1. CHE Partnership Call Announcement - May 16
2. CHE National Conference DVDs Available
3. Working and Regional Group Updates
4. Tools, Announcements and Resources for CHE Partners
5. CHE Science News Headlines
6. New CHE Partners
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Dear CHE Partners and Friends:
If you are a subscriber to Above the Fold, Dr. Pete Myers’ online news compendium at Environmental Health News - and we at CHE headquarters think everyone concerned with this field probably should be one – you know we live in heady and challenging times. Just keeping current with the broad field of environmental health is one such challenge. The pace of research results and the trends, opportunities, obstacles, and yes, politics surrounding that science seems to ever increase – just as Alvin Toffler, in his landmark book Future Shock over a generation ago, warned things would. It can become overwhelming. Much of CHE’s work is an attempt to filter and distill the relevant knowledge and developments into usable form. If you have not spent time on the CHE website recently, please consider doing so. Just in the What’s New section on the left of the homepage, you’ll find:
- a link to CHE's consensus statements on important issues,
- news of what promises to be a very important conference - Priming for Prevention: An Ecological Approach to Research, Education and Policy,
- an offer to purchase, at cost, the DVD of our national conference last October,
- news of our forthcoming calls, and much more.
There is also news of CHE working groups, our peer-reviewed science papers, lists of relevant meetings and other documents, the landmark searchable CHE Toxicant and Disease Database, and much much more. As someone who once chaired the “health” review panel of the “Webby” awards – the “Oscars” of websites – I honestly feel, despite my unavoidable conflict of interest, that CHE’s site is one of the best in any field. There are also some new CHE initiatives and major meetings in the works, which we will inform you about as they develop.
Finally, for those who have NOT yet availed themselves of Environmental Health News, again, we highly recommend it: http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/.
As always, we welcome your input and suggestions for how to make CHE’s work most useful to you.
Steve Heilig, MPH
Director of Public Health and Education
CHE and San Francisco Medical Society
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1. CHE Partnership Call Announcement - May 16
SAVE THE DATE for the next CHE Partnership Call scheduled for Wednesday, May 16th at 9am Pacific / Noon Eastern time.
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.
The Canadian Cancer Society recently adopted the most comprehensive policy position on cancer and the environment of any national cancer society of which we are aware. While President Jacques Chirac of France has advocated an equally comprehensive approach to the environment and cancer for the French National Cancer Plan, the Canadian Cancer Society statement stands out as what many CHE Partners consider a model statement for voluntary cancer organizations.
We will send instructions on how to register online for this call in the coming weeks.
For more information about this call, visit: http://www.healthandenvironment.org/articles/partnership_calls/1084.
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2. DVDs of the CHE National Conference, Environmental Public Health: Science, Medicine, Prevention And Policy, are Now Available
We are pleased to offer a limited number of DVDs from the October 2006 CHE National Conference titled, Environmental Public Health: Science, Medicine, Prevention And Policy. Each DVD set (the conference spans two DVDs) is available at cost for $15 (including shipping) and features all of the conference presentations. For more information and to place an order, visit: http://www.healthandenvironment.org/articles/announcements/1045.
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3. Working and Regional Group Updates
Collaborative on Health and the Environment Alaska (CHE-AK) ~ coordinated by Pamela Miller, Director, Alaska Community Action on Toxics (pkmiller@akaction.net)
Please join us for the next CHE-AK conference call, the second in a series on global warming and the Arctic, Effects of Warming in Communities of the North, Human Rights, and Actions to Prevent Future Harm, which will take place on April 17 at 9am Alaska/10am Pacific/1pm Eastern time. Health care professionals, researchers, tribal representatives, health and environmental advocates, students, health-affected persons and anyone interested is invited to participate in this call on the effects of warming in communities of the North.
This call will feature Faith Gemmill, Pit River/Wintu and Neets’aii Gwich’in Athabascan from Arctic Village, Alaska and Outreach Coordinator for REDOIL (Resisting Environmental Destruction on Indigenous Lands), Vi Waghiyi, Yu’pik from St. Lawrence Island, Savoonga and Coordinator, Environmental Health and Justice Project and Will Calloway, Legislative Director and Director of Environment and Health Programs, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Washington DC.
