If you would like to join the Collaborative on Health and the Environment (CHE) and the LDDI Working Group, please complete the application at http://www.healthandenvironment.org/roles/register?&phase=registerform. 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) The next CHE Parkinson's Disease (PD) Working Group call will be May 24, 2007, at 4:00 p.m. Eastern, 1:00 p.m. Pacific time. The numbers are 1-800-371-8200 (toll-free in USA and Canada) or 1-805-620-4010 (for callers outside the USA and Canada), and the participant access code is 13531#. Featured speakers are Deborah Cory-Slechta, PhD, director of The Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute (EOHSI) and chair of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine at the UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School; and Mona Thiruchelvam, PhD, assistant professor at Rutgers and the Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine at the UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Both have been studying early exposures to pesticides and developmental impacts as well as adult onset of Parkinson's Disease. Contact Jackie Hunt Christensen, jackiehc@gmail.com.
2) LDDI partner the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) will host its next teleconference on Tuesday June 12th at 2:00 p.m. EDT. The topic will be "SAFER: State Alliance for Federal Reform of Chemicals Policy," featuring Ted Schettler, MD, MPH, and Sarah Doll, SAFER national coordinator. Chemicals in commerce include pharmaceuticals, pesticides and a large number of industrial chemicals used in consumer products and for other purposes. Each of these large categories of chemicals is regulated by a governmental agency under the authority granted by specific pieces of legislation. Most nonpesticidal industrial chemicals are regulated by the US EPA under the authority as outlined in the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Unfortunately, as interpreted and implemented, TSCA has not been adequate to protect public health and the environment, especially for chemicals that have long been in use and that were grandfathered in when TSCA was adopted. The good news is that state and local governments are stepping up to the challenge presented by a system that is not effectively protecting our children's health and development. Several state-based coalitions composed of health, environmental, business and labor leaders are moving forward with practical policy solutions. These solutions are focused around reducing threats, promoting safer alternatives and creating new economic development opportunities. There are also personal and clinical resources to help individuals make informed decisions in their own lives. For more information visit http://www.ehinitiative.org/Projects/tele_con.htm or contact Laura Abulafia, Laura@aaidd.org.
3) The 38th Autism Society of America National Conference will be held July 11 - 14, 2007, in Scottsdale, Arizona. During this conference, LDDI partner ASA will bring together experts from various disciplines with the creative ideas and energy to address the diverse challenges individual with autism and their families face. The goal is to provide conference attendees with the opportunity to learn from innovators and access critical information to improve their lives and those of the people they love, treat and inspire. See http://www.autism-society.org/conference for more information.
For more information about these events or to access additional events, please visit our searchable calendar of events at http://www.iceh.org/cgi-bin/searchevents.cgi.
May 24, 2007
8:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Seattle, Washington
at the University of Washington Arboretum, Graham Visitors Center, Large Meeting Room
This half-day training program will introduce participants to a new clinical resource for practitioners, the Pediatric Environmental Health Toolkit. Attendees will receive a complete toolkit to test in your own practices. This contains handy reference and guidance cards, and attractive "Rx for Prevention" patient materials. The training focuses on the relationship between environmental exposures and children's health and the clinical use of the toolkit provider and patient materials. Sessions presented by physician experts in environmental health will include 1) routes of exposure to common toxic chemicals/substances including metals (mercury, lead, arsenic), solvents, pesticides, PCBs.; 2) health effects linkages; 3) anticipatory guidance keyed to well-child visits; 4) patient communications on environmental health issues; and 5) key concepts on the unique vulnerabilities of children, susceptible populations, the "built" and "food" environments and other important issues. Attendees will commit to training several colleagues and using the toolkit in their practices for three months. Physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and nurses in pediatric and family practices are encouraged to register. This toolkit is supported by a grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency and endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Website: http://www.wpsr.org/calendar/default.htm
Contact: Nancy Dickeman, 206-354-2170 or nancyd@wpsr.org
May 24, 2007
12:00 noon Pacific / 3:00 p.m. Eastern time
This North American webcast features Dr. Richard Denison, Senior Scientist at Environmental Defense, who will present the findings and discuss his recent report, in cooperation with Canada NGO Pollution Probe, (http://www.ed.org/go/chempolicyreport) that critically compares the European Union's new REACH Regulation, The US Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), and the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA). To participate, please RSVP by close of business on Tuesday May 22. Details and a toll-free call-in number will then be forwarded prior to the call.
