Contents
    •    CHE Partnership Calls
    •    CHE Exclusives
    •    Working and Regional Group Updates
    •    Tools, Announcements and Resources
    •    June Science News

Dear CHE Partners:

For almost a month I have been visiting CHE Partners and friends in London, Brussels, Geneva, Gothenburg (Sweden), Istanbul and Israel. Here is a brief report:

• The historic precautionary chemical policy enshrined in the European REACH legislation has been largely thwarted in implementation by a massive industry lobbying effort in Brussels. The actual impact of REACH will be far less than its authors had hoped. As one architect of REACH told me, "It's as though we built a beautiful house and then someone stole all the furniture."
  
  
• Another factor contributing to industry's success in thwarting REACH is that after the legislation was passed, the NGO (nongovernmental organizations) community drastically reduced staff concerned with environmental health. Many NGOs and funders moved on to climate change and other vital issues. The result was a reduced NGO capacity  to meet industry's challenge.
  
  
• European NGOs and environmental funders are mounting a massive effort to strengthen the EU response to climate change, a priority that was apparent at the annual European Foundations Conference in Istanbul, May 28-31. Expect Europe to continue to play a leading role in responding to climate change.
  
  
• Our CHE colleagues at ChemTrust in London, at HEAL (Health and Environment Alliance), World Wildlife Fund, GAIA (the Global Antiincinerator Alliance) and Health Care Without Harm in Brussels, at ChemSec in Gothenburg, Sweden, at Pesticide Action Network, and in a few other places are among those with a sustained commitment to environmental health in Europe. But it is a challenging time for all engaged in this work.
  
  
• In Israel, leading scientists, NGOs, citizens and government officials gathered on May 2 at a conference sponsored by the new Environmental Health Fund to consider the future of environmental health science and policy work in that country. The Fund will invest significant resources in doctoral and post-doctoral fellowships and environmental health conferences over the coming years.
  
  
• On May 3, CHE Partner Joel Tickner spoke on the Precautionary Principle to the environmental committee of the Knesset. Israel is struggling with serious environmental concerns, including air quality, water quality, and EMF issues -- especially those related to cell phone towers. But there is a tremendous upsurge in public concern with the environment and health in Israel and Turkey, as both countries work through the consequences of rapid economic growth.

Throughout Europe, the work of the Collaborative on Health and the Environment -- and our European partner network, the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) -- is well known and well regarded. CHE science resources are widely utilized. Our commitment to science dialogue and civility makes CHE a trusted partner as scientists, health professionals, patient representatives, government officials and citizens struggle with the great issues of environment and health.

Michael Lerner
Founding CHE Partner

CHE Partnership and Working Group Calls

July CHE Partnership Call
Table Matters: How Industrial Animal Farms Impact Health and the Environment
Tuesday, July 15, 2008 at 10am PT / 1pm ET

American industrial animal farms contribute to major environmental and human health problems, according to a recent report from the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production. The two-year study outlines the negative impacts that the industrial farm animal production system has on public health, the environment, rural communities and animal welfare, and proposes some measures to reduce them. Among the topics the speakers will discuss are hormones, pollution, and overuse of antibiotics. We hope you can join us for a call exploring this important subject.

RSVP for this Call

More Information About this Call

Read the Pew Report on Industrial Farm Animal Production

Speakers will include:

• Robert Lawrence, MD, MPH, Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, Health Policy, and International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (a primary sponsor of the Pew report)
• Margaret Mellon, PhD, JD, Director of Food and the Environment at the Union of Concerned Scientists
• David Wallinga, MD, MPA, Director of Food and Health at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy

The call will be moderated by Steve Heilig, MPH, Director of Public Health and Education for the San Francisco Medical Society and CHE. It will last one hour, and will be recorded for archival purposes.

________________


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: 

May 7, 2008 - "Sick Plastic, Sick People? The Science and Policy of Bisphenol A"
Apr. 23, 2008 - "Right to Know - Right for Health: A Joint Initiative of Major Canadian Health Organizations"
Mar. 23, 2008 - "Breast Cancer and the Environment: State of the Evidence 2008"

And of course, you can always explore our archived resources from past Partnership calls. 

