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, the Michigan Network for Children's Environmental Health website, and the Institute for Children's Environmental Health with support from the Beldon Fund. 

http://www.ldaofmichigan.org/conf.cosponsorships.pdf

Several years ago LDA of Michigan joined as a LDA Healthy Children Project (HCP) state partner. The HCP project is dedicated to helping families learn about existing and emerging science linking certain chemical exposures to learning, behavioral, and developmental disabilities. LDA would now like to partner with other organizations to help inform families throughout Michigan about toxic substances in the environment, how they may impact children’s health, and to find out how they may join with others to make a difference in protecting the health of our children. Specifically, LDA would like to co-sponsor up to three (3) statewide conferences of 501(c)3 non-profit organizations which are dedicated to children’s health issues and family memberships. Those selected will receive $500 from the LDA HCP to help support their overall conference. To learn more, download the PDF information sheet and application form.

Report: The Consumer's Guide to Toxic Chemicals in Cars

http://www.healthycar.org/documents/healthycarguide07.pdf

Everyone knows that cars are a major source of air pollution. But most people don’t know that it isn’t only what comes out of tailpipes that’s the problem; but what’s inside the cars as well. “New car smell,” for example, comes from toxic chemicals being released from plastics, foams and fabrics in auto parts such as the steering wheel, dashboard and seats. This reports tests over 200 new model vehicles for the presence of key hazardous chemicals and ranks them according to level of concern.

Report: The Consumer's Guide to Toxic Chemicals in Children's Car Seats

http://www.healthycar.org/documents/healthycarseatguide07.pdf

Crash tests aren’t the only way to prove the safety of a car seat, according to this report by the Ecology Center. The report tests over 60 brand new infant, convertible and booster car seats and finds that while some are virtually free of the most dangerous chemicals, others are saturated. The report gives each car seat an overall rating, and ranks them according to level of concern.

States and Cities Move to Curb Toxic Substances the EPA Hasn't
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-05-07-epa-chemicals_N.htm
States and cities are taking steps to ban toxic substances found in consumer goods ranging from TVs to baby bottles, rather than waiting for the Environmental Protection Agency or other federal agencies to yank them off the market.
 

Book Tries to Guide Parents Through a Maze of Chemicals
http://www.projo.com/news/content/environmental_journal20_05-20-07_AD5LMF9.29e5a1d.html
Two medical experts from Rhode Island who believe there is not enough time to wait for the government to regulate dangerous chemicals used in household products have published their own book on how to avoid such chemicals.
 

Green Screen for Safer Chemicals: Evaluating Flame Retardants for TV Enclosures
http://www.cleanproduction.org/library/Green%20Screen%20Report.pdf
Of three flame retardants proposed use in make external plastic housing for TV sets, one emerged as the preferred alternative based on health concerns. RDP, or resorcinol bis(diphenylphosphate), won out over PDBE and bisphenol A based materials.

Report Calls for Chemicals Policy Reform
http://www.environmentaldefense.org/article.cfm?contentid=6147
Environmental Defense, in cooperation with Pollution Probe in Canada, has released a major new report on industrial chemicals policies. "Not That Innocent: A Comparative Analysis of Canadian, European Union and United States Policies on Industrial Chemicals" provides—for the first time—a comprehensive comparison of the European Union's new REACH regulation with existing policies in the United States and Canada that govern industrial chemicals.

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Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch: 2007 National Seafood Guide (PDF)
http://www2.warnerbros.com/happyfeet/pdf/WarnerSFWcard.pdf
By making a few simple choices, you can help conserve natural resources and ensure a healthy environment for future generations.

Study: Maternal Fish Consumption, Mercury Levels and Risk of Preterm Delivery
http://environmentalhealthnews.org/newscience/2007/2007-0404xueetal.html
In a study of over 1,000 women, mothers who gave birth very prematurely were three times more likely to have high levels of mercury. Their mercury exposure was linked to fish consumption. Women who ate more fish had higher mercury levels. Fish consumption during pregnancy--the main identified source of mercury for these women-- is often associated with beneficial effects for the baby because of omega-3 fatty acids that come with a high fish diet. This research suggests those benefits may need to be balanced against the health consequences of premature birth.
 

Seafood and Your Health (from the Monterey Bay Aquarium)

http://montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/sfw_health.asp
Seafood can play an important role in a balanced diet. Overall seafood is very healthy for us, though in some cases we can risk exposure to harmful levels of toxins when certain types of seafood are eaten frequently. At the Seafood Watch program, we research fisheries and fish farming practices and their impact on the marine environment. Our printable seafood pocket guides and online seafood guide also include health consumption information from Environmental Defense. By using the Seafood Watch pocket guides, consumers are supporting seafood that is healthy and sustainable for themselves and the environment.

• Our "Seafood and Your Health" fact sheet (PDF) gives an overview of the benefits and risks of eating seafood and some suggestions for where to get additional information.

• Our Seafood and Public Health Resources section lists several organizations that provide in depth coverage of seafood and human health related topics.