Contact: Cathy Malina, cmalina@environmentaldefense.org
May 28 - 31, 2007
Copenhagen, Denmark
at the Copenhagen University Hospital (Rigshospitalet)
The meeting, supported by the Danish Ministry of the Environment, is intended to facilitate an exchange of information and views both within the scientific community and with experts engaged in regulation and policymaking. This time we would like to focus on possible effects of exposures to endocrine disrupters present in our everyday life, e.g. in our food, cosmetic and our homes. The role of mixed exposures and links between effects in laboratory animals and observations in wildlife and humans will also be addressed. Effects on both reproduction and nonreproductive organs will be discussed. The deadline for abstract submission is March 25, 2007, and registration is open through May 7th.
Website: http://www.reproduction.dk/cow2007/
Contact: Susan Svenningsen, COW2007@rh.hosp.dk
May 30 - June 1, 2007
Reykjavik, Iceland
at Grand Hotel, Reykjavik
With the conference we want to make a difference for people with autism by better understanding their needs and how they contribute to our culture. Whether you are studying autism from the point of view of genetics, pathogenesis, neurobiology, epidemiology, screening and diagnosis, treatment efficacy, service planning, parenthood, the coping skills of families or some other consideration, we are interested in your contribution.
Website: http://www.yourhost.is/
Contact: Inga Solnes, conference@yourhost.is
June 1 - 3, 2007
Chicago, Illinois
at Loyola University (Water Tower Campus)
The conference theme is "Changing Course in a Changing Climate: Solutions for Health and the Environment." Topics covered include 1) climate change: consequences and the organic response; 2) linking pesticide science and health effects; 3) toxic policies that hurt communities of color; 4) emerging science: asthma, pesticide mixtures, antibacterial hazards, nanotechnology; 5) community access to organic food and the globalization of organics; 6) practicing precaution: protective policies and effective advocacy; and 7) Great Lakes and pesticides.
Website: http://www.beyondpesticides.org/forum/
Contact: 202-543-5450 or info@beyondpesticides.org
June 6, 2007
1:00 - 2:30 p.m. EDT
Children's health advocates will be introduced to emerging conceptual frameworks that integrate social and environmental conditions as more holistic approaches to evaluate and address disparities in environmental health. The panel of speakers will discuss how these social and environmental factors impact disparities in children's environmental health and identify areas for policy changes to reduce these disparities. Speakers will be Gilbert C. Gee, David Williams, Janean E. Dilworth-Bart and Phil Landrigan.
Contact: OCHPWebcast@icfi.com
June 6 - 9, 2007
Portland, Oregon
at the Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront Hotel
The conference theme is Environmental Awareness and Health Care: Tools for Patients and the Planet, and the conference offers clinically focused information that will help participants address concerns about toxicity within the context of an expanded ecological picture. This in-depth exploration of common threats to human and planetary health will help participants gain both the inspiration and tools to enact positive and sustainable change in clinical practice and in life. In addition to learning what can be done about the human/ecosystem health challenges posed by modern life, attendees will also enjoy educational opportunities for general clinical topics, personal development, and daily experiential sessions, offered by a distinguished faculty of local and national leaders. Plenary speakers include Michael Lerner, PhD; Scott Shannon, MD; John Peterson "Pete" Myers, PhD; Devra Lee Davis, PhD, MPH; Charlotte Brody, RN; Ted Schettler, MD; Jamie Harvie, PEng; and Kenny Ausubel.
Website: http://www.holisticmedicine.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=21
Contact: 425-967-0737 or info@holisticmedicine.org
June 7 - 9, 2007
Ann Arbor, Michigan
at the University of Michigan's School of Natural Resources and Environment
The issues of diversity and environmental justice are very salient in today's society. This two-part conference that will explore research related to 1) diversity in academia (particularly environmental programs) as well as other kinds of environmental institutions and 2) domestic and international environmental justice research. While environmental justice researchers present their findings at numerous venues in any given year, a gathering of this sort is unique in that it offers an opportunity for researchers in the field to gather in one place to assess the past, present and future of the research; map out strategies; initiate collaborative efforts; network; and identify and nurture the future generation of scholars.