Translations of environmental health materials: Arabic, Russian, Spanish
Through a small grant and the work of three generous CHE Partners, CHE can now offer translations of a variety of environmental health materials in Arabic, Russian and Spanish. Chinese translations are in progress. Translated documents are available for download in both PDF and Word form.

Translations page

CHE would like to thank Dr. Mohamed A.S. El Banna, chair of the board of Day Hospital Institute in Cairo, Egypt; Olga Speranskaya, head of the Chemical Safety Program at the Eco-Accord Center; and Fernando Bejarano, director of Centro de Analisis y Accion en Toxicos y sus Alternativas (CAATA) in Mexico, for translating or facilitating translations of these materials. CHE would also like to thank Sharyle Patton, CHE's Director of Special Projects, for her work in coordinating the translations.

CHE Partner Spotlight
Maye Thompson, RN, PhD: Finding and Fighting Pollution in People: Activist, Oregon Environmental Council / CHE Oregon
When the Oregon Environmental Council decided to do a small biomonitoring study of ten Oregon residents as a way of drawing attention to the issue of pollutants in peoples' bodies, the budget was too small to pay a lab technician to collect and prepare specimens.

"As the only nurse on the committee," said CHE Partner Maye Thompson, RN, PhD, in an email interview, "I was the obvious choice. So I had the pleasure of running around Oregon with specimen containers and coolers and a borrowed centrifuge."
Read more...

CHE Working and Regional Group Updates

CHE Learning and Developmental Disabilities (LDDI) ~ coordinated by Elise Miller, emiller@iceh.org
* LDDI's leadership group and other environmental health colleagues continue to
convene monthly conference calls focused on collaborative activities and opportunities.
The two primary areas of discussion right now are: a) undertaking a chemical "body
burden" biomonitoring study to highlight LDD issues and concerns; and b) developing
key LDD spokespeople in the states working on chemical policy reform.
* The American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD)
held a very successful session on environmental health at its annual conference
in late May. Attendance and interest were strong, suggesting growing interest in
 these issues among AAIDD members. AAIDD will also hold its next free teleconference
in the Environmental Health Initiative's Educational Series, entitled "Asthma in
 School Environments for Students and Staff." This call will take place on Tuesday,
June 17th from 2 -3 PM Eastern Time. For more information on the teleconference
call or AAIDD's Environmental Health Initiative, contact Laura Abulafia at laura@aidd.org or visit the website at www.ehinitiative.org.
* The Autism Society of America is developing an online curriculum for health professionals
on autism and the environment. The curriculum will likely be available in fall 2008.
* The National Association for the Dually Diagnosed (NADD) published an e-newletter
earlier this week on environmental health. To read it, and for other information
 on NADD's program, please contact Ed Seliger at

* Learning Disabilities Association of New York State (LDA-NYS): Steve Boese, formerly
with the Healthy Schools Network, was recently hired as LDA-NYS's new executive
director. Heather Loukmas, former executive director, will continue to work at LDA-NYS
part-time. Steve brings his long-term expertise in environmental health, public
health policy and learning disabilities to this position. He is currently developing
a work plan to build an even stronger LDDI state-based, environmental health-focused
effort in New York State.

________________


CHE Washington ~ coordinated by Aimee Boulanger, aboulanger@iceh.org

• CHE-WA is co-hosting a workshop with The Lands Council on environmental toxics of concern to human health that are being detected in Spokane River sediments. The workshop will be held in Spokane on June 18, from 5 - 9 PM, and is free and open to the public. This is an opportunity for scientists and local leaders to talk about
  
  • the PCBs, PBDEs, and heavy metals being found in the river
  • possible implications for human health
  • how best to communicate potential risks to the public
  • possible sources of the pollutants
  • how to improve river quality and safeguard the health of those who use it
  For more information or to RSVP, please contact Aimee Boulanger at aboulanger@iceh.org.
  

• Joint science-based conference call: On May 28th, CHE-WA members joined CHE-Alaska in a collaborative CHE-NW science presentation conference call.  This call was coordinated by the Alaska Community Action on Toxics, which coordinates CHE-AK and was on the topic of global transport of pesticides to the Arctic. For more information about the presenters and to download the recording of this call, please contact Alaska Community Action on Toxics at info@akaction.net.

