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Dear CHE partners:
One of the most wonderful things about CHE is the sense of community that so many CHE Partners express in emails, in phone calls, and in person. I was in New York last week at a conference when a CHE Partner came up to me to say how much CHE meant to her. I realized she was not just talking about the science we share. She was also describing her sense of being part of the CHE Community.
CHE set out five years ago with a simple goal -- to raise the level of public and professional dialogue about the impact of the environment on human health. Our central focus was on serving patient advocates and health professionals -- bringing the revolution in environmental health sciences to those who care most about human health.
Then it turned out that a lot of other remarkable people -- government officials, scientists, community and environmental health advocates -- also found CHE very useful. And so the CHE community grew.
"Science and civility" has been our motto from the start. The civility matters because real community grows when people feel safe -- safe in the knowledge that their contributions will be respected, even -- or especially -- when there are differences of opinion.
Over the years a common-sense CHEtiquette has evolved. Staying focused on the science. Responding to the person who posts, rather than the whole list, unless the response moves the dialogue forward. Posting with restraint so that we do not tax the email load of CHE's three thousand Partners.
We are grateful that you are part of this community. We are making a difference -- in the United States, in Canada, in Europe and around the world. We have created together a safe place for all CHE Partners to participate in the great work of our time -- the global struggle to ensure that all of the children on this beautiful blue-green planet can grow healthy and strong.
Thank you for co-creating the CHE community with us. And remember: you personally can contribute to building this community by telling colleagues and friends about why you value CHE. Together, we can continue to build a stronger community of science, mutual respect, and service.
With warm best wishes,
Michael Lerner
Founding CHE Partner
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CHE Partnership Calls
Upcoming interview with Dr. Devra Davis, epidemiologist and author of
The Secret History of the War on Cancer
Friday, November 30 at 10am PT / 1pm ET
This call will last one hour. The moderator will be Michael Lerner, President of Commonweal and co-coordinator of the CHE Cancer and Breast Cancer Working Groups. We will hear comments from Dr. Richard Clapp,
a professor at Boston University's School of Public Health and an
adjunct professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell School of
Health and
Environment. Featured Presenter:
Dr. Devra Davis is
Executive Director of the Center for Environmental Oncology, University of
Pittsburgh Medical Center, Cancer Pavilion, and Professor of
Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public
Health. ________________Past Resources from the Nov. 16th CHE Partnership Call
If
you missed the November 16th CHE Partnership Call on "Climate Change, Human
Health and the Role of Health Care Professionals," you may want to read
"Climate Change and Children's Health: What Health Professionals Need to Know and What We Can Do About It", a paper by Drs. Katherine Shea and Sophie Balk. And of course, you can always explore our archived resources from past partnership calls.
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Working and Regional Group Updates
Collaborative on Health and the Environment Alaska (CHE-AK) ~ coordinated by Pamela Miller, Director, Alaska Community Action on Toxics (pkmiller@akaction.net)
Average Americans, Toxic Chemicals: Results from a National Biomonitoring Project
Thursday, November 29, 2007 at 9am Alaska Time / 10am PT / 1pm ET
Thirty-five
Americans from seven states, including five from Alaska, had their
blood and urine tested for the presence of twenty toxic chemicals from
three chemical families: phthalates, bisphenol A, and
polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). This national biomonitoring
project found toxic
chemicals in every person tested.
For more information, read the report,
released November 8th. You are also invited to join us for a
teleconference featuring speakers who coordinated and participated in
the project. Questions addressed will include:
- What are the implications of the presence of these
chemicals in our bodies?
- What does the latest scientific research
demonstrate about the health effects of these chemicals in humans and
other animals?
- Are there safe alternatives to the products that contain
these harmful chemicals?
The speakers will also discuss the failures of
current chemicals policy and offer preventative and protective
solutions.
This
call will last one hour. To join this free call and receive the dial-up
instructions, please RSVP to Alaska Community Action on Toxics at info@akaction.net or (907) 222-7714.
