Contents
• CHE Partnership Calls
• Working and Regional Group Updates
• Tools, Announcements and Resources
• March Science News
Dear CHE Partners:
For the last several years, data have been emerging that point to yet another health concern arising from chemicals in the environment: pharmaceuticals in drinking water. This week, the Associated Press Investigation Team is publishing a series of stories that highlight this issue, exploring how pharmaceuticals reach drinking water and what is known about the possible health risks. The series can be found here on Environmental Health News.
Here are brief excerpts:
"A vast array of pharmaceuticals including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, an Associated Press investigation shows.
"'We recognize it is a growing concern and we're taking it very seriously," said Benjamin H. Grumbles, assistant administrator for water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
"Officials in Philadelphia said testing there discovered 56 pharmaceuticals or byproducts in treated drinking water, including medicines for pain, infection, high cholesterol, asthma, epilepsy, mental illness and heart problems. Sixty-three pharmaceuticals or byproducts were found in the city's watersheds.
"Mary Buzby, director of environmental technology for drug maker Merck & Co. Inc. said: 'There's no doubt about it, pharmaceuticals are being detected in the environment and there is genuine concern that these compounds, in the small concentrations that they're at, could be causing impacts to human health or to aquatic organisms.
"There's growing concern in the scientific community, meanwhile, that certain drugs or combinations of drugs may harm humans over decades because water, unlike most specific foods, is consumed in sizable amounts every day.
"Our bodies may shrug off a relatively big one-time dose, yet suffer from a smaller amount delivered continuously over a half century, perhaps subtly stirring allergies or nerve damage. Pregnant women, the elderly and the very ill might be more sensitive.
"Some experts say medications may pose a unique danger because, unlike most pollutants, they were crafted to act on the human body.
"'These are chemicals that are designed to have very specific effects at very low concentrations. That's what pharmaceuticals do. So when they get out to the environment, it should not be a shock to people that they have effects,' says zoologist John Sumpter at Brunel University in London, who has studied trace hormones, heart medicine and other drugs."
The good news is that there are promising approaches to improving the situation through green chemistry pharmaceuticals and other interventions. Stay tuned as CHE explores this topic further.
Michael Lerner
Founding CHE Partner
CHE Partnership and Working Group Calls
CHE Partnership Call -
Breast Cancer and the Environment: State of the Evidence 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008 at 11am PT / 2pm ET
What is the connection between breast cancer and the environment? Join us for a discussion of the 2008 edition of the Breast Cancer Fund's State of the Evidence report, which is scheduled to be released in mid-March. The report summarizes current evidence linking breast cancer and environmental contaminants.
See below for how to RSVP. We hope you can join us!
Speakers will include:
Dr. Janet Gray, Professor of Psychology at Vassar College
Jeanne Rizzo, Executive Director of the Breast Cancer Fund
Dr. Julia Brody (commentator), Executive Director of the Silent Spring Institute
The call will be moderated by Michael Lerner, President of Commonweal. It will last one hour, and will be recorded for documentation purposes.
About the presenters:
*Julia Brody, PhD, is Executive Director of the Silent Spring Institute and the principal investigator of the Cape Cod Breast Cancer and Environment Study. She was honored by the Heroes Tribute of The Breast Cancer Fund in San Francisco and received Boston's prestigious Social Justice Award of Wainwright Bank.
*Janet Gray, MS, PhD, is Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology and Director of the multidisciplinary program in Science, Technology and Society at Vassar College. She coordinated the research, production and release of a CD-ROM called "Environmental Risks and Breast Cancer" (Breast Cancer Fund was among the project's supporters).
*Jeanne Rizzo, RN, is Executive Director of the Breast Cancer Fund. She serves on the Special Research Initiative Strategy Team of the California Breast Cancer Research Program.
RSVP and receive dial-in information for this call
Find more information about this call
________________
Resources from Recent CHE Partnership Calls
If you missed any of the following CHE Partnership Calls, you may listen to MP3 recordings and find supporting materials at the following links:
• CHE Partnership Call, 26 Feb. 2008 - "Alzheimer's: An Ecological Health Disease?"
• CHE Partnership Call, 17 Jan. 2008 - "Findings from the Environmental and Occupational Causes of Cancer Report"
• CHE Asthma, 10 Dec. 2007 - "Diesel, 'Alternatives,' and Our Health"
And of course, you can always explore our archived resources from past Partnership calls.
