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. 

MI New Lindane Fact Sheet

http://www.mnceh.org/mnceh-lindane%20fact%204.07.pdf

Lindane is the active ingredient in some products used to treat head lice and scabies. Health
professional organizations throughout Michigan have supported action to ban pharmaceutical
use of lindane in Michigan. HB 4569 has been introduced to phase out lindane in pharmaceutical
products in Michigan. The Michigan Network for Children's Environmental Health has developed a new fact sheet to assist in educating consumers and legislators about the dangers of Lindane.

Michigan Father & Son Take Part in National Biomonitoring Project
http://www.michigansthumb.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18131897&BRD=2292&PAG=

461&dept_id=571474&rfi=6
"I thought if we can be a part to maybe help educate the public and help educate ourselves about the kinds of toxins we are living with, then we should do that,” said Terry Brown, who represents Huron and Tuscola counties in the Michigan House of Representatives. "...And Bryan thought it was really cool on the science end of it."
 

Report: A Survey of Bisphenol A in U.S. Canned Foods
http://www.ewg.org/reports/bisphenola/execsumm.php
Independent laboratory tests found a toxic food-can lining ingredient associated with birth defects of the male and female reproductive systems in over half of 97 cans of name-brand fruit, vegetables, soda, and other commonly eaten canned goods.

Report: Toxic Pollution & Health
http://www.uspirg.org/home/reports/report-archives/healthy-communities/healthy-communities/toxic-pollution-and-health-an-analysis-of-toxic-chemicals-released-in-communities-across-the-united-states2
In 2004 alone, U.S. industrial facilities released 1.5 billion pounds of toxic pollutants linked to serious health effects, threatening hundreds of communities across the country. In one year these facilities released more than 70 million pounds of known carcinogens and 826 million pounds of neurotoxins to the air and water.
 

Resource: True Cost Clearinghouse
http://www.sehn.org/tcc.html
The Science and Environmental Health Network has announced a new resource, the True Cost Clearinghouse, where you can find articles and reports documenting the economic, health, and social costs of pollution, worker exposures, and resource exploitation, as well as the underreported benefits of remediation and precautionary policies.

EPA Region 5 Clean School Bus USA Request for Proposals (RFP)
As part of continued efforts to reduce diesel emissions throughout its states, the EPA Region 5's Midwest Clean Diesel Initiative announced it expects to award some $700,000 this year for school bus diesel emission reduction projects in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. Proposals may include, but are not limited to: diesel exhaust retrofits, vehicle replacement, engine replacement, idle reduction technologies or strategies, and use of cleaner burning fuels such as biodiesel. Project proposals will be accepted until June 22, 2007 and final awards are expected to be made around November 1, 2007. The Request for Proposal announcement can be found on the Midwest Clean Diesel Initiative's Website at http://www.epa.gov/midwestcleandiesel/grants/.

Linking Chemicals and Disease for Better Health: Chemicals Health Monitor Project
http://www.env-health.org/a/2490
The Health & Environment Alliance (HEAL) has announced a “Chemicals Health Monitor” project, which aims to provide the tools and structures needed for health professionals and others to understand REACH, the European Union’s chemical safety legislation, and the measures needed to reduce the effects of hazardous chemicals on human health and the environment.

Report: Green Screen for Safer Chemicals: Evaluating Flame Retardants for TV Enclosures
http://www.cleanproduction.org/Green.Greenscreen.php
Of the three flame retardants, RDP was the only flame retardant to pass all criteria under Benchmark 1 of the Green Screen. Thus RDP, at Benchmark 2, is the most preferred of the three flame retardants.

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Children's Necklaces Recalled on Lead Hazard
http://money.cnn.com/2007/04/17/news/necklace_recall.reut/
900,000 necklaces and charm bracelets recalled by a Baltimore importer.

Too Many Children on Medicaid Not Tested for Lead Poisoning

http://www.ehw.org/Lead/LEAD_Few_Tested.htm
In Ohio HMOs are paid a lump sum fee, in advance, for delivery of Medicaid services. Researchers at the Government Accounting Office found that the system creates "an incentive to underserve or even deny beneficiaries access to needed care since plans ... can profit from not delivering services" (GAO 1997). Some 47,000 Medicaid-eligible children are born in Ohio each year (OHPa 2004). Considering this profit incentive not to screen, it is not surprising that in Ohio, the blood lead screening rate for one and two year-olds has yet to exceed 40% despite the requirement for HMOs to screen 100% of these children.

Lead-exposed Kids' Muscle Problems Studied
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Science/2007/04/26/leadexposed_kids_muscle_problems_studied/
A U.S. study suggests a drug used to remove dangerously high levels of lead from the body might also improve muscle function in lead-exposed children.
 