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CHE Fertility/Early Pregnancy Compromise Working Group (CHE Fertility) ~ coordinated by Julia Varshavsky, CHE Program AssociateJulia@HealthandEnvironment.org)
An MP3 recording of the Nov. 14th CHE Fertility teleconference on women's reproductive health and the environment is now available at: (http://www.healthandenvironment.org/wg_fertility_news/1089.
________________
CHE Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative (LDDI) Working Group ~coordinated by Elise Miller, MEd, Executive Director, Institute for Children's Environmental Health (emiller@iceh.org)
- LDDI's Fall 2007 Teleconference Series "Priming for Prevention" The first three calls of this seven-part series have taken place and were well attended. Recording links, presenters' materials and additional details are on line at: http://www.iceh.org/LDDImeetings.html.
- LDDI's new scientific consensus statement was recently drafted and is being circulated for signatories by the end of October. The statement was released at the International Neurotoxicology Conference in San Antonio, TX November 11, 2007 where LDDI also held a pre-conference strategic planning session.
- The American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) Environmental Health Initiative, an LDDI partner, continues to host teleconference calls the second Tuesday of each month. For more information, please visit: http://www.ehinitiative.org/Projects/tele_con.htm
- Two LDDI partners, the Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA) and AAIDD, have helped spearhead a letter writing campaign as part of a national initiative urging retailers and manufacturers to stop producing and carrying baby bottles containing Bisphenol A. Bisphenol A has been linked to cancers, developmental disorders, early onset of puberty and reproductive problems, among other serious health impacts. The first letter is to Wal-Mart, the second letter is to other major retailers of baby bottles and the third letter is to baby bottle manufacturers. For more information, contact Maureen Swanson at: mswanson@ldaamerica.org.
________________
CHE Parkinson's Working Group (CHE-PD) ~ coordinated by Jackie Hunt Christensen
Please join CHE's Working Group on Parkinsons Disease and the Environment for a discussion with Dr. Walter Rocca,
a researcher at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, who will be
talking about his research with ovariectomies, estrogen and
Parkinson's disease. We will also most likely have a brief update on
PD-related findings presented at the recent Neurotoxicology conference in San Antonio, TX. The call will last one hour, and is scheduled for Wednesday, November 28th at 1pm ET / 10 am PT. Please contact Jackie Hunt Christensen, CHE PD Coordinator, for more details.
________________
CHE Washington (CHE-WA) ~ coordinated by Aimee Boulanger (aboulanger@iceh.org)
- CHE-WA's next quarterly meeting is scheduled for Monday, December 10th from 2-4 pm PT, Antioch University Room 100. The topic of this meeting will be "Opportunities to Promote Environmental Health in the 2008 Washington State Legislative Session." We will focus on climate change and human health, as well as the safety of products marketed for children. Guest speakers will include Catherine Karr, PhD of the University of Washington, and the Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit, and Margaret Shield, PhD, Coordinator of the Toxic Free Legacy Coalition.
- CHE-WA will be hosting a new working group focused on children's environmental health. This working group has grown out of the work of the Young Children's Team of the Local Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County, Washington. The group will begin with a focus on environmental toxicants including: lead, pesticides, indoor air pollutants, plasticizers, mercury and endocrine disruptors as they relate to children' health.
- CHE-WA will host the first quarterly meeting of 2008 in early March, with a focus on children's environmental health.
- The CHE-WA Steering Committee is currently reviewing ways to increase its reach and support to those concerned with environmental health in more rural sections of Washington State. Several new programs will be put in place for 2008 to this end.
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Tools, Announcements and Resources
Small Grants Available for Environmental Justice Work in California
Each year, the Center for Environmental Health awards a small number of grants that are intended to build capacity and leadership in California communities that bear a disproportionate burden of chemical pollution. The Center for Environmental Health makes these donations through our Community Environmental Action and Justice Fund ("the Justice Fund").
Grants may only be awarded to 501(c)(3) organizations (or projects fiscally sponsored by 501(c)(3) organizations) meeting these three criteria:
- led by and serving low-income communities in California
- working in pursuit of environmental justice and community empowerment
- with annual budgets of less than $500,000
For more information and to apply, please see http://www.cehca.org/the-justice-fund/.
