Green Buckeye RN

Dear Nurse Colleagues,

We are so excited! It’s been along time in the making, but we think you’ll find it was worth the wait. Our new (free) iPhone app for nurses is here, GreenRN.

The GreenRN app provides tips for nurses three times a week to educate and inspire you about environmental health. It also offers ways to positively affect your patients and yourself. With our app, nurses will receive quick snippets of useful environmental health information such as ways to green your nursing practice, environmental chemicals of concern and how they impact human health, and ways to reduce exposures.

GreenRN also provides more in-depth information based on the tip of the day for nurses that want to delve deeper into the topic as well as links to vetted web resources. Tips and resources can be accessed anytime once they have been published and tips can be saved in your favorites folder for easy access. You can download GreenRN at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/greenrn/id523786227?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4.

Please share with your nursing colleagues and students. We hope it will become your go-to source for environmental health information on the go! Happy app’ing!

Katie Huffling
Director of Programs

Posted on June 12, 2012

Clean air protections are under attack yet again. While opponents of these standards continue to target rules through anti-regulatory legislation, new arguments criticizing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) analyses of air pollution reduction benefits have emerged. These efforts to undermine clean air standards ignore the purpose and legal mandate of the Clean Air Act (CAA) by focusing on the costs to businesses instead of the health benefits of cleaner air, despite evidence that the benefits of these rules outweigh their costs.

The 112th Congress has consistently voted to weaken environmental and health protections, earning the label of “the most anti-environment House in history.” According to data compiled by the House Energy and Commerce Committee minority staff, the House majority has voted 77 times to dismantle the CAA. A number of statutory provisions that would block EPA’s authority to issue certain regulations under the CAA have passed in the House. Meanwhile, the Senate will soon vote on a resolution introduced by Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) that would nullify EPA’s mercury and air toxics standards (MATS) for power plants.

Read further at http://www.ombwatch.org/node/12097/

Tomatoes

The most recent converts are hailing a new technique developed by researchers to extend the shelf life of tomatoes and other crops from the traditional 15 days or so to a full month. This is accomplished by suppressing two enzymes (A-Man, B-hex) which accumulate during the ripening process. Backers say this modification can decrease waste and increase efficiency, and it’s a process that genetically alters the product. There have been reports that some animals have died shortly after consuming GMO tomatoes.

Cotton

Cotton is considered a food item because its oil can be consumed. According to recent Chinese research, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton is capable of killing bollworms without the use of insecticides. The production of Bt cotton has been linked to drastic depletion of soil nutrients and lower crop yields.

Canola

Canola oil must be chemically removed from the seeds, then deodorized and altered, in order to be utilized in foods. They are among the most chemically altered foods in our diets.

Aspartame

Aspartame is an artificial sweetener found in a number of products and accounts for as much as 75 percent of adverse reactions to food additives reported to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). (This is not a GMO)

Dairy

One-fifth of dairy cows in the U.S. are given growth hormones to increase milk production. Scientists are concerned that the increased levels of IGF-1 (insulin growth factors-1) from hormone-treated cows may boost the risks of colon and breast cancer in humans. In 2008, Hiland Dairy stopped using milk from dairy farmers who injected their cows with growth hormone.

Want to see the other five?  Go to http://ecowatch.org/2012/the-top-10-gmo-foods-to-avoid/

The fish from many of Michigan’s Great Lakes and inland waters are so laden with PCBs, mercury, dioxins and other chemical toxins that they shouldn’t be eaten by children or women of childbearing age. And some fish from some of our waters shouldn’t be eaten by anyone of any age.

That’s incredibly sad. And what’s sadder is that the State of Michigan hasn’t done much to make it possible for you to learn about it.

A dozen years or so ago, you were handed a Fish Eating Advisory when you bought a fishing license. Not anymore. The brochures are now printed by the Michigan Department of Health, and a spokesperson said there’s no longer any money to hand them out wholesale.

You can call and ask for one, which will be mailed to you, or you can get it online from the Health Department or the Department of Natural Resources. But don’t people have to know that such a report is available before they’ll ask for it?

