Filed under: News
The Associated Press
Monday, February 1, 2010; 6:10 PM
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — A Great Lakes fix-up plan designed to ward off species invasions, cleanse polluted harbors and make other environmental repairs would get $300 million under the budget President Barack Obama released Monday.
The amount is down from the $475 million Congress appropriated for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative last year at Obama’s request. Administration officials said the drop-off for the 2011 fiscal year is reasonable, with federal agencies under pressure to cut costs.
It “reflects the difficult economic times while recognizing the president’s continued commitment to restoring and protecting this vital environmental and economic treasure,” the Environmental Protection Agency said in a statement.
Read the article at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/01/AR2010020103078.html
Filed under: News
Feb 02, 2010
Benachour, N and A Aris. Toxic effects of low doses of Bisphenol-A on human placental cells. Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology doi:10.1016/j.taap.2009.09.005.
Synopsis by Heather Patisaul, Ph.D. and Wendy Hessler
Exposure to very low concentrations of the plasticizer bisphenol A (BPA) causes cellular damage and death in cultured human placenta cells, researchers report. The doses used for this study are similar to blood levels found in pregnant women. A particularly worrying finding is that effects were most pronounced at the lowest – rather than the highest – concentrations of BPA indicating that placental development could be particularly sensitive to BPA exposure. Damage to the placenta can induce a range of adverse pregnancy outcomes including premature birth, preeclampsia or even pregnancy loss. It is not known if exposure to BPA is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes in humans.
Read further at http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/newscience/human-placental-cells-die-after-bpa-exposure/
MARCH 22-26, 2010 Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza, Chicago, Illinois Workshops and Plenary Sessions Data and Surveillance Primary Prevention Case Management REGISTRATION IS FREE! SPACE IS LIMITED!
Reduced room rate is $136/night! Reduced room rate ends, Thursday, February 17th! Reserve your room today!
Register by emailing Dominique Clark at
dclark@healthyhousingsolutions.com or calling 443-539-4183 Final Agenda and Program Overview Available Upon Request
Filed under: News
EPA: Ohio State U. among top purchasers of green power
(CHICAGO – Feb. 1, 2010) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest purchasers of green power among higher education institutions. Ohio State ranks number 17 on EPA’s Top 20 College and University list. The university purchases 18 million kilowatt-hours of green power annually, enough power to meet 3 percent of the institution’s purchased electricity use. This is the equivalent of avoiding the carbon dioxide emissions of more than 2,000 passenger vehicles per year.
“Ohio State University is teaching an important lesson by changing how it purchases electricity,” said Cheryl Newton, EPA regional Air Division Director. “EPA’s Green Power Partners are raising the bar for clean, renewable energy use.”
EPA’s Green Power Partnership works with more than 1,200 organizations to voluntarily purchase green power to reduce the environmental impacts of conventional electricity use. Green power is generated from renewable resources such as solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, biogas and low-impact hydropower. Green power electricity generates less pollution than conventional power and produces no net increase in greenhouse gas emissions. The green power purchases support the development of new, renewable generation resources nationwide.
More information on EPA’s Green Power Partnership: http://www.epa.gov/greenpower.
Filed under: News
Soy formula associated with higher risk of fibroids in women.
D’Aloisio, AA, DD Baird, LA DeRoo and DP Sandler. 2009. Association of intrauterine and early life exposures with diagnosis of uterine leiomyomata by age 35 in the sister study. Environmental Health Perspectives doi:10.1289/ehp.0901423.
Synopsis by Kim Harley, Ph.D. and Wendy Hessler
Women who were fed soy-based infant formula as babies are 25 percent more likely to develop uterine fibroids than those who were breastfed or given milk-based formula. Hormones guide the development of these noncancerous tumors in the uterus that can cause pelvic pain, heavy bleeding and reproductive problems. Fibroids affect about a quarter of all women and are the leading cause of hysterectomy. This is the first study to examine whether exposure to soy estrogens early in life is associated with fibroids development later in life.
