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.
1) Clearinghouse of training resources. CHE-WA is pleased to provide a new service to our members: a searchable clearinghouse of environmental health training resources available in Washington State. This clearinghouse was supported by a grant from the Washington Tracking Network, a CDC-funded program working to improve the availability and interpretation of environmental public-health information.
This clearinghouse includes not only in-person and online trainings, but also materials from presentations to posters that our members may want to use when conducting their own trainings. Users can search by the type of resource, the target audience and/or the location of the resource.
To access this clearinghouse, use the "Resources" navigation tab at the top of any CHE-WA website page or follow this link: http://www.chenw.org/cgi-bin/training.cgi
Please contact Nancy Snow, our research and communications manager, if you would like us to be aware of any environmental health training materials and events that you have available: nsnow@iceh.org
2) New policy statement seeks signatories. The Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative (LDDI), a national working group of the Collaborative on Health and the Environment, invites you to sign our newly-drafted policy consensus statement on environmental agents associated with neurodevelopmental disorders. This policy statement is based on the scientific consensus statement that LDDI published earlier this year and details specific policy initiatives to be taken to protect children from exposures that may contribute to learning and developmental disabilities and autism.
To sign the statement, you need to provide your name, credentials and affiliation (please note that we request signers who have a stated organizational affiliation). The policy statement, the scientific statement, and the signature form for the policy statement are all available on the LDDI website: http://www.iceh.org/LDDI.html Signatures are requested by Monday September 1st.
If you have any questions regarding the statement, please contact primary author Steve Gilbert, PhD, DABT, at sgilbert@innd.org or Nancy Snow, MS, at nsnow@iceh.org. Thank you for considering signing.
3) July conference call recording online. An audio recording is now posted of the July 15th conference call, Human Fertility and the Environment: Looking at Links in both Women and Men. You can access the recording on the CHE-WA meetings page: http://www.washington.chenw.org/meetings.html
4) Master Home Environmentalist Program volunteer training. The American Lung Association of Washington's (ALAW) Master Home Environmentalist Program volunteer training will start September 9th. It meets every Tuesday evening for 10 sessions including two Saturdays. Trainings are held at the ALAW office at 2625 Third Avenue, Seattle, 98121, from 6:30 – 9:00 p.m. For more information please contact Casey Coulombe at 206-441-5100 or ccoulombe@alaw.org
http://www.alaw.org/about-us/news-center/top-stories/help-you-your-neighbors-breathe-easier-in-your-homes/
Thursday September 4, 2008
10:00 a.m. Pacific time
Sponsor: Collaborative on Health and the Environment
As the President's Cancer Panel begins its series of four hearings on different aspects of cancer and the environment, the Collaborative on Health and the Environment (CHE), in collaboration with organizational partners like the Breast Cancer Fund and the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production, is taking action to make sure the panel gets the message: Preventing cancer requires more than encouraging people to quit smoking.
Price: free
Website: http://www.healthandenvironment.org/articles/che-events/4220
Monday September 8, 2008
7:30 p.m.
Portland, Oregon
at Powell's downtown bookstore
Sponsor: Powell's Books
Join author Nena Baker for this book reading. In The Body Toxic, investigative journalist Nena Baker explores the many factors that have given rise to the dizzying array of chemical contaminants we are exposed to -- from manufacturing breakthroughs to policy decisions to political pressure to the demands of popular culture. While chemical advances have helped raise our standard of living, making our lives easier and safer in many ways, there are costs to these conveniences that chemical companies would rather consumers never knew about. Baker draws back the curtain on this untold impact and assesses where we go from here.
Price: free
Website: http://www.thebodytoxic.com/events.html
Tuesday September 9, 2008
2:00 - 3:00 p.m. Eastern time
Sponsor: The John Merck Fund through the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Environmental Health Initiative
Dr. Elizabeth A. Guillette will review pesticides and their action and suggested impacts on adults. She will then focus on the impacts on the neuromuscular and neuromental deficits found in the Yaqui Valley children and the meaning of these impacts to society.
Price: free
Website: http://www.ehinitiative.org/Projects/tele_con.htm
Contact: Laura Abulafia, Laura@aaidd.org
Thursday September 11, 2008
7:00 p.m.