To join this free call and receive the dial-up instructions, please RSVP to Alaska Community Action on Toxics at: info@akaction.net or 907-222-7714.
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CHE's Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative (LDDI) Working Group ~ coordinated by Elise Miller, MEd, Executive Director, Institute for Children's Environmental Health (emiller@iceh.org)
1. Priming for Prevention: An Ecological Approach to Research, Education and Policy, LDDI's national conference, will be held May 10-11, at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta. Former US Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher, among other distinguished speakers, will be presenting at this conference. In addition, we will be honoring Dr. Herbert Needleman with LDDI's "Children's Health Pioneer Award." For more information, including reservations and the updated agenda see: http://www.iceh.org/LDDImeetings.html.
2. American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) most recent conference call was held April 10th featuring Allison Del Bene Davis, PhD, RN, on “Environmental Health Risks in Community Based Residential Settings.” AAIDD’s next teleconference call will be June 12th and will feature, Ted Schettler, MD, MPH and Sarah Doll, SAFER National Coordinator, who will both speak about SAFER: State Alliance for Federal Reform of Chemicals Policy. For more information on these calls, visit: http://www.ehinitiative.org/Projects/tele_con.htm.
3. LDDI members have recently drafted a letter regarding the National Children’s Study, which they will circulate soon for signatures from major learning and developmental disabilities organizations. Currently, there is no money in the 2008 federal budget for the National Children’s Study and a number of national partner organizations of LDDI are calling for sustained funding of this important study. The letter, once finalized, will be posted at: http://www.iceh.org/LDDI.html.
4. An upcoming autism conference in Minneapolis, MN, May 2-5th, will highlight environmental health. On May 4th, Dr. Martha Herbert will serve as the keynote, and Dr. David Wallinga will talk about an ecological approach to developmental disabilities. For more information visit: http://www.ausm.org/educationServices/stateConference.asp.
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Collaborative on Health and the Environment Washington (CHE-WA) ~ coordinated by Elise Miller, MEd, Executive Director, Institute for Children's Environmental Health (emiller@iceh.org)
1. The Precautionary Principle Working Group will have its next conference call on April 17th at 11:00 am Pacific. We are very pleased that Tracee Mayfield, RS, Health & Environmental Investigator II with Public Health - Seattle & King County, has agreed to be the new chair of this working group. Tracee can be reached at: tracee.mayfield@metrokc.gov. Please note, Steve Gilbert, PhD, who has been serving as the chair of this group for the last several years, plans to stay intimately involved.
2. The final lecture of the fourth annual environmental health lecture series entitled Our Health, Our Environment: Making the Link -- Seeking Solutions will be April 18th. This series is sponsored by the Seattle Biotech Legacy Foundation and organized by the Institute for Children's Environmental Health. This final lecture will be held at Seattle Town Hall at 6:30 pm, preceded by a reception at 5:30 pm. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit: http://washington.chenw.org/lectures.html. Tickets will also be available at the door.
3. A workshop entitled, Making Change: A Workshop for People Who Want to Build a Better World, co-sponsored by the Center for Creative Change at Antioch University and CHE-WA will be held April 21st from 9:30 am – 4:30 pm at Antioch University in Seattle, WA. For more information, please see: http://www.antiochsea.edu/events/makingchangeworkshop.html or contact: Kate Davies, 206-268-4811 or kdavies@antiochseattle.edu.
4. The next CHE-WA quarterly meeting is scheduled for 2:00 pm, May 16, at Antioch University, Seattle, WA. The meeting will feature several presentations on pesticide research and advocacy as well as updates on the new CHE-WA Climate Change and Health Working Group. More information will be available closer to the time of the meeting.
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4. Tools, Announcements and Resources for CHE Partners
True Cost Clearinghouse
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. Now available at: http://www.sehn.org/tcc.html.
