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.
1) Learning Disabilities Association of Maine will hold its Annual Conference on Friday April 11, 2008, in Waterville, Maine. The conference theme is "Learning Disabilities & Coexisting Emotional Problems." This intense mental-health professional program includes the "co-morbidity" disorders often found with individuals with learning disabilities including anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, anger control/bipolar disorder, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Dr. Larry Silver will focus on the clinical description, diagnosis and treatment of these disorders ending the day with a group discussion and response to your questions. For more information, please contact LDA of Maine, 207-465-7700 or info@ldame.org or see the website: http://www.ldame.org/index.html
2) The LDDI scientific consensus statement is mentioned in a feature article on environmental toxics in the April issue of the magazine DallasChild. It is now available online: http://www.dallaschild.com/showarticle.asp?artid=386
3) National LDDI member AAIDD (American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities) helped cosponsor a Children's Environmental Health Symposium on March 17th with the Children's Environmental Health Partnership of New York, which is co-led by the Healthy Schools Network and the Learning Disabilities Association of New York State. At this venue, state government, business and environmental advocates, health professionals and academics came together to hear experts discuss the research and policies that frame our understanding of the impact on children's development of chemicals in the environment. Symposium participants had an opportunity to discuss what we can do to better protect the children of New York State. With over 100 attendees, this event was extremely successful and encouraged cooperative participation on children's environmental health topics with multiple policy perspectives.
4) AAIDD's Michigan Chapter hosted an Environmental Health Forum entitled "Environmental Links to Health Effects in Children...A Call to Action," which was cosponsored by AAIDD, Learning Disabilities Association (LDA) of Michigan, and LDA's Healthy Children Project, and also included the Michigan Network for Children's Environmental Health. This event was intended to bring together the Learning and Developmental Disabilities community and the Environmental Health community in Michigan to address the important topic of toxic chemicals that relate to human development. A packed reception hall proved that this topic is timely and important to Michigan's communities.
Saturday April 12, 2008
8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Fort Lee, New Jersey
at the Hilton Fort Lee George Washington Bridge, 2117 Route 4 Eastbound
Sponsor: Lyme-Induced Autism (LIA) Foundation
This one-day conference will educate attendees with an intermingling of traditional and alternative therapies to provide treatment strategies to begin in our healing journey. This conference will cover topics that would be appropriate for parents of children with autism, Lyme disease and related infections, adults with Lyme disease and medical professionals.
Price: $70 until March 1st, $85 before the conference or $95 on-site
Website: http://www.lymeinducedautism.com/spring2008njconference.html
Saturday and Sunday, April 12 - 13, 2008
Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. and Sunday 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Seattle, Washington
at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center, 800 Convention Place
Sponsor: Global Exchange and Co-op America, plus other partners listed on the website
The City of Seattle and the Seattle Office of Sustainability and Environment are co-hosting this first ever Northwest green festival. Through the city's Clean and Green Seattle projects, you'll learn how neighbors, community nonprofits and city departments are working together to make their city a healthier place to live.
Price: $15 per person, $10 for seniors and students, children under 12 are free
Website: http://www.greenfestivals.org/content/view/767/390/
Contact: visit http://www.greenfestivals.org/component/option,com_contact/task,view/contact_id,11/Itemid,26/
Tuesday through Saturday, April 22 - 26, 2008
San Francisco, California
Sponsor: SF Environment, UC Berkeley Extension, EcoCity Builders, Blue Practice, Green Century and Helen and William Mazer Foundation
The International Ecocity Conference Series brings together the key innovators, decision makers, technologists, businesses and organizations shaping the conversation around ecological and sustainable city, town and village design, planning and development. We intend to put these issues on the economic and environmental agenda for 2008 and beyond: people, nature, sustainable development, economies & technologies, and incentives & support structures.
Price: see http://www.regonline.com/Checkin.asp?EventId=130178
Website: http://www.ecocityworldsummit.org/index.htm
Contact: 510-419-0850
Saturday April 26, 2008
6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Seattle, Washington
on KOMO-TV 7
Sponsor: Autism Heroes
While the growing crisis of autism gains awareness, families facing an autism diagnosis can still feel isolated. Thirty-eight exceptionally courageous families share their stories in "Autism Heroes: Portraits of Families Meeting the Challenge," by Dr. Firestone. With empathy and expertise, Dr. Firestone engages the families in candid, powerful and deeply affecting conversations about their lives, set against the backdrop of her insightful essays about dignity, hope, opportunity and love.