Anchorage, Alaska
at the Wendy Williamson Auditorium, UAA
Sponsor: Alaska Community Action on Toxics, University of Alaska Anchorage, The Complex Systems Group University of Alaska Anchorage
Devra Lee Davis, MD, MPH, is an internationally-renowned environmental health expert. She is the director of the Center for Environmental Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health. In addition to her academic appointments, Dr. Davis has held multiple advisory roles in national and international agencies, including the World Health Organization. She was a global environmental advisor for Newsweek and founding director of the Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology of the National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council. Her previous book, When Smoke Ran Like Water, was a finalist for the National Book Award in Nonfiction.
Price: free
Friday September 12, 2008
8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Portland, Oregon
at the World Trade Center
Sponsor: Environmental Law Education Center
Topics include 1) federal & state policies & laws addressing toxics, 2) proposed legislation for the 2009 legislative session, 3) municipalities' responses, 4) water quality standards & fish consumption, 5) comprehensive chemical reform, 6) pesticides & pharmaceuticals, 7) recent research on toxics & public health, and 8) what approach should we take in addressing toxics?
Price: $450 early registration through August 29th, $495 after, with discounts for government and nonprofits
Website: http://www.elecenter.com/agenda_2008-09-12.htm
Friday September 12, 2008
12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
Anchorage, Alaska
at the Media Center, Second Floor, Providence Cancer Center, 3851 Piper Street
Sponsor: Alaska Community Action on Toxics, University of Alaska Anchorage, The Complex Systems Group University of Alaska Anchorage
Devra Lee Davis, MD, MPH, is an internationally-renowned environmental health expert. She is the director of the Center for Environmental Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health. In addition to her academic appointments, Dr. Davis has held multiple advisory roles in national and international agencies, including the World Health Organization. She was a global environmental advisor for Newsweek and founding director of the Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology of the National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council. Her previous book, When Smoke Ran Like Water, was a finalist for the National Book Award in Nonfiction.
Price: free
Monday September 15, 2008
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Seattle, Washington
at the Seattle Biotech Legacy Foundation, 2505 3rd Avenue, Suite 200
Sponsor: Seattle Biotech Legacy Foundation
All are invited to share your thoughts with the Idea Club! Discussion topic is "What dilemmas or questions do you have about making sustainable choices in your day-to-day life?" The Idea Club is an informal discussion group regarding science and sustainability issues that are relevant today and can potentially inform the future work of SBLF. The Idea Club will meet regularly on the third Monday of the month from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the SBLF office. Each meeting will have a prescheduled topic for discussion.
Price: free
Website: http://www.sblfoundation.org/projects/idea-club
Contact: SBLF, 206-443-8464 or sblf@sblfoundation.org
Monday and Tuesday, September 22 - 23, 2008
7:30 a.m.
Seattle, Washington
at the University of Washington, Health Sciences Building T-435
Sponsor: University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Medicine (SPHCM)
What do leach residue from Arizona mines, brass mill waste from Illinois, and tire ash from New England have in common? They are all banned from air and water release, and they can all be found in significant amounts in the fertilizer that is spread on crops from Washington State to Bangladesh. Do these toxins show up in our food? Do they pose a hazard to health? Are health-care providers equipped to recognize these hazards? Incoming SPHCM students will meet to discuss these and other issues in an integrated public health case study based on the book Fateful Harvest by Duff Wilson. Through the case study, students will explore how the pieces of public health puzzles fit together and how their own specialized role contributes to the interdisciplinary public health whole.
Price: unknown
Website: http://apps.sphcm.washington.edu/envhlth/cal/cal.asp?mo=9&dd=All+Days&yr=2008&calendar=envhlth
Contact: University of Washington School of Public Health, 206-543-1144 or sphcm@u.washington.edu
Thursday September 25, 2008
9:00 a.m. Pacific time
Sponsor: Collaborative on Health and the Environment
In late July, lawmakers in the United States passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, which includes provisions banning three types of phthalates (plastics softeners) and temporarily banning three other types from certain children's products. The ban is based on limited data suggesting that phthalates act as endocrine disruptors. The CPSI Act, as well as the 2007 European REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals) legislation, are landmark examples of a precautionary, rather than reactionary, approach to public health. How do REACH and the phthalates ban fit into a larger movement toward the precautionary approach? What constitutes "proof of harm" in light of emerging knowledge about the complexity of disease causation? Just how does new science become new policy? This a special CHE Policy Education Call will explore these important and timely questions.
