These bulletins are archived and searchable on the CHE-WA website: http://washington.chenw.org/bulletins.html If you would like to join the Collaborative on Health and the Environment (CHE) and the CHE-Washington regional 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 Washington State Regional Group at the bottom of the application.
Companion bulletins are available for different audiences:
While there is overlap with this bulletin, there are some events and announcements unique to those bulletins.
1) The CHE-WA Steering Committee will meet this Thursday, March 26th from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. We will be meeting at a different location than usual: the Local Hazardous Waste Management Program offices in King County, 130 Nickerson Street, Suite 100. Please confirm your attendance with Aimee Boulanger: aboulanger@iceh.org
2) Seminar Series: Seeking Sustainable Solutions
Wednesday March 25, 2009 (Tonight)
Reception 5:30 - 6:30 p.m., Seminar 6:30 - 8:00 p.m., Post-seminar networking 8:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Seattle, Washington
Downstairs at Town Hall on Eighth and Seneca (1119 Eighth Avenue)
Sponsor: Sustainable Path Foundation, along with Antioch University Center for Creative Change, ShoreBank Pacific and the Sequoia Foundation
The series continues with a seminar titled "Climate Change and Water: Local Perspectives on a Global Problem" that will look at our current situation and put forward community-wide solutions for how we respond to serious issues relating to growth, development, climate and community. We'll also look at personal solutions -- what you can do in your home, and with your lifestyle, that can reduce not just your carbon footprint, but also your "water footprint." With Philip Mote and Steve Malloch. The final lecture in the series will be "Exploring Energy & Design: Smart Solutions for the Built Environment" on May 13th.
Price: $5-15; see the website
Website: http://sustainablepath.org/category/seminar-series/
Contact: 206-443-8464 or info@sustainablepath.org
1) CHE Partnership Call -- Integrative Medicine: The State of the Science and Its Interface with Environmental Health: A Conversation with Dean Ornish, MD
Thursday March 26, 2009
10:00 a.m. Pacific time/1:00 p.m. Eastern time
Sponsor: Collaborative on Health and the Environment
This special CHE conversation on the state of the science in integrative medicine and its interface with environmental health will feature renowned physician and author Dean Ornish, MD, founder and president of the Preventative Medicine Research Institute.
Price: free
Website: http://www.healthandenvironment.org/partnership_calls/5839
2) Managing Environmental Data With Microsoft Access, Applying the Tools
Friday March 27, 2009
8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Bellingham, Washington
at Western Washington University Computer Lab - AW (Academic Instructional Center) 306
Sponsor: Northwest Environmental Education Council
This is the second part of the Managing Environmental Data with Microsoft Access training class. In the first class, COMP-401, students learn the basic elements of constructing queries, forms, macros and reports. Now they build on and deepen those skills by creating end-user application examples that bring all of those newly-learned elements together. In addition, the Access analytic tools PivotCharts and PivotTables are introduced and an SQL primer is included. Comp-402 is split out into a separate class to allow students flexibility in their scheduling and may be taken at a later date although it is highly recommended that the two class series be taken together. Comp-402 is not meant to be taken as a stand-alone class without taking Comp-401.
Price: $250, $195 for Native American Tribes; nonprofits; government agencies; students; and NAEP, NEBC, NWAEP members
Website: http://nwetc.org/comp-402_03-09_bellingham.htm
Contact: 206-762-1976
3) Regional Innovation Forum
Friday and Saturday, March 27 - 28, 2009
Portland, Oregon
at the Portland Expo Center
Sponsor: Focus the Nation, Energy Trust of Oregon and many others listed on the website
The Regional Innovation Forum brings together engaged citizens and community leaders from every sector to explore the systemic challenges facing our region that require coordinated effort between individuals, communities, organizations, and local, regional and national policymakers. Oregon's deep roots in sustainable innovation and activism provide a platform for the all-encompassing societal change that is required to build a sustainable future. Four tracks are available: smart energy, social innovation, sustainable schools, and climate change.