Read the article at http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/newscience/soy-formula-associated-with-higher-risk-of-fibroids-in-women/
Chicago (Jan. 29, 2010) — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 has given the public more time to comment on an application from the city of Bryan, Ohio, to designate the Michindoh Aquifer as the sole source of drinking water for an area comprising nine counties. After two public meetings and a public hearing in January, EPA decided to extend the comment period until Friday, April 16.
The proposed Michindoh Sole-Source Aquifer designation would include parts of Allen, DeKalb and Steuben counties in Indiana; Branch, Hillsdale and Lenawee counties in Michigan; and Defiance and Fulton counties, and all of Williams County in Ohio.
When EPA designates an aquifer as the sole source of drinking water for an area, it must review all federally funded projects in the area to determine potential for contaminating the aquifer. No federal funds may be spent on projects which EPA determines may contaminate the aquifer.
A copy of the Michindoh Sole-Source Aquifer Petition is available for review at:
• EPA’s regional office in Chicago, 77 W. Jackson Blvd.
• Online at http://www.epa.gov/region5/water/gwdw/index.htm.
• Bryan Municipal Utilities, 841 Edgerton St., Bryan, Ohio.
• Williams County Public Library, 107 E. High St., Bryan, Ohio.
• Hillsdale Community Library, 11 E. Bacon St., Hillsdale, Mich.
• Lenawee County Library, 4459 W. U.S. 223, Adrian, Mich.
• Hudson Public Library, 205 S. Market St., Hudson, Mich.
• Butler Public Library, 340 S. Broadway, Butler, Ind
An updated fact sheet and other documents are available on the EPA Web site listed above. Comments or questions about the decision should be sent to William Spaulding, WG-15J, U.S. EPA Region 5, 77 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60604 or e-mailed to spaulding.william @epa.gov.
Filed under: News
Activist shareholders happy about environmental improvement at Bruce Mansfield plant
By Bob Downing
Beacon Journal staff writer
Under pressure from activist shareholders, Akron’s FirstEnergy Corp. intends to change the way it disposes of coal ash at its largest coal-burning power plant.
The utility will stop dumping wastes from the Bruce Mansfield Power Station in Shippingport, Pa., into a 1,300-acre lake and will switch to on-land disposal of the waste that is a combination of coal ash and slurry sludge.
That waste, laced with toxic, health-threatening heavy metals, will go instead into a securely lined and capped landfill to eliminate potential health and environmental problems.
”We commend FirstEnergy for taking action to mitigate the risks associated with wet storage of coal ash by transitioning to dry storage for all of its facilities,” said Emily Stone of Green Century Capital Management, the Boston-based lead shareholder that urged FirstEnergy to mitigate risks associated with the storage of coal ash.
FirstEnergy is the first utility to agree to eliminate wet storage, and it appears that the company was willing to switch, because it has a long-range plan for dry storage, Stone said.
The FirstEnergy plan is ‘’simply consistent with our long-term strategy,” company spokesman Mark Durbin said.
He said it was unclear how long it will take for FirstEnergy to close the lake that is ”nearing capacity” and build a new landfill for the ash and scrubber sludge.
The company has been investigating its options for some time, Durbin said.
Read further at http://www.ohio.com/business/83009627.html
Filed under: News
Children exposed in the womb to chemicals in cosmetics and fragrances are more likely to develop behavioral problems commonly found in children with attention deficit disorders, according to a study of New York City school-age children published Thursday. Scientists said the findings uncovered a new problem that could be related to phthalates – effects on a child’s developing brain. “More phthalates equaled more behavioral problems,” said Stephanie Engel, an associate professor of preventive medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. “For every increase of exposure, we saw an increase in frequency and severity of the symptoms,” including attention problems, poor conduct and aggression. The connection was only detected for the types of phthalates used in perfumes, shampoos and other personal care products, not the ones found in vinyl toys and other soft plastics.
By Marla Cone
Read the article at http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/phthalates-and-attention-deficits
Filed under: News
Scientists for the first time have found evidence that flame retardants – ubiquitous in homes and in the environment – may be reducing human fertility. California women exposed to high levels of the compounds take substantially longer to get pregnant than women with low levels.
