Upcoming seminar: APHA Special Session: Climate change, nursing, and public health: partnerships for action; November 9; Philadelphia, PA
Click here to learn more about an important session on climate change, nursing and public health to be held at the upcoming American Public Health Association's Annual Meeting and Exposition.
National Safe School Siting Day of Action: October 14
On October 14th communities all across the country will come together and raise a collective voice to protect the environmental health of our communities. CHEJ is hosting a National Safe School Siting Day of Action and I know how much you care about our children's health.
Please join us on October 14th.
Parents across the country are shocked to find construction crews in their communities descending on or next to abandoned landfills, brownfield sites (abandoned industrial and commercial contaminated property), or heavily polluting industries to start building schools. Siting schools on or near polluted land poses a great risk to the health and development of students. Unfortunately, it is largely legal-there are no federal laws and very few state regulations to prevent this from happening.
By joining the National Safe School Siting Day of Action, you will be joining a network of organized moms, dads, students, teachers, and concerned community residents to raise public awareness about the importance of creating safer and healthier communities. CHEJ will provide you with the tools to host a successful and effective National Day of Action event with a Tool Kit and planning calls. In these calls, you will have the opportunity to share your ideas and brainstorm new tactics with others in similar communities.
Sign up today to participate in the National Safe School Siting Day of Action!
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Hello baby, goodbye chemicals: one mom's documentary
Following the birth of her daughter, filmmaker Min Sook Lee documents her quest to minimize her exposure to environmental toxins while still leading a normal life.
Click here to read an interview with Ms. Lee.
Her documentary premieres September 11th at the Toronto Film Festival.
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Take a picture for a PVC-free future
(From the Center for Health, Environment, and Justice) Parents across the country are banding together to give their children a safe back to school sendoff by keeping toxic school supplies out of children's backpacks and organizing to keep those toxic binders and lunchboxes off of store shelves.
We need your help to send an even stronger message to big corporations by participating in our fun PVC-free photo project. Check out this slide-show of photos of people just like you from across the country joining the call for safer PVC-free school supplies.
Here's how to take action:
1. Download and print out our PVC-free speech bubbles
2. Take a picture of yourself, your children, your friends, or students with any or all of the bubbles
3. E-mail the picture to us, mike@chej.org and we'll post them on the web
4. Post the picture to your Facebook or Twitter profile.
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC or vinyl) is the most toxic type of plastic and can expose children to phthalates, lead, cadmium and other toxic chemicals. Over 90% of phthalates are used in PVC products. While now banned in children's toys, phthalates are still commonly found in children's school supplies made of PVC. Last month, we released our Back to School Guide to PVC-Free School Supplies to educate parents on the dangers of PVC in notebooks and lunchboxes and to empower parents to make safer choices.
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FDA Study: lead levels in lipstick much higher than previously reported
(From the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics) San Francisco - A new study by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has found lead in lipstick at levels much higher than those detected by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CSC) in a 2007 study that received international attention.
FDA found lead in all 20 lipsticks it tested, at levels ranging from 0.09 parts per million (ppm) to 3.06 ppm - more than four times higher than the highest lead level of 0.65 reported in the 2007 CSC study. FDA used a new testing method to analyze lipstick and concluded that earlier methods likely underestimated the amount of lead in lipstick.
FDA noted that three manufacturers had the highest levels of lead, but they did not name those brands. In 2007, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics report also found that afew brands had consistently higher lead levels, including L'Oreal, Maybelline and Cover Girl.
Health experts say lead in lipstick is a health concern in any amount.
"Since recent science suggests that there is truly no safe lead exposure for children and pregnant women, it is disturbing that manufacturers are allowed to continue to sell lead-containing lipsticks," said Sean Palfrey, M.D., a professor of pediatrics and public health at Boston University and the medical director of Boston's Lead Poisoning Prevention Program.
"Lead is a proven neurotoxin that can cause learning, language and behavioral problems such as lowered IQ, reduced school performance and increased aggression. Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to lead exposure, because lead easily crosses the placenta and enters the fetal brain where it can interfere with normal development," said Dr. Palfrey.
"Lead builds up in the body over time and lead-containing lipstick applied several times a day, every day, can add up to significant exposure levels," said Mark Mitchell, M.D., MPH, president of the Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states: "No safe blood lead level has been identified." The agency suggests avoiding all sources of lead exposure, including lead-containing cosmetics.
Yet FDA has no standard for lead in lipstick. "Pregnant women using lipstick are unknowingly exposing their fetuses to unknown and unregulated levels of lead. FDA should immediately set standards to require manufacturers to make lipstick as safe as possible," said Lisa Archer, national coordinator for the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics at the Breast Cancer Fund.