CHE Working and Regional Group Updates
CHE LDDI ~ coordinated by Elise Miller, emiller@iceh.org
• LDDI officially published the, "Scientific Consensus Statement on Environmental Agents Associated with Neurodevelopmental Disorders" on February 20, 2008. This was the first formal scientific consensus statement ever published on neurotoxicants and over 50 leading scientists and health professionals signed on to it. It received media attention from journalists in network news, print media and blogs as well as from environmental health colleagues nationally and internationally. Notably, colleagues working with CHE HEAL in Europe wrote to say they immediately circulated it in the EU Parliament to help leverage a bill on reducing pesticide use. Members of LDDI are now crafting a policy consensus statement based on the scientific one. LDDI intends to publish this by May 2008.
• LDDI members AAIDD (American Association of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilties) and the Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA) have joined with other environmental health groups on a very effective campaign encouraging Walmart, Target and other "box" stores to phase out products containing bisphenol-A. This is the first time LDDI members have focused on a consumer marketing initiative in addition to their efforts education and policy.
• LDA held its 45th annual international conference in Chicago two weeks ago. The Healthy Children Project and LDA's research committee organized an excellent day-long "Medical Symposium" on the influence neurotoxicants may have on children's reading abilities. Dennis Molfese, PhD and David Bellinger, PhD, who both spoke, agreed to explore publishing a special issue of the Journal on Developmental Neuropsychology based on the presentations made at the Symposium. In addition, three other break-out sessions during the conference were focused on environmental health -- including LDA state policy-based activities, the LDDI scientific consensus statement and healthy schools.
• AAIDD is continuing to organize and host its excellent monthly teleconference series featuring researchers who focus on the nexus of developmental disabilities and environmental health and justice. As part of this series, Lawrence D. Rosen, MD spoke on, "Environmental Injustice: Focus on Pediatric Neurodevelopmental Disorders," on March 11th. Information on future teleconference calls can be found at:
http://www.ehinitiative.org/Projects/tele_con.htm.
• Autism Society of America (ASA) recently hired a coordinator for their environmental health initiative, Lisa Wiederlight-Gibson, who has had significant experience on the Hill and has a child with autism -- she will be a great asset to our ongoing LDDI collaborative efforts. ASA is hosting a training and Hill visitations this week in DC focused on bills related to autism. Lisa and others at ASA are intending to educate policymakers about some related environmental health bills as well.
• The four leading LDDI groups, LDA, AAIDD, ASA and NADD (the National Association for the Dually Diagnosed), continue to have monthly strategic planning calls. One focus is making a concerted effort to invite members from all LDD groups to state-based workshops and meetings that are already scheduled. For example, the LDA of New York is co-sponsoring the NYS Children's Environmental Health Symposium in Albany, NY on March 17th, and AAIDD's annual meeting in Michigan on April 3rd is receiving support from the LDA -MI. See
http://www.iceh.org/cgi-bin/searchevents.cgi for other upcoming events.
________________
CHE Oregon ~ coordinated by Renee Hackenmiller-Paradis, reneep@oeconline.org
CHE-OR and Oregon Environmental Council Publishes the Annual Costs of Environmental Disease in Oregon
"The Price of Pollution" report estimates environmentally attributable disease and disability in the state cost $1.57 billion annually. The estimate for children alone is $1.10 billion per year. This is the first-ever study of the cost of environmental disease for Oregon. The full report is available online at: www.oeconline.org.
________________
CHE Washington ~ coordinated by Aimee Boulanger, aboulanger@iceh.org
• To increase CHE-WA's reach and support across Washington, the Institute for Children's Environmental Health, which coordinates CHE-WA, received a small grant from the state of Washington's Department of Health to convene a meeting on environmental health issues in eastern Washington with some leaders in the health, academic and nonprofit sectors. By having more regions engaged in these concerns, we intend to boost our overarching efforts to protect public health. With this grant support, we will also create an online clearinghouse of environmental health trainings that people across the state can access.