Children’s Health and Chemicals in an Enlarged European Union
On April 16 the Health & Environment Alliance (HEAL) will hold a workshop entitled “Stopping Children’s Chemical Contamination” in Bratislava, Slovakia. The workshop, co-organized with Women in Europe for a Common Future in the context of the European Public Health Alliance international conference “Health in the Enlarged EU”, will aim at raising awareness of the health effects of chemicals and the latest scientific evidence proving the special vulnerability of children. The workshop will look at how this relates to EU implementation issues (REACH, pesticides policy) and produce recommendations for the new EU Health Strategy. For more information, please visit: http://www.env-health.org/a/2466.
Women’s Health and the Environment: New Science, New Solutions
Women’s Health and the Environment: New Science, New Solutions, will take place on April 20 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, PA. This full day conference is free and open to the public and is sponsored by Magee-Women’s Hospital, Teresa Heinz and the Heinz Endowments. For more information, visit: http://www.womenshealthpittsburgh.org/index.html.
Linking Chemicals and Disease for Better Health
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. For more information, visit: http://www.env-health.org/a/2490.
EPA Request for Proposals: Building Capacity to Address Environmental Health Issues During Pregnancy -- Deadline April 26
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is accepting proposals to build capacity to address environmental health issues during the prenatal period. EPA intends for these grants to develop effective mechanisms to educate pregnant women about environmental health risks, to demonstrate the effectiveness of information dissemination and behavioral change that results in reducing these risks, and to increase the number of health professionals who are fluent in prenatal environmental health issues. For more information, visit: http://yosemite.epa.gov/ochp/ochpweb.nsf/content/grants.htm#current.
The Jean Logsdon Epidemiology Grant (National Brain Tumor Foundation): $75,000 -- Deadline May 4
Young investigators with novel approaches to investigating the causes of brain tumors are especially encouraged to apply. This grant is open to both U.S. and international researchers. For application procedure information please see: http://www.braintumor.org/research/application/index.html.
2007 Cal/EPA Environmental Justice Small Grants Solicitation -- Deadline May 16
The California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA) is now accepting applications for a second round of funding under the Environmental Justice Small Grants Program. For more information and to obtain an application package, please visit the Cal/EPA EJ Small Grants website at:
http://www.calepa.ca.gov/EnvJustice/Funding/SmallGrants/default.htm.
4th International Conference on Children’s Health and the Environment -- June 10-12
Immediately prior to the Intergovernmental Midterm Review of the Children’s Environment and Health Action Plan for Europe (CEHAPE) in Vienna, CHE's European Partner, the Health & Environment Alliance (HEAL) is co-sponsoring the 4th International Conference on Children’s Health and the Environment. The conference is organized by the International Network on Children’s Health, Environment and Safety (INCHES) and by the Private University for Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology (UMIT). The goal of the conference, which will bring together scientists, health professionals and policy makers, is to offer a world-wide platform for dealing with health problems of children caused by important environmental influences. CHE will participate by presenting an abstract entitled "Reducing Toxic Threats to Child Development: The Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative." For more information, please visit the website at: http://www.inchesnetwork.net/.
New Publication for Pesticides and Vulnerable Groups
The Health & Environment Alliance (HEAL) and Pesticides Action Network Europe have recently published a briefing paper entitled "Cut Back on Pesticides for Healthier Lives - New Scientific Understanding of Health Impacts of Pesticides Demands Precautionary Policy-Making." The briefing reviews the latest scientific evidence pointing to potential links between pesticide exposure and neurotoxicity, reprotoxicity and immunotoxicity as well as acute and chronic illnesses including several types of cancer, allergies and asthma. The briefing also highlights the special vulnerability of children and is complemented by a poster emphasizing the impact of pesticide exposure on their brains. An electronic version of both the briefing and the poster can be found at: http://www.env-health.org/a/2468. Hard copies are available upon request by sending an email to: monica@env-health.org. A French translation of the briefing is in preparation.