Website: http://sitemaker.umich.edu/diversityejresearchsymposium/conference_announcement
Contact: Latonia Payne, paynel@umich.edu
June 8 - 9, 2007
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
at Point Park University
The symposium theme is Bipolar Children: Cutting Edge Controversy, Insight, and Research. Over the past decade and a half, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of children being diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, an illness that was once considered rare prior to adolescence. This symposium will examine incidence, treatment, cultural and other aspects of this issue. 1/2/3 academic credit option for 30/60/90 ACT 48 hours.
Website: http://www.pointpark.edu/files/finalversionbipolar.pdf
Contact: Kris Julian, 412-392-3483 or kjulian@pointpark.edu
June 10 - 12, 2007
Vienna, Austria
at the Medical University of Vienna, Schwarzspanierstrasse 17
This cross-sectional conference is intended for health professionals, scientists (clinical, environmental epidemiological and community-oriented) and policy makers who have a special interest in children's environmental health, as well as leaders from the private sector, nongovernmental organizations and community organizations, and all levels of government. Topic include air pollution, nanotechnology, training health care providers, cancer, indoor air, children's environmental health indicators, fetal and embryological origin of diseases, pesticides, neurodevelopmental disorders, climate change and children, toxic metals, lead, children and physical hazards, and others. The official language of the conference is English.
Website: http://www.inchesnetwork.net/conference.html
June 10-15, 2007
Vancouver, British Columbia Canada
at the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre
The conference title is "Health Promotion Comes of Age: Research, Policy & Practice for the 21st Century." The overall mission of the conference is to review and critically reassess health promotion's progress since the Ottawa Charter and to help set the course for navigating through the new challenges facing health promotion in an increasingly globalized world. By linking policy, practice and research, Canada 2007 will enhance partnerships and intersectoral collaborations for health promotion. Canada 2007 will be an international venture that will take into account the needs and concerns of health promotion at a global level and encourage members to come from all corners of the world to celebrate the renewal of the Ottawa Charter. Conference themes are reducing health inequities, assets for health and development, enabling system transformations, and assessing the effectiveness of health promotion. The conference is approved for 24 prescribed American Association for Family Physicians credits / 1.5 elective credits and Category I continuing education contact hours in health education.
Website: http://iuhpeconference.org/en/index.htm
Contact: Valarie Bodnarchuck, 250-472-5385 or canada2007@iuhpeconference.org
June 15 - 16, 2007
Toronto, Ontario Canada
at the Ramada Plaza Hotel, 300 Jarvis
The conference theme is "Building a Community of Acceptance." This is a conference that will explore best practices and approaches for increasing quality of life, opportunities and independence for individuals with ASD and their families.
Contact: Ethel Berry, 416-246-9592 ext. 224
The Environmental Protection Agency requests comment on whether and to what extent the agency should consider offering tailored incentives to encourage new owners of regulated entities to discover, disclose, correct and prevent the recurrence of environmental violations. The agency is considering whether actively encouraging such disclosures has the potential to yield significant environmental benefit, since new owners may be particularly well situated and highly motivated to focus on, and invest in, making a clean start for their new facilities by addressing environmental noncompliance.
Any tailored incentives for new owners would be beyond those offered as EPA is currently implementing EPA's April 11, 2000, policy on Incentives for Self-Policing: Discovery, Disclosure, Correction and Prevention of Violations commonly referred to as the Audit Policy. These incentives would be designed to enhance implementation of the Audit Policy and encourage its use in the new owner context, but would not constitute a change to the Policy overall. After the comment period closes, the agency plans to review all comments and decide whether to develop a pilot program to test the policy of offering tailored incentives to encourage new owners to self-audit and disclose under the audit policy. Should the agency decide to proceed, EPA would then publish a second Federal Register notice to seek comment on a proposed pilot program.
