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/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) LDDI partner the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities is presenting a teleconference, "National Birth Defect Registry: Collecting Data That Potentially Links Environmental Exposures to Clusters of Birth Defects" on Tuesday September 11, 2007, from 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. EDT. Betty Mekdeci, Founder of Birth Defects Research for Children, will speak. For more information, please visit http://www.ehinitiative.org/Projects/tele_con.htm or contact Laura Abulafia: Laura@aaidd.org
2) LDDI's fall 2007 teleconference series: To fulfill the educational goals of the cancelled LDDI national conference in Atlanta last May, we will launch this seven-part teleconference series on Wednesday September 12th at 2:00 p.m. Eastern with each call including a panel of speakers who were to present in Atlanta. Look for more details in the next issue of this bulletin, or visit LDDI's website: http://www.iceh.org/LDDImeetings.html
3) LDDI partners the National Association for the Dually Diagnosed and the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, with others, are sponsoring the NADD 24th Annual Conference & Exhibit Show. Scheduled for October 24 - 26, 2007, at the Renaissance Atlanta Hotel Downtown in Atlanta, Georgia, the conference will include presentations related to promotion of wellness, prevention of illness, common symptomology in physical and psychiatric disorders, environmental health, interdisciplinary collaboration, cross systems collaboration, Autism Spectrum Disorders and family issues, and skill building. The conference theme is "Physical & Mental Wellness: Promising Practices (ID/MH)." For more information, please visit http://www.thenadd.org/pages/conferences/24th/index.shtml or contact Conference Assistant Brenda Reuss: 800-331-5362 or breuss@thenadd.org
Wednesday through Friday, September 5 - 7, 2007
Washington, DC
at the Hotel Monaco, 700 F Street, NW
Sponsor: US Environmental Protection Agency
The Interagency Workshop on the Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology features presentations by EPA STAR, NSF, NIEHS, and NIOSH grant researchers who will discuss the latest science related to the potential effects of nanotechnology on human health and the environment. Additional talks will be given by various government agency program officials. The goal of the conference is to increase communication and knowledge among scientists and engineers working in the area of potential environmental implications of engineered nanomaterials. The conference is open to members of academia, government, nongovernmental organizations, industry, and the general public.
Website: http://es.epa.gov/ncer/events/#sep0507
Contact: Nora Savage, 202-343-9858 or savage.nora@epa.gov
Wednesday through Sunday, September 5 - 9, 2007
Mexico City, Mexico
at the Sheraton Convention Center
Sponsor: International Society for Environmental Epidemiology, the National Institute of Public Health of Mexico (INSP) and other global sponsors
The conference theme is "Translating Environmental Epidemiology into Action: Interventions for a Healthy Future." The INSP is dedicated to public health teaching and research. The INSP is also known for its extensive research lines that allow its researchers to get involved in the control and prevention of major public health issues of Mexico's population. The environmental health research projects being developed by the INSP include relevant health issues such as the effects on reproductive health from exposure to pesticides, the effects on human health from exposure to heavy metals and other atmospheric and water contaminants, among many other important topics.
Price: see http://www.isee2007mx.org/registration.php
Website: http://www.isee2007mx.org/home.php
Contact: isee2007@insp.mx
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
9:00 a.m. Pacific / noon Eastern time
Sponsor: Collaborative on Health and the Environment
This discussion will focus on the Faroes Statement, a consensus statement on the importance of fetal exposures for adult health. The statement was recently issued by the International Conference on Fetal Programming and Developmental Toxicity at a conference in Torshavn, Faroe Islands that took place in May of 2007. The featured presenter will be Dr. Philippe Grandjean, adjunct professor of environmental health in the Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health. The moderator of this call will be Steve Heilig, MPH, director of public health & education at the San Francisco Medical Society and Collaborative on Health and the Environment. Participants will hear a science update from Ted Schettler, MD, MPH, science director of the Science and Environmental Health Network.
Website: http://www.healthandenvironment.org/articles/partnership_calls/1903
Friday September 14, 2007
Freeport, Maine
at the Hilton Garden Inn
Sponsor: Learning Disabilities Association of 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.
