These bulletins are now archived and searchable on our website: http://www.iceh.org/LDDIbulletins.html If you would like to join the Collaborative on Health and the Environment (CHE) and the LDDI Working Group, please complete the application on the CHE website: http://www.healthandenvironment.org/application Joining CHE means receiving up to four email messages a month from the CHE National listserv. CHE costs nothing to join and the benefit is shared information and opportunities for further engagement, if you choose. Be sure to mark that you want to join the Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative Working Group at the bottom of the application.
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1) LDDI's fall 2007 teleconference series. This seven-part teleconference series, entitled "Priming for Prevention", is based on the agenda of the conference, "Priming for Prevention: An Ecological Approach to Research, Education and Policy," that was to be held at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia, in May 2007. Dial-in information will be sent to LDDI members in a separate email message before each teleconference. For more information on the background and context for this series as well as the full list of upcoming calls, links to call recordings and available materials for each call, please see the LDDI website: http://www.iceh.org/LDDImeetings.html Sponsors: Collaborative on Health and the Environment's Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative; American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities; Autism Society of America; Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4; Institute for the Study of Disadvantage and Disability; Learning Disabilities Association of America; John Merck Fund; National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities; Southeast Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit; University of Maryland School of Nursing Leading Learning and Developmental Disabilities Organizations: New Model Environmental Health Initiatives Presenters:
Innovative Approaches: What Do a Community-Based Researcher, an Environmental Design Analyst and a Chemist Have in Common? Presenters:
Updates and call materials are being posted on the LDDI website: http://www.iceh.org/LDDImeetings.html |
2) Several chapters of LDDI partner the Learning Disabilities Association of America will hold their annual state conferences during November. Please see LDAA's calendar at http://www.ldaamerica.org/aboutld/calendar/index.asp or LDDI's searchable calendar at http://www.iceh.org/cgi-bin/searchevents.cgi for more information.
Thursday November 8, 2007
10:00 Pacific time/1:00 Eastern time
Sponsor: Women's Health and Environment Initiative
Stacy Malkan is communications director of Health Care Without Harm and a media strategist for the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a national coalition working to eliminate hazardous chemicals from personal care products. Her book, Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry, offers an insider's view of the five-year campaign by environmental and health groups to pressure the US cosmetics industry to use safer ingredients.
Price: free
Contact: Heather Sarantis, heather@healthandenvironment.org
Thursday and Friday, November 8 - 9, 2007
New York, New York
at Lighthouse International, 111 East 59th Street, between Lexington and Park Avenues
Sponsor: Birch Family Services
Honoree and keynote speaker will be Dr. Gary Mesibov, director of Division TEACCH and professor of psychiatry and psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The conference will also feature Stephen Shore, Dr. Valerie Paradiz and Mary E. Van Bourgondien, PhD.
Price: before 10/1/07: $135 for professionals and $95 for parents or full-time students
Website: http://www.birchfamilyservices.org/
Contact: Tanya Santiago, 212-616-1858 or tanya.santiago@birchfamilyservices.org
Friday through Sunday, November 9 - 11, 2007
Tysons Corner, Virginia
at the Hilton McLean
Sponsor: Interdisciplinary Council on Developmental & Learning Disorders
The conference theme is "Critical Factors for Optimal Outcomes for Children with Autism and Special Needs." The conference is organized around plenary panels that bring together renowned speakers presenting the latest information on Autism Spectrum Disorders, including early identification and intervention, understanding and treating anxiety, obsessive-compulsive and attentional problems, and improving educational outcomes.
Price: see https://www.icdl.com/conference/
Website: http://www.icdl.com/staging/conferences/conferences/2007/index.shtml
Contact: 301-656-2667 or info@icdl.com
Sunday through Wednesday, November 11 - 14, 2007
San Antonio, Texas
at the Holiday Inn Riverwalk
The conference theme is "Environmental Etiologies of Neurological Disorders."
Price: see http://www.neurotoxicology.com/conf2007/registration.pdf
Website: http://www.neurotoxicology.com/conf2007/conference.htm
Contact: Dr. Joan Cranmer, Conference Chair, 501-364-2986 or CranmerJoanM@uams.edu
Sunday through Wednesday, November 11 - 14, 2007
Charlotte, North Carolina
at the Westin Charlotte
Sponsor: American College of Toxicology
Conference offerings include a wide variety of presentations, posters and continuing education courses.