Price: see http://www.blueoceanevents.org/bo/registration.asp
Website: http://www.blueoceanevents.org/bo/
4) Tolt Treatment Facility Tour
Saturday March 28, 2009
10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Duvall, Washington
at the Tolt Treatment Facility, 12910 Kelly Road Northeast
Sponsor: Northwest Environmental Education Council
The Tolt Treatment Facility processes water from the South Fork of the Tolt River, one of the two large, unfiltered surface water sources that supply 1.3 million people in and around Seattle with drinking water. The facility opened in 2000 to improve and increase the water supply. On this tour, learn about the types of pollutants in one of our drinking water sources that can and cannot be treated for, where the treated water is sent, and how this process affects salmon in the region.
Price: $15
Website: http://nweec.org/ea.php
Contact: Northwest Environmental Education Council, 206-923-1980
5) CHE Partnership Call -- Battle Scars: Findings from the Federal Report on Gulf War Veterans' Illness
Monday April 6, 2009
10:00 a.m. Pacific time/1:00 p.m. Eastern time
Sponsor: Collaborative on Health and the Environment
In November 2008, a federal panel issued a report concluding that the long-contested Gulf War Veterans' Illness (also known as Gulf War Syndrome) is a real illness. This call will be an in-depth exploration of the report, the controversy, the long struggle for recognition, and the report's implications for research and veterans' health care going forward.
Price: free
Website: http://www.healthandenvironment.org/partnership_calls/5837
6) Ocean and Human Health Online Seminar
Monday April 6 through Friday April 17, 2009
Sponsor: College of Exploration
This two-week seminar will serve as a general introduction to a cutting-edge topic in ocean science which is just beginning to appear on the public education radar screen: the relationship between ocean and human Health (OHH). This seminar will examine the interdisciplinary nature of the relationship between the ocean and our own health. Global climate change, harmful algal blooms (HABs), marine biopharmaceuticals, and the use of marine organisms as biomedical models will be some of the topics presented. Federal policies and organizations focusing on OHH will also be explored. One graduate credit in Biology from CalState Fullerton is offered at an additional cost of $90.
Price: $150
Website: http://www.coexploration.org:80/ohh/seminar09.html
Contact: Melissa Ryan, melissa@oceantechnology.org
7) Film Double Feature -- "Contaminated Without Consent" and "Toxic Bust"
Thursday April 9, 2009
doors open at 6:15 p.m.; film at 7:00
Salem, Oregon
at the Grand Theater, 191 High Street NE
Sponsor: Salem Progressive Film Series
"Contaminated Without Consent" features eminent scientists and physicians, and people like you, examining the scientific foundations for concern and the implications for human health from this widespread contamination from toxic chemicals. Scientific studies link chemicals frequently found in consumer products to obesity, diabetes, birth defects, asthma, cancer, learning disabilities, and other health impacts. The video empowers viewers to take action in support of common sense solutions and urgently needed government reforms that will protect our families, homes, and the environment from toxic chemicals. In "Toxic Bust", a healthy woman finds a lump in her breast and her story launches this thought-provoking documentary that explores the relationship between breast cancer and exposure to toxic chemicals. As this newly diagnosed woman questions what may have caused her cancer, the film focuses on three breast cancer "hot spots," (Cape Cod MA, The SF bay area, and workers in Silicon Valley) to explore more fully the connection between cancer and chemical exposure in the household, community, and workplace. Does exposure to toxic chemicals at an early age increase your risk of getting breast cancer? What about working with hazardous substances or living near a toxic waste site? How safe are the products we use in our homes and on our bodies. Toxic Bust explores these questions and challenges the viewers to question how chemical use in the United States undermines the health of its citizens.
Price: $3 or $2 for students
Website: http://www.salemprogressivefilms.net/films-coming.html
Contact: 503-588-8713
8) The MTCA 101 Workshop: Introduction to the Model Toxics Control Act
Wednesday April 15, 2009
8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Seattle, Washington
at NWETC Headquarters, 650 South Orcas Street, Suite 220
Sponsor: Northwest Environmental Education Council
The objective of this one-day workshop is to introduce environmental consultants, federal, state and local government staff, and members of the general public to Washington's Model Toxics Control Act (WAC 173-340). This workshop will provide an overview of the MTCA administrative requirements and the associated cleanup standards. Participants will also learn the MTCA remedy-selection process and public-involvement requirements. Both instructors have a deep and thorough understanding of MTCA and will set aside time to answer questions at the end of each topic.