Price: see http://www.ldame.org/docs/2007ACRegExform.pdf
Website: http://www.ldame.org/index.html
Contact: LDA of Maine, 207-465-7700 or bbennett@ldame.org
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/
Call for Papers, Ecocity World Summit 2008. Completed research papers, research-in-progress papers, case studies, panels and posters/round table discussion papers will be considered. Abstract submissions must be received by October 1, 2007.
http://www.ecocityworldsummit.org/papers.htm
Draft report released. The US Environmental Protection Agency has released its draft 2007 Report on the Environment: Highlights of National Trends for public review and comment. The purpose of the ROE HD is to describe national environmental trends for the general public. The draft document is available for comment from August 3 through September 17, 2007.
http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocketDetail&d=EPA-HQ-OEI-2007-0464
Secondhand smoke: What you should know. With the move in Illinois to provide smoke-free environments starting in January in all indoor workplaces, including all bars and restaurants, it's important to understand the facts and dangers of secondhand smoke. Chicago Daily Southtown, Illinois, 14 August 2007.
http://www.dailysouthtown.com/lifestyles/506632,145LIF1.article
Mercury hair tests reveal scary facts about fish. Before getting pregnant with her baby, Miami mom Laura Pugliese decided to have her hair tested for mercury. The results startled her when high levels of the toxin showed up. Miami CBS 4, Florida, 14 August 2007.
http://cbs4.com/consumer/local_story_225154522.html
Concern grows over toxic sites. Queens students may be forced to attend schools built on toxic sites unless the state Legislature agrees on a plan. New York Daily News, New York, 14 August 2007.
http://www.nydailynews.com/boroughs/queens/2007/08/14/2007-08-14_concern_grows_over_toxic_sites.html
Smoking mums ignore dangers. Many smokers are unaware tobacco smoke can make children more susceptible to deadly diseases such as meningococcal or sudden infant death syndrome, experts have warned. Queensland Courier Mail, Australia, 13 August 2007.
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,22233638-23272,00.html
On playing fields, grass is an endangered species. A need to increase recreational space has led officials to rely on synthetic turf. But its use has also prompted health concerns, about possible dangers in the materials used to make it, as well as its tendency to heat up to extreme temperatures. New York Times, 13 August 2007.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/13/nyregion/13citywide.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
38 scientific experts raise concerns about health risks of bisphenol A. Thirty-eight of the world's leading scientific experts on bisphenol A have warned policymakers of potential adverse health effects of exposure to the widespread molecule used to make plastic and food can lining. Environmental Health News, 13 August 2007.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/newscience/2007/2007-0803chapelhillconsensus.html
Under suspicion. Researchers now believe that autism can be caused by genes in combination with environmental triggers. The question is, what are those triggers? Boston Globe, Massachusetts, 13 August 2007.
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/health_science/articles/2007/08/13/under_suspicion/
Birth defects study conducted in Valley going national. A study [of the impact of some medications and nitrates and nitrites in food and water] on birth defects conducted in South Texas about a decade ago is expanding to the rest of the country. McAllen Monitor, Texas, 13 August 2007.
http://www.themonitor.com/news/defects_4440___article.html/birth_study.html
Food imports leave a bad taste. In the past year, federal inspectors have found salmonella in candy imported from Mexico, illegal pesticides and toxins in peanut butter from India, and scores of shipments of Chinese seafood tainted by unsafe animal drugs and unregistered pesticides. Portland Oregonian, Oregon, 12 August 2007.
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/118680452555600.xml&coll=7
Flushing old pills? Toss out that idea. The problem being addressed in Kendall County, IL, is, wastewater treatment plants and septic systems don't remove all the toxic waste from discarded drugs -- which is not good news for any living creature on this good earth, particularly the kind that sport gills. Aurora Beacon News, Illinois, 12 August 2007.
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/507213,2_1_AU12_DENISE_S1.article
Farmworkers tell EPA about chemicals. The EPA is proposing restrictions on fumigant use after hearing stories from Florida farm workers who have been harmed by chemicals such as methyl bromide. Bradenton Herald, Florida, 11 August 2007.
http://www.bradenton.com/local/story/119248.html
Ties between autism, mercury are clear. No one questions that pregnant and nursing women should avoid mercury pollution, mercury-containing seafood and should not have dental work involving amalgam silver-colored fillings. But some doctors still say that injecting a pregnant woman or a newborn baby with a mercury-containing vaccine is OK. Contra Costa Times, California, Opinion, 11 August 2007.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/columns/ci_6600802?nclick_check=1
Wall paint outstrips toys as lead source. Despite the recent headlines of lead-tainted toys, lead in household paint is a more serious health hazard. Baltimore Sun, Maryland, 11 August 2007.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-te.lead07aug07,0,3920628.story
Plant to end mercury use. In what state officials are hailing as a big victory for the environment, Wisconsin's largest source of mercury pollution is expected to disappear in two years. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin, 11 August 2007.
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=645490
Mosquito spray debate sought. Concerned that aerial spraying of urban populations with pesticides to combat West Nile virus is neither effective nor safe, two Sacramento council members will push for a series of town hall meetings to spur debate on the practice. Sacramento Bee, California, 10 August 2007.
