Healthy Children Project Monthly e-News

Feel free to let your friends, family and colleagues know about this valuable new resource. Instructions to subscribe or unsubscribe are at the end of this e-newsletter. MI Healthy Children's e-newsletter is part of a collaborative effort with the Learning Disabilities Association of America's Healthy Children Project and the Institute for Children's Environmental Health with support from the Beldon Fund. 

Spotlight: The National Children's Study
The National Children’s Study will examine the effects of environmental influences on the health and development of more than 100,000 children across the United States, following them from before birth until age 21. The goal of the study is to improve the health and well-being of children.  If you have questions regarding the National Children’s Study, please contact The National Children’s Study by email at NCS@mail.nih.gov, on the web at http://www.nationalchildrensstudy.gov/ or by phone at (301) 594-9147.
 

Understanding Environmental Diseases from A to Z for Kids
http://www.niehs.nih.gov/external/a2z/prt-home.htm
The AIR, the WATER, the SUN, the DUST, PLANTS and ANIMALS, and the CHEMICALS and METALS of our WORLD... They support life. They make it beautiful and fun. But, as wonderful as they are... They can also make some people sick. Here are some diseases that are related to your ENVIRONMENT... From A to Z... And some ideas for preventing or caring for them.
 

Free Downloadable Kids Comic Book: Healthy Environments for Children (PDF)
http://www.paho.org/English/DD/PIN/whd03_monica.pdf
This colorful comic book, from the Pan American Health Organization, features information for children geared towards pollutants, harmful insects, contaminated water, hygiene and sanitation, chemicals, and overall safety. A fun way for kids to learn very important lessons about dangers in today's world.

Judges Overturn Bush Bid to Ease Pollution Rules
http://www.climateark.org/articles/reader.asp?linkid=54058
A federal appeals court recently overturned a clean-air regulation issued by the Bush administration that would have let many power plants, refineries and factories avoid installing costly new pollution controls to help offset any increased emissions caused by repairs and replacements of equipment.
 

Research: Effect of Prenatal Exposure to Polychlorinated Biphenyls on Incidence of Acute Respiratory Infections in Preschool Inuit Children (PDF)
http://www.ehponline.org/members/2006/8683/8683.pdf
In order to assess whether environmental prenatal exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) is associated with incidence of acute respiratory infections in preschool inuit children, the medical charts of 343 children (ages 0-5) were reviewed. The association between PCB congener 153 concentration in umbilical cord plasma and the incidence rates of acute otitis media (AOM) and of upper and lower respiratory tract infections (URTIs and LRTIs) was evaluated. Results: The incidence rates of AOM and LRTIs were positively associated with prenatal exposure to PCBs.

Pesticide Threat to Babies Linked to Enzyme Levels
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/03/03/BAGVGHHV1H1.DTL&hw=Jane+Kay&sn=001&sc=1000
A study of 130 mothers and their children in California's Central Valley revealed that a natural enzyme in the human body that breaks down toxicants, including commonly used pesticides, varies to such a degree that some of the population's youngest members may be virtually defenseless against some chemicals.
 

Invisible Danger? Parents Look Inside the Lunchbox
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/12/business/yourmoney/12organic.html

?ex=1142917200&en=eaa3268209553c27&ei=5070
Reaching into their nylon lunch bags at school, Casey and Cameron Lilley pull sandwiches made of organic ingredients out of wax paper wrappers, and sip water from coated aluminum containers from Switzerland. Their mother, Shawn Lilley, had carefully chosen the packaging based on research into chemicals and toxins.  No matter where the information comes from, many parents are changing their buying habits to try to protect children from what they see as dangers. Information on what exactly is toxic, however, is scant and sometimes conflicting. [Free registration/login required by New York Times to read this article online.]
 

Playing with Asbestos in Ellwood City: Town's Illness Rates Being Scrutinized
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06077/672608.stm
"We all joked about it growing up," said Mr. Foley, 50, who now lives in another part of Lawrence County. "We went home every day dusty and dirty and, when it was raining, we went home looking like the Tin Man from "The Wizard of Oz," covered with silver muck." Last Fall, federal officials distributed a health alert to people in Ellwood City about the potential harm from asbestos exposure from the waste rocks discarded by the Grace plant.
 

