Nurses are often asked by their patients and families about the benefits and risks of fish consumption. Conflicting media messages about health risks and benefits related to fish consumption, coupled with limited health professional training, has led to confusion by health professionals about advising patients and families about safe fish consumption.
Fish Facts for Health Professionals (“Fish-Facts”) is a collaborative effort between environmental, medical, and nursing experts from across the country to develop an educational series for busy health professionals about the risks and benefits of fish consumption.
This media series comprised of four, 3-5 minute media modules was designed for busy health professionals that are interested in learning more about the risks and benefits of fish consumption and methylmercury (MeHg) exposure.
A workbook complements the media series and provides more in-depth information and resources for those seeking additional information.
Here is a “taste” of what the educational media modules will offer:

Trailer for fish-facts.org
 
The full program of educational media modules, workbook, and registration for CEUs can be found at: www.fish-facts.org
The Fish-Facts Project was funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). For more information about this project, please contact Dr. Laura Anderko, Georgetown University at la266@georgetown.edu.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services invites you to comment on the DRAFT set of objectives for Healthy People 2020. For three decades, Healthy People has provided a set of national 10-year health promotion and disease prevention objectives aimed at improving the health of all Americans.

Visit www.healthypeople.gov/hp2020 to
•        View proposed draft objectives for Healthy People 2020
•        Comment on the proposed objectives
•        Comment on the topic areas
•        Suggest additional objectives
•        Suggest topic areas you feel are missing from the draft set

Your comments will help ensure issues important to you are included in Healthy People. Establishing objectives and providing benchmarks to track progress motivates, guides, and focuses action.  Be part of the change. Comments will be accepted through December 31, 2009.

Visit www.healthypeople.gov/hp2020 today. Your feedback will help define the vision and strategy for building a healthier Nation.

October 30, 2009
By Ken Ward Jr.
Staff writer

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Children with more of the toxic chemical C8 in their blood are more likely to have high cholesterol, according to a new scientific study filed Friday in Wood Circuit Court.
The study, conducted by West Virginia University researchers, found higher levels of C8 “were significantly associated with higher cholesterol and LDL, or so-called “bad cholesterol,” according to a summary filed by lawyers for DuPont Co. and Wood County residents.
Lawyers for both sides in a now-settled class-action suit over DuPont’s C8 pollution filed the study in circuit court after it was provided to them by members of a three-person science panel studying the chemical’s effects as part of that legal settlement.
Previously, the C8 Science Panel had issued a report that tied C8 exposure to high cholesterol in adults, and other studies have linked high levels of exposure to increased cholesterol among exposed chemical plant workers.

 Read further at http://wvgazette.com/News/200910300738

By Justin McIntosh, jmcintosh@mariettatimes.com
POSTED: October 31, 2009

To see the report: environmentohio.org , click on “Wasting Our Waterways” report.

The two rivers that converge at Marietta are among the 10 most polluted in the country, according to a new environmental report.

The information, culled from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxics Release Inventory from 2007, shows that more toxic chemicals are dumped into the Ohio River than any other waterway in the country. The Muskingum River, meanwhile, was the ninth most polluted waterway, according to the report.

What that data means about the safety of the waterways, though, is getting mixed analysis from different environmental groups.

Amanda Moore, field organizer with Environment Ohio, the group that put together the report, said the data proves what was common knowledge where she grew up in Bridgeport, along the Ohio River.

Read the article at http://www.mariettatimes.com/page/content.detail/id/516928.html?nav=5002

(Chicago – Nov. 2, 2009)  —  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 has issued an administrative consent order to the University of Cincinnati requiring the university to comply with its state operating permit and its construction permit for a coal-fired boiler and two natural gas-fired turbines at 3001 Vine St.
The order resolves EPA allegations that the university had exceeded its emission limit for opacity (the amount of light obscured by particulate matter) for its coal-fired boiler and nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide emission limits for its two gas-fired turbines.
Inhaling high concentrations of particulates can affect children, the elderly and people with heart and lung diseases the most.
Nitrogen oxides can irritate the lungs and lower resistance to respiratory infections.  They also contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone (smog) and acid rain.
When carbon monoxide enters the bloodstream, it reduces delivery of oxygen to the body’s organs and tissues.  Exposure to high levels of carbon monoxide can cause death or impair vision, hand movement, learning ability and performance of complex tasks.
Information about EPA Region 5’s air enforcement program is at http://www.epa.gov/region5/air/enforce/index.html .  Potential environmental violations may be reported at http://www.epa.gov/compliance/complaints .

By Amanda DeBard

To appreciate the extent to which the Environmental Protection Agency under President Obama is a regulator reborn, consider this: EPA officials have begun to cut air pollution by invoking the Clean Water Act.