For more information regarding this federal register notice, including information on how to submit comments, please visit http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getpage.cgi?dbname=2007_register&position=all&page=27116.
by Nicholas Bakalar, New York Times
May 22, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/22/health/22teen.html
Article Summary: That advertising liquor and tobacco increases their sales may not be a revelation. But two new studies suggested that fairly simple public policy changes might significantly reduce underage smoking and drinking. In the first study, published in the May issue of the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, researchers used a nationwide survey of more than 26,000 students in 8th, 10th and 12th grades from 1999 to 2003. The scientists found that point-of-sale advertising is associated with getting children to try smoking, but has little effect in encouraging habitual tobacco use. However, cigarette promotions, especially those that involve price reductions, may tempt teenagers who have already experimented with tobacco to become regular smokers. The study's authors estimated that if stores had no advertising, there would be a decrease of 11 percent in children who try smoking. If promotions were eliminated, there would be a decrease of 13 percent in the number who become habitual smokers. A second study, published online April 13 in the Journal of Adolescent Health, suggested alcohol advertising was also effective among teenagers. Scientists surveyed 1,786 sixth graders in South Dakota, measuring their exposure to alcohol marketing. The researchers found that exposure to advertising in sixth grade strongly predicted drinking in seventh grade. The most consistent predictor of drinking was ownership of a hat, poster, or T-shirt that advertised alcohol, they said, and the one-fifth of sixth graders who owned such items were almost twice as likely to take up drinking as those who did not.
by Karen Hensel, WISHTV News
May 22, 2007
http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6547816&nav=0Ra7
INDIANAPOLIS -- There are new concerns about chemicals hidden in consumer products. These chemicals have the potential to cause serious health problems and several countries have banned them, but the U.S. has not. Nearly every American is exposed to these chemicals. It is especially troubling for millions of women of child-bearing age and their children.
Article Summary: Phthalates are a group of chemicals that make plastics flexible, lotions and lipsticks creamy and dollies' skin feel soft and real. Phthalates are everywhere and they are harmful to our health. One kind of phthalate is known to cause cancer, kidney and liver damage and reproductive problems. Others interfere with hormones and can cause obesity, diabetes, allergies and asthma. Phthalates are in hairspray, shampoo and nail polish. They are in our homes and can leach out from vinyl floors, PVC pipes, even shower curtains and clear plastic wrap when used in the microwave and from plastic water bottles left in a hot car. Phthalates are even in children's toys. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission asked companies, including Mattel and Playskool, to voluntarily remove phthalates from teethers, bath toys and squeeze toys. But even one year later, toy companies chose not to comply, removing phthalates only from teethers. Democratic Congressman Henry Waxman of California plans to reintroduce the Kids Safety Chemical Act, which died in the last Congress.
Recent research on mice by Swapan Ghosh, a cancer researcher at Indiana State University, finds a link between phthalates and Lupus and it is getting national attention from Johns Hopkins and the FDA. When mice predisposed toward Lupus were injected with phthalates, more of them got Lupus, got it sooner and died sooner. Women wear makeup and use a range of beauty products every day. Women also are five times more likely than men to get Lupus. While the link between phthalates and Lupus is not yet definitive, it is yet another indication of potential harm. The Toy Industry Association insists phthalates are safe and so does the chemical industry. Both dismiss animal studies that link phthalates with health problems.
by Martin Mittelstaedt, Toronto Globe and Mail
May 22, 2007
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070522.FISH22/TPStory/TPNational/Ontario/
Back in the summer of 2001, a team of Canadian and U.S. researchers spiked a lake in Northwestern Ontario with traces of synthetic estrogen used in human birth control pills. They then repeated the unusual treatment for the next two years and sat back and watched what happened to minnows living in the lake. The results were nothing short of frightening. Exposing fish to tiny doses of the active ingredient in the pill, amounts little more than a whiff of estrogen, started turning male fish into females. Instead of sperm, they started developing eggs. Instead of looking like males, they became indistinguishable from females. Within a year of exposure, the minnow population began to crash. Within a few years, the fish, which at one time teemed in the lake, had practically vanished.
