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. 

Study Shows Ingredient Commonly Found In Shampoos May Inhibit Brain Development
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/08/060803182218.htm
An ingredient found in many shampoos and other personal care products appears to interfere with normal brain development in baby mice when applied to the skin of pregnant mice, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers have discovered.
 

EPA Announces Halt to Lindane for Agricultural Use; Risk to Children Remains Through Pharmaceutical Products
http://www.beyondpesticides.org/news/daily_news_archive/2006/08_03_06.htm
EPA announced yesterday the withdrawal of all agricultural products in the U.S. containing the pesticide lindane. Environmental health groups around the country applaud the step, but are critical of EPA's claim to be the best agency in the world for pesticide regulation, and are calling for phase out of the remaining uses of lindane, including in lotions and shampoos used on children.

Newly Enhanced and Updated CHE Toxicants and Disease Database

http://database.healthandenvironment.org
The newly enhanced and updated CHE Toxicants and Disease Database, a scientifically based, web-interactive database summarizing the evidence of exposure to chemical contaminants and over 180 associated human diseases or conditions, is available on the CHE website.

Critics Say EPA Standards Leave Kids in Harm's Way
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/nation/stories/

072306dnnatnuepakids.171965d.html
For years, scientists have warned that government safety standards leave children too exposed to cancer-causing chemicals. Last year, the Bush administration took action. But many experts say the new guidelines may offer only one-tenth the protection that children need from the chemicals most dangerous to them.

Michigan: EPA Proposal Would Cut Reports on Toxin Releases
http://www.mlive.com/news/fljournal/index.ssf?/base/news-38/1156085892178770.xml&coll=5
Without the pressure of having to report pollution through the Toxic Release Inventory, would the former Vemco Inc. have cleaned up its act? Maybe not, suggests Mike Shriberg, director of Environment Michigan, a nonprofit watchdog group. "That's a textbook example of why the TRI is so important. It's one of the most powerful tools citizens have to monitor pollution in their area," Shriberg said. The state forced Vemco, now Cadence Innovation, to pay $1.1 million in fines and install nearly $3 million in pollution-control equipment in 2001 after the auto parts supplier was revealed to be the county's top polluter.
 

Michigan: Dioxin in Midlanders' Blood
http://www.ourmidland.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17055621&BRD=2289&PAG=

461&dept_id=472542&rfi=6
People whose yards have higher levels of dioxin also have higher levels of dioxin in their bodies. Specifically, people living in Midland and Saginaw counties near The Dow Chemical Co.'s Midland plant have higher levels of the toxin in their blood than people living in Jackson and Calhoun counties -- where there is no Dow plant and where dioxin levels are similar to levels across the country.
 

Babies May Absorb Smoke Residue in Home
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-08-06-thirdhand-smoke-usat_x.htm
As any parent knows, crawling babies explore the world by touching -- and tasting -- anything they can get their wet little hands on. If their parents use tobacco, that curiosity may expose babies to what some doctors are calling "thirdhand" smoke -- particles and gases given off by cigarettes that cling to walls, clothes and even hair and skin. Up to 90% of the nicotine in cigarette smoke sticks to nearby surfaces, says a professor at San Diego State University.

Snuffing Out Smoking in Cars with Children
http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/story/14296630p-15149827c.html
Targeting a new frontier in the fight against smoking, California lawmakers may ban motorists from lighting up near young passengers. The measure would mark the first time that Californians would be prohibited from smoking legal tobacco products on private property not open to the public or employees. No state had passed such a vehicle smoking ban until this year, when Arkansas and Louisiana set a precedent by barring the practice when passengers are under 6 or 13, respectively.
 

Michigan Resource: School Pesticide Law

http://www.beyondpesticides.org/schools/schoolpolicies/state%20laws/mi.htm

Special Report: How Integrated Pest Management will Reduce the Need for Pesticides in Schools (PDF)

http://www.beyondpesticides.org/schools/schoolpolicies/links_statelaws/Reports/localmotionMI.pdf
This report is offered as an introduction to basic integrated pest management (IPM) principals. It describes how to implement an IPM program into a Michigan school district, and discusses program costs and benefits. This report is intended to be used as a resource guide for schools and individuals who want to reduce pesticide use and find a more effective way to handle pest problems.