Price: see http://www.actox.org/attmtg/28th/28ProgWeb.pdf
Website: http://www.actox.org/
Contact: Secretariat, American College of Toxicology, 301-634-7840 or ekagan@actox.org
Sunday through Thursday, November 11 - 15, 2007
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
at the Midwest Airline Center
Sponsor: Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
The meeting theme is Urban Environmental Issues: Impacts on Ecological Systems. Tentative sessions will be in topics including biological contamination, ecotoxicology, environmental policy and management, human and ecological epidemiological integration, human health risk assessment, and life cycle assessment.
Price: see http://milwaukee.setac.org/registration/register.asp
Website: http://milwaukee.setac.org/home.asp
Tuesday November 14, 2007
Atlanta, Georgia
Sponsor: US Environmental Protection Agency Region 4, EPA Office of Research and Development and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry/National Center for Environmental Health/Centers for Disease Control
Check the website below for information.
Price: unknown
Website: http://es.epa.gov/ncer/events/#nov1407
Contact: Kara Belle, 404-562-8322
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 Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative welcomes these new members:
For a full list of LDDI members, please visit the LDDI website: http://www.iceh.org/LDDImembers.html
HealthySEAT Version 2 is available. Schools can manage environmental health and safety issues with the HealthySEAT software tool from the US Environmental Protection Agency. The software is fully integrated, flexible and free.
http://www.epa.gov/schools/healthyseat
Link between environment, health explored in film. Writer, editor and filmmaker Barri Cohen is hoping that her latest documentary, Toxic Trespass, will enlighten Canadians about the relationship between environmental degradation and children's health. Canadian Jewish News, 6 November 2007.
http://www.cjnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13464&Itemid=86
Wisconsin jury rejects claim in lead paint case. The verdict in the closely watched civil case, in which a 17-year-old boy sued paint makers after ingesting deteriorated lead paint as a baby, is a setback for perhaps thousands of young people who say they were poisoned by lead as children and hope to hold paint makers liable. USA Today, 6 November 2007.
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20071106/a_leadpaint06.art.htm
Target will reduce PVC use. Amid pressure from consumer, health and environmental groups, Target Corp. said it is reducing its use of the plastic polyvinyl chloride. Wall Street Journal, 6 November 2007.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119431301352883368.html
Houston mayor sets 6-month pollution deadline. Mayor Bill White on Monday gave industrial polluters six months to clean up their act, after an industry-led task force delivered a report earlier in the day calling for chemical plant operators to act voluntarily. Houston Chronicle, Texas, 6 November 2007.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/5276188.html
World's growing dependence on coal leaving a trail of environmental devastation. It takes five to 10 days for the pollution from China's coal-fired plants to make its way to the United States, like a slow-moving storm. It's linked not just to global warming but a host of health issues. Associated Press, 5 November 2007.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/11/05/asia/AS-FEA-GEN-China-Coal-The-Dark-Side.php
Free thinkers abandon fluoride in water. When it comes to water quality, the people of Juneau are among the most informed in the state. In October, capital city residents voted to ban fluoride from their water supply. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Alaska, 4 November 2007.
http://newsminer.com/2007/11/04/9701
Cause of autism 'epidemic' examined. Autism appears to be skyrocketing: In the latest estimate, as many as one in 150 children have some form of this disorder. The explosion of cases appears to be mostly caused by a surge in services and a shift in what doctors call autism. Associated Press, 4 November 2007.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/lifestyle/article.aspx?articleID=071104_1_A20_hThee27278
‘Autistics': We don't want a cure. Not long ago, families of kids with autism hid behind closed curtains to avoid public judgment. Toronto Globe and Mail, Ontario, 3 November 2007.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071102.wautism03/BNStory/Front/home
Air pollution seen raising preterm birth risk. A study conducted in Los Angeles County and published today shows the harmful effects traffic-related air pollution can have on pregnant women. Reuters, 3 November 2007.