Price: $300, $250 for Native American tribes; nonprofits; government; students; teachers; and NAEP, NWAEP, and NEBC members
Website: http://nwetc.org/wapol-401_04-09_seattle.htm
Contact: Northwest Environmental Training Center, 206-762-1976
Online Calendar. All upcoming events are listed in a searchable calendar: http://www.chenw.org/cgi-bin/searchevents.cgi
Most of the articles below come from Environmental Health News, http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/
Presentations available from Oregon PSR. Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility is committed to community education and empowerment. To meet part of this goal, PSR's volunteers have donated their time researching and preparing the following presentations. Please let us know if your group would be interested in any of the presentations listed below. Contact PSR's office at 503-274-2720 or Rachel@oregonpsr.org to schedule a time that works for your group and our volunteers. PSR has confirmed that volunteers are willing to travel to Washington state for presentations.
Topics:
Health eHome launched. Health eHome, a collaborative effort from WebMD Editorial and Healthy Child Healthy World, includes interactive pages for consumers, a blog, personalized results, checklists and other resources for living in a cleaner, greener, safer home.
http://www.webmd.com/health-ehome-9/default.htm
EPA issues latest information on toxic chemical releases. According to the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory, the latest data, from the calendar year 2007, show an overall decrease of five percent in releases since 2006.
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/C99E4539E712A2758525757E00556AC2
EPA releases comprehensive database on environmental chemicals. EPA has released a new online database that collects information on more than 500,000 man-made chemicals from over 200 public sources. The Aggregated Computational Toxicology Resource (ACToR) database allows access to hundreds of data sources in one place, providing a new level of transparency and easy access for environmental researchers, scientific journalists and the public.
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/052FE1031A8387A485257577005329E0
GoodGuide now rates foods. The largest source of information on the health, environmental, and social impacts of products and companies released ratings of processed foods today. GoodGuide's new food database helps people quickly and easily assess the health, environmental, and social performance of over 5,000 food products they buy in grocery stores.
http://www.goodguide.com/
Environmental health tools now available in Spanish. The National Environmental Education Foundation's Pediatric Asthma and Pediatric Environmental History resources are now available in Spanish.
http://www.neefusa.org/
Schools Chemical Cleanout Campaign (SC3). The Schools Chemical Cleanout Campaign (SC3) aims to ensure that all schools are free from hazards associated with mismanaged chemicals. SC3 gives K-12 schools information and tools to responsibly manage chemicals. US Environmental Protection Agency.
http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/partnerships/sc3/index.htm
Report -- Protect the Air We Breathe: An Agenda for Clean Air. This new report describes an agenda for clean air, steps will improve the health of millions of people across the nation, save thousands of lives, protect ecosystems and reduce the impact on the nation's most precious places. American Lung Association.
http://www.lungusa.org/site/c.dvLUK9O0E/b.4999303/k.88E2/Clean_Air_Agenda.htm
Report -- Environmental Protection Agency: Major Management Challenges. The Government Accountability Office was asked to identify challenges at EPA that hinder its ability to implement its programs effectively, based on prior GAO work. This report summarizes GAO's findings.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-09-434
Call to action: No More Toxic Tub for Baby! Ask your legislators to give the FDA the authority it needs to ensure that all cosmetics, from baby shampoo to lipstick to body lotion, are truly safe. Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.
http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5500/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=1090
Request for Proposals: Tribal Educational Outreach on Lead Poisoning and Baseline Assessment of Tribal Children's Existing and Potential Exposure and Risks Associated with Lead. US EPA is accepting 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. US Environmental Protection Agency.
http://epa.gov/lead/pubs/rfp042208.pdf
Call for Proposals: Prevention of Health Risk Behaviors among Youth with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Grantees will identify, implement, and evaluate interventions aimed at preventing or reducing health risk behaviors in youth with ADHD that are based on evidence-based theory or generalized from previous research. Applications are due April 9, 2009. US Department of Health and Human Services.