Long quiescent under President George W. Bush, the agency is churning out initiatives and regulations at a pace that pleases its friends in the environmental movement and frightens many in the business community.

In the past eight months, the EPA has proposed eight major new regulations for air pollutants that would strengthen the nation’s clean air laws almost overnight. In contrast, in the first eight months of the Bush administration, the agency proposed one small regulation that affected a limited number of polluters.

Read further at http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/nov/04/epa-uses-water-act-to-fight-dirty-air/

Francesca Levy, 11.02.09, 06:00 PM EST
Poor air quality, lack of clean water and a high rate of superfund sites make these metros most contaminated.
 
In Atlanta, Ga., you’ll find southern gentility, a world-class music scene–and 21,000 tons of environmental waste. In spite of its charms, the city’s combination of air pollution, contaminated land and atmospheric chemicals makes it the most toxic city in the country.

An urban skyline dotted with puffing smokestacks isn’t the only measure of a city’s cleanliness (or lack thereof). Most major cities suffer from a range of unseen hazards. Contaminants can seep into the ground from bygone chemical spills or shuttered steel mills. Invisible leaks at industrial complexes discharge harmful substances into the air, or the normal course of business requires factories to expel toxins that eventually find their way to the water supply.

While it may be the U.S. metro in the worst environmental shape, Atlanta isn’t the only place whose residents contend with contamination. Top spots for toxicity are distributed throughout the country, with Detroit, Houston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Cleveland and Los Angeles right behind it.

Read further at http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/02/toxic-cities-pollution-lifestyle-real-estate-toxic-cities.html

Consumer Reports finds controversial chemical in nearly all canned foods it tested
By Meg Kissinger of the Journal Sentinel

Posted: Nov. 2, 2009

Warning: Chemicals in the packaging, surfaces or contents of many products may cause long-term health effects, including cancers of the breast, brain and testicles; lowered sperm counts, early puberty and other reproductive system defects; diabetes; attention deficit disorder, asthma and autism. A decade ago, the government promised to test these chemicals. It still hasn’t.A new test conducted for Consumer Reports magazine found bisphenol A leaching into food from nearly all cans, including those marked “BPA-free” and “organic.”

The magazine’s tests found that levels of the chemical in many of the cans were comparable to those found to cause cell damage and behavioral effects in animal studies.

The results, which are to be published Tuesday in the magazine’s December issue, echo those found last year in tests conducted by the Journal Sentinel.

Urvashi Rangan, director of technical policy for the Consumers Union, the organization that publishes the magazine, said she got the idea for the tests from the Journal Sentinel article.

Rangan said both tests prove that consumers can’t know by looking at the can how much BPA is in the food that they are buying.

“This shows that our canned food market needs a closer look,” Rangan said.

Rangan and the Consumers Union have written a letter to the director of the Food and Drug Administration urging the agency to ban BPA in food and beverage contact items. The group has long favored a ban, but the test has bolstered its case.

Last year, the FDA declared the chemical to be safe for all use. But a few months later, a federal panel found that the agency erred in its assessment by considering only two studies, both of which were paid for by the American Chemistry Council, a lobby group for BPA-makers.

Read the article at http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/watchdogreports/68755732.html

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy unveiled the 2010 Fuel Economy Guide, which gives consumers important information about estimated fuel costs and mileage standards for model year 2010 vehicles.

“Every year, consumers use the Fuel Economy Guide to find clean, efficient, cost-effective vehicles that meets their needs and their budgets,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “It’s an easy, accessible resource for everyone, and helps us cut harmful pollution from the air, and save money for American drivers.”

The Fuel Economy Guide is an annual publication containing the fuel economy estimates for all cars and light trucks. The guide includes much more information than appears on the window sticker label, including information about alternative fueled vehicles, the range of fuel economy for different classes of vehicles, a list of fuel economy leaders, and tips for improving fuel economy. See the lists for the 2010 model year Fuel Economy Guide.  http://www.epa.gov/fueleconomy/basicinformation.htm

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

By JOHN FLESHER
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Congressional negotiators reached a deal Tuesday that would effectively exempt 13 ships that haul iron ore, coal and other freight on the Great Lakes from a proposed federal rule meant to reduce air pollution.

The Lake Carriers’ Association, which represents the 55 U.S.-flagged vessels that operate on the lakes, had asked for at least a partial exemption from rules proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency that would require large vessels operating within 200 miles of a U.S. coast to use cleaner _ and costlier _ fuel and improve engine technology.

Negotiators in Washington approved the exemption as part of a natural resources spending bill. The measure could be voted on in the House as early as Wednesday.

 Read the article at http://www.baynews9.com/content/9/2009/10/27/539010.html