• CHE-WA kicked off the fifth annual environmental health lecture series in January with the theme focused on: "Seeking Solutions: Connecting Economics with Health and Environment." The third lecture of the series was held on March 12th at Town Hall Seattle. The topic was the future of energy, viewed from both global and regional perspectives, with Cutler Cleveland, PhD, director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies at Boston University and K.C. Golden, director of Seattle's Climate Solutions. The series is sponsored by the Seattle Biotech Legacy Foundation and organized by the Institute for Children's Environmental Health. This year Antioch University Seattle Center for Creative Change and The Russell Family Foundation are also co-sponsoring the series. For more information on our previous and future lectures, please see:
http://washington.chenw.org/lectures.html.
• CHE-WA has a new working group focused specifically on children's environmental health in King County. The group includes representatives from King County government agencies, as well as other agency staff, environmental health and justice organizations, students, researchers and others. Members are currently defining the working group's role and mission as well as developing goals and projects for the coming year.
• CHE-WA hosted quarterly meetings in December 2007 and March 2008. The December meeting welcomed Catherine Karr, PhD of the University of Washington speaking on the science of climate change and impacts to health, as well as Margaret Shield, PhD, coordinator of the Toxic Free Legacy Coalition, and Mo McBroom, policy director for Washington Environmental Council, discussing opportunities to protect environmental health in the 2008 state legislative session. The March quarterly meeting focused specifically on children's environmental health. Elaine Faustman, PhD of the University of Washington shared exciting news of the National Children's Study and the significance of King County's participation as one of the 105 study locations. Stephen Gilbert, PhD, also spoke on the new scientific consensus statement published by CHE's Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative, and discussed key concerns around children's exposure to environmental agents that are linked to learning and developmental disabilities.
• Some of CHE-WA members have been strongly focused on some state legislation related to environmental health concerns. As we write this, Washington state's House and Senate have overwhelmingly passed the nation's strongest bill on the safety of products marketed to children (in particular toys and cosmetics) focused on environmental health exposures including lead, cadmium and phthalates. The bill is now in its final stages and is expected to be signed by the Governor later this week.
• The CHE-WA Steering Committee is meeting later this month in person for a half-day "retreat" to evaluate CHE-WA strengths and to consider ways to improve how we serve a diverse base of members interested in the intersection of human health and the environment. As part of this process, we are considering opportunities to collaborate more often and in new ways with CHE-OR and CHE-AK groups.
Tools, Announcements and Resources
CHE LDDI releases scientific consensus statement
CHE's Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative's scientific consensus statement on environmental agents associated with neurodevelopmental disorders was released to public media last week. Articles have been published around the world, appearing in places like King 5 News and Health Sentinel.
Visit http://www.iceh.org/LDDI.html for the full report.
________________
New Download: Attack Asthma at Home: A Practical Approach to Asthma "Trigger" Control and Prevention
Northwest Clean Air Agency
The Northwest Clean Air Agency's new DVD Attack Asthma at Home: A Practical Approach to Asthma "Trigger" Control and Prevention is now downloadable from their website, www.nwcleanair.org. The agency is in the process of converting it to Spanish.
Also available for download: Mold in Your Home: Causes, Prevention, Cleanup. The Spanish version will be available soon.
________________
New CHE Partner Spotlight
Dr. Shanna Swan: Investigating Environmental "Cocktail" of Endocrine Disruptors
In 1981, the California Department of Health Services (CDHS) recruited Dr. Shanna Swan and a number of other environmental scientists for what was then - as she put it - a "new and exciting" program: the Environmental Health Investigations Branch. Continue reading...
________________
Updated: TOXMAP, a National Library of Medicine GIS resource
TOXMAP now contains updated cancer and other mortality data, as well as more detailed roads at a variety of map scales. TOXMAP is a Geographic Information System (GIS) from the Division of Specialized Information Services of the U.S. National Library of Medicine that uses maps of the United States to help users visually explore data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Toxics Release Inventory and Superfund Program.
________________
EPA Communities in Action for Asthma-Friendly Environments
National Forum 2008
May 1-2, 2008
Washington, D.C.
Take action to deliver high quality, comprehensive asthma care in your community! Join asthma leaders from across the nation to share the most effective strategies for managing asthma and achieving positive results.
For more information, visit www.epaasthmaforum.com.