Article Summary: The scientists added just enough estrogen to give the lake water the same level of the sex hormone found in water discharged from sewage treatment plants in Canada and in other countries where the birth control pill is widely used. The dramatic results, being published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences are likely to raise further concerns about the possible impact on wildlife and humans of drug residues in waterways. Over the past decade, there have been a number of studies in North America and Europe showing skewed sexual development in aquatic life living near outfalls from sewage plants. This study is the first to show that exposure to drugs not only changes sexual characteristics, but can also destroy fish populations. Dr. Kidd doesn't think women should stop taking the pill out of worry for wildlife. She said municipalities need to build more advanced sewage treatment plants, which are able to degrade more of the estrogen into harmless chemicals.
It's not known what effect, if any, human exposure to estrogen in drinking water might have, although Dr. Kidd said it is an area that should be a research priority. Reproductive problems in human males, such as declining sperm counts and testicular cancer, have been rising in recent decades, and the causes are not known. There are currently no regulations in Canada covering estrogen or other drug residues in waterways. Municipalities typically don't check for them and it is not known if there are human health effects for people who draw drinking water from sources receiving sewage, a common practice in Canada.
by Peter B. Lord, Providence Journal
May 20, 2007
http://www.projo.com/news/content/environmental_journal20_05-20-07_AD5LMF9.29e5a1d.html
Article Summary: Two medical experts from Rhode Island who believe there is not enough time to wait for the government to regulate dangerous chemicals used in household products have published their own book on how to avoid such chemicals. Safer for Your Baby: A Guide to Living Better with Fewer Chemicals is meant to help people use safer household products and minimize exposure to harmful chemicals for babies or young children, who are most vulnerable to the dangerous chemicals. The book gives directions for reading warning labels and understanding ingredient lists. It suggests what chemicals to avoid, and discusses how household chemicals get into peoples' bodies -- often by breathing the fumes. The book gives advice on cooking, food packaging, cleaning products, carpets and home furnishings. The authors contend that more than 1,000 new manmade chemicals are introduced each year without being tested for safety.
by Abram Katz, New Haven [Connecticut] Register
May 20, 2007
http://www.nhregister.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18364333&BRD=1281&PAG=461&dept_id=590581&rfi=6
Connecticut air that meets federal pollution limits still contains enough harmful chemicals to stunt babies before they are born, a groundbreaking Yale University study has found.
Article Summary: The Yale study found that emissions from cars, diesel engines and power plants increase the frequency of low birth-weight babies, who face a multitude of medical problems, including impaired cognitive ability, infection, heart disease and stroke. Yale researchers, led by Michelle L. Bell, assistant professor of environmental health at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, found that exposure to pollution, even at low levels, apparently increases the risk of low birth weight. Black women were affected more strongly than whites. The study showed that different pollutants had varying effects when breathed by the mother at different time in the pregnancy. The study is the first to measure air pollution and birth weight in the Northeast. Similar research has been conducted in California, Nevada and Georgia, with inconsistent results. Occupational health experts and environmentalists said the study represents more evidence that air pollution standards need to be tightened and that current limits are too lax to protect the population. "All of the counties in the study are in compliance (with federal clean air standards) so the lower levels are dangerous," Bell said. Many factors determine birth weight, including poor nutrition, exposure to alcohol and drugs, smoking and prematurity, said Dr. Robert Herzlinger, chief of neonatology at Bridgeport Hospital.
Why breathing air pollutants while pregnant should influence the weight of the full-term infant is not well understood. Bell and fellow researchers said air pollution could affect a fetus directly through the placenta, or indirectly by degrading the mother's health. The same mechanism at work in smoking, premature rupture of membranes, may be to blame. Inhaling smog may disrupt endocrine and nervous systems, and soot particles could reduce the amount of oxygen reaching the fetus. Carbon monoxide, nitrogen and sulfur oxide particles tend to travel together, making the task of figuring out which ones cause lower infant weight difficult.
by Rick Weiss, Washington Post
May 20, 2007
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/19/AR2007051901273.html
Article Summary: Just last month, the Food and Drug Administration detained 107 food imports from China at U.S. ports, along with more than 1,000 shipments of tainted Chinese dietary supplements, toxic Chinese cosmetics and counterfeit Chinese medicines. For years, US inspection records show, China has flooded the United States with foods unfit for human consumption. And for years, FDA inspectors have simply returned to Chinese importers the small portion of those products they caught -- many of which turned up at U.S. borders again, making a second or third attempt at entry. While activists and members of Congress demand that the United States tell China it is fed up, change will prove difficult, policy experts say, in large part because U.S. companies have become so dependent on the Chinese economy that tighter rules on imports stand to harm the U.S. economy, too. It is not just that food from China is cheap, said William Hubbard, a former associate director of the FDA. For a growing number of important food products, China has become virtually the only source in the world.
