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. 

Keep Oceans Clean Campaign for Kids
http://keepoceansclean.org/home/

A web campaign geared specifically toward children. Contains teaching materials (for teachers and parents), games, information on protecting the environment and more.

Marine Debris: Activity Book and Curriculum

from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Marine Debris Program
http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/marinedebris101/resources_md101.html#activity

• Understanding Marine Debris: Games and Activities for Kids of All Ages
  An assortment of puzzles, brain-teasers and coloring activities help children understand the problem of marine debris while having fun at the same time. Suitable for all ages.

  • Download screen-version pdf (2.1mb)

  • Download print-version pdf (2.9mb)
     

  Turning the Tide on Trash: A Learning Guide on Marine Debris
  Originally developed by the Environmental Protection Agency, this set of lesson plans and background information introduces educators, students and researchers to the topic of marine debris. The interdisciplinary education guide is designed to provide maximum flexibility in the classroom: it can be used as a stand-alone teaching tool or to supplement work in other subject areas. Appropriate for Grades 1 through 12.

  • Download screen-version pdf (6.5mb)

  • Download print-version pdf (359.1mb)

Study: Bisphenol A at Environmentally Relevant Doses Inhibits Adiponectin Release from Human Adipose Tissue Explants and Adipocytes
http://environmentalhealthnews.org/newscience/2008/2008-0818hugoetal.html
In human fat tissues, bisphenol A (BPA) suppresses levels of a key hormone, adiponectin, that protects people from heart attacks and Type II diabetes. These results implicate BPA as a potential cause of metabolic syndrome, one of the most serious and costly public health problems in the US. Most Americans have levels of BPA within their serum within the range of concentrations sufficient to suppress adiponectin in these experiments. The BPA effect on adiponectin disappears at higher levels.

New Fact Sheet: Industrial Carcinogens: A Cause for Concern
 

LDDI Concensus Statement
 

Michigan: Toxic Buildup, Clear Solutions

from the Michigan Network for Children's Environmental Health (MNCEH), August 26, 2008

Fighting fires shouldn't have toxic consequences. Unfortunately, some of the flame-retardants added to products from furniture to TVs to mattresses may do just that. One of the worst and most common of these chemicals is deca-BDE, which is structurally similar to PCBs, chemicals once favored by industry but ultimately banned in the 1970s because of their toxicity and because they build up in people and wildlife. Fortunately, leading companies in Michigan and beyond are using safer, affordable, and effective alternatives.

The Michigan House is currently debating HB 4465, which would phase out deca-BDE in products where these alternatives are already in widespread use: TVs, computers, mattresses & upholstered furniture. Please take action now to support this bill and ensure that fighting fires doesn't have toxic consequences. Take Action!

Deca-BDE, and the rest of the chemicals in the PBDE (polybrominated diphenyl ether) family, are increasing dramatically in people in North America, including in the breast milk of women and fish in the Great Lakes. A recent report by a Michigan's Interdepartmental Toxics Steering Group declares that "PBDEs are of significant environmental concern because they are toxic, bioaccumulative, and persistent. Levels in humans and wildlife are increasing exponentially." The report calls for a "legislative ban on deca-BDE contingent of the availability of a safe alternative," which is what HB 4465 does. The full report can be found here (pdf).

Some deca-BDE migrates from common household products like TVs, mattresses, computers and furniture. It binds to household dust where it's readily accessible to kids, who live closest to the floor, frequently put their hands in the mouths, and whose brains and bodies are rapidly developing. Early evidence suggests children may accumulate higher levels of these toxic chemicals than adults.

Michigan's fire fighters (including the Michigan Professional Fire Fighters Union and the Michigan Association of Fire Chiefs) are supporting HB 4465 to protect fire fighters from the toxic byproducts of deca-BDE combustion. They have noted that alternative flame-retardants can meet fire safety standards.

Deca-BDE and other PBDEs have been linked in laboratory animals with brain damage, delayed onset of puberty, liver tumors, and other problems. Leading companies like Dell, HP, Samsung, Phillips, Sealy, Herman Miller, Steelcase and La-Z-Boy have all stopped adding deca-BDE to their products. The alternatives they use are typically safer for our kids and the environment. They also prevent fire fighters from exposure to the noxious by-products of deca-BDE combustion. That's why the state's leading medical, health, and environmental organizations support HB 4465 to protect children from the potentially toxic effects of deca-BDE.

Unfortunately, HB 4465 has not yet passed, which is a testament to the lobbying might of the out-of-state chemical manufacturers that produce deca-BDE. This is despite the fact that the Legislature voted nearly unanimously to ban products containing the closely related flame-retardants penta-BDE and octa-BDE in 2004. We now know that deca-BDE can break down into these banned toxic chemicals.

Michigan should finish the job of protecting the Great Lakes and our children. Please tell your state Representative to support HB 4465 and urge immediate passage. With your support, we can help protect the Great Lakes and our children from the next PCBs. [Go here for more background information.]  Thanks for your support! Michigan Network for Children's Environmental Health

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Bush Signs Consumer Bill; Boosts Funding, Cuts Lead

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1448348720080814
Legislation aimed at improving U.S. consumer product safety after millions of Chinese-made toys were recalled last summer was signed into law by President George W. Bush on Thursday. The measure dramatically cuts the amount of lead allowed in toys and other children's products, increases funding for the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and partially bans controversial plastic-softening chemicals called phthalates.
 
Lawyers in R.I. Lead Paint Case Argue Court Costs

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D92J0LJ00.htm
A lawyer for Rhode Island said that three former lead paint companies should not be allowed to recoup costs from a nine-year legal fight with the state that ended last month in their favor. The state Supreme Court in July overturned a landmark jury verdict that found Sherwin-Williams Co. and two other companies responsible for creating a public nuisance. The three companies now want to recover they money they spent defending the lawsuit, which was filed in 1999, though they have not specified the precise amount.