Collaborative on Health and the Environment's Public Policy Primer: Our Health and the Health of the Environment: How are They Connected? What can We do to Improve Both?

http://www.healthandenvironment.org/articles/doc/109
This document aims at providing its readers with some elemental principles of environmental health. Through the examples of asthma, learning disabilities and breast cancer, the primer explains what we are learning about the links between chronic illness, toxic chemicals and other environmental contaminants. The primer also gives examples of legislative and corporate policies aimed at improving our health and the health of the environment.

You Are What You Eat...Breathe...Scrub...Lather...Spray
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=1a0ccc38-194a-4f28-8e96-3e62a625b13e&rfp=dta
Davis Baltz is a toxic waste site, according to a 2003 investigation that unearthed 15 dioxins and furans, 41 PCBs, four organochlorine pesticides, 33 volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds, lead, mercury and phthalates. Problem is Davis Baltz is not a place, he is a person.

Polluters Contaminating America’s Waters: 62 Percent Exceed Pollution Limits in Recent 18-Month Period
http://uspirg.org/uspirg.asp?id2=23007
More than 62 percent of industrial and municipal facilities across the country discharged more pollution into U.S. waterways than their Clean Water Act permits allowed between July 2003 and December 2004, according to "Troubled Waters: An Analysis Of Clean Water Act Compliance", a new report released last week by U.S. PIRG.
 

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Fish Canners Challenge Mercury-labeling Suit
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/03/22/BAGP6HS4IF1.DTL&type=science
Food industry and health groups nationwide are closely watching a lawsuit in San Francisco Superior Court that will reach a milestone Friday when a judge hears state attorneys claim that big canners are breaking the law by failing to tell consumers about mercury in tuna fish. Not so, say lawyers for defendants StarKist, Chicken of the Sea and Bumble Bee.
 

Thimerosal Linked to Immune System Ills
http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/medical/story/14232888p-15054919c.html
In a study sure to fuel the controversy about the role of childhood vaccines in autism, scientists at UC Davis have found that a preservative used in some vaccines can disrupt the immune system, at least in mice. Study authors caution the findings do not specifically link use of thimerosal, which contains mercury, to autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. [Free registration/login required by Sacramento Bee to read this article online.]

U.S. Recalls More Lead-based Toy Jewelry
http://www.startribune.com/535/story/329759.html
After the recall of Reebok lead bracelets that fatally poisoned a 4-year-old Minneapolis boy, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is recalling two other toy-jewelry products that also contain high levels of lead. More recalls are expected.

Research: Reduced Intellectual Development in Children with Prenatal Lead Exposure (PDF)
http://www.ehponline.org/members/2005/8552/8552.pdf
Lead exposure around 28 weeks gestation is a critical period for later child intellectual development, with lasting and possibly permanent effects.

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Environmental Contaminants and Their Relation to Learning, Behavioral and Developmental Disorders
http://www.niehs.nih.gov/oc/factsheets/ceh/contamin.htm
Learning disabilities, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and emotional and behavioral problems are among childhood disabilities of increasing concern. Genetic, environmental, and social factors have important effects on how children's brains develop and function. Extensive laboratory and clinical studies of several compounds toxic to neural development, including lead, mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), alcohol, and nicotine, have demonstrated how the developing brain of children is uniquely vulnerable to environmental agents at levels that have no lasting effects in adults. Unfortunately, understanding the effects of these toxicants on the developing brain has emerged slowly while children continue to be exposed to unsafe levels.

Study Links IQ to Pesticide Use
http://www.in-forum.com/articles/index.cfm?id=121375&section=News
North Dakota farm children exposed to pesticides performed significantly lower than their peers in IQ tests, according to preliminary results of a study released Thursday. Researchers at the University of North Dakota studied two groups of children in the northern Red River Valley, one group living on or near an active farm or field, another living at least a mile away from those locations.