Price: free
Website: http://www.healthandenvironment.org/partnership_calls/4236
Thursday September 25, 2008
12:30 - 1:20 p.m.
Seattle, Washington
at the University of Washington Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, Room T-435
Sponsor: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences
Dr. Heather Stapleton, assistant professor at Duke University, will lead this lecture. Continuing educational credits are available.
Price: unknown
Website: http://depts.washington.edu/envh580/
Contact: Sarah Fischer, fisch@u.washington.edu
Online Calendar. Upcoming events extending more than one month in the future 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/
Nail salon chemicals worry Oregon health officials. Oregon health officials say toxic chemicals in nail care products could put Oregon's 14,500 nail salon workers at higher risk of breast cancer or birth defects from inhaling or absorbing the chemicals through the skin. Associated Press, 26 August 2008.
http://www.ktvb.com/news/regional/stories/ktvbn-aug2508-nail_salon_chemicals_.fee20ee.html
Is your drinking water giving you diabetes? Trace amounts of naturally occurring arsenic in the Earth's crust seem to be endangering some Americans without their knowledge, experts say. The ancient poison is even linked to type 2 diabetes. US News & World Report, 26 August 2008.
http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/diabetes/2008/08/19/is-your-drinking-water-giving-you-diabetes.html
Burning incense linked to respiratory cancers. Burning incense may create a sweet scent, but regularly inhaling the smoke could put people at risk of cancers of the respiratory tract, researchers reported Monday. Reuters Health, 26 August 2008.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2008/08/25/eline/links/20080825elin002.html
EPA fails to collect chemical safety data. The failure of the EPA's High Production Volume Challenge to make good on its promises is the latest example of how the agency's lax policies favor chemical makers over public demand for information. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin, 24 August 2008.
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=786626
Christians see climate change as moral issue. Morality should be a spur for stronger action to fight climate change, which threatens food and water supplies for the poorest in Africa, a group of Christian activists said on Saturday during U.N. climate talks. Reuters, 24 August 2008.
http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-35148020080823
Kids' cold medicines face FDA scrutiny. Federal regulators are planning to launch a broad new review of whether over-the-counter cold medicines are safe and effective for children under 12. Baltimore Sun, Maryland, 23 August 2008.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-te.fda23aug23,0,5373868.story
Chronic lead poisoning from urban soils. Chronic lead poisoning -- from playing in contaminated dirt -- affects more U.S. children than acute lead poisoning from imported toys, researchers said. UPI, 23 August 2008.
http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2008/08/22/Chronic_lead_poisoning_from_urban_soils/UPI-13261219462696/
Cleaning House. An inspection uncovers an array of chemical toxins in every room — but you can get rid of them. Buffalo News, New York, 23 August 2008.
http://www.buffalonews.com/185/story/421327.html
FEMA's formaldehyde woes may change particleboard business. How strict legislation and new technology promise to reduce formaldehyde emissions and keep harmful materials out of American houses. Popular Mechanics, 23 August 2008.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/home_journal/home_improvement/4279057.html
Study shows asthma, air pollution link. A new California study shows a strong link between asthma and air pollution, with cities that are situated near the ports and the airport at highest risk for the respiratory condition. Long Beach Press-Telegram, California, 23 August 2008.
http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_10280535
Officials push for cleaner rivers, less risk to those who eat fish. To gauge the risk from toxic chemicals in the fish we eat, water quality standards in Oregon and most of the nation assume our diet includes about a crackerful of fish a day. Portland Oregonian, Oregon, 22 August 2008.
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2008/08/officials_push_for_cleaner_riv.html
Measles cases grow in number, and officials blame parents' fear of autism. Many parents say they believe vaccines cause autism, even though multiple studies have found no reputable evidence to support such a claim. New York Times, 22 August 2008.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/22/health/research/22measles.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
[Editor's note: See a similar article in the Chicago Tribune: http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/health/chi-vaccine-suspicion_26aug26,0,7718636.story ]
New law restricts lead in products. Turf fields were not included in the ban, but the Synthetic Turf Council has volunteered to follow the new standards, which will all but eliminate lead in turf fields made in the United States. Currently about 10 percent of turf fields use pigment that contains lead. Salem Statesman Journal, Oregon, 22 August 2008.