Price: free
Website: http://www.autismheroes.org/news.php
Contact: Kim Bouchard, 201-329-9636
Sunday April 27, 2008
1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Seattle, Washington
at the Greenlake PCC Natural Market classroom, 7504 Aurora Avenue North
Sponsor: Washington Action for Safe Water
Join Washington Action for Safe Water in its efforts to educate our community about the toxicity of fluoridation.
Price: unknown
Contact: Washington Action for Safe Water, safewater@comcast.net
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
National Public Health Week. This week, the American Public Health Association leads National Public Health Week. This year's theme is "Climate Change: Our Health in the Balance."
http://www.nphw.org/nphw08/default.htm
National Children's Study Request for Proposals. The National Children's Study has issued of a new Request for Proposals (RFP) for additional Study Centers. The study plans to establish another wave of new Study locations and Centers across the country and is soliciting proposals by interested organizations to serve as Study Centers. Proposals are due May 2, 2008.
http://www.fbo.gov/spg/HHS/NIH/NICHD/Reference-Number-NIH-NICHD-NCS-08-21/listing.html
National Healthy Schools Day. On April 28th, schools, parents, personnel, advocates and agencies nationwide will work to promote healthy and green school environments for all children. National Healthy Schools Day is the first day of School Building Week, April 30 through May 4th. More information, including a list of national and state-based events, is available from CEFPI Foundation & Charitable Trust.
http://sbw.cefpifoundation.org/
EPA Brownfields Request for Applications. EPA announces the availability of funds and solicits applications from eligible entities and nonprofit organizations to provide training, research and technical assistance to communities facing brownfield cleanup and redevelopment challenges. EPA is interested in projects in the areas of protection of human heath and the environment, sustainable development and equitable development. The proposal deadline is May 1, 2008.
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/trta.htm
EPA Seeks Public Comment on Possible Drinking Water Contaminants. EPA is asking for public comment on a list of 104 possible drinking water contaminants that may need to be regulated. Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, EPA includes on the draft Contaminant Candidate List (CCL) currently unregulated contaminants that are known to occur in public water systems and which may require regulation. This draft CCL lists 93 chemical contaminants or groups and 11 microbes and describes the process and basis for selecting these contaminants.
http://epa.gov/aging/press/epanews/2008/2008_0220_1.htm
Request for Proposals. EPA is making available approximately $500,000 for Tribal Lead Grants, Tribal Educational Outreach on Lead Poisoning and Baseline Assessment of Tribal Children's Existing and Potential Exposure and Risks Associated with Lead. EPA is accepting grant proposals from Federally-recognized Indian tribes and tribal consortia to support Tribal educational outreach and to conduct a baseline assessment of Tribal children's existing and potential exposure to lead-based paint and related lead-based paint hazards. The closing date for applicants to submit proposals under this announcement is April 21, 2008. Applicants can apply via mail or online: http://www.grants.gov
http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/rfp030608.pdf
Health Disparities Funding Opportunity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a new Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) on "Elimination of Health Disparities through Translation Research (R18)".
http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/CD08-001.htm
Lead levels in children's jewelry match those of car batteries. Six out of 10 children's jewelry items for sale in Canada tested at the government's product safety laboratory in the last two years had dangerous and illegal levels of lead -- some with levels comparable to car batteries made of almost pure lead. CanWest News, Canada, 8 April 2008.
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=5c0f67cd-25eb-4602-bd31-c6f18f44374a&k=43026
Tranquillisers putting children's lives at risk. New evidence has shown children's lives are being put at risk by a surge in the use of controversial tranquillising drugs which are being prescribed to control their behaviour, the Guardian has learned. London Guardian, England, 8 April 2008.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/apr/07/mentalhealth.drugs
Probe urged after News finds toxin in school buildings. Politicians, parents and teachers demanded an immediate response Monday to the Daily News' revelation that toxins lurk in the caulking at dozens of city schools. New York Daily News, New York, 8 April 2008.