Pollutants Threaten Poor, Minority Kids
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_31366.html
Their families are more likely to live near lead, pesticides, study finds. For example, even though overall rates of childhood exposure to lead continue to fall in the United States, black children living in poverty continue to be at much greater risk of high lead exposure than white children. Childhood lead exposure is associated with lower IQ scores, higher levels of restlessness, inattention and aggression -- all factors that can affect cognitive ability and school performance.

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Help Yourself to a Healthy Home (PDF)
http://www.hud.gov/offices/lead/healthyhomes/healthyhomebook.pdf
You want to take good care of your family. You try to eat healthy foods. You take your children to the doctor for regular checkups. You try your best to protect your family from accidents and illness. You want to live in a safe neighborhood and home. But did you know your home might have hidden dangers to your children’s health?

E. Coli Thriving Near Big Dairy Lot in Paw Paw
http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/news-16/1142353205105250.xml&coll=7&thispage=1
The tests were supposed to allay their fears, but the results left environmentalists and local officials calling for action. Almost every sample of water from lakes and streams near the 3,600-animal Hartford/Red Arrow Dairy came back teeming with E. coli bacteria, the kind found in animal feces.
 

Linking Environmental Exposures with Psychological Disorders Fact Sheet (PDF)
http://www.iceh.org/pdfs/LDDI/MentalHealthFactSheet.pdf
LDDI's Mental Health Fact Sheet contains a brief compilation of the small body of research that has found associations between environmental toxicants and mental health disorders.
 

Dr. Ted Schettler - Podcast on Health Impacts of Mercury from Coal-fired Power Plants
Please visit http://www.pennfuturepodcast.org to hear the latest podcast produced by Citizen’s for Pennsylvania’s Future (PennFuture). You will hear Dr. Ted Schettler, M.D., M.P.H. of the Science & Environmental Health Network, presenting on health impacts of mercury from coal-fired power plants. Dr. Schettler speaks compellingly about the need for mercury reductions, the susceptibility of the developing fetus to even small amounts of mercury, and the true public health threat that is mercury pollution.

Free Online Course: Introduction to Mold and Mold Remediation for Environmental and Public Health Professionals
http://www.epa.gov/mold/moldcourse/index.html
This web course contains information on mold prevention and remediation. It is designed primarily for environmental and public health professionals.
 

Conference Notice: CleanMed 2006

CleanMed 2006 will take place on April 19 - 20, 2006 in Seattle, Washington. CleanMed is a national conference for environmental leaders in health care. The agenda for 2006 includes preconference workshop on green building, design and operation of green buildings, environmentally preferable products for health care, reducing waste and toxicity, and healthy food in health care. For more information, visit http://www.cleanmed.org/

The 266 Days That Determine Your Future Health
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2682-2078125,00.html
The time spent in the womb can influence whether we suffer, years later, from cancer, obesity or heart disease - and it may even affect our love life and ability to play football.

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The Learning Disabilities Association of Michigan is pleased to offer grants to 501(C) 3 non-profit organizations located in Michigan for educational programs/events/materials which will help inform key stakeholders of the existing and emerging science linking certain chemical exposures to learning, behavioral, and developmental disabilities. Priority will be given projects which target families and disability groups and/or promote action towards creating a healthier environment for all children. Grantees will be responsible for submitting a final project report, documentation of all expenditures, and copies of materials produced. Maximum award $400. Click here to download an application (PDF).

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Call toll free at 888-597-7809 or 517-485-8160
 

Email us at info@ldaofmichigan.org
 

Write to us at 200 Museum Dr. Ste. 101, Lansing, Michigan 48933

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For more information on The Learning Disabilities Association of Michigan's Healthy Children Project visit http://www.ldaofmichigan.org/healthychild.htm.

 
For more information on The Healthy Children Project visit http://www.healthychildrenproject.org/index.html.

 
For more information on the Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative, coordinated by the Institute for Children’s Environmental Health visit http://www.iceh.org/LDDI.html. To join the the Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative (LDDI), please complete the form at http://www.iceh.org/LDDImembers.html.

 
For more information on The Beldon Fund visit http://www.beldon.org/.

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