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080822/NEWS/808220374/1001
Consumers warned not to eat Lucky Country Aussie Style Soft Gourmet Black Licorice. Dr. Mark Horton, director of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), today warned consumers not to eat the candy after tests by CDPH found elevated levels of lead. Salinas Californian, California, 22 August 2008.
http://thecalifornian.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080821/NEWS01/80821013/1002
Are your dental fillings containing mercury safe? Millions of people have them in their mouths, yet their widespread use in treating cavities is one of the more contentious issues in dentistry. US News & World Report, 21 August 2008.
http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/living-well-usn/2008/08/20/are-your-dental-fillings-containing-mercury-safe.html
5 ways to keep your kids safe at home. The new law reforming federal consumer protections has been hailed as the best improvement in child safety laws since the 1970s. But the law's protections don't kick in right away--and there are ways to keep your kids safe right now. US News & World Report, 20 August 2008.
http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/childrens-health/2008/08/18/5-ways-to-keep-your-kids-safe-at-home.html
State advises anglers to limit bass consumption. Idaho health officials have taken the unprecedented step of advising women of childbearing age, women who are pregnant or nursing and children 15 years of age and younger to limit their consumption of bass caught in state waters. Idaho Mountain Express, Idaho, 20 August 2008.
http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005122217
Study suggests arsenic culprit in Type 2 diabetes. Arsenic, a toxic chemical often found at low levels in U.S. public drinking water, may increase the risk of developing diabetes, researchers said. Bloomberg News, 20 August 2008.
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/12192211594210.xml&coll=2
Smoke from wildfires turns air 'unhealthy' in region. Heavy smoke from wildfires in Idaho, Oregon and as far away as California choked Montana valleys Tuesday, pushing air quality below the healthy mark. Missoula Missoulian, Montana, 20 August 2008.
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/08/20/news/local/news05.txt
Diabetes onset, severity tied to cognitive problems. Earlier onset, longer duration and greater severity of diabetes may increase the risk for mild cognitive impairment, according to Mayo Clinic researchers. HealthDay News, 20 August 2008.
http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=618298
HRT drug boosts stroke risk in older women. Women 60 and older taking the hormone-replacement therapy drug tibolone to relieve menopausal symptoms are at an increased risk for stroke, a new study finds. HealthDay News, 20 August 2008.
http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=618419
Antibacterial battle. Classified as a pesticide, triclosan, found in "antibacterial" products, kills good and bad bacteria indiscriminately, causing concern among consumers. Portland Oregonian, Oregon, 20 August 2008.
http://www.oregonlive.com/living/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/living/121909290381270.xml&coll=7&thispage=1
New test scans beef for mad cow disease. The first test for instantly detecting beef that's been contaminated with tissue from a cow's brain or spinal cord during slaughter has been developed by U.S. researchers. HealthDay News, 20 August 2008.
http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=618250
Natural beauty. As the popularity of organic personal-care products grows, standards for the industry remain unclear. Indianapolis Star, Indiana, 19 August 2008.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080819/LIVING01/808190313/1083/LIVING01
Pollution from ships causing thousands of deaths. Sea air is generally regarded as healthy, but it may be polluted with dangerous chemicals from ships, say scientists. Dirty smoke pouring out of the funnels of ships at sea or in port is having a major impact on the air quality of coastal cities, a study has found. Press Association, 19 August 2008.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/aug/19/pollution.usa
LSU chemist isolates air pollutants. Newly discovered air pollutants could cause health risks similar to smoking a pack of cigarettes a day, new LSU research contends. Baton Rouge Advocate, Louisiana, 18 August 2008.
http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/27081169.html
Why you should care about ozone warnings. Good and bad ozone have identical chemical compositions, they are gaseous molecules composed of three oxygen atoms. Depending on where ozone occurs in the atmosphere, ozone can serve as a UV filter or act as a pollutant that damages human health and crops. Poughkeepsie Journal, New York, 17 August 2008.