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/education/2008/04/08/2008-04-08_probe_urged_after_news_finds_toxin_in_sc.html
[Editor's note: see an opposing view at http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=4&aid=80256 ]
Government sued after approving 4 pesticides. Environmental and farmworker advocates have sued the Bush administration for allowing the continued use of four pesticides, saying it brushed aside its own findings showing danger to workers, children and wildlife. San Francisco Chronicle, California, 8 April 2008.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/08/BA6P101C4R.DTL
Anti-mercury steps sought. The Board of Public Works on Thursday evening will consider amending the city's current code on sewer use to include a mercury minimization program. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin, 8 April 2008.
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=736693
Living the toxin-free life. There are plastic baby bottles that leach chemicals, lotions and fragrances with toxins that can enter the bloodstream and disrupt enzymes, and household cleaning products that sanitize but can cause health problems. Attleboro Sun Chronicle, Massachusetts, 8 April 2008.
http://www.thesunchronicle.com/articles/2008/04/08/features/2989676.txt
Drug errors hurt children at higher rate. Medicine mix-ups, accidental overdoses and bad drug reactions harm roughly one out of 15 hospitalized children, according to the first scientific test of a new detection method. Associated Press, 7 April 2008.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-te.errors07apr07,0,3018205.story
Time to update environmental regulations. Should public health standards for endocrine-disrupting compounds be based upon sixteenth century dogma or modern endocrinology? San Francisco Medicine, 7 April 2008.
http://www.sfms.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home&TEMPLATE=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=2506&SECTION=Article_Archives
Toxins teeming in the workplace. Suffering from fatigue, headaches, nausea, dry cough or eye, nose or throat irritation? Your workplace may be to blame. Oklahoma City Oklahoman, Oklahoma, 7 April 2008.
http://newsok.com/article/3225659/1207504885
Health problems reported after aerial spraying. Hundreds of families in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties reported health problems last year after an aerial spray of pesticides containing synthetic insect pheromones in a campaign to eradicate the light brown apple moth. San Francisco Chronicle, California, 7 April 2008.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/06/MNROVUMES.DTL&type=health
Cantwell blasts old mining law. Dawn Mining stopped mining in 1984, but environmental and health consequences at the Spokane Indian Reservation remain. Now, U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash. is helping through the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. Indian Country Today, 7 April 2008.
http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096416961
Early findings on air pollution's effects on brain cause concern. Hundreds of studies have linked air pollution to early deaths, heart attacks, reduced lung function, lung cancer and other health problems. Now, scientists are finding out what it does to people's brains. Riverside Press-Enterprise, California, 6 April 2008.
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_D_brain07.34fc63e.html
Parents want to know if they can solve behavior problems with diet. Using diet modification to treat a child's behavior problems has been popular and controversial since the 1920s, though there is very little proof of long-lasting results. Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Washington, 6 April 2008.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/health/357840_nohle07.html
'Toxic trailers' raise fears about RVs. Air quality advocates say ordinary camper trailers and motorized recreational vehicles can be unhealthy because no federal or state agency attempts to bar manufacturers from using materials containing formaldehyde. Indianapolis Star, Indiana, 6 April 2008.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080406/LOCAL/804060353/1003/BUSINESS
Mattress eco-matters: don't take it lying down. Your mattress might be an environmental nightmare. Washington Post, 6 April 2008.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/03/AR2008040303081.html
Tainted medicine. Financial conflicts of interest are raising some upsetting questions about the trustworthiness of research. Los Angeles Times, California, 6 April 2008.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-op-kassirer6apr06,0,6496536.story
Teflon toxin found in W.Va. residents. Thousands of residents who live near a DuPont Co. plant in Parkersburg, W. Va., have elevated levels of a chemical used to make the nonstick coating Teflon, according to early results from a massive screening. Wilmington News Journal, Delaware, 6 April 2008.