Read further at http://www.freep.com/article/20120610/SPORTS10/206100495/Eric-Sharp-Before-you-eat-Michigan-fish-do-some-research

The Muskingum Water Conservancy District (MWCD) announced today that it is halting water sales to the oil and gas industry pending the completion of a U.S. Geological Survey water availability study and the revision of its water supply policy.   The MWCD cited concerns presented by members of the public and environmental groups as reason for the announcement.   The MWCD’s announcement follows a June 2 rally and protest on the steps of the Tuscarawas County Courthouse in New Philadelphia, Ohio. At the rally led by the Southeast Alliance to Save Our Water and the Buckeye Forest Council, concerned citizens came out in force to protest a potential decision by the MWCD to sell millions of gallons of public water to fracking operations.

Read further at http://ecowatch.org/2012/water-sales-to-fracking-industry-stopped-in-southern-ohio/

Learn about the current state of laws and science on high-volume, horizontal hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and how it affects you and your community.

Representatives from the Ohio Environmental Council and special guest speakers also will discuss air, land, and water quality concerns.

Free food and beverages provided.

Please join us for one or more of these forums: Date Time Location

June 21  3 – 7 p.m.  Reed Memorial Library, Ravenna

June 23 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.  Stark County District Library, North Branch, Canton

June 27 3 – 7 p.m.  Columbiana Public Library

June 27 4 – 8 p.m. First Congregational United, Mt. Vernon

June 30 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Newark Public Library

July 7 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. St. James Episcopal Church, Zanesville

July 10 3 – 7 p.m.  Coshocton Public Library

July 12 4 – 8 p.m.  New Philadelphia Public Library, Main Branch

July 19 4 – 8 p.m.  Youngstown Public Library, Main Branch

July 21 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.  Carroll County District Library, Carrollton

July 25 4 – 8 p.m. Public Library of Steubenville & Jefferson County, Schiappa Branch, Steubenville

Details at www.theOEC.org/FrackingForums.htm.

FREE to attend but please RSVP to (614) 487-7506 or OEC@theOEC.org.

Questions? Contact Melanie Houston at Melanie@theOEC.org.

A major new study by researchers in Sweden found that phthalates released from vinyl/PVC flooring are getting into the bodies of babies. Scientists found higher levels of certain phthalates in babies who had PVC flooring in their bedrooms.  “While phthalates have been banned in toys, they’re widespread in many other products in our homes and schools.

This new study underscores the need for the government to ban phthalates and vinyl in our schools and homes,” said CHEJ’s Campaign Coordinator, Mike Schade. “Phthalates are getting into the air and dust inside our home and schools, and as a result, into our bodies.”

Studies have found phthalates associated with a wide range of health problems including asthma, birth defects, developmental problems in children, and more.

By Claire Thompson

With the revitalization of American cities has come increased excitement about public parks; we may have less land to spare than in Frederick Law Olmsted’s day, but we’re finding creative ways to squeeze more open space and greenery out of brownfields, empty lots, and old train tracks. The mayor of Ithaca, N.Y., even turned his unused parking space into a mini-park.

Now, the nonprofit Trust for Public Land (TPL) has devised a system that allows you to keep tabs on your city’s progress, and compare your hometown to the burg next door. It’s called ParkScore, and it measures and ranks the park systems of the country’s 40 largest cities. It’s not like Walk Score, where you can type in your address and get a walkability rating for your immediate neighborhood, but I’m sure the data could be used the same way (and similarly co-opted as a real-estate selling point).

And the winners? San Francisco came in first, followed by Sacramento, New York, Boston, and Washington, D.C. Bringing up the rear is Fresno, Calif., where more than 60 percent of the population lacks easy access to public parks. Charlotte, N.C., Louisville, Ky., and Indianapolis are also at the bottom of the heap.

Read further at http://grist.org/cities/parks-and-recreation-the-best-american-cities-for-green-spaces/

By Jim Morris

6:00 am, June 4, 2012 Updated: 10:55 am, June 4, 2012

At 58, retired machinist Bruce Revers is tethered to his oxygen machines — a wall unit when he’s at home, a portable tank when he’s out. The simple act of walking to the curb to pick up his newspaper is a grind.

“This is a hell of a thing to live with,” Revers, of Orange, Calif., said of his worsening lung disease. “There’s nothing I can do without my air.”

His undoing was beryllium, a light and versatile metal to which he was exposed in a Southern California factory that makes high-tech ceramics for the space, defense and automotive industries. His bosses tried to keep the place clean and well-ventilated, Revers says, and he wore a respirator to shield his lungs from the fine metallic dust. Nonetheless, he was diagnosed with chronic beryllium disease in 2009.

He will not recover.

