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Weak Rules on Toxins and Safety
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/31/business/economy/31leonhardt.html
For 14 years until just last month, GlaxoSmithKline sold a
denture cream called Super Poligrip that contained high levels of
zinc. The zinc helped with adhesion and was probably safe so long as
people used moderate amounts of cream. Indeed, the human body needs
small amounts of zinc to function. But some people ended up using
much larger amounts, and they began to develop the kind of nerve
damage associated with excess zinc.
Pharmaceuticals in Water – An
Interdisciplinary Approach to a Public Health Challenge
http://ehsehplp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.0901532
The presence of pharmaceuticals in aquatic environments and
drinking waters has prompted significant public interest regarding
potential adverse ecological effects and risks to human health.
Bad Chemistry: The Poison in the
Plastic That Surrounds Us
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/bad-chemistry-the-poison-in-the-plastic-that-surrounds-us-1931462.html
Could a ubiquitous chemical, found in everything from food cans
to baby bottles, be killing us? In a special investigation, this
article examines the horrifying evidence dividing scientists and big
business.
EPA to Intensify its Study of BPA
http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/watchdogreports/89485472.html
The Environmental Protection Agency announced that it is
intensifying its look at how BPA affects the nation's wildlife and
water supply and will designate the compound as a "chemical of
concern." The action plan is part of a growing effort by federal
regulators to more carefully scrutinize the effects of the chemical.
Bisphenol A is found in the lining of most food and beverage cans.
The move by the EPA comes after a three-year investigation found
that government agencies relied heavily on industry scientists to
assess BPA's safety, ignoring hundreds of independent studies that
found the chemical caused harm.
In the UK, Parents' Smoking Gives
15,000 Children a Year Asthma, Doctors Warn
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/mar/24/smoking-asthma-children-health
Tens of thousands of children in the UK every year get asthma,
chest infections and ear problems because they are exposed to smoke
from their parents' cigarettes, doctors reveal today. Secondhand
smoke causes 15,400 children between three and 16 to develop asthma,
gives 20,500 two or under a chest infection and 121,400 under-16s an
infected middle ear, a report from the Royal College of Physicians
warns. Another 600 under-16s get meningitis, 7,200 babies start
wheezing and 40 children die of sudden infant death syndrome owing
to passive smoking, the study says.
GAO Report Scolds EPA on Inaction
Regarding Children and Toxics
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2010-03-17-epa-children-pollution_N.htm
During the past decade, the Environmental Protection Agency's
commitment to keeping children safe from toxic chemicals has lapsed,
and top officials routinely ignored scores of recommendations by the
agency's own children's health advisory committee, according to a
report released Wednesday by the Government Accountability Office.
The consequences are substantial, health experts told lawmakers
Wednesday, during a hearing of the Senate Environment and Public
Works Committee. Download the full GAO report at
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-545T.
Learn About the Children's Safe
Products Act
http://www.mnceh.org/campaigns.lead.php
Exposure to even small amounts of a toxic chemical can impact a
child's ability to reach his or her full potential. The Children's
Safe Products Act would help protect children and by informing
parents and other consumers about chemicals of highest concern in
toys and other children's products. Take action at
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1421/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1857.
Download the Brochure: Mental Health
Effects Arising from Pesticide Exposure: A Guide for Healthcare
Providers and Mental Health Practitioners
http://www.healthandenvironment.org/?module=uploads&func=download&fileId=816
This document was prepared by the Mental Health and Environment
Working Group of the Collaborative on Health and the Environment.
A
Connection Between Personal Care Products and ADHD?
http://www.environmentreport.org/story.php?story_id=4941
There’s been a rise in reports of behavioral disorders in kids
over the past decade or so. Some researchers say genetics, lack of
sleep, and chaotic households all contribute to things like ADHD.
Now researchers say another cause could be personal care products.
Read the study:
http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.0901470#Ahead%20of%20Print%20%28AOP%29
and read and article from Environmental Health News:
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/phthalates-and-attention-deficits
Take Action: Tell Congress to Phase
Out Persistent, Bioaccumulative Toxins (PBTs)
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1421/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=2414
Protect Michigan's Children and the Great Lakes from Persistent,
Bioaccumulative Toxins (PBTs). Some of the most notorious chemicals
ever studied - lead, PCBs, mercury, DDT, Dioxin, and cadmium - are
PBTs. Ask Congress to reform our broken chemicals regulatory system
and phase out the use of PBTs.
Toxic Air and America's Schools
http://content.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/smokestack/index
USA Today used an EPA model to track the path of industrial
pollution and mapped the locations to almost 128,000 schools to
determine the levels of toxic chemicals outside. The potential
problems that emerged were widespread, insidious and largely
unaddressed. Visit this website to see how the schools in your
town/state rank.
Autism and Toxins
http://www.loe.org/shows/shows.htm?programID=10-P13-00011#feature2
Read or listen to an interview of Dr. Phillip Landrigan of Mount
Sinai School of Medicine as he talks about possible environmental
links to autism and the effects of chemical exposure on a developing
brain.
CHE Launches New Working Group on
Autism
http://www.healthandenvironment.org/working_groups/autism_group
CHE's new working group on Autism is
dedicated to exploring the new paradigm of autism research and
treatment in Autistic Spectrum Disorders. To join CHE Autism contact
info@healthandenvironment.org
Environmental Working Group's Green
Cleaning Tips for Your Home
http://www.ewg.org/healthyhometips/greencleaning
Cleaning might be a chore, but it
doesn't have to be toxic, too! Safer products and practices are
available and easy. Why not go green when you clean? Your family's
health is (naturally) worth it.
Lead Testing Recommended for Detroit
Gardens
http://michiganmessenger.com/35933/lead-testing-recommended-for-detroit-gardens
An estimated 4,000 gardens will be planted in the city of Detroit
this summer. However, many of its residents are unaware that the
city's soils are contaminated with lead from paint chips, industrial
emissions, and dust from lead-based gasoline combustion. A service
for home gardeners provided by the MSU Extension does not provide
lead testing. The city is being called on to provide lead testing
for these gardens.
Cumulative List of Biomonitoring
Reports from CHE
http://www.healthandenvironment.org/working_groups/learning/r/reports
Use of Acetaminophen in Pregnancy
Associated with Increased Asthma Symptoms in Children
http://www.ccceh.org/pressreleases/press020410.html
Children who were exposed to acetaminophen prenatally were more
likely to have asthma symptoms at age five in a study of 300
African-American and Dominican Republic children living in New York
City. Building on prior research showing an association between both
prenatal and postnatal acetaminophen and asthma, this is the first
study to demonstrate a direct link between asthma and an ability to
detoxify foreign substances in the body. The findings were published
this week in the journal Thorax.
Pamphlet for Expecting Moms Explains
Environmental Risks
The American Association on
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) has developed a
color, folded, cross-cultural pamphlet to be given to women at Ob-Gyn
appointments. This educational pamphlet for expecting moms explains
environmental risks at home, in the workplace, and outdoors and is
intended for use in clinics and doctors offices around the country.
Contributing partners include the Learning Disabilities Association
of America (LDA), American College of Nurse Midwives, and the V.A.
women's health program, with funding from the John Merck Fund.
Download the pamphlet - English:
http://www.aaidd.org/ehi/content_336.cfm?navID=113
Download the pamphlet - Spanish:
http://www.aaidd.org/ehi/content_3339.cfm?navID=295
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