Michigan Resource: LocalMotion's Summer Newsletter (PDF)
http://www.local-motion.org/summer2006newsletter.pdf
LocalMotion is a grass-roots, solutions-driven, community-based 501 (c) 3 organization dedicated to raising awareness about the connections between environmental toxins and negative health consequences, including cancer.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to Ban One Pesticide, Lets 32 Others Stay in Use
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-pesticides4aug04,1,2486187.story
Nearing the end of a 10-year review of all pesticides, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to ban a farm chemical that has tainted water and proved deadly to birds, but the agency approved continued use of 32 other widely used insecticides. Under a 1996 food-safety statute, the EPA had to evaluate all 231 active ingredients in pesticides using new safety guidelines focused on the risks to children and the effects of cumulative exposure.

Breathing Pesticides 'Can Trigger MS and Parkinson's Disease'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=

399684&in_page_id=1774
Pesticides can cause brain damage and trigger conditions such as epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease, according to scientists. A landmark study claims that chemicals routinely used by farmers in the UK and around the world can result in neurological diseases.

Michigan Special Notice: ACMH is part of a statewide coalition dedicated to preventing toxic substances in the environment which may affect our children's health - expecially neurological development. The coalition is currently asking families to take action to phase out one toxic pesticide, lindane.
Help protect kids! Support legislation to phase out toxic pesticide! Legislation in Michigan to ban the pharmaceutical uses of lindane needs your help! HB 5574 would prohibit lindane, a neurotoxic pesticide, from being used to treat lice and scabies on kids! Lindane has been banned in California, and in many countries around the world because of its toxicity to kids and to the environment. Children may be particularly vulnerable to the effects of lindane. See the attached position of the Michigan Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics for more information. Many health professional organizations support this bill. Lindane can't be used on pets, but it still can be used on kids! Take action! Please write to Representative Ed Gaffney, thank him for his support, and urge him to hold a hearing on HB 5574! You can write to: Honorable Representative Ed Gaffney, S0585 House Office Building, P.O. Box 30014, Lansing, MI 48909-7514

Poor, Ethnic Children At Greater Risk For Exposure To Toxic Pollutants
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=40057
Poor and ethnic minority children in the United States have a significantly greater risk for exposure to toxic pollutants that can affect their cognitive development and other health indicators than higher income and non-minority peers, and current local, state and federal policies appear to be failing to address these inequities. That's the finding laid out in a review of social injustice and environmental pollutants and their effects on children published in the March/April issue of Child Development.

Childhood Allergies Have Increased Globally Since 1991
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/healthnews.php?newsid=50592
Childhood allergies have become more widespread around the globe since 1991, according to a large study. The most common allergies are hayfever, asthma and eczema.

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EPA Tackles Lead Levels in Kids
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/15321984.htm
Vincente and Guadalupe Ojeda didn't know the windowsills and porches of their 86-year-old dream home could poison their children. But during a visit this summer to WIC, a government nutritional program, two of the Ojedas' four children tested positive for lead in their blood. Almost invisible lead dust coming from the cracked and peeling paint in their Kansas City, Kan., home was poisoning them, health investigators said.

Study Links Lead Exposure To Brain Cancer In Adults
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/08/060828211626.htm
More than 18,000 brain and spinal cord tumors will be diagnosed in the United States this year. Yet little is known about what causes brain cancer; the only established risk factor is radiation, according to the American Cancer Society.
 

Taking Steps as Mercury is an All Around "Ubiquitous" Element
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/15354672.htm
Leila Varella's son Darius, 9, no longer munches tuna sandwiches for lunch. His mother now regrets the slabs of shark she tossed onto the grill. Two years ago, amid national concern about mercury in seafood, they plucked strands of hair to be tested in a national survey of mercury levels in the U.S. population by the environmental group Greenpeace. Darius' level was slightly high, so Varella nixed the fish.
 

Critics Question Mercury Removal Plan
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/nation/15280097.htm
A new recycling initiative could remove tons of potentially deadly mercury from the environment, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, but critics and state administrators of similar programs are questioning whether the program will work, calling it underfunded and unrealistic. The program, which the EPA and leaders of the steel and auto industries announced last Friday, centers on mercury-filled switches that control automatic lights in cars. The switches are the fourth-largest source of mercury pollution in the U.S. each year, according to EPA estimates.

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Child Trends DataBank Fact Sheet: Learning Disabilities
http://www.childtrendsdatabank.org/indicators/65LearningDisabilities.cfm
It is not clear what causes learning disorders. However, existing evidence indicates a diverse set of causes related to difficulties in bringing together information from various parts of the brain. Possible causes for these disturbances include: genetic factors; maternal use of alcohol, drugs and tobacco during pregnancy; complications during pregnancy; and environmental toxins such as cadmium and lead.