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/318484.html
Link between genetics, diseases to get closer look. The University of Louisville said Thursday it will create a federally backed center for researchers trying to unravel how someone's genetics, lifestyle and surroundings can lead to diseases common in Kentucky. Associated Press, 10 August 2007.
http://www.courierpress.com/news/2007/aug/10/link-between-genetics-diseases-to-get-closer/?ebj=1/
Fact or fiction?: Antiperspirants do more than block sweat. Underarm antiperspirants guard against odor and wetness, but could the aluminum-based compounds that reduce sweat actually cause Alzheimer's disease and breast cancer? Scientific American, 10 August 2007.
http://sciam.com/article.cfm?articleId=4AEC3DB0-E7F2-99DF-3150B82197D70864&chanId=sa013&modsrc=most_popular
Fighting for air. Mayor Bob Foster told a congressional committee that local residents are getting sick because of the federal government's unwillingness to help curb air pollution from port industry. Long Beach Press-Telegram, California, 10 August 2007.
http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_6588656
How to avoid a controversial plastics chemical. Scientists aren't in full agreement about whether the chemical known as bisphenol A, which is used in the production of certain plastics and can leach into food and drink, poses health hazards. But for people who want to play it safe, experts have some tips. US News & World Report, 10 August 2007.
http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/articles/070808/8bisphenola.htm
FEMA suspends use of 'toxic' trailers. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has done an about-face and will immediately stop using, buying and selling disaster-relief trailers because they could be contaminated with formaldehyde. MSNBC, 9 August 2007.
http://www.nbc6.net/msnbcnews/13849464/detail.html
EPA taps pesticides for its first round of high-throughput testing. Hundreds of pesticides that have already undergone traditional toxicity studies will be among the first chemicals run through rapid computer tests, EPA announced. Chemical & Engineering News, 9 August 2007.
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/85/i33/8533news5.html
DDT spray scares mosquitoes away, study finds. Mosquitoes that carry malaria, dengue fever and yellow fever avoid homes that have been sprayed with DDT, researchers reported on Wednesday. Reuters, 9 August 2007.
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/43547/story.htm
Lead-test kits may miss mark. In the wake of recent recalls involving lead-tainted toys, parents are left wondering how to know if kids' products are safe. Some are turning to lead-testing kits, but U.S. safety officials warn they may be inaccurate. Wall Street Journal, 9 August 2007.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118661466873192314.html
Some risk linked to plastic chemical. A federal panel finds 'some concern' that exposure to bisphenol A -- an estrogen-like compound in plastic and found in low levels in virtually every human body -- affects brain development in children and infants. Los Angeles Times, California, 9 August 2007.
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-na-plastic9aug09,1,1093654.story?ctrack=6&cset=true
Omega-3 again linked to calmer ADHD kids. High-dose supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids calmed children with attention and hyperactivity issues, says a new study from the US. Nutraingredients.com, 8 August 2007.
http://www.nutraingredients.com:80/news/printNewsBis.asp?id=78872
Judge rejects coal plant permit. An enormous coal-burning power plant planned near Mammoth Cave was dealt a setback by a Kentucky court yesterday. Lexington Herald-Leader, Kentucky, 8 August 2007.
http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/144481.html
Fighting arsenic: News of chemistry professor's water filter is spreading around the world. When Abul Hussam started finding ways to remove arsenic from drinking water, his primary aim was to help his family and native Bangladesh people, who had been poisoned from arsenic in well water. He never expected to be helping people all over the world. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pennsylvania, 8 August 2007.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07220/807569-114.stm
Public input sought on gold-mine cleanup. Forest officials are seeking public comments about plans to clean up a former gold mine tainted with toxic chemicals. Phoenix Arizona Republic, Arizona, 8 August 2007.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0807sr-ccmine0808-ON.html
Research seeks autism answers. Researchers have long suspected that autism's causes are rooted in one's genes, combined with some kind of a hit from the environment. Sacramento Bee, California, 8 August 2007.
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/313971.html
Pollution cleanups a matter of justice. Environmental justice policies are aimed at ensuring minority and low-income communities aren't voiceless dumping grounds for polluting industries. In many cases, these policies aren't working. Chillicothe Gazette, Ohio, 7 August 2007.
http://www.chillicothegazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070807/OPINION/708070320/1014
What's in your water? The Food and Drug Administration, which regulates the bottled water industry, maintains that most stories about chemicals leaching into the water are urban myths. Orlando Sentinel, Florida, 7 August 2007.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/consumer/orl-bottledh2o07aug07,0,2049204.story
Coffee 'protects female memory.' Caffeine may help older women ward off mental decline, research suggests. BBC, United Kingdom, 7 August 2007.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6930114.stm
Study links mom's obesity, birth defects. Infants born to obese mothers are a third more likely to suffer significant birth defects, including spina bifida, heart defects and at least five others, according to a study released today. Los Angeles Times, California, 7 August 2007.