http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/DD09-003.htm
Call for Proposals -- Research to Action: Assessing and Addressing Community Exposures to Environmental Contaminants This call from the National Institutes of Health solicits applications designed to collect information on community exposures to environmental or occupational agents or exposure-related diseases and use this new information to support environmental public health action. Research will focus on environmental or occupational agents known or strongly suspected to be a significant environmental public health issue by community members but lacking basic information on exposure levels, sources of exposure, or potential health effects. Applications are due April 1, 2009.
http://grants.nih.gov:80/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-ES-09-001.html
Daily red meat raises chances of dying early. Eating red meat increases the chances of dying prematurely, according to the first large study to examine whether regularly eating beef or pork increases mortality. Washington Post.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/23/AR2009032301626.html
Nanoparticles from sunscreens damage microbes. Nanoparticles in sunscreens, cosmetics and hundreds of other consumer products may pose risks to the environment by damaging beneficial microbes, scientists reported Tuesday. Environmental Health News.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/nanoparticles-damage-microbes
Birth-control pills, low birth weight linked. Women who get pregnant within a few weeks of taking birth-control pills seem much more likely than others to have low birth-weight or premature babies, concludes a new Canadian study that deals with one of the most widely prescribed classes of drugs. Canwest News Service, Canada
Tuesday, March 24, 2009.
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/health/sexual-health/Birth%20control%20pills%20birth%20weight%20linked/1370027/story.html
Gasohol not carcinogenic. Gasohol is free of carbonyl groups that can cause cancer and is also less polluting than straight petrol, according to the Energy Ministry's Department of Energy Business. However, the combustion of gasohol may produce cancer-causing compounds. Bangkok Post, Thailand.
Monday, March 23, 2009.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/138326/energy-official-gasohol-is-cancer-free
Global warming and your health. The litany of direct health impacts associated with climate change is becoming well known. But a pair of ailments is rising faster in rich nations than in poor ones: asthma and allergies. Scientific American.
Monday, March 23, 2009.
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=global-warming-and-your-health
[Editor's note: See a related article about the effects of climate change on the incidence of West Nile Virus:
http://wwwp.dailyclimate.org/tdc-newsroom/west-nile/Changing-climate-increases-West-Nile-threat-in-U.S ]
Student obesity linked to proximity to fast-food outlets. Teens who attend classes within one-tenth of a mile of a fast-food outlet are more likely to be obese than peers whose campuses are located farther from the lure of quarter-pound burgers, fries and shakes. Los Angeles Times, California
Monday, March 23, 2009.
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-fastfood23-2009mar23,0,4802692.story
How to tell if you're poisoning yourself with fish. Researchers are creating genetic tests to determine if mercury hiding in that "healthy" dinner could be messing with your brain. Discover.
Saturday, March 21, 2009.
http://discovermagazine.com/2009/apr/19-how-to-tell-if-you.re-poisoning-yourself-with-fish
Could books be hazardous to your health? Could a vintage, dog-eared copy of The Cat in the Hat or Where the Wild Things Are be hazardous to your children? Probably not, say the premier U. S. medical sleuths, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Associated Press.
Saturday, March 21, 2009.
http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1488800
Congress, companies target chemicals. Chemical ingredients in consumer products [bisphenol A and phthalates] are under heightened scrutiny by legislators and makers of household goods. Legislators are proposing bans, and companies are phasing out ingredients or offering more information about the ingredients they use. Chemical & Engineering News.
Saturday, March 21, 2009.
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/87/i12/8712notw4.html
Acetaldehyde in alcohol gravest risk for digestive tract cancers. Acetaldehyde in alcohol is the greatest risk factor for digestive tract cancers, particularly for heavy drinkers, according to the latest evidence. Indo-Asian News Service, South Asia.