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Report commissioned by CHE released -- "Environmental and Occupational Causes of Cancer: New Evidence, 2005-2007"
This new report by scientists Dick Clapp, DSc, MPH and Molly Jacobs, MPH of Boston University and the University of Massachusetts-Lowell synthesizes the recent peer-reviewed scientific literature
related to environmental and occupational exposures and cancer and
finds compelling new evidence linking cancer with specific exposures:
- Breast cancer from exposure to the pesticide DDT before puberty
- Leukemia from exposure to 1,3-butadiene
- Lung cancer from exposure to air pollution
- Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma from exposure to pesticides and solvents
- Prostate cancer from exposure to pesticides and metal working fluids
- Brain cancer from exposure to non-ionizing radiation
- A range of cancers from exposure to pesticides based on early findings from the Agricultural Health Study
The
report also summarizes the multi-factorial, multi-stage nature of
cancer causation and underscores the need to develop a new cancer
prevention paradigm in the U.S., one that is based on an understanding
that cancer is caused by multiple interacting factors and not single
agents.
This
report builds upon their 2005 review of 30 years of scientific evidence
documenting associations between carcinogens in workplaces, schools,
and homes and certain cancers. Both reports were commissioned by CHE
and this second report was supported by funding from the Jenifer Altman
Foundation.
_______________
CHE-Oregon study report released -- "Pollution in People: A Study of Toxic Chemicals in Oregonians"
On Nov. 13, 2007, a report on the results of a study conducted by CHE Oregon and the Oregon Environmental Council was released. The study tested a diverse group of Oregonians for the presence of 29 toxic chemicals. The study participants came from different professions, genders, ethnic backgrounds and parts of the state. One thing they had in common: each of their bodies harbored at least nine of the 29 tested-for toxic chemicals.
While some of these chemicals come from
contaminated soil, air, and water, many of the pollutants also come
from food, everyday household dust, and from direct contact with such
everyday products as personal care items, plastic products, consumer
electronics, and stain-resistant furniture.
The report also outlines solutions and personal actions people can
take to reduce exposure to toxic chemicals until our broken chemical safety system is fixed by policy
makers.
_______________
Coming Clean regional Biomonitoring Project released
You can read the project report, "Is it In Us? Chemical Contamination in Our Bodies: Toxic Trespass, Regulatory Failure, and Opportunities for Action", on the project's website, www.IsItInUs.org.
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November Science News
Push on to ban toxic baby bottles
The Star, 21 November 2007
Ontario's government is establishing a panel of experts to examine what to do about a potentially carcinogenic chemical found in plastic baby bottles, children's drinking cups, soft plastic toys, reusable water bottles and even the lining of some food cans. Continue reading...
Early puberty's toxic causes and effects
The San Francisco Bay Guardian, 21 November 2007
As if growing up weren't hard enough, a new report says girls, particularly African American girls, are hitting puberty earlier - and it's lasting longer. Continue reading...
Study to track pollutants in pregnant women
The Globe and Mail, 21 November 2007
In the largest survey of its kind undertaken in Canada, researchers plan to track chemical pollutants in about 2,000 pregnant women and their babies over the next five years to see what kind of industrial contaminants are in their bodies. Continue reading...
Living for two
Los Angeles Times, 12 November 2007
What women eat, touch and breathe during pregnancy now appears to be more
important to their babies' health than anyone ever imagined. Continue reading...
Three's a crowd
London Observer, 11 November 2007
With growing awareness of environmental issues, a number of public figures
have felt able to voice the once-taboo view that efforts should be made to
reduce the number of people being born. Continue reading...
The Falling Age of Puberty in U.S. Girls: What We Know, What We Need to Know
Breast Cancer Fund report written by Sandra Steingraber
Girls
get their first periods today, on average, a few months earlier than
did girls 40 years ago, but they get their breasts one to two years
earlier. Over the course of a few decades, the childhoods of U.S. girls
have been significantly shortened. Continue reading...
Green chemistry's 'race to innovation'
CNET News.com, 12 November 2007
Just a few steps behind green tech, green chemistry is the latest movement that's both a source of technology innovation and a rallying cry for environmentalists. Continue reading...
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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, MA, 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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