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Even Low Doses of Some Chemicals Can Cause Fetal Complications, Group Warns

USA Today (5/25, Weise) reports that a "group of scientists sounded a warning Thursday that exposure to even extremely low doses of some chemicals while a fetus is developing can cause major changes in its future growth, health and ability to reproduce." The warning, "dubbed the Faroes Statement, came from 200 chemists, biologists, toxicologists, epidemiologists and pediatricians at a conference in the Faroe Islands, between Norway and Iceland. It was funded in part by the WHO, the NIH and the European Environment Agency." Examples discussed at the conference included "the link between hormone-mimicking chemicals, some of which are used to make pesticides and plastics, and the increasing occurrence of testicular cancer and poor semen quality, as well as changes in puberty development. Low doses of chemicals that affect the immune system have been linked to increased susceptibility to allergies."

Fetuses, Babies Said at High Risk From Pollutants
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/42140/story.htm
Fetuses and babies are more vulnerable than previously thought to chemical pollutants that can cause disease or disability, even in tiny doses that do not harm adults, about 200 scientists said on Thursday. The researchers urged tighter controls on toxic chemicals, some of them used in making plastics or pesticides, saying that there was a risk of disruptions at key stages of growth that could lead to brain damage, malformation or cancers.

Healthy Children of Smokers Still at Risk
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21774609-23289,00.html
"Healthy" children of smokers may not show any signs of breathing difficulties, but they may still be experiencing reduced lung function - which could progressively worsen with continued exposure. "Smoking parents are bad news for children," even if the children are "healthy," Dr. Bert Arets from the University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands said ahead of the American Thoracic Society's meeting in San Francisco, where the study was reported. Multiple studies have shown that children of smokers have more breathing problems than children of non-smokers, but until now it's been unclear whether lung function is impaired in children of smokers who don't have any breathing complaints or diagnosed lung problems like asthma. Arets and his colleagues assessed the lung function of 244 children aged 4 to 12 without any lung or airway disease and found that children of smoking parents had significantly reduced lung function.

Redirecting Autism Research
http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2007/may/policy/nl_autism.html
One in 150 children in the U.S. has autism, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Decades ago, that number was thought to be about 5 out of 100,000. As more and more children demonstrate autism-like symptoms, their parents are asking whether environmental exposure to chemicals, such as mercury in vaccines, is causing the disease. In April, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services called a meeting to explore a path for research on the broader impacts of environmental factors on autism.

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National Children's Study

http://www.ldaofmichigan.org/NCSLDDgrouspletter4.07.pdf
View the letter sent to Congressional leaders by a number of national learning and developmental disabilities organizations regarding the National Children’s Study (NCS). We are encouraging others who are interested to send your own letters to Congress in support of sustained funding for NCS. For more information see http://www.nationalchildrensstudy.gov.
 

Learn Something New: All Healthy Children Act (HR 1688)
http://www.childrensdefense.org/site/PageServer?pagename=healthy_child&JServSessionIdr009=8xdb6n54e2.app1b
Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) have made tremendous progress in improving children’s health insurance, currently providing coverage to over 30 million children. Yet nine million children in America, almost 90% living in working households and a majority in two-parent families, are still uninsured. Millions more are underinsured. Chronic budget shortfalls, often confusing enrollment processes, and dramatic variation in eligibility and coverage from state to state prevent millions of currently eligible children from living healthy and realizing their full potential in school and life. As Congress prepares to consider reauthorization of SCHIP in 2007, there is a special opportunity for our nation and leaders in all parties to take the next logical, incremental, smart and achievable step to ensure health and mental health coverage for all children in America as a significant down payment on health coverage for all.
 

National Healthy Homes Training Center & Network's Essentials for Healthy Home Practitioners Course

Dates: June 4-5, 2007

Location: Grand Rapids, MI

Description: If you visit homes to provide health or inspection services of any type, you will benefit from the Essentials for Healthy Homes Practitioners Course. The training will help you understand the connection between health and housing and how to take a holistic approach to identify and resolve problems, which threaten the health and well-being of residents.

Contact: For more information on the course, contact Susan Aceti at 443-539-4153 or saceti@nchh.org.

Upcoming CHE Partnership Call: Antibiotics in Agriculture as an Environmental Public Health Issue: Saving the "Magic Bullet"
Date/Time: June 5, 2007 at 9:00 a.m. Pacific/12:00 noon Eastern

For More Information: Visit http://www.healthandenvironment.org/articles/partnership_calls/1214 to RSVP, for more details, or to participate in the call by phone.
 

Michigan's Executive Directive No. 2006-6
http://www.michigan.gov/gov/0,1607,7-168-36898-153806--,00.html
This directive, signed by Governor Granholm on October 17, 2006, promotes green chemistry for sustainable economic development and protection of public health in Michigan. See related article: http://www.ecocenter.org/releases/20061018_greenchem.shtml

Parkinson's Disease and the Environment Factsheet (PDF)

http://www.healthandenvironment.org/?module=uploads&func=download&fileId=320

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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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