The federal standard in place to protect workers like Revers from beryllium is based on an Atomic Energy Commission calculation crafted by an industrial hygienist and a physician in the back of a taxi in 1949. For the last 12 years, an effort to update that standard has been mired in delay. A plan to address another toxic hazard — silica, a mineral that also damages the lungs — has been tied up even longer: 15 years.

Read further at http://www.iwatchnews.org/2012/06/04/9033/osha-rules-workplace-toxics-stalled

Brigham and Women’s Hospital researchers lead a novel evaluation of the factors that influence fish consumption in the United States

Boston, MA – In a first-of-its kind summary of fish consumption choices, a team of researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital has determined that consumers are not getting all the information they need to make informed decisions about fish consumption. Their research is published in the June 1 issue of Environmental Health Perspectives.

The researchers, led by Susan Korrick, MD and Emily Oken, MD of Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), summarized the issue of fish consumption choice from toxicological, nutritional, ecological, and economic points of view through evaluation of the scientific literature, public health guidelines and fish consumption advisories made in the United Sates. They found that there is no one place that gives consumers a complete view of the advantages and disadvantages of various fish species. “Our research shows that there is no one perfect fish when considering nutritional value, toxicity rates and the environmental and economic impact,” said Oken. “Consumers are forced to decide what tradeoffs they are willing to make. But as a consumer standing in a store, it is difficult to understand the pros and cons of a fish purchase, because the amount of readily available information is limited.”

“Our research highlights the need for the development of clear and simple consumer advice that describes the multiple impacts of fish consumption,” said Korrick. “Despite caveats, fish is generally a healthy food; the challenge is providing advice that is both comprehensive and accessible so consumers don’t give up eating fish out of frustration.”

Additionally, researchers also emphasize the need for policy and fishery management interventions to ensure long term availability of fish as an important source of human nutrition.

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This study was funded by a Dartmouth College Superfund Research Program Grant, a Dartmouth Formative Children’s Center Grant, the National Institutes of Health (R01 ES 016314), the Harvard Clinical Nutrition Research Center, the Gelfond Fund for Mercury Research & Outreach, the Consortium for Interdisciplinary Environmental Research, SUNY Stony Brook, the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, the Swiss National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

This study is a companion to a study led by Dartmouth researcher Margaret Karagas, Ph.D. which examines the current scientific evidence for effects of low-level exposures to methylmercury on neurological and other human health outcomes and also appears in the June 1 issue of Environmental Health Perspectives. Both papers resulted from the Coastal and Marine Mercury Ecosystem Research Collaborative.

May 30, 2012

Researchers at the University of York headed a major international review aimed at enhancing efforts to better understand the impacts of chemicals used in pharmaceuticals or in personal care products, such as cosmetics, soaps, perfumes, deodorants and toothpastes (PPCPs), on the natural environment.

Over the last two decades, scientists and regulators have raised concerns over the potential environmental effects and risks of the 4,000 pharmaceuticals and substantial number of personal care products that are used by society.

Following use, these substances can be released to the sewer system and can end up in rivers, aquifers and soils. Many PPCPs have been detected in the natural environment across the world. Though reported concentrations are generally low, some people are worried that, due to the biological activity of these substances, they could be adversely affecting the health of the environment and may also be getting into drinking water supplies.

The researchers in the University of York’s Environment Department, working with academic, government and industry colleagues in the USA, Canada, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, S. Korea and Argentina identified key outstanding issues regarding the effects on human and ecological health in order that future resources will be focused on the most important areas. Their findings are published in the latest issue of Environmental Health Perspectives.

They developed a ‘Top 20’ list of questions about issues that need to be addressed to better understand and manage the risks of PPCPs in the environment. An international expert workshop reduced an initial list of 101 potential questions to a final 20 ranked by importance.   The top 20 questions fell into seven categories:

•Identification of PPCPs and situations that research should be focussed on

•Understanding how PPCPs get into the natural environment •Uptake of PPCPs from the environment into organisms

•Assessment of effects on organisms

•Assessment of risks to people and the environment

•Antibiotic resistance

•Management of risks .

Professor Alistair Boxall, of the Environment Department at York, who led the review, said: “A large body of information is now available on PPCPs in the environment. This exercise has prioritised the most critical questions to aid in development of future research programmes and policy development on this important topic The development of the ‘top 20 list’ should mean that researchers, regulators and industry can begin to work more closely together to answer the most pressing questions in a coordinated and timely manner.”