Wayne County Officials Resigned to Park Study Timeline
http://www.journalgroup.com/Westland/4113/officials-resigned-to-park-study-timeline
Another round of environmental testing is under way in Central City Park as officials search for answers to ongoing contamination concerns. Late last year, city officials temporarily closed the park after revelations of heightened lead levels rocked the community. Originally the lead was attributed to the past use of the park land as a disposal site for Wayne County Road Commission debris, which could have included lead remnants from gasoline common at the time.
 

Orange “Fun Ball” Basketball Sold at Dollar Stores Recalled Due to Lead Hazard
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07141.html
The stuffed balls contain lead paint, which is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health effects. The Fun Ball is an orange stuffed ball toy that measures 4 inches in diameter and designed to look like a basketball. The ball is printed with colored numbers, letters and "Reg. #PA-10623(HK)."

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Groups Want More Attention Paid to Pollution's Effect on Kids
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070411/NEWS01/70411037
A recent spike in chronic illness and developmental disabilities among children is linked to environmental toxins and warrants increased oversight by the state government, according to a new report.

Chemical Kids — Environmental Toxins and Child Development
http://www.socialworktoday.com/archive/marapr2007p37.shtml
Developmental disability organizations join forces with environmental groups to persuade government and industry to examine the effects of toxic chemicals on child development.
 

Class of PCBs Causes Developmental Abnormalities in Rat Pups
http://pub.ucsf.edu/newsservices/releases/200704187/
Scientists have determined that a specific class of PCB causes significant developmental abnormalities in rat pups whose mothers were exposed to the toxicant in their food during pregnancy and during the early weeks when the pups were nursing. This class of PCB traditionally has not been considered particularly hazardous. The pups were estimated to have levels of the toxicant in their blood that were roughly equivalent to those found in the blood of breast fed babies of mothers exposed to extremely high levels of the toxicant from contaminated fish, soil, water and air in high-risk environments.
 

CHE Partnership Call Recording Available Online: Toxicant-Induced Loss of Tolerance

The April 10th, 2007 CHE Partnership Call -- TILT: Toxicant-Induced Loss of Tolerance, is now available online. In addition to background information, call resources and CHE blog, an MP3 recording is available at http://www.healthandenvironment.org/articles/partnership_calls/1024.

Background Information / Resources related to this call:

• Dr. Claudia Miller's Slide Presentation (PowerPoint) 

• Dr. Miller's Bio and Selected References

• Mechanisms of Action of Addictive Stimuli: Toxicant-Induced Loss of Tolerance (PDF)

• Abdiction/Addiction Connection (PDF)
  Environmental Exposures and ASDs: Making the Connection (PDF)

• Claudia Miller, MD - An Emerging Paradigm: Chemical Exposures and Health (PDF)

• QEESI (Quick Environmental Exposure and Sensitivity Inventory) (PDF)

• QEESI Explanation (PDF)

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Unused Medications Collected in Michigan's Upper Peninsula
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070427/LIFESTYLE03/704270308/1040
An Earth Day program in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan focuses on keeping drugs out of waterways by collecting and properly disposing of unused/unwanted medication.
 

Upcoming CHE Call: Environmental Health Science: Human and Ecosystem Health -- with Dr. Pete Myers

Date/Time: Monday, May 7 at 11am Pacific / 2pm Eastern time
Description: This call will be moderated by Michael Lerner, PhD, President, Commonweal.

For More Information: Please RSVP to Michelle Moore at thenewschool@commonweal.org to receive dial-in information for this call.

Upcoming CHE Partnership Call: A Conversation with Heather Logan at the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS)

Date/Time: Wednesday, May 16 at 9am Pacific / 12noon Eastern time
Description: On this call, Michael Lerner, President of Commonweal, and Founding Partner of CHE will talk with Heather Logan, Director of Cancer Control Policy for the Canadian Cancer Society, about CCS' policy position on cancer and the environment, its origins, and its reception from Canadian and other constituencies to date.
For More Information: To RSVP for this call, visit http://www.healthandenvironment.org/?module=

articles&type=admin&func=new&ptid=57&callid=1084.

Mark Your Calendars: International Conference on Fetal Programming and Developmental Toxicity

Dates/Location: May 20-24, 2007 on Torshavn, Faroe Islands

Description: This conference will focus on fetal and early postnatal development as the most vulnerable stages of human life, in regard to adverse effects of environmental hazards.

For More Information: For more information, please visit the conference web site at: http://www.pptox.dk/.

DVD of CHE National Conference Now Available

A limited number of DVDs from the October 2006 CHE National Conference titled, “Environmental Public Health: Science, Medicine, Prevention And Policy" are now available for purchase. Each DVD set (the conference spans two DVDs) is available at cost for $15 per DVD set, including shipping. Download an order form (Word).

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

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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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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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