Friday, March 20, 2009.
http://www.newspostonline.com/health/acetaldehyde-in-alcohol-gravest-risk-for-digestive-tract-cancers-2009032042676
Contaminated soil fortified with iron. In what scientists say is a promising new way to clean up contaminated sites, a slurry of microscopic iron particles will be pumped into the ground at an old industrial park in Passaic to neutralize a plume of toxic pollution. The iron process could be used to clean up a wide variety of contamination, including solvents, pesticides, PCBs and heavy metals, scientists say. Bergen County Record, New Jersey.
Friday, March 20, 2009.
http://www.northjersey.com/environment/Contaminated_soil_fortified_with_iron.html
New survey uncovers the hidden dangers lurking in American homes. Nearly three in five adults (58%) clean their homes by wiping the surfaces with a cleaning solution/product at least once per week. The lack of consumer awareness about what's in those products, coupled with the fact that the average American home has 63 hazardous chemical products within arm's reach (according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission), makes for this stark reality: the typical American home can be a danger to families. MSNBC.
Thursday, March 19, 2009.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29752516/
Lawsuit challenges Bush-era exemptions on burning waste. Environmental groups sued U.S. EPA in federal court today over a Bush-era rule that exempts some hazardous wastes burned as industrial boiler fuel from Resource Conservation and Recovery Act requirements. Greenwire.
Thursday, March 19, 2009.
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/03/18/18greenwire-lawsuit-challenges-bushera-rcra-exemptions-10212.html
Flame retardant creates hyperactive mice. A chemical that makes electronics and other household products safe from fire disrupts behavior in mice, suggesting that the chemical alters brain development. The behavioral effects were seen at fairly low doses, were worse at the higher doses tested and grew stronger as the mice aged. Environmental Health News.
Thursday, March 19, 2009.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/newscience/flame-retardant-causes-hyper-mice/
[Editor's note: See a related article about how retardants migrate out of products into dust:
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/es900669w ]
EU completes 16-year pesticide review. Detailed human health and environmental risk assessment of some 1,000 active substances authorised for use in pesticides before 1991 has led to the removal of more than two thirds of them from the market. EurActiv.com.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009.
http://www.euractiv.com/en/cap/eu-completes-16-year-pesticide-review/article-180313
Flies may spread drug-resistant bacteria from poultry operations. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found evidence that houseflies collected near broiler poultry operations may contribute to the dispersion of drug-resistant bacteria and thus increase the potential for human exposure. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009.
http://www.jhsph.edu/publichealthnews/press_releases/2009/graham_flies.html
Dioxin alters ability to fight infection, mouse study finds. Researchers find for the first time that mice exposed to dioxin during development or while nursing have a diminished capacity to fight a flu infection later in life. Environmental Health News.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/newscience/2007-aryl-hydrocarbon-receptor-during-ontogeny-of-the-immune-system-hogaboam-et-al/
Pregnant women getting more radiation from tests. Pregnant women are undergoing more and more imaging procedures, raising concerns about the amount of radiation they are exposed to, investigators say. Reuters Health.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/03/17/eline/links/20090317elin024.html
Acrylamide not linked to endometrial cancer. Studies have not uncovered links between acrylamide and colon cancer or breast cancer, and now comes word from a Swedish study indicating that long-term intake of acrylamide does not raise the risk of endometrial cancer. Reuters Health.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009.
http://in.reuters.com/article/health/idINTRE52F3WQ20090316
Monitoring of air may soon take place at U.S. schools. The controversy caused by a USA Today report on air pollution at schools will soon be followed by actual air quality monitoring, according to state and federal regulators. Mitchell Daily Republic, South Dakota.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009.
http://www.mitchellrepublic.com/articles/index.cfm?id=32324§ion=news
Brain cancer linked to youngsters using cell phones. An international group of scientists is calling on Canada and other countries to bring in tougher safety standards for cell phone use. Montreal Gazette, Canada.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/Health/Brain%20cancer%20linked%20youngsters%20using%20cellphones/1395572/story.html
Companies cut synthetic hormone from dairy products. Many dairies and retailers -- including General Mills, Dannon and Wal-Mart -- are nixing rbST from dairy products in a world of rising food fears. USA Today.