FDA inspectors are able to check out less than one percent of regulated imports. But deception by Chinese exporters is not limited to plant products, and some of their most egregiously unfit exports are smuggled into the United States., such as illegal meat and poultry products. John C. Bailar III, a University of Chicago professor emeritus who chaired a 2003 National Academies committee that recommended major changes in the U.S. food safety system -- which have gone largely unheeded -- said he has become increasingly concerned that corporations and the federal government seem willing to put the interests of business "above the public welfare."
by Jonathan Sher, London [Ontario] Free Press
May 19, 2007
http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/News/Local/2007/05/19/4192614-sun.html
High lead levels that triggered health warnings to children and pregnant women in London have been found for years in Hamilton. But Hamilton officials never warned those most vulnerable to lead or shared test results with Ontario's top water regulator, not even when chief drinking water inspector Jim Smith sent letters April 27 to every city in the province asking them to conduct tests to find out whether the problems with drinking water were London's alone.
Article Summary: Low levels of lead in blood have been linked to a small loss in intelligence. London's water is more acidic than ideal, a factor that can make it more corrosive. Experts have yet to compare water in Hamilton to that in London so no one knows whether it's more or less corrosive. Since 2003, dozens of Hamiltonians have arranged for the city to test their tap water -- health officials say fewer than 100 -- and 22 had lead levels that failed to meet the provincial standard of less than 10 micrograms per litre of water. Though that sample size is small and spread over a few years, the failure rate is at best the same and likely worse than in London, where 1,400 tests so far have found a failure rate of 23 per cent.
from CBC News
May 17, 2007
http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2007/05/17/carseat-chemicals.html
A new study suggests that "toxic" chemicals used in the materials to make car seats can put children in danger of developing health problems if ingested or inhaled. The study, released Wednesday by the Michigan-based environmental group Ecology Center, provides analysis of more than 60 different car seat models for chemicals including bromine, chlorine and lead. "These chemicals can be associated with developmental disorders, learning impairment, liver disease, cancer, as well as other allergic type diseases," said Jeff Gearhart, lead author of the report.
Article Summary: In March, the Ecology Center released a report saying that plastics and materials used inside the car, from the steering wheel to the dashboard to the carpets -- can expel gas or leach into the environment. According to the report, the same toxic chemicals that are used to make interior auto components are also used to make child car seats. Health Canada, which evaluates the use and safety of chemicals used in products sold in Canada, said in a statement on car seat safety that the presence of a chemical does not necessarily mean it poses a health risk. Gearhart recommends that owners of car seats that tested poorly should keep the window ajar when traveling in the car. He also says the seat should be kept out of direct sunlight and use of the product should be restricted to use in the car. The authors of the report caution that parents should always use a car seat, despite the presence of potentially harmful chemicals.
by Ian Urbina, New York Times
May 17, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/17/us/17sarin.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
WASHINGTON -- Scientists working with the Defense Department have found evidence that a low-level exposure to sarin nerve gas -- the kind experienced by more than 100,000 American troops in the Persian Gulf war of 1991 -- could have caused lasting brain deficits in former service members.
Article Summary: The report, to be published in the June issue of the journal NeuroToxicology, found apparent changes in the brain's connective tissue -- its so-called white matter -- in soldiers exposed to the gas. The extent of the brain changes -- less white matter and slightly larger brain cavities -- corresponded to the extent of exposure, the study found. White matter volume varies by individual, but studies have shown that significant shrinkage in adulthood can be a sign of damage. In a companion study, the researchers also tested 140 troops believed to have experienced differing degrees of exposure to the chemical agents to check their fine motor coordination and found a direct relation between performance level and the level of potential exposure. Individuals who were potentially more exposed to the gases had a deterioration in fine motor skills, performing such tests at a level similar to people 20 years older. Phil Budahn, a spokesman for the Department of Veterans Affairs, said the research required further examination. "It's important to note that its authors describe the study as inconclusive,” Mr. Budahn said, adding, “It was based upon a small number of participants, who were not randomly chosen." Dr. Roberta F. White of Boston University said she did not describe her study as inconclusive, though she said it would be accurate to call it preliminary.