By Marla Cone
Editor in Chief
Environmental Health News
January 26, 2010
Women exposed to high levels of flame retardants take substantially longer to get pregnant, indicating for the first time that the widespread chemicals may affect human fertility, according to a study published Tuesday.
Furniture cushions, carpet padding and other household items contain hormone-disrupting flame retardants called polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs. Two of the most widely used compounds have been banned in the United States since 2004, but they remain ubiquitous in the environment, inside homes and in the food supply.
Epidemiologists from the University of California at Berkeley studied 223 pregnant women in California’s Salinas Valley, an agricultural community with predominantly low-income, Mexican immigrants. More than 97 percent of the women had PBDEs in their blood, and those with high levels were half as likely to conceive in any given month as the women with low levels.
“This study provides the first evidence that PBDEs may impact human fertility,” wrote the authors, led by epidemiologist Kim Harley, in the study published online in Environmental Health Perspectives. “If confirmed, this finding would have strong implications to women trying to conceive given that exposure to PBDEs is nearly universal in the United States and many other countries.
Read the article at http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/flame-retardants-and-human-fertility
Filed under: News
http://pubs.healtheffects.org/view.php?id=334
Report Links Vehicle Exhaust to Health Problems
By MATTHEW L. WALD
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/13/health/research/13exhaust.html
Exhaust from cars and trucks exacerbates asthma in children and may cause new cases as well as other respiratory illnesses and heart problems resulting in deaths, an independent institute that focuses on vehicle-related air pollution has concluded…
The report, to be issued on Wednesday by the nonprofit Health Effects Institute, analyzed 700 peer-reviewed studies conducted around the world on varying aspects of motor vehicle emissions and health. It found “evidence of a causal relationship,” but not proof of one, between pollution from vehicles and impaired lung function and accelerated hardening of the arteries.
It said there was “strong evidence” that exposure to traffic helped cause variations in heart rate and other heart ailments that result in deaths. But among the many studies that evaluated death from heart problems, some did not separate stress and noise from air pollution as a cause, it said.
The institute, based in Boston, is jointly financed by the Environmental Protection Agency and the auto industry to help assure its independence. Its reports are peer-reviewed but are not published in a scientific journal…
2010 Pediatric Asthma Conference: Challenges in Diagnosis and Management
Topics to include:
:::Establishing the Diagnosis in Infants and Children
:::Management and Guidelines
:::Alternate Diagnosis and Co-morbid Conditions
:::Allergist’s Perspective
:::Pharmacology
:::Asthma Education
:::Smoking Cessation
May 7, 2010
Stecker Auditorium
Nationwide Children’s Hospital
For more information, please log on to
www.NationwideChildrens.org/Conferences or call (614) 355-0676
Filed under: News
Jan 25, 2010
Daniels, JL, IJ Pan, R Jones, S Anderson, DG Patterson, LL Needham and A Sjödin. 2009. Individual characteristics associated with PBDE levels in U.S. human milk samples. Environmental Health Perspectives doi:10.1289/ehp.0900759.
Synopsis by Kim Harley, Ph.D.
Breast milk from young women – rather than from women older than 35 – has the highest measured levels of commonly used flame retardants known as PBDEs.
A study of breast milk samples from more than 300 women in North Carolina finds flame retardants contaminate the milk from almost three-quarters of the woman in the study. Women older than 35 had the lowest levels of PBDEs in their milk. The highest levels were measured in breast milk from women aged 25 to 29, followed by women younger than 25 years old.
The results suggest that younger mothers may have higher exposure to these flame retardant chemicals through their environment or lifestyles.
PBDEs are chemicals used in electronics, furniture, carpeting and textiles to reduce the risk of fire. In rats, early life exposures to PBDE has been associated with altered thyroid hormone function, hyperactivity and poorer learning and memory. Human health effects are not so well understood.
Most Americans have detectable levels of PBDEs in their blood. Dust and food may be the biggest sources for people. Breast fed babies are exposed through breast milk, however, experts agree that breastfeeding also provides important nutritional and immune benefits for the infant.