Monday, March 16, 2009.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2009-03-15-dairy-growth-hormone-ban_N.htm
Breast cancer is linked to bad childhood diet, study reveals. The report, Nutrition in Children and Breast Cancer Childhood, analysed 1,146 girls from birth to age 13 and linked obesity and lack of exercise to an increased risk of breast cancer. London Daily Mail, England.
Monday, March 16, 2009.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1162116/Breast-cancer-linked-bad-childhood-diet-study-reveals.html
Oregon kids face hazard getting to school: diesel fumes. Tens of thousands of Oregon schoolchildren ride buses filled with potentially harmful fumes because of fuel system defects, according to the state Department of Environmental Quality. Portland Oregonian, Oregon.
Monday, March 16, 2009.
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/03/oregon_kids_face_health_hazard.html
'10 Americans' hits home for Mill Valley mom. PCBs. VOCs. Phthalates. Bisphenol A. The list of industrial chemicals on the minds of consumers is crowded with confusing new acronyms as growing scientific data show a link between chemical exposure and a range of behavioral, reproductive and immunological problems. San Francisco Chronicle, California.
Monday, March 16, 2009.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/15/DDKM16ESPH.DTL
Canada bans BPA from baby bottles. Canada yesterday became the first country to ban a widely found chemical from use in baby bottles, spurring a leading Democrat in the U.S. Senate to call for legislation that would prohibit use of bisphenol A, or BPA, in a number of everyday consumer products. Dhaka New Nation, Bangladesh.
Sunday, March 15, 2009.
http://nation.ittefaq.com/issues/2009/03/15/news0177.htm
[Editor's note: See a related article about Sunoco's refusal to sell BPA to companies for use in food and water containers for children younger than 3: http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/watchdogreports/41186522.html ]
Obesity, diabetes and heart disease may speed dementia. Obesity and its common companions --- diabetes and heart disease -- can work together to speed dementia and other brain ills, a series of new studies shows. US News and World Report.
Saturday, March 14, 2009.
http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/healthday/2009/03/10/obesity-diabetes-and-heart-disease-may-speed.html
Estrogenic toxin found in widely used plastic. Researchers in Germany have found traces of an unknown estrogen-mimicking chemical leaching into mineral water from a widely used type of plastic bottle. Toronto Globe and Mail.
Saturday, March 14, 2009.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com:80/servlet/story/LAC.20090312.BOTTLES12/TPStory/Environment
U.S. finalizes ban on cattle too sick to walk. Cattle too sick or injured to walk will no longer be allowed to enter U.S. slaughterhouses, the Agriculture Department said in a rule finalized on Saturday, nearly a year after the largest meat recall in American history spurred the change. Reuters.
Saturday, March 14, 2009.
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE52D0L820090314
Energy-saving light bulbs 'suspected to have caused skin complaints.' Doctors said that people were coming forward to complain of itching, burning and skin inflammation after exposure to energy-saving bulbs' ultraviolet light, according to the Daily Express. London Daily Telegraph, England.
Saturday, March 14, 2009.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/4988490/Energy-saving-light-bulbs-suspected-to-have-caused-skin-complaints.html
Is that granite counter in your home emitting radon? The Environmental Protection Agency declared it had "no reliable data" to conclude that granite was significantly increasing indoor radon levels. Minneapolis Star Tribune, Minnesota.
Saturday, March 14, 2009.
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/homegarden/41239912.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUac8HEaDiaMDCinchO7DU
Plastic health hazard. An alarming epidemic of premature breast development in girls as young as two years old had doctors befuddled in Puerto Rico. As early as 1979, pediatric endocrinologists were reporting a baffling increase in the number of young girls entering premature sexual development. Toronto Sun, Canada.
Saturday, March 14, 2009.
http://www.torontosun.com/life/greenplanet/2009/03/14/8744906-sun.html
Food nutrition programs don't lead to obesity: USDA. Food stamps, school lunch and other public nutrition programs do not contribute to an obesity epidemic affecting millions of children and adults, despite blame levied by critics, U.S. and academic officials said. Reuters.