2012 marks the 40th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, the nation’s law for protecting our most irreplaceable resource. Everyone deserves clean water – it is vital for our health, communities, environment and economy.

To help commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is asking people to send in a 15-second video clip about the important role that water plays in their life. Each video should include the phrase “Water Is Worth It,” but the rest is up to you.

EPA will post selected videos on its website and Facebook page. To learn more and register, visit http://water.epa.gov/action/cleanwater40c/video-project.cfm. Fill out a video entry form, and submit your entry as a video response to the promotional video on EPA’s YouTube page at http://www.youtube.com/USEPAgov.

Video submissions must be received by September 14, 2012. Grab your friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, classmates, and pets and let us know why “Water is Worth It” to you!

Posted on May 30, 2012

Lawmakers are calling for legislation to protect children from toxic flame retardant chemicals embedded in a host of everyday consumer products. The substances have been linked to cancer, endocrine disruption, and other serious illnesses. Since these chemicals are widely used in furniture, clothes, and carpets, practically every home in the country could be affected.

Dangers of Flame Retardants   For over forty years, a class of synthetic chemicals, called flame retardants, has permeated the lives of all Americans. Flame retardants are used in everything from baby blankets and strollers, children’s clothes, electronics, furniture, carpets, vehicle and airplane parts, and many other products. While these chemicals are intended to reduce the flammability of products, they also slowly leak out into the air, dust, and water and eventually enter our food and bodies.

Studies have increasingly shown that these chemicals are harmful and can cause cancer, developmental problems, neurological deficits, and impaired fertility. A Duke University study, released just last week, linked early exposure to one flame retardant, called polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), to low birth weight, lower IQs, and impaired motor and behavioral development. The study also revealed that toddlers from lower-income minority families had levels of PBDEs in their bodies nearly twice that of white toddlers. This may be because lower-income families often must rely on less expensive clothing and products, which are usually made of synthetic materials and may have higher treatments of flame retardants. An earlier study by the University of California-Berkeley found that high exposure to flame retardants in pregnant women can alter brain development in the fetus.

Read further at http://www.ombwatch.org/node/12088/

Access the report at http://www.epa.gov/oig/reports/2012/20120525-12-P-0508.pdf

Sunday, May 27, 2012 3:00 am

By SARA BRUMFIELD Messenger staff journalist

Lauren Mente — an Athens mom, nurse and Ohio University nursing graduate student — joined hundreds of other moms, cancer survivors and nurses in Washington, D.C., last week as part of the National Stroller Brigade to support the Safe Chemicals Act, a bill that would overhaul current toxic chemical laws.

Mente, who has a 3-year-old son, said she has been concerned about the increasing rates of childhood diseases such as asthma and cancer, as well as children with learning disabilities, and believes those increases may be tied to the thousands of different chemicals used in American products.

Read further at http://www.athensohiotoday.com/news/athens-nurse-joins-fight-against-toxic-chemicals/article_6dd039a2-a747-11e1-b67a-001a4bcf887a.html#.T8JgeROuxjs.facebook

Higher levels of the potentially harmful plastic chemicals known as phthalates have been detected in the bodies of children from homes with PVC flooring.

Phthalates are a group of chemicals widely used in the production of common consumer goods such as toys, cleaning solvents and packaging.   The substances are suspected to cause several chronic health conditions such as asthma and allergies especially in children.   Some phthalates are categorized among endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) which can cause significant harm to human and other species health by interfering with the body’s hormone systems.   Researchers from Karlstad University in Sweden have found that children can ingest these softening agents with food but also by breathing and through the skin.   They took urine samples from 83 randomly selected children between the ages of two and six months and measured the prevalence of four types of phthalates.   The results revealed that the levels of certain phthalates were higher in babies that had PVC flooring in their bedrooms.

Read further at http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/05/28/243458/pvc-flooring-chems-enters-kids-bodies/

On May 24, the Ohio’s State Assembly passed Senate Bill 315—one of the worst fracking laws in the nation—by a 21-8 vote in the Senate and a 73-19 vote in the Ohio House that approves new regulations governing hydraulic fracturing in the Utica and Marcellus shale formations running under nearly half of the state. The shale gas provisions are part of a larger energy bill that also addresses Ohio’s renewable energy portfolio standard.   The bill heading to Gov. Kasich’s desk fails to reinvest in Ohio communities, adequately protect Ohioans from the toxic impacts of the fracking industry and address the growing climate crisis.   SB 315 will allow health and safety loopholes. It requires the gas industry to pay less than almost any other state in the country, exposing our communities to the worst excesses of the fracking industry. Doctors will be prevented from talking openly about the sickness they see in their patients, and the gas industry will keep profits flowing out of our communities.