Read the article at http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/newscience/younger-womens-breast-milk-higher-levels-of-pbdes/
ABC News Exclusive: Retailers Agree to Test Purses for Lead Levels
By LISA FLETCHER
Jan. 22, 2010
A landmark agreement involving two big retail chains establishes, for the first time, limits on lead in women’s handbags and wallets.
The group had the bags tested for lead at an independent lab. Two separate tests were conducted. Some bags were wiped to see how much, if any, lead would simply rub off the material. The bags also were tested for the total lead content of the products.
The tests came back showing disturbingly high levels of lead, the Center for Environmental Health said.
Read further at http://abcnews.go.com/WN/lead-found-womens-handbags/story?id=9638944
The EPA recently announced the release of new soil “preliminary remediation goals” (PRG’s) for Dioxins, one of the most toxic chemicals known to man. Dioxins are a class of dangerous chemicals released by PVC’s lifecycle and were the primary contaminant in Agent Orange. Dioxins have contaminated many sites across the country, such as Love Canal, NY and Dow Chemical’s 22 miles of contamination in Michigan.
The EPA’s new proposed cleanup goals for Dioxins are 72ppt for residential soils, much cleaner than the current standard of 1,000ppt. However, CHEJ is concerned the EPA is proposing a PRG for Dioxins that only takes into consideration non-cancer health effects, ignoring Dioxin’s cancer-risks. Dioxin has been classified as a known human carcinogen by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Toxicology Program. CHEJ issued this press release in response to the EPA’s announcement, and will be encouraging EPA to adopt the agencies’ proposed “alternative” PRG for Dioxins at 3.7ppt TEQ for residential and 17 ppt TEQ for commercial/industrial soil, which would be protective for both cancer and non-cancer effects.
To learn more and submit comments during the public comment period, visit http://www.epa.gov/superfund/policy/remedy/sfremedy/remedies/dioxinsoil.html or contact CHEJ by email now at mike@chej.org
New report documents health and financial benefits to chemical reforms
SILVER SPRING, MD – The American Nurses Association (ANA), the largest nursing organization in the US, joins its partners in the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families (SCHF) coalition in touting the release of new analysis on the need for toxic chemical legislation reform. “The Health Case for Reforming the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)” provides evidence to support that rising rates of chronic diseases and health care costs could be reduced by overhauling federal chemical policy.
This report suggests that reducing exposure to chemicals contributing to chronic diseases would have a beneficial effect on the health of the American public as well as the health care system. The report summarizes a number of peer-reviewed studies that estimate the disease burden attributable to chemical exposure. Conservatively assuming that chemical policy reform were to reduce the contribution of toxic chemical exposures to chronic diseases by 0.1 percent, the resulting reduction in annual health care costs would amount to an estimated $5 billion. The Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families coalition has estimated health care cost savings on a state-by-state basis, using census figures projected for 2020.
“Current regulations and previous legislation failed to adequately protect people from chemical exposure,” remarked ANA President Rebecca M. Patton, MSN, RN, CNOR. “This failure has negative effects on both our physical and our fiscal well-being. As the largest group of health care providers, nurses have a duty to inform and educate the public about potential hazards and work toward reducing or eliminating these environmental threats. ANA supports TSCA reform as a means of creating a healthier environment and a healthier population.”
MORE
TSCA Reform page 2
TSCA, first signed into law in 1976, authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to screen existing and new industrial chemicals used in U.S. manufacturing and commerce and to identify potentially dangerous products or uses that should be subject to federal control.
The Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families coalition urges lawmakers to enact effective TSCA reform and modernize this legislation to protect the health of people and the environment, while restoring the public’s confidence in the chemical safety component of consumer products and manufacturing processes.
To read the full report, please visit www.saferchemicals.org
WASHINGTON – Consistent with EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson’s commitment to reach out to communities historically underrepresented in EPA decision-making, the agency is requesting public input on a draft plan for assessing the potential impacts of its hazardous waste recycling rule on low-income, minority and tribal populations. To encourage safe recycling and to help conserve natural resources, EPA’s Definition of Solid Waste (DSW) rule published in October of 2008, modified the regulations for hazardous materials that are recycled, also known as hazardous secondary materials. EPA is reaching out to stakeholders, including the environmental justice community, requesting public comment before the analysis begins.