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080406/NEWS08/804060354
The war on lead. Lead is a quiet threat both before and after it comes in contact with people. Chipping paint or dust may not be readily noticed and the side effects of lead poisoning do not show up right away. Marshalltown Times-Republican, Iowa, 6 April 2008.
http://www.timesrepublican.com/page/content.detail/id/504773.html?nav=5005
Food additives 'could be as damaging as lead in petrol.' Artificial food colours are set to be removed from hundreds of products after a team of university researchers warned they were doing as much damage to children's brains as lead in petrol. London Independent, England, 5 April 2008.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/health-news/food-additives-could-be-as-damaging-as-lead-in-petrol-804890.html
New aid for autistic children. A new alliance between the society and the Howard County Library means that resources on autism are readily available at Central Library's health information center and library classes are being offered on a range of topics. Baltimore Sun, Maryland, 5 April 2008.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/howard/bal-ho.autism04apr04,0,493501.story
Judge sides with industry in air-quality case. A Maricopa County Superior Court judge has slapped down efforts by the state Department of Environmental Quality to enact new regulations of hazardous air pollutants. Tucson Arizona Daily Star, Arizona, 5 April 2008.
http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/232964
Weeding out toxic pesticides. The Greenwich Board of Selectmen is considering banning pesticide applications on school grounds, athletic fields and parks. Greenwich Citizen, Connecticut, 5 April 2008.
http://www.greenwichcitizen.com/localnews/ci_8798892
Green clean: Chemical concern grows, so do 'friendly' products. The household cleaning products aisle of the grocery store presents a dizzying array of choices … and some scary-sounding possibilities, if you read the fine print. Davenport Quad-City Times, Iowa, 5 April 2008.
http://www.qctimes.com/articles/2008/04/05/features/home_garden/doc47f69731c08af854658680.txt
Smoking ban bill wins final approval. Maine's law, which will take effect 90 days after this spring's legislative session ends, will outlaw smoking in cars in which youths under 16 are present. Associated Press, 5 April 2008.
http://bangornews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=162537&zoneid=500
What are these chemicals and what do they do? According to the EPA, the air we breathe inside our homes could be up to five times as polluted as the air outside. Davenport Quad-City Times, Iowa, 5 April 2008.
http://www.qctimes.com/articles/2008/04/04/features/home_garden/doc47f6966868503319100311.txt
Mexico City bans smoking in all public places. Mexico City today banned cigarette smoking in all public places, from bars to office buildings, to reduce the amount of carcinogens inhaled by residents of the smog-filled capital. Reuters, 4 April 2008.
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=6cdbb7f1-efd3-47ef-93fc-2728bf4d541e&k=39077
Bike helmets do more harm than good. A controversial verdict of a new evaluation of cycle helmets concludes that they are "detrimental to public health in Australia." Sydney Australian, Australia, 4 April 2008.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23481766-23289,00.html
Medical study finds PCBs problems in east Alabama city. A study of more than 1,000 east Alabama residents who live amid one of the world's worst pockets of PCBs contamination found health concerns including heart problems and diabetes could be linked to the chemical. Associated Press, 3 April 2008.
http://www.al.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-35/1207158858220450.xml&storylist=alabamanews
Toxic fumes, blisters and brain damage : The cost of doing business? After years living near the largest industrial farm in New York, residents' health symptoms take on national relevance as the EPA prepares to roll back air-pollution reporting requirements for industrial animal farms. Ithaca Times, New York, 3 April 2008.
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19446417&BRD=1395&PAG=461&dept_id=216620&rfi=6
Gadget recycling may be poisoning China's children. Think about this next time you upgrade your PC: toxic metals from old electronic goods are finding their way into school grounds in China. New Scientist, England, 3 April 2008.
http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/mg19826505.700-gadget-recycling-may-be-poisoning-chinas-children.html
Lawmaker seeks ban on thimerosal. Joining a wave of concern over the use of mercury-based preservatives in vaccines, Rep. J. Russell Jackson (D-Newport) has introduced legislation that would ban the use of thimerosal in childhood vaccines. Newport This Week, Rhode Island, 3 April 2008.
http://www.eastbayri.com/story/314756571165212.php
California Democrats push bills to fight spread of autism. Undeterred by the state's budget woes, Democratic lawmakers Wednesday unveiled eight bills to address the dramatic rise in diagnosis of children with autism. Sacramento Bee, California, 3 April 2008.
http://www.sacbee.com/health/story/832784.html
Heat on flavoured cigarettes. Health Minister Nicola Roxon has slammed tobacco companies for targeting children by adding chocolate, vanilla and licorice flavours to cigarettes and has put a national ban on the agenda. Sydney Australian, Australia, 3 April 2008.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23475212-23289,00.html
Self-discipline, ADHD and the power of nature. Nature is what researchers call a "restorative environment" that can help people recover from the mental and emotional fatigue of staying on task. St. Paul Pioneer Press, Minnesota, 2 April 2008.