The FDA study found an average level of lead in lipsticks of 1.07 ppm - more than 10 times higher than its own standard for lead in candy. FDA's standard for candy is based on the lowest lead level that can be achieved. A similar standard should be applied to lipstick.
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics also urged FDA to release the names of the brands tested in the study and lead levels found in each. "The public deserves to know which lipsticks contain the most lead. FDA used taxpayer money to conduct this study and the results should be fully and readily available to the public," Archer said.
Sens. Kerry, Feinstein and Boxer demanded that FDA take action on lead in lipstick, following the release of the CSC report. Nearly two years later, the FDA study was released in the July/August issue of the Journal of Cosmetic Science, and made available at a cost of $35.
Learn more about lead in lipstick and other beauty products.
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EPA offers tips to save water, money
August is peak water use season and with a few simple tips from EPA's WaterSense program homeowners can save water and as much as $110 annually on their water bills. "Peak water use can be expensive, taxes local water systems, and threatens future water supply and quality," said Peter S. Silva, EPA's assistant administrator for water. "A few simple changes can help consumers reduce their water bills, and in turn, save them money."
On average, an American household uses about 260 gallons per day, but this amount climbs to around 1,000 gallons per day during peak water use season with some households using as much as 3,000 gallons a day.
Here are some tips to help reduce water use:
* Water yards only when needed.
* Consider using WaterSense-labeled toilets, faucets and faucet accessories, which use at least 20 percent less water and can save $60 per year.
* Water landscapes only when needed. Watering in the very early morning or evening is best.
* Wash only full loads of laundry and dishes, and scrape dishes instead of rinsing when loading the dishwasher.
* For a summer refreshment, keep a pitcher of water in the fridge instead of running the tap until it is cold.
* Put your favorite handyperson to work fixing leaks around the home, which can waste about 200 gallons per week. Fixing leaks can add up to about $50 in utility bill savings annually.
In 2008 alone, WaterSense-labeled toilets, faucets, and faucet accessories helped Americans save more than 9.3 billion gallons of water and realize more than $55 million in savings on water and sewer bills. That is enough water to supply 100,000 average households for a year.
More tips and information on WaterSense: http://www.epa.gov/watersense/water/peak.htm
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Blood mercury levels rising among U.S. women
MONDAY, Aug. 24 (HealthDay News) -- A study involving more than 6,000 American women suggests that blood levels of mercury are accumulating over time, with a big rise noted over the past decade.
Using data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a researcher from the University of California, Los Angeles, found that while inorganic mercury was detected in the blood of 2% of women aged 18 to 49 in the 1999-2000 NHANES survey, that level rose to 30% of women by 2005-2006.
"My study found compelling evidence that inorganic mercury deposition within the human body is a cumulative process, increasing with age and overall in the population over time," study author and neuroscience researcher Dan R. Laks said in an UCLA news release. "My findings also suggest a rise in risks for disease associated with mercury over time." The findings come on the heels of a widely publicized report, released last week by the U.S. Geological Survey, which found that 25% of fish sampled from U.S. rivers and streams have unsafe levels of mercury.
Read the full article here
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Call for applications for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health and Society Scholars
The 2009-2010 Call for Applications for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society Scholars program has been released and is available at the following link: www.rwjf.org/cfp/healthandsocietyscholars
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society Scholars program provides two years of support to postdoctoral scholars at all stages of their careers to build the nation's capacity for research and leadership to address the multiple determinants of population health and contribute to policy change. The program is based on the principle that progress in the field of population health depends upon multidisciplinary collaboration and exchange. Its goal is to improve health by training scholars to:
* investigate the connections among biological, genetic, behavioral, environmental, economic and social determinants of health; and
* develop, evaluate and disseminate knowledge and interventions that integrate and act on these determinants to improve health.
The program is intended to produce leaders who will change the questions asked, the methods employed to analyze problems, and the range of solutions to reduce population health disparities and improve the health of all Americans.
Key date: October 2, 2009 deadline for receipt of applications
Contact: Gerard P. Lebeda, deputy director T: 212 419-3566 E: hss@nyam.org
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Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments
The Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments is a new organization that brings together individual nurses and nursing organizations addressing environmental health issues. The Alliance’s goal is integration of environmental health into nursing education, practice, research, and policy/advocacy work. Any nurse who is interested in environmental health is welcome to participate in the Alliance’s activities and work group. E-Commons
E-commons is a revolutionary new website that is being co-created by the world of nurses who are concerned about a wide range of issues related to the environment and human health. It is rich with information and links to credible sources from non-profit organizations, the government, and academia. E-Commons provides virtual workrooms and employs powerful social networking tools utilized for sharing knowledge. We welcome you and encourage you to visit this new web-based tool for nursing.
To unsubscribe from the EnviRN listserv, please send an email to envirn@umaryland.edu and type "Unsubscribe" in the subject line. |