Ultrasound Might Affect Newborn Brain Development
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/healthnews.php?newsid=49122
If studies on pregnant mice also apply to humans, exposing a pregnant mother to ultrasound for over 30 minutes could adversely affect the baby's brain development, say scientists from Yale University, USA. They found that some nerve cells did not make their way to the correct parts of the developing brain.

Learning Disability Advocates Issue Alert to Parents Linking Toxic Mercury and Learning Disabilities (2005; PDF)
Brochure: http://www.cleartheair.org/reports/Mercury_White_Paper.pdf
Report: http://www.cleartheair.org/reports/Hgbooklet_final.pdf
The Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA), the National Education Association (NEA), and The Arc of the United States have released a new brochure that identifies mercury pollution as one of the greatest threats facing developing fetuses, infants and young children. This publication also shows parents how exposure to this potent neurotoxicant can adversely affect their child's learning potential.

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Additions to the LDDI legislation database
ICEH is pleased to let you know that New York, Connecticut and Washington State have been added to the Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative (LDDI) legislative database. Pending legislation on neurotoxic chemicals as well as specific groups working on those policies are now listed for these states as well as California, Maine, Michigan and Minnesota, plus the U.S. federal government. For more details, visit http://www.iceh.org/LDDIlegislation.html.

Healthy Children Project's Glossary of Key Words
http://www.healthychildrenproject.org/glossary/index.html

Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) Forum on Government Science Panels: Transcript Now Available Online (PDF)

http://www.cspinet.org/new/pdf/scientific_panels_transcript.pdf
On July 24, 2006, CSPI held a panel discussion in Washington, D.C., where representatives from the Food and Drug Administration, industry groups, and academics debated conflict-of-interest issues on panels at federal agencies and the National Academy of Sciences.
 

Hidden Dangers In The Classroom: Exposures To Hidden Food Allergens Extend Beyond The Cafeteria
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=49917
Back-to-school often means last minute doctor's appointments, haircuts, and new clothes. But it's also an anxious time for families who have children with food allergies. For parents of children with food allergies, risks extend beyond the cafeteria into the classroom, even to the school buses and field trips. The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN), a nonprofit, patient advocacy organization, providing education and awareness on food allergy and anaphylaxis, says the risk of accidental exposure in those environments away from the cafeteria can be just as life-threatening.

Upcoming Event: Fourth Biennial Scientific Symposium on Children's Health as Impacted by Environmental Contaminants
Date/Location: September 16, 2006 in Cedar Creek, Texas
Description: This symposium will focus on the National Children's Study, the largest long-term study of human health ever conducted in the United States. Study researchers will follow 100,000 children from before birth to age 21, hoping to better understand how children's genes and their environments interact to affect their health and development. In the study, "environment" includes factors like air, water, food and house dust, as well as how children are cared for, the safety of their neighborhoods, and how often they see a doctor.
Contact: For more information, visit http://www.cehi.org/.
 

Upcoming Event: 23rd International Neurotoxicology Conference: Neurotoxicity Development and Aging
Dates/Location: September 17 - 21, 2006 in Little Rock, Arkansas at the Doubletree Hotel
Contact: For more information, visit http://www.neurotoxicology.com/conference.htm or contact Dr. Joan Cranmer, Conference Chair, 501-364-2986 or CranmerJoanM@uams.edu.
 

Upcoming Event: 2006 Regional Children's Environmental Health Summit
Dates/Location: September 19 - 21, 2006 in Vail, Colorado at the Vail Cascade Resort and Spa
Description: The theme for this year's Children's Environmental Health Summit is "Children's Health and Their Environments: Making the Connection." Online registration is now available.
Contact: For more information, visit http://www.epa.gov/region8/humanhealth/children/2006summit.html.

 
Upcoming Event: 2006 National Environmental Public Health Conference

Dates/Location: December 4 - 6, 2006 in Atlanta, Georgia
Description: The National Center for Environmental Health and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (NCEH/ATSDR), CDC, will host its seventh National Environmental Public Health Conference. The theme of the conference is “Advancing Environmental Public Health: Science, Practice, New Frontiers.”  The conference will bring together a cross-section of federal, state, tribal, and local, and international colleagues within the field of environmental public health and its allied professions.

Contact: For more information, visit http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/conference/index.htm

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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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