http://www.twincities.com/ci_8770617
Kids' health and IQ could improve with congestion pricing plan. Not only would there be less pollution, but asthma, heart disease and even kids' IQs could improve under the NY congestion pricing plan, experts say. New York Daily News, New York, 2 April 2008.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/04/02/2008-04-02_kids_health_and_iq_could_improve_with_co.html
Gregoire signs nation's toughest toy safety measure. Toy safety rules that started as a strong sprint, then nearly stumbled out of the race, finally wobbled across the finish line Tuesday when Gov. Chris Gregoire signed into law the toughest standards in the nation. Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Washington, 2 April 2008.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/357287_toys02.html?source=mypi
FEMA trailer hazard precipitates new study. Accused of taking months to correct a misleading report about the possible health risks of formaldehyde in FEMA trailers, a government agency has announced a five-year study of Gulf Coast children to determine the long-term effects of exposure. Newhouse News Service, 2 April 2008.
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/120712514418500.xml&coll=2
Signs of autism found in 1 in 4 born very prematurely. A small study of toddlers finds that about one-quarter of babies born very prematurely had signs of autism on an early screening test. Associated Press, 2 April 2008.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/04/02/signs_of_autism_found_in_1_in_4_born_very_prematurely/
Is size 0 really to blame? Professor Christopher Gillberg of the University of Strathclyde was among the first to suggest that anorexia may be a sign of an Autism Spectrum Disorder. BBC, UK, 2 April 2008.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7322673.stm
Mom's fish intake may boost child's brain power. Preschoolers whose mothers regularly ate low-mercury fish during pregnancy may have sharper minds than their peers, a study suggests. Reuters, 2 April 2008.
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSCOL16678020080401
Autism's mysteries remain as numbers grow. Although autism will be diagnosed in more than 25,000 U.S. children this year, more than new pediatric cases of AIDS, diabetes and cancer combined, scientists and doctors still know very little about the neurological disorder. CNN, 1 April 2008.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/03/31/autism.main/index.html
EPA rule seeks to shield children from lead paint. Contractors renovating U.S. homes built before 1978 must take special precautions to avoid exposing children to lead paint under a regulation announced Monday by the Environmental Protection Agency. Los Angeles Times, California, 1 April 2008.
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-fi-lead1apr01,1,5658295.story
Tracing autism's roots. Do vaccinations cause autism? Despite the fact that one major study after another has answered no since the issue came to the fore around 2000, 54% of parents of autistic children in a 2006 survey said the answer is yes. Fortune, 1 April 2008.
http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/31/magazines/fortune/autism_roots.fortune/?postversion=2008040104
Preventing lead poisoning a serious business for governments. Cleveland is one of the worst cities in the country when it comes to the percentage of children with high levels of lead in their blood. Cleveland Plain Dealer, Ohio, 1 April 2008.
http://blog.cleveland.com/lifestyles/2008/04/preventing_lead_poisoning_a_se.html
Autism's simmering controversy. This month, federal officials conceded that 9-year-old Hannah Poling of Athens, Ga., should be awarded damages from a federal vaccine-injury fund because vaccines worsened a rare mitochondrial dysfunction. This, they said, led to autism-like symptoms. Louisville Courier-Journal, Kentucky, 31 March 2008.
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080331/NEWS01/803310418&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL
Mobile phones 'more dangerous than smoking.' Mobile phones could kill far more people than smoking or asbestos, a study by an award-winning cancer expert has concluded. London Independent, England, 30 March 2008.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/health-news/mobile-phones-more-dangerous-than-smoking-802602.html
[Editor's note: See an opposing point of view at http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=440019 ]
WA monitoring stations keep an eye on pesticide drift. At secret locations near orchards in the Yakima Valley, scientists have set up air-monitoring stations to try to find out if dangerous levels of pesticides are drifting near homes, schools or day care centers, threatening public health. Yakima Herald Republic, Washington, 30 March 2008.
http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2766
EPA drops ball on danger of chemicals to children. Like many parents, New Berlin mom Becky Fisco figures that if the chemicals sprayed on crib mattresses could make her 5-month-old baby sick, government regulators would warn her about it. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin, 30 March 2008.