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/45137/story.htm
submitted to this bulletin by Jim DiPeso
Lead starts doing harm at low levels. Children with blood lead levels lower than the U.S. standard may still suffer lower IQs or other problems, a government advisory panel said as it urged doctors to be more alert to signs of lead poisoning. Omaha World-Herald, Nebraska, 3 November 2007.
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=1219&u_sid=10174623
Children overexposed to rocket fuel chemical. 250,000 American one-year-olds are exposed to perchlorate above the government's safe dose from food sources alone. This is the equivalent of one in every 16 one-year-olds in the country. In the 28 states where perchlorate contaminates tap water, children face even higher exposures and potential health harm. Environmental Working Group, 3 November 2007.
http://www.ewg.org/reports/perchlorateintoddlers
Dangerous chemicals in common baby products. The Environmental Working Group surveyed 3,300 parents asking what products they use and compared the ingredients to lists of chemicals know to cause allergies, hormone disruption, damage to the nervous system, and cancer. San Francisco KPIX TV, California, 2 November 2007.
http://cbs5.com/consumer/local_story_305191434.html
EPA staff recommends slashing amount of lead in air. Environmental Protection Agency scientists on Thursday recommended drastically reducing the amount of lead in the air to protect the health of the nation's children. St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Missouri, 2 November 2007.
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/sciencemedicine/story/1E5CCFBD4A28F7DF86257387000DAE6A?OpenDocument
Flame retardants slammed. Toxic and potentially hazardous flame retardants are common throughout homes in Canada and the federal government must take action to ban the substances, says a coalition of environmental groups and firefighters. CanWest News, Canada, 2 November 2007.
http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=5eb2693d-79b2-47a3-9b58-ffc336be93e2
Author exposes the ugly side of the beauty industry. The label on your shampoo may read "pure and natural" and your face wash may claim to be "gentle", but according to at least one activist group, some of the products that make such claims are actually full of toxic chemicals linked to cancer, infertility, birth defects and chronic disease. Bozeman New West, Montana, 2 November 2007.
http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/book_explores_ugly_side_of_beauty_industry/C38/L38/
Top toys of 2007 all lead-free. A complete crackdown on lead content in toys topped the criteria for items added to the Top Toys Guide of 2007, released by Today's Parent magazine. Toronto Star, Ontario, 2 November 2007.
http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/272858
Health department launches anti-smoking campaign. New York City's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is buying up subway ads in an effort to help Harlem residents make a critical connection -- smoking at home may be making their children sick. Columbia Spectator, New York, 2 November 2007.
http://www.columbiaspectator.com/node/27890
Cash for mercury: a new, controversial way to cut pollution. Centuries ago, alchemists thought mercury was the source of gold. In roughly two years, through a bit of government alchemy, mercury pollution could end up being worth even more than gold. Charleston Post and Courier, South Carolina, 1 November 2007.
http://www.charleston.net/news/2007/oct/30/cash_mercury_new_controversial_way_cut_pollution/
The mercury connection. Some people who eat fish from South Carolina's rivers and lakes have potentially dangerous levels of mercury, new lab tests for The Post and Courier show. Charleston Post and Courier, South Carolina, 1 November 2007.
http://www.charleston.net/news/2007/oct/28/the_mercury_connectionwe_know_mercury_ta20361/
'Mercury is a poison. People only begin to show symptoms when enough cells die.' Scientists have known for centuries that mercury causes severe health problems when people are exposed to high doses, but they're only now beginning to understand how low levels harm people over long periods of time. Charleston Post and Courier, South Carolina, 1 November 2007.
http://www.charleston.net/news/2007/oct/28/mercury_poison_people_only_begin_show_symptoms_whe/
'Endocrine disruptor' won't be on label. Though scientists, environmentalists and manufacturers probably will debate the dangers of chemicals in popular products for years to come, many consumers wonder what they can do today to make "greener" choices at the store. USA Today, 31 October 2007.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-10-30-endocrine-main_N.htm
Toxic legacy: can a plastic 'alter human cells'? Rodent studies of bisphenol A, used in polycarbonate bottles, food cans and other products, have linked the synthetic estrogen to a host of cancers, early-onset puberty, obesity and type-II diabetes. USA Today, 31 October 2007.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-10-30-plastics-cover_N.htm
Consumer Reports finds lead in unrecalled toys. A leading consumer magazine's four-month investigation into lead-tainted children's products and toys has uncovered items that aren't on any federal recall list and is raising questions about wider lead contamination of products marketed toward kids. White Plains Journal News, New York, 30 October 2007.