Previous studies had suggested that exposure affected the brain in some neural regions, but the evidence was not convincing to many scientists. The new report is likely to revive the long-debated question of why so many troops returned from that war with unexplained physical problems. Many in the scientific community have questioned whether the so-called Gulf War illnesses have a physiological basis, and far more research will have to be done before it is known whether those illnesses can be traced to exposure to sarin. The long-term effects of sarin on the brain are still not well understood. Several lawmakers who were briefed on the study say the Department of Veterans Affairs is now obligated to provide increased neurological care to veterans who may have been exposed. The Pentagon has not decided whether to inform veterans about the possibility of a link between exposure and brain damage. In 2005, the Pentagon notified about 100,000 gulf war veterans who had been exposed that a study showed a link between brain cancer and gas exposure.
by Mitchell Owens, New York Times
May 17, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/17/garden/17room.html?_r=1&ref=garden&oref=slogin
Lead paint degrades over time, creating flakes and dust that are hazardous to children under age 6, who may ingest it if they put their fingers or toys into their mouths. The elevated blood lead levels that result are known to affect emotional and mental development.
Article Summary: Around 300,000 children in the United States have more than 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood, the federal standard definition of lead poisoning. The primary culprit is paint that was produced before 1978, the year a new law limited the acceptable level of lead in commercial paints in the United States to a barely perceptible 0.06 percent, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Lead is a heavy metal that settles into the bones and blood when ingested, and it was long used by manufacturers of oil paint as a drying agent, a pigment and an additive that increased durability. It is still used as an additive in gasoline in many parts of the world, and more recently has shown up in children's metal jewelry. Lead paint may also remain in older furniture finishes.
by Marian Burros, New York Times
May 16, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/16/dining/16fda.html
Article Summary: After Elizabeth Armstrong's daughter was affected by the outbreak of E. coli 0157:H7 in spinach last year, she has become something of a food-safety activist. Testifying before Congress in April, she said that the Food and Drug Administration, the agency responsible for regulating much of the food we eat, including spinach, needed to be reformed. The agency has known about contamination issues with fresh produce for 10 years, she said in a telephone interview. "They have sent threatening letters to growers and packagers, but they never stepped in and told them they need to change their operations," she continued. The call for an overhaul of the agency gained momentum in the past year as at least three people died and more than a thousand were sickened by contaminated tomatoes, lettuce, peanut butter and spinach. The recent contamination of pet food, which has killed many animals, seems to have been the last straw. Leaders in the food industry and three former secretaries of the Department of Health and Human Services have joined longtime critics to form the Coalition for a Stronger FDA, which seeks agency reform, in part by giving it more money and regulatory authority. A few small changes were made in an amendment attached to the FDA reauthorization bill that passed in the Senate last week. Some of the agency's inability to prevent food-borne illness is the result of a serious lack of money. Its resources have not kept pace with a growing mandate that includes not only food but medical devices, veterinary drugs, cosmetics and dietary supplements. Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach, the agency's commissioner for the last 18 months, believes the agency can achieve its goals through voluntary guidelines. But after seven years of discussions about food safety advice on the farm, the agency has issued only voluntary guidelines; not even hand-washing is mandatory. critics say the agency lurches from one recall to another, reacting to outbreaks of illnesses rather than preventing them.
This year the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, added the country's food safety system to its list of "high risk" operations. The fact that 12 different agencies have some responsibility for food safety does not help, said a GAO report, which recommended that all food safety matters be regulated by one agency. Efforts to create a single food agency date from 1997 but may finally be gaining traction.
by Wade Rawlins, Raleigh News & Observer
May 16, 2007
http://www.newsobserver.com/102/story/574591.html
A new center at Duke University will be the first in the South to study the complex roles that environment, genes and socioeconomic status play in causing premature births and lower birth weights among babies born in the South. Stephen Johnson, administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, on Tuesday announced a $7.7 million grant to fund a five-year study aimed at reversing the recent rise in premature births and low birth weights reported in many Southern states. Both factors contribute to infant mortality, which has also started to increase in the South after years of progress in reducing it.