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=733566
Event discloses high toxin levels in children's toys. The handheld device resembled a price scanner, but after it zapped his son's Fisher Price roller vacuum toy, sticker shock wasn't what upset state Sen. Bob Duff. Stamford Advocate, Connecticut, 30 March 2008.
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/ci_8745729
Baby rice warning: study finds high levels of carcinogenic arsenic. A third of baby food rice on sale in the UK tested by scientists has been found to contain so much inorganic arsenic, a human carcinogen, that it would be illegal in some countries. London Independent, England, 30 March 2008.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/health-news/baby-rice-warning-study-finds-high-levels-of-carcinogenic-arsenic-802603.html
Schools look to clean up buses' belching. Proactive Georgia school districts have begun working to minimize the impact of school buses that belch pollutants, observers and officials say, and federal money might be in the offing for some of the projects. Jacksonville Times-Union, Florida, 29 March 2008.
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/032908/geo_262782899.shtml
Dad's hidden influence. Growing evidence suggests that a father's age and his exposure to chemicals can leave a medical legacy that lasts generations. Science News, 29 March 2008.
http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20080329/bob9.asp
Pesticide Parkinson's link strong. There is strong evidence that exposure to pesticides significantly increases the risk of Parkinson's disease, experts believe. BBC, UK, 29 March 2008.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7318188.stm
Hormone worries halt plastic baby bottle sales. Canadian retailers have begun pulling plastic baby bottles containing bisphenol A from their shelves as demand dries up from health-conscious customers. CanWest News, Canada, 29 March 2008.
http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/news/national/story.html?id=a01217f0-6fcd-4f07-b333-d80ccc90a4e9
Moving reserve discussed. Leaving behind the toxic air the polluted water at the Aamjiwnaang First Nation reserve in the heart of Chemical Valley sometimes looks easier to Ada Lockridge than fighting government and industry to clean it up. Sarnia Observer, Ontario, 28 March 2008.
http://www.theobserver.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=960651
Possible suicide link prompts FDA to probe Merck asthma drug. The Food and Drug Administration said it is investigating a possible association between the widely used asthma medication Singulair and behavioral changes, including suicide. Wall Street Journal, 28 March 2008.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120663164096268731.html
Six baby cough medicines pulled. Cough remedies aimed at very young children are to be removed from shelves amid fears of accidental overdose. The Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has ordered six products be permanently removed from sale for children aged under two. BBC, UK, 27 March 2008.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7315924.stm
UK researcher raises 'red flag' on new drugs. A University of Kentucky researcher is suggesting that drugs being developed based on a Nobel Prize-winning genetic breakthrough may have dangerous side effects -- casting doubt on a research area attracting billions of drug company dollars. Louisville Courier-Journal, Kentucky, 27 March 2008.
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080327/NEWS01/803270448
Garden hoses' safety. "Warning: This hose contains chemicals, including lead, known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects, or reproductive harm. Wash hands after use." Santa Barbara Independent, California, 27 March 2008.
http://www.independent.com/news/2008/mar/27/garden-hoses-safety/
PBS to air study on link between money, health. If you tell Dr. Anthony Iton where you live and how much money you make, he'll tell you how long you're likely to live. San Francisco Chronicle, California, 27 March 2008.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/26/BUC0VPO45.DTL
Gadgets can contain banned chemical. The sex-toy industry is like a bad pet owner who lets their dog chew on toxic toys. Edmonton Journal, Canada, 27 March 2008.
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/reallife/story.html?id=ba363f57-39d6-4337-b65d-a5cadad0b014
Environmentalists seek formaldehyde exposure limit. Environmental activists are urging EPA to set a national standard limiting the amount of formaldehyde that can be released by wood products used in homes. Chemical & Engineering News, 26 March 2008.
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/86/i13/8613news6.html
Study: Premature birth has lingering effects. Being born prematurely can cause health problems that haunt people into adulthood and even affect their own children, a study shows. USA Today, 26 March 2008.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-03-25-premature-birth_N.htm
Little action seen so far to fix the water supply. Traces of 56 human and veterinary pharmaceuticals or their byproducts -- like the active ingredients in medicines for pain, infection, high cholesterol, asthma, epilepsy, mental illness and heart problems -- have been detected in Philadelphia's drinking water. Associated Press, 26 March 2008.
http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080326/FEATURES14/803260305/1028/FEATURES14