http://www.nyjournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071030/NEWS03/710300365
Organic food is healthier and safer, four-year EU investigation shows. A £12m EU-funded investigation into the difference between organic and ordinary farming has shown that organic foods have far more nutritional value. London Independent, England, 29 October 2007.
http://environment.independent.co.uk/green_living/article3106906.ece
Doctors call for earlier autism screening. The leading pediatricians' group in the United States is making its strongest push yet to have all children screened for autism twice by age 2, warning of symptoms such as babies who don't babble at 9 months and 1-year-olds who don't point to toys. Associated Press, 29 October 2007.
http://www.thestar.com/living/Health/article/271431
Where does lead go? Into bones. Lead was once so pervasive that, even three decades after the government banned the chemical in paint and began phasing it out of gasoline, the country has still not shaken free of its legacy. USA Today, 29 October 2007.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-10-28-lead-bone_N.htm
China birth defects soar due to pollution -- report. Birth defects in Chinese infants have soared nearly 40 percent since 2001, a government report said, and officials linked the rise to China's worsening environmental degradation. Reuters, 29 October 2007.
http://sport.guardian.co.uk/breakingnews/feedstory/0,,-7032085,00.html
NIH grant will increase ethnic diversity of major database for autism studies. A multi-institution team led by USC faculty has received a five-year, $8.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health for an ambitious effort to survey the genetic, physical and behavioral profiles of children with autism. Beverly Hills California Chronicle, California, 28 October 2007.
http://www.californiachronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=41394
New York wants federal help in curbing mercury pollution. Gov. Eliot Spitzer and governors of the six New England states are expected to call on the federal government as early as next week to take steps to reduce mercury emissions from Midwest states that prevailing winds carry into New York. Gannett News Service, 28 October 2007.
http://www.nynews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071028/NEWS05/710280334
Proposal would require more stringent pollution regulations. Proposed legislation announced Saturday would combat acid rain, smog, mercury contamination and global warming by controlling smokestack emissions from the nation's power plants. Associated Press, 28 October 2007.
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--pollutionlegislat1027oct27,0,5197121.story
Folic acid use declining among Latinas. Use of vitamins with folic acid -- which can prevent neural tube birth defects -- declined among Latinas in California from 2002 to 2006, despite a public health effort that has raised consumption among black, white and Asian women of childbearing age. Los Angeles Times, California, 27 October 2007.
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-sci-folic26oct26,1,255429.story?ctrack=1&cset=true
Schools embrace environmental efforts, though critics see a costly fad. Since 2004, dozens of public and private schools in Westchester and New York City and on Long Island have adopted no-idling zones, switched to plant-based cleaners in their buildings and, to a lesser extent, banned pesticides from playgrounds and playing fields. New York Times, 26 October 2007.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/25/education/25green.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Troubling meaty 'estrogen'. Researchers find that a chemical that forms in overcooked meat is a potent mimic of estrogen. That's anything but appetizing, since studies have linked a higher lifetime cumulative exposure to estrogen in women with an elevated risk of breast cancer. Science News. 27 October 2007.
http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20071020/food.asp
Consumer worries spur new product-recall database. Health Minister Tony Clement unveiled a new website on Wednesday combining food and children's product recalls, with the aim of informing concerned consumers about potential safety problems. CBC Canada, Canada, 25 October 2007.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2007/10/24/recall-website.html
Theo Colborn: exposing the devastating effects of chemical pollution. At age 80, she continues to blaze a trail with her work on the health effects of pollution. Time Magazine, 25 October 2007.
http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1663317_1663323_1669901,00.html
What's in furniture? It's enough to make you sick. Consumers can read a list of the ingredients in their cornflakes and a summary of what nutrients they contain, but good luck trying to find out what's in the new set of bedroom furniture we spend eight hours with every night. San Francisco Chronicle, California, 24 October 2007.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/24/HO3FSCHLN.DTL