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New Document: Hormone Disruptors and Women's Health
 
New Report: Shaping Our Legacy: A Report from the 2007 UCSF-CHE Summit on Reproductive Health
 

Teleconference: Environmental Contaminants and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

AAIDD’s Environmental Health Initiative (EHI) is proud to announce the next teleconference in our Research and Science teleconference series, sponsored by the John Merck Fund, and presented by Daniel A. Axelrad. This event will take place on October 7, 2008 from 2-3 p.m. EST. The PowerPoint will be available to view or print the week of the teleconference, at www.ehinitiative.org.

CHE Partnership Call: From Lab to Law: The Phthalates Ban, the Precautionary Principle, and How New Science Becomes New Policy

How do REACH and the phthalates ban fit into a larger movement toward the precautionary approach? What constitutes "proof of harm" in light of emerging knowledge about the complexity of disease causation? Just how does new science become new policy? This call is now available for download as an mp3 at: http://www.healthandenvironment.org/partnership_calls/4236.

Please Join Us to Take Action for Children's Environmental Health!

• Are you concerned about the health of your children or those in your community?

• Are you concerned about toxic chemicals in toys, your home, or the environment?

• Are you concerned about the impacts that toxics may have on child development?

WHAT: This Civic Engagement Training is for parents and professionals who want to learn more about the impact of toxic exposures on child development and how to ask elected officials and government leaders to do all they can to protect our children.
WHEN: Saturday, October 11, 2008 from 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
WHERE: Child and Family Services, 3785 Veterans Drive, Traverse City
RSVP: To register, visit http://www.acmh-mi.org/tcreg.htm, send an email to jackie.igafoteo@ldaofmichigan.org, or call (517) 936-3370 (in Traverse City call (231) 929-4665).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Lunch and childcare will be provided at no charge with RSVP. Please specify when registering if childcare is needed. This event is free and open to all who register!
 
This training is sponsored by the Michigan Network for Children's Environmental Health (MNCEH), in conjunction with the Learning Disabilities Association (LDA) of Michigan’s Healthy Children Project, Michigan Council for Maternal and Child Health, and the Association for Children’s Mental Health (ACMH). This training is supported by grants from the Beldon Fund, the John Merck Fund, and the Johnson Family Foundation. For more information on MNCEH, visit: www.mnceh.org.

Healthy Michigan Healthy Kids Campaign

Lead, mercury, arsenic and other toxic chemicals simply don’t belong in kids’ products. But as the nearly 5 million children’s product recalls for lead in the first seven months of 2008 demonstrate, our national system for protecting children from toxic products has failed. It’s time for Michigan’s leaders to take action.

• Download the Healthy Michigan, Healthy Kids Platform at http://www.healthymichigan.net/documents/HMP_Signon_6.17.08.pdf (pdf).

• Download Toxic Chemicals, Healthy and Economy - A Guide For Candidates at http://www.healthymichigan.net/documents/safer-candguide_4.08-05.pdf (pdf).

The Healthy Michigan, Healthy Kids platform calls for Michigan to follow the lead of other states and countries by taking commonsense steps to protect Michigan’s children from toxic chemicals in children’s products by: eliminating added lead, mercury and arsenic; giving the public the right to know what other high-priority toxics are in kids’ products; and encouraging “Green Chemistry” and safer product development in Michigan.

Candidates running for the Michigan House of Representatives are responding enthusiastically and endorsing the Healthy Michigan, Healthy Kids platform. We need your help! Please encourage candidates running in your district to sign the Healthy Michigan, Healthy Kids platform. You can send candidates an online postcard right now. Visit http://www.healthymichigan.net/eaction.html to send a postcard to candidates in your district.

If you are a Michigan House candidate, and you haven’t already, we hope that you will show your support for protecting Michigan’s children by signing and returning this platform, and integrating its message throughout your campaign. It’s time to protect kids from toxic toys! If you have questions about Healthy Michigan, Healthy Kids please visit http://www.healthymichigan.net/.

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Download the August 2008 Healthy Children News which appears in the Fall 2008 Edition of the Learning Disabilities Association of Michigan Newsletter.

Cleaning for Healthy Schools Toolkit
Did you know 25% of chemicals in the cleaning products used in schools are toxic and contribute to poor indoor air quality, smog, cancer, asthma, and other disease? There is a better way to clean. The Cleaning for Healthy Schools Toolkit is a training tool you can use to build awareness, knowledge, and commitment to adopting best practices for green cleaning in schools and child care centers. Easy-to-use learning modules can be customized to introduce all audiences to green cleaning and Cleaning for Healthy Schools. The Toolkit is an open source, industry free, externally reviewed tool to develop programs and policy for districts, cities, and states. To learn more or to find out when the next webinar will take place, visit http://www.cleaningforhealthyschools.org/.

Subscribe to "Toxic Times"

http://www.mnceh.org/toxictimes/news.php

"Toxic Times" is a weekly recap of the top stories on toxics from the Michigan Network for Children's Environmental Health.

CHE Partnership Calls

http://www.healthandenvironment.org/news/calls

You can also listen to previous calls, download documentation and view call blogs at this website.

LDA of Michigan's Healthy Children Project Offering Conference Co-Sponsorships

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

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 Microsoft Word application form.

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

Email us at jackie.igafoteo@ldaofmichigan.org

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

To subscribe to the Healthy Children Project e-Newsletter, send a blank email to healthychildrenproject-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
 
If you feel that you have received this message in error or are no longer interested in this topic, please send a blank email to healthychildrenproject-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com.
 
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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