What's in Your Environment? Ohio Network for the Chemically Injured Research Project
Interested in finding out if dangerous levels of lead or other heavy metals are in your environment? The Ohio Network for the Chemically Injured is providing affordable screenings of soil and wood samples during their educational research project with the University of North Carolina. More information is available at: http://www.ohionetwork.org/.
Medical Devices Package and Requirements for Labeling
On March 29th the European Union adopted a revised Directive on Medical Devices, which will require all devices containing chemicals known as phthalates to be labeled. After negotiations between the 3 institutions, with Parliament urging the most restrictive measure: a ban on phthalates that are classified as carcinogens, mutagens or toxic to reproduction; the final result involves labeling for all devices; and special explanations from device manufacturers if they continue to use such phthalates in devices intended for children, pregnant or breastfeeding women. For further information, please see: http://www.env-health.org/IMG/pdf/MDD_PR_release_Bxl_FINAL__2_.pdf. Questions on the details of the Directive can be directed to: lisette@env-health.org.
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5. CHE Science News Headlines
Most of these articles have been gleaned from Above the Fold
Study Seeks to Explain Drop in Male Births
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 10 April 2007, David Templeton
A new study says environmental and other factors may be affecting conception of male embryos and hindering the health of male fetuses. Continue reading...
Environmental Factors Linked to Parkinson's
Earth Times, 9 April 2007
A collaboration of U.S. research facilities say environmental factors like pesticides and toxic agents are linked to the development of Parkinson's disease. Continue reading...
'Inherently Toxic' Chemical Faces its Future
Toronto Globe and Mail, 7 April 2007, Martin Mittelstaedt
Bisphenol A is ingested by practically everyone in Canada who eats canned foods or drinks from a can or hard plastic water bottles. Now a controversy is raging over the safety of widespread public exposure to the chemical, which is known to act like a synthetic female sex hormone. Continue reading...
New Research
Environmental Health Perspectives, April 2007
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. This research suggests the benefits of consuming omega-3 fatty acids for infant development may need to be balanced against the health consequences of premature birth. Continue reading...
Limited Ban Placed on Flame Retardants
Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 3 April 2007, Lisa Stiffler
Washington became the first state in the nation Tuesday to ban the use of chemical flame retardants in some common household items. Continue reading...
John Kerry and Teresa Heinz Kerry -- New Environmental Book
Grist, 29 March 2007, Amanda Griscom Little
The environment brought them together. And now, together, they've brought out a book on the environment. Continue reading...
Beyond the Patient: Prescriptions for an Ailing Society
Orion Magazine, March/April 2007, Lee Thirer
Not just individuals, but our entire society is sick. This article explores the new ecology of institutions. Continue reading...
Autism: It's Not Just in the Head
Discover Magazine, 22 March 2007, Jill Neimark
The devastating derangements of autism also show up in the gut and in the immune system. That unexpected discovery is sparking new treatments that target the body in addition to the brain. Continue reading...
New Research
Environmental Health Perspectives, March 2007
Scientists report in a new study that six environmental contaminants which act like the hormone estrogen increase the speed and intensity of immune reactions in human and mouse cells. The doses used were selected to be well within the range of human exposures. Intermediate doses had stronger impacts than higher doses. The results suggest that these contaminants may be contributing to the epidemic of asthma. Continue reading...
Are Common Chemicals Feeding Obesity Epidemic?
Washington Post, 15 March 2007, Amanda Gardner
Exposure to a class of chemicals commonly found in soap and plastics could be fueling the obesity epidemic by contributing to abdominal obesity and insulin resistance in men, a new study suggests. Continue reading...
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6. New CHE Partners
We welcome the many new CHE Partners who have joined since the last newsletter. To see the New CHE Partners and the growing list of all CHE Partners, please visit: http://www.healthandenvironment.org/base/partners-recent.
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Thank you for taking the time to read the latest about CHE. As always, we welcome your feedback, suggestions or questions. Please direct them to Eleni Sotos, CHE Program Director, at: Eleni@HealthandEnvironment.org.
Best wishes,
Eleni Sotos, MA, Program Director
and
Frieda Nixdorf, MA, Administrative Specialist
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