________________
Oregon Environmental Council's 2008 Healthy Environment Forum Series
Portland, Oregon
This March, the Oregon Environmental Council (OEC) will begin the seventh season of the Healthy Environment Forum series. Each year this unique series brings several hundred health professionals, health advocates, environmentalists and interested citizens together to learn about emerging issues. These forums have traditionally helped to build understanding and cooperation toward consensus about some of Oregon's most difficult environmental and health challenges.
The 2008 schedule:
Matters of the Heart: The Emerging Field of Environmental Cardiology
Aruni Bhatnagar, PhD
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Packing on the Compounds: How Exposure to Common Chemicals is Fueling the Obesity Epidemic
Bruce Blumberg, PhD
Thursday, April 24, 2008
The Falling Age of Puberty in U.S. Girls: What We Know and Need to Know
Sandra Steingraber, PhD
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Drugs in the Water: How Our Medicine Cabinets are Contaminating Nature
Ilene Ruhoy, MD
Thursday, June 19, 2008
All events are from 6-8 PM at the Doubletree Hotel-Lloyd Center, 1000 NE Multnomah, Portland. Hors d'oeuvres will be served. Cost is $35 per event ($25 for OEC members and employees of nonprofit or governmental agencies). Purchasing tickets for this event also entitles non-members to a complimentary year of membership with the Oregon Environmental Council.
Reservations can be made online at www.oeconline.org.
________________
Sneak preview - UNNATURAL CAUSES: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?
Join us for a sneak preview, forum and reception of this new series for PBS.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008, at 6 PM
Marines' Memorial Club & Hotel
609 Sutter Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
MODERATOR
Belva Davis, Host, This Week in Northern California, KQED
FORUM PANELISTS
· Angela Glover Blackwell, founder and CEO, PolicyLink
· Tony Iton MD, Director, Alameda County Public Health
· Nancy Adler, Chair, MacArthur Network on Socio-Economic Status and Health, University of California, San Francisco
Introduction by Larry Adelman, California Newsreel, creator and executive producer, UNNATURAL CAUSES.
Followed by audience discussion and wine reception. FREE admission; doors open 5:00pm
REGISTRATION required to reserve a seat
This special event is brought to you in partnership with: The Marines' Memorial Association, The Commonwealth Club of California, California Newsreel and KQED.
March Science News
Pharmaceuticals found in drinking water
Associated Press, Mar. 10, 2008
A vast array of pharmaceuticals including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, an Associated Press investigation found. Read more...
'Science for sale' probe deepens
ABC World News Tonight, Mar. 12, 2008
A scientific consulting firm under Congressional investigation for 'manufacturing uncertainty' about bisphenol A once crowed of its success in delaying the cancellation of a harmful drug by 10 years. Read more...
Outspoken scientist dismissed from panel on chemical safety
Los Angeles Times, Feb. 29, 2008
Under pressure from the chemical industry, the EPA has dismissed an outspoken scientist who chaired a federal panel responsible for helping the agency determine the dangers of a flame retardant widely used in electronic equipment. Read more...
Groups demand action against pollutants
Toronto Globe and Mail, Mar. 6, 2008
Canadian public-health organizations say there are some health threats individuals can't easily avoid on their own -- such as air pollution and toxic compounds in consumer products -- and they are calling on the government to take action. Read more...
Industry trying to block smog cleanup
Associated Press, Mar. 6, 2008
Big industries are waging an intense lobbying effort to block new, tougher limits on air pollution that is blamed for hundreds of heart attacks, deaths and cases of asthma, bronchitis and other breathing problems. Read more...
________________
New Partners
We welcome the many new CHE Partners who have joined since the February newsletter. To see the list of new CHE Partners and the growing list of all CHE Partners, please visit http://www.healthandenvironment.org/base/partners-recent.
Thank you for taking the time to read the latest about CHE. As always, we welcome your questions and suggestions. Please direct comments to Eleni Sotos, CHE Program Director, at Eleni@HealthandEnvironment.org.
Best wishes,
Eleni Sotos, MA, Program Director
Shelby Gonzalez, Administrative Coordinator
Julia Varshavsky, Program Associate
______________________________________
You are receiving this message because you are subscribed to the CHE National listserv. This message comes to you from the Collaborative on Health and the Environment, online at http://www.healthandenvironment.org/.
We encourage sharing of resources and welcome recipients of this email to forward it to others. However we do ask that you forward this message in its entirety, complete with its attribution and footer.