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080817/NEWS04/808170315
Controversial chemical bisphenol A is safe, FDA says. A draft document released Friday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration declares that a chemical commonly found in baby bottles and aluminum can linings is safe. It was immediately embraced and condemned. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin, 16 August 2008.
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=783953
[Editor's note: See a related article in which the FDA announces a public meeting on BPA next month: http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN1535737420080815?sp=true ]
Lafarge among worst mercury polluters. According to the latest numbers from the National Pollutant Release Inventory, Canada's legislated inventory of pollutants, the Lafarge Canada cement plant that sits in the midst of prime agricultural land and along the banks of the Fraser River is among the worst mercury polluters in the country. Richmond Review, British Columbia, 16 August 2008.
http://www.bclocalnews.com/richmond_southdelta/richmondreview/news/Lafarge_among_worst_mercury_polluters.html
High PCB exposure tied to diabetes risk. People who have been exposed to high levels of toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) may face an elevated risk of type 2 diabetes. Reuters Health, 16 August 2008.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2008/08/15/eline/links/20080815elin023.html
Smoking doubles stroke risk in younger women. Younger women who smoke have more than double the risk of stroke compared to nonsmokers, with the heaviest smokers among them having nine times the risk. Reuters, 16 August 2008.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2008/08/15/eline/links/20080815elin014.html
Bush signs consumer bill to cut lead in toys. Legislation aimed at improving US consumer product safety after millions of Chinese-made toys were recalled last summer was signed into law by President Bush yesterday. The bill also boosts CPCS funding and partially bans several phthalates. Reuters, 15 August 2008.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2008/08/15/bush_signs_consumer_bill_to_cut_lead_in_toys/
Playworld to stop using vinyl. In an effort to become more environmentally friendly and create safer conditions for employees, Playworld Systems Inc. will soon abandon the use of polyvinyl chloride plastic in its products. Sunbury Daily Item, Pennsylvania, 15 August 2008.
http://www.dailyitem.com/0100_news/local_story_228081357.html?keyword=topstory
Living near highway tied to adverse birth outcomes. Living near a highway in Canada may raise a pregnant woman's risk of premature delivery or having a low birth weight baby and, counterintuitively, affluent moms-to-be seem to be more vulnerable to highway pollution than their less well-off counterparts. Reuters,15 August 2008.
http://in.reuters.com/article/health/idINCOL47064520080814
Moisturisers cause cancer in mice. Research on mice suggests that moisturising creams increase the risk of common skin cancers -- but there's no need to throw away your moisturiser just yet. New Scientist, England, 15 August 2008.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14535-moisturisers-cause-cancer-in-mice--but-dont-panic.html
Updated produce safety guide issued. Continuing its efforts to protect infants and children from exposure to pesticides in their food, a coalition of King County hazardous materials specialists have reissued a shopper's guide to safe produce. Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Washington, 14 August 2008.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/374842_foodhealth14.html
Pregnant quitters still face higher baby risks. Women who quit smoking during their first pregnancy still have a higher risk of giving birth to small or premature babies, even if their second baby is born three years after they have given up cigarettes, researchers have found. Sydney Morning Herald, Australia 14 August 2008.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/health/pregnant-quitters-still-face-higher-baby-risks/2008/08/13/1218307006714.html
Underground FEMA fuel tanks could leak. The government owns hundreds of underground fuel tanks -- many designed for emergencies back in the Cold War -- that need to be inspected for leaks of hazardous substances that could make local water undrinkable. Associated Press, 13 August 2008.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/nationandworld/ci_10177847?nclick_check=1
Study looks at health of farmworkers. The life of farmworkers is physically demanding and exposes them to dust and other environmental hazards. Their health is key to helping provide a safe and secure domestic food supply, says new research. Fresno Bee, California, 13 August 2008.
http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/790546.html
Allergists warn global warming will make pollen more abundant, potent. Just in time for ragweed's arrival, allergists are warning that global warming is fueling more abundant and potent pollen and otherwise threatening easy breathing. Columbus Dispatch, Ohio, 13 August 2008.
http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/08/12/ragweed.html?sid=101
Wood smoke hurt you? Not if you're well. Healthy people worried about wood smoke can breathe a little easier, a New Zealand pollution study has found. Australian Associated Press, 13 August 2008.
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/wood-smoke-hurt-you-not-if-youre-well/1242812.aspx