Read further at http://ecowatch.org/2012/ohio-passes-one-of-the-worst-fracking-laws-in-the-u-s/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                      No. 12 – OPA032

Chicago (May 24, 2012) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognized a Powell, Ohio, high school student’s extraordinary efforts to divert thousands of pounds of electronic waste from landfills with the 2011 regional President’s Environmental Youth Award. EPA presented Sachin Rudraraju with the award on May 22 at the Solid Waste Agency of Central Ohio annual awards recognition event in Columbus.

The President’s Environmental Youth Awards program is an annual contest sponsored by EPA to honor creative environmental projects developed and implemented by K-12 students. One outstanding project from each region is selected for national recognition.

Sachin founded the Community Recycling Campaign to raise awareness about the environmental impacts of electronic waste, provide alternative solutions to costly computer recycling programs and offer a service to make recycling easier. CRC volunteers refurbish salvageable computers and electronics and donate them to local charities, keeping electronic waste out of landfills.

President’s Environmental Youth Award Projects are developed by young individuals, school classes (K-12), summer camps and youth organizations to promote environmental stewardship. Thousands of young people from all 50 states and the U.S. territories have participated in the program. The winning regional project was chosen from entries submitted by students in EPA Region 5’s six states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin.

More information about the President’s Environmental Youth Awards is available on EPA’s website: http://www.epa.gov/peya.

Several handy tools and tip sheets are available to help you make informed choices at the grocery store. Here are a few to choose from:

True Food Shoppers’ Guide from the Center for Food Safety, available in print and as a free mobile app for iPhone and Android at http://truefoodnow.org/shoppers-guide/

The Non-GMO Project Online Product Directory, also available as a free app for the iPhone and iPod Touch at http://www.nongmoproject.org/take-action/search-participating-products/

The Non-GMO Shopping Guide from the Institute for Responsible Technology and the Non-GMO Project, available online, as a PDF download, or in a handy pocket version at http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/

By TINA ROSENBERG

It’s spring – time to plant your roof. Roofs, like coffee, used to be black  tar. Now both have gone gourmet:  for roofs, the choices are white, green,  blue and solar-panel black.

All are green in one sense.  In different ways, each helps to solve serious  environmental problems.  One issue is air pollution, which needs no introduction. The second is the urban heat island. Because cities have lots  of dark surfaces that absorb heat and relatively little green cover, they tend to be hotter than surrounding areas – the average summer temperature in New York City is more than 7 degrees hotter than in the Westchester suburbs.  This leads to heavy air-conditioning use – not good – and makes city dwellers miserable. For a few people every year, the heat is more than  a discomfort – it’s fatal.

The other problem is storm water runoff.  In New York, as in about a fifth of American cities, there is only one sewer system to conduct both rainwater and wastewater. About every other rainfall in New York, sewers flood and back up, discharging their mix of rainwater and wastewater into the city’s waterways. It doesn’t take much to overload New York’s sewers – it can take only 20 minutes of rainfall to start water from toilets flowing  into Brooklyn’s waterways.  The water does more than flood streets.  It makes us sick – cases of diarrhea spike when sewers overflow. When sewers back up, polluted water runs into our lakes and oceans, closing beaches.

How can a new roof help? At 1:45 in the afternoon on August 9, 2001, the temperature in Chicago was in the 90s. Eleven stories up, on the roof of City Hall, the surface temperature of the black tar measured 169 degrees. But Mayor Daley, environmental innovator – yes, that Mayor Daley – had done something interesting. The year before, a section of the City Hall roof had been painted white.  The surface temperature there was between 126 and 130 degrees. And much of the roof of the building, and the adjacent Cook County  building, had become a garden – 20,000 plants in 150 varieties, chosen for  their abilities to thrive without irrigation and stand up to Chicago’s notorious wind. The surface temperature of the green roof varied between 91  and 119 degrees. So the difference between a black tar roof and a green roof was at minimum 50 degrees. And the green roof was able to retain 75 percent of a one-inch rainfall.  The two tasks go hand in hand – green roofs cool by capturing moisture and evaporating it.

Read the full article: http://nyti.ms/L6EfYl