Saturday, March 14, 2009.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/03/13/eline/links/20090313elin018.html
Review finds modest risk from children's toiletries. Extensive studies of two toxic chemicals [1,4-dioxane and formaldehyde] found in children's bath and personal care products suggest that if they pose a health hazard, it is likely to be extremely small and probably incalculable. Washington Post.
Saturday, March 14, 2009.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/13/AR2009031303168.html
[Editor's note: See a related article about testing of baby products in China: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/world/ci_11963670 and another about reduced levels of carcinogens in personal care products: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_17156.cfm ]
Air sick: respiratory illness rates for kids 26% higher. Health officials are puzzled by high numbers of young children being hospitalized for respiratory diseases on Vancouver Island. Canwest News Service, Canada.
Friday, March 13, 2009.
http://www.canada.com/sick%20respiratory%20illness%20rates%20kids%20higher/1383571/story.html
FDA hazy on e-cigarettes' safety. The FDA is trying to halt importation of e-cigs, but isn't seizing products already being sold in the United States. The FDA considers the electronic cigarette an unapproved new drug because of a lack of scientific proof that they're safe or effective. CNN.
Friday, March 13, 2009.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/03/13/ecigarettes.smoking/index.html
Asbestos compensation law passed. Legislation to allow people in Scotland to claim for past exposure to asbestos has been passed by MSPs. BBC.
Thursday, March 12, 2009.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/7935690.stm
The danger of living with ozone. Living in a city with high levels of ozone, a major component of smog, boosts the chance of dying from lung-related disease, new research has found. Science.
Thursday, March 12, 2009.
http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2009/311/1
EPA testing local water to find out if problematic chemical is in drinking supply. A group of EPA-contracted workers looking for a not-so-pleasant memento of the former dry-cleaning business: perchloroethylene, PCE, a chlorinated solvent used for decades because of its ability to remove stains from clothing. It's also capable -- when ingested or inhaled in vapor form -- of causing neurological, liver and kidney damage, as well as cancer and other medical problems. Visalia Times-Delta, California.
Thursday, March 12, 2009.
http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/article/20090312/NEWS01/903120305
'Got safe milk?' The United States is the only industrialized nation that still uses the genetically engineered hormone rBGH, or recombinant bovine growth hormone, according to Food and Water Watch. Iowa City Press-Citizen, Iowa.
Thursday, March 12, 2009.
http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20090312/NEWS01/903120327/1079
SC Johnson to phase out phthalates from products. Consumer products maker SC Johnson & Son Inc. said it plans to phase out phthalates, or chemicals used to soften plastics, from its fragrance products over the next two years. SC Johnson makes brands including Windex, Glade, Raid and Ziploc. Associated Press.
Thursday, March 12, 2009.
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/03/12/ap6158569.html
Cleaner air helps asthmatic kids breathe easier. A fall in air pollution rapidly reduces inflammation in the airways of children with asthma and improves their lung function, researchers report in the journal Pediatrics this month. Reuters Health.
Thursday, March 12, 2009.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/03/11/eline/links/20090311elin022.html
Obama moves to strengthen role of science in policy. President Obama made his most forceful break yet from his predecessor's controversial scientific agenda Monday--by ordering federal agencies to strengthen the role of science in their decision-making. Los Angeles Times, California.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009.
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-na-obama-science10-2009mar10,0,57592.story
Toxic Chinese drywall turning up in Canada Homeowners from several communities in B.C.'s Lower Mainland have joined the flood of callers to a U.S. consumer group investigating Chinese drywall that has allegedly begun to sicken North Americans. Vancouver Province, Canada.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009.
http://www.theprovince.com/news/Toxic%20Chinese%20drywall%20accused%20health%20problems%20Canada/1375255/story.html
[Editor's note: See a related article about drywall complaints in the US: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1887059,00.html ]
Probe finds health risks missed. The federal agency charged with protecting the public near toxic pollution sites [ATSDR] often obscures or overlooks potential health hazards, uses inadequate analysis and fails to zero in on toxic culprits, congressional investigators and scientists say. Associated Press.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009.
http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=cincinnati&sParam=30324477.story