• The CHE-WA working group on children's environmental health is busy this spring, meeting every two weeks to lay the groundwork for a conference on children's environmental health to be held in Seattle in 2009. Tentative plans for the conference involve both a day of sessions looking at the latest science linking environmental factors with children's disease and disability, and also a day of sessions specifically for parents and caregivers.

• The next in-person CHE-WA meeting will be held in fall 2008. Details to come.

Tools, Announcements and Resources

Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Closing Date for Applications: June 30, 2008
Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-OECA-OEJ-08-01

The Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ) established the Environmental Justice Small Grants Program (EJSG) in fiscal year (FY) 1994. The purpose of this grant program is to support and empower communities that are working on local solutions to local environmental and/or public health issues. The EJSG Program is designed to assist recipients in building collaborative partnerships that will help them understand and address the environmental and/or public health issues in their communities. Successful collaborative partnerships with other stakeholders involve well-designed strategic plans to build, maintain and sustain the partnerships, and to work towards addressing the local environmental and/or public health issues.

Details at http://www.epa.gov/compliance/environmentaljustice/grants/ej-smgrants.html

________________


Prevent Cancer Foundation Offers Support for Research and Education
Deadline: September 14, 2008
The Prevent Cancer Foundation is a nonprofit health foundation whose mission is the prevention of cancer through scientific research and education. The foundation defines cancer prevention as the "reduction of cancer incidence through research, education, and early detection."

Eligible applicants are researchers at the instructor or assistant professor level and more senior researchers who have shifted their area of interest toward primary and secondary cancer prevention. Funding is available for researchers at any academic level who need seed funding to test an innovative hypothesis. Researchers from nonprofit institutions (including academic institutions) are eligible to apply. Researchers from for-profit institutions will not be considered. Researchers need not be U.S. citizens. However, research must be conducted primarily in the United States. Visit the Prevent Cancer Foundation Web site for complete funding guidelines and applicant requirements.

Prevent Cancer Foundation RFP link

________________


Drugs in the Water: How Our Medicine Cabinets are Contaminating Nature
Ilene Ruhoy, MD
Thursday, June 19, 2008

This is the last remaining event in the 2008 Oregon Environmental Council Healthy Environment Forum series. Cost is $35 ($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.

This event takes place from 6-8 PM at the Doubletree Hotel-Lloyd Center, 1000 NE Multnomah, Portland. Hors d'oeuvres will be served. Reservations can be made online at www.oeconline.org.

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Indoor Air Quality Scientific Findings Resource website
This website serves as a resource for public health professionals, building professionals, and others who seek scientific information about the effects of IAQ on people's health or work performance. The Indoor Air Quality Scientific Findings Resource Bank (IAQ-SFRB) was developed by the Indoor Environment Department of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, with funding support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provided through an interagency agreement.

Visit the IAQ-SFRB
 

June Science News

Safety of C8 substitutes questioned
Charleston Gazette, West Virginia, June 10, 2008
Government and industry may be hiding C8 substitute products' effects on human health.
Read more...

Substance in red wine found to keep hearts young
South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Florida, June 10, 2008
How do the French get away with a clean bill of heart health despite a diet loaded with saturated fats? Scientists have long suspected that the answer to the so-called "French paradox" lies in red wine.
Read more...

Researchers fail to reveal full drug pay
New York Times, June 8, 2008
World-renowned psychiatrists who have helped fuel the use of antipsychotic medicines in children have not been disclosing significant personal payments by drug companies. The failures may violate federal and university rules.
Read more...

Health risk of long-term mobile phone use to be studied
London Independent, England, June 8, 2008
Scientists have started work on a massive official study to discover whether the long-term use of mobile phones causes brain cancer, and Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.
Read more...

Body Wars author answers questions on autoimmunity
Baltimore Sun, Maryland, June 5, 2008
Our immune systems are getting so many hits, nonstop - not only from over 80,000 synthetic chemicals but from our diets - that they're overtaxed.
Read more...

Women face increased cancer risk
BBC, UK, June 1, 2008
Researchers found the risk to women carrying a gene which can lead to the disease has increased dramatically in the last 60 years.
Read more...

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New Partners
We welcome the many new CHE Partners who have joined since the January 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
______________________________________

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