Article Summary: Compared to the rest of the nation, babies born in the South are more likely to be born early and weigh too little for optimum health. Many Southern states also have infant death rates that are higher than those for the rest of the nation. And the rates vary significantly among whites and minorities. Nationally, 18 percent of babies born to black women are premature, Miranda said. For other groups, the rates are much lower -- 12 percent for Hispanics and 11 percent for whites. Researchers will explore these disparities and the combinations of factors that prevent and cause early births. Premature births and low weight accounted for 20 percent of the deaths of infants younger than a year old, state health officials have said. Marie Lynn Miranda, an associate research professor and director of the new center, said many potential hazards during pregnancy affect birth outcomes, including environmental exposures to substances such as mercury, lead and pesticides; social stress; a mother's health; and genetic predisposition to disease. Researchers will work with community groups and local health clinics, examining how fetal growth is affected by environmental factors such as breathing polluted air and growing up in substandard housing. Miranda said premature birth can lead to obesity, heart disease and diabetes in adults.
by Martin Hickman, London Independent
May 16, 2007
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health_medical/article2548747.ece
Two of Britain's biggest food retailers have announced they will phase out artificial colours and flavourings amid concern about the substances' impact on children's behaviour.
Article Summary: Asda said its new guarantee meant that E-numbers would be removed from all its own brand products by the end of the year, while Marks & Spencer promised to do the same for 99 per cent of its food in the same time. The sweetener Aspartame is also being removed. Some additives have been linked to temper tantrums, poor concentration, hyperactivity, and allergic reactions in children. Concern centers about the combined chemical impact of six colours studied: tartrazine (E102), ponceau 4R (E124), sunset yellow (E110), carmoisine (E122), quinoline yellow (E104) and allura red AC (E129) and the preservative sodium benzoate (E211). Additives particularly associated with concerns about food intolerance and children's diets such as ponceau 4R and sunset yellow are often used in cakes and bakery.
by Garance Burke, Associated Press, Washington Post
May 15, 2007
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/15/AR2007051501123.html?hpid=sec-health
Article Summary: An Associated Press investigation has found that over the past decade, hundreds, possibly thousands, of schoolchildren in California and other agricultural states have been exposed to farm chemicals linked to sickness, brain damage and birth defects. The family of at least one California teenager suspects pesticides caused her death. As suburbs push close to farmland, the rate of pesticide poisoning among children nationwide has risen in recent years, according to a 2005 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study found that 40 percent of all children sickened by pesticides at school were victims of drift -- pesticide carried on the breeze. The Environmental Protection Agency does not keep comprehensive national figures on students and teachers sickened by drifting pesticide. EPA officials say they have no real idea how often pesticides waft onto school grounds. The EPA must register pesticides before they are sold, but federal law does not restrict where they can be sprayed. In California, the No. 1 farm state and the one with the best records, there were 590 pesticide-related illnesses at schools from 1996 to 2005, according to figures given to the AP by the state. More than a third of those were due to pesticide drift, the figures show. Activists say that those numbers are low and that many cases are never even reported.
There are no federal laws specifically against spraying near schools, and advocates say California and the seven other states that have laws or policies creating buffer zones around schools to protect them from pesticides don't do enough to enforce them. The pesticide industry says it is committed to safety, and regulators say they are doing their best to enforce the laws with a shortage of agricultural inspectors. Once the EPA approves a product, federal law requires manufacturers to report any "unreasonable adverse effects on the environment of the pesticide" that their products cause. Activists say industry is essentially allowed to police itself. Research on pregnant women exposed to common pesticides has suggested higher rates of premature birth, and poor neurological development and smaller head circumferences among their babies. The effects on children of small, repeated exposures over a long period of time are unclear, said University of California, Berkeley epidemiologist Brenda Eskenazi. But acute pesticide poisoning can cause nausea, blurred vision, an abnormally fast heart rate, paralysis and death.
[Editor's note: See a related article at http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_5907945.]