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-obesity7aug07,0,5101603.story
Girls entering puberty by the age of six -- but are drugs the answer? Some girls now enter puberty as early as six -- with toxic chemicals widely held to blame. But are new drugs to hold back the years really the right answer? Daily Mail, United Kingdom, 7 August 2007.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/femail/article.html?in_article_id=473584&in_page_id=1879&ct=5&ico=Homepage&icl=TabModule&icc=picbox&ct=5
Sensor badges sniff out toxicity. Step into a new home and take a whiff of the fresh carpet and furniture. Does it have that brand-spanking new smell? That scent may be from formaldehyde. Palm Beach Post, Florida, 6 August 2007.
http://www.miamiherald.com/business_monday/story/192362.html
Boys' birthrate advantage is slipping. Pollution and hormone-scrambling chemicals that are ubiquitous in household products, some scientists say, are driving a trend toward fewer male births in the United States and Japan. Philadelphia Inquirer, Pennsylvania, 6 August 2007.
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/health_science/weekly/20070806_Carnal_Knowledge___Boys_birthrate_advantage_is_slipping.html
Bid to root out lead trinkets falters in U.S. Despite a two-year effort to eliminate the threat of poisonous lead in inexpensive children's jewelry, hundreds of thousands of tainted items are still being sold across the United States, the federal government has found. New York Times, 6 August 2007.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/06/business/06toys.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Folic acid doubts. Fortifying foods with the vitamin has reduced certain birth defects but may have raised rates of colon cancer. Los Angeles Times, California, 4 August 2007.
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-folic6aug06,1,3919660.story?ctrack=5&cset=true
Protecting your children from lead dangers in your home. Lead toxicity involves learning disabilities, mental retardation and behavioral problems -- all of which can occur at very low levels of lead. KVBC, Nevada, 4 August 2007.
http://www.kvbc.com/Global/story.asp?S=6884771&nav=menu107_2
What autistic girls are made of. The scant data on autistic girls make it impossible to draw firm conclusions about why their numbers are small and how autistic girls and boys with normal intelligence may differ. New York Times, 4 August 2007.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/05/magazine/05autism-t.html
Clinton bill would set stricter TCE standards. The 'TCE Reduction Act' would set a timeline for the EPA to establish new or revised standards for a variety of TCE-related measures, including the health advisory standards for vapor intrusion and drinking water. Ithaca Journal, New York, 2 August 2007.
http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070802/NEWS01/708020348/1002
Unsafe levels of chemical leaching into drinks, US panel says. The chemical industry has long insisted that bisphenol A levels in people are so low as to not be a concern. But a new assessment has found the estrogen-like chemical used to make plastic is present in humans at levels similar to those shown to be harmful in animal experiments. Toronto Globe and Mail, Ontario, 2 August 2007.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070801.wlchemical01/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home
Mattel recalls one million toys. Mattel, the maker of Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels cars, is recalling nearly one million toys in the United States today because the products' surfaces are covered in lead paint. They were made in China. New York Times, 2 August 2007.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/02/business/02toys.html
High court strikes down veto move by new governor. The Ohio Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down Gov. Ted Strickland's veto of a bill prohibiting lawsuits over lead paint. Associated Press, 2 August 2007.
http://www.ohio.com/news/ap?articleID=29676
EPA faces suit over farm use of once-banned insecticide. The government continues to let farmers spread a controversial pesticide on the state's apple orchards even though it has admitted the chemical may pose unacceptable health risks, according to a lawsuit being filed today. Seattle Times, Washington, 1 August 2007.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003815723_pesticide01m.html
Environmental connections: A deeper look into mental illness. Mental illnesses produce some of the most challenging health problems faced by society. Now, thanks to a growing union of epidemiology and molecular biology, the role of the environment in the etiology of mental illness has become more clear. Environmental Health Perspectives, 1 August 2007.
http://www.ehponline.org/members/2007/115-8/focus.html
Audit of controversial chemical report shows no impropriety. The federal government says there was no impropriety in the preparation of a commissioned report on a chemical that many researchers say should be banned. But some scientists remain unconvinced. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin, 1 August 2007.
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=641039
Sen. Kerry pushes for chemical probe. Concerned about contamination at military bases, Sen. John F. Kerry is set to file legislation today to direct the EPA to study trichloroethylene and determine whether relevant federal safety standards are outdated. Springfield Republican, Massachusetts, 1 August 2007.
http://www.masslive.com/chicopeeholyoke/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-10/1185955198167970.xml&coll=1
Broad international coalition issues urgent call for strong oversight of nanotechnology. A broad international coalition of consumer, public health, environmental, labor, and civil society organizations spanning six continents have called for strong, comprehensive oversight of the new technology and its products. International Center for Technology Assessment, 31 July 2007.
http://www.icta.org/press/release.cfm?news_id=26