices except barometers and antique instruments. The EU governments have yet to give their approval. The European Commission said it would push for a worldwide agreement to reduce human and environmental exposure to mercury at a United Nations Environment Program meeting next month in Nairobi, Kenya.