“This week Administrator Jackson named environmental justice as one of her top priorities for EPA,” said Mathy Stanislaus, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. “This draft plan is one example of how EPA is bringing historically underrepresented communities into this process and giving everyone a seat at the decision making table.”
EPA’s goal is to ensure these materials are safely managed and the results of the evaluation will be used to decide whether additional action is necessary. Lessons learned from the analysis of the DSW rule will also be used to inform EPA’s ongoing effort to strengthen the consideration of environmental justice in rulemakings.
EPA will discuss the draft methodology with the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC) at its national public meeting and host a roundtable to gain public input on the draft methodology. Both meetings are scheduled to be held on January 28, 2010, in New Orleans, La.
A second public roundtable meeting will be held on February 23, 2010 at EPA’s Potomac Yard Conference Center in Arlington, Va., and an online public roundtable will be held on February 25, 2010. The public may also submit written comments on the draft methodology until March 15, 2010.
More information: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/hazard/dsw/ej.htm
Filed under: News
Transportation significantly affects health through traffic crashes, air pollution exposure, access to healthy food, access to physical activity, and economic opportunity, which are only a few of the implications. Health advocates are beginning to recognize the importance of getting involved in transportation planning and policy to ensure the health implications of such work are considered. Transportation advocates are also interested in better understanding the intersection of health and transportation. Data regarding health and equity outcomes is compelling, and can help inform policy proposals and transportation decision-making. Additionally, working across disciplines presents an opportunity for a new cadre of advocates to join and provide support for healthier transportation solutions. This toolkit will help health advocates better understand transportation issues and their related health connections, and help inform transportation advocates on the importance of health in their work.
To learn more and access the transportation and health toolkit: http://www.convergencepartnership.org/site/c.fhLOK6PELmF/b.4950415/k.4FF7/Transportation_and_Health_Toolkit.htm
Filed under: News
Washington, DC -The National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH) and the Alliance for Healthy Homes (Alliance) today announced their plans to join forces. The consolidated organization will continue to operate as the National Center for Healthy Housing, led by Rebecca Morley, with offices in Columbia, Maryland and Washington, DC. Patrick MacRoy, former executive director of the Alliance, will lead NCHH’s Community-Based Initiatives.
The merger will consolidate all aspects of healthy homes within a single organization – research and evaluation, policy advocacy, consumer education, training, and assistance to local governments and community-based organizations. Nearly 5.7 million families live in substandard housing conditions placing millions of children at risk for asthma, cancer, lead poisoning, and injuries. As a unified organization, the groups will be able to better serve the interest of these families.
by DAMIAN GUEVARA
FirstEnergy’s Lake Shore power plant, located at 6800 South Marginal Drive (just west of East 72nd Street), operates only when demand for electricity peaks, like during a heat wave. But while its output may be sporadic, the waste it discharges into Lake Erie — particularly mercury — is an ever-present danger, say environmental activists.
“The issue is water — cleaning up our water,” says Pat McKenna, a 60-year-old volunteer with the Northeast Ohio chapter of the Sierra Club. “We have one of the Great Lakes in our backyard and we can’t swim in it, nor can we eat the fish out of it. We should be embarrassed enough that we should clean it up so it can be enjoyed by everyone.”
Read the article at http://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/dishonorable-discharge/Content?oid=1821455
“OSHA Listens” meeting to solicit comments and suggestions on key issues facing agency
OSHA will host an “OSHA Listens” public meeting Feb. 10 in Washington, D.C., to solicit comments and suggestions from OSHA stakeholders on key issues facing the agency. “Public involvement in the government’s activities is a priority for this Administration and is important to enhancing OSHA efforts to protect the safety and health of workers,” said Assistant Secretary Michaels. For more information on the meeting, attending the meeting or providing written comments, see the news release at https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=17070
