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Dear CHE Partners and friends:
As the new Director of CHE, I feel deeply privileged to be working with a broad national and international network of colleagues who aspire to create a greener, healthier world. Without scientists talking to community leaders, without health professionals talking to city planners, without economists talking with ecologists to determine how to systemically improve public health, we will continue to see the increasing incidence of many diseases and disabilities in which environmental factors play a role.
CHE is designed to be a forum for science and civility, where the emerging science linking our health and environment is brought forward, discussed and translated into action by CHE Partners. This has resulted in a range of significant achievements:
CHE is fundamentally about surfacing the highest degree of intellectual, social and emotional intelligence possible to realize a world in which all people, even the most vulnerable, can reach their full potential. CHE is fundamentally about all of us--whether we're living next to an oil refinery on the coast of Texas or in a fishing village in Alaska or in a high rise in northern Manhattan. As Peggy Shepard, Director of the West Harlem Environmental Action Coalition, put it so simply and eloquently at a recent conference I attended, "We are ALL at risk."
This means all of us who are able need to call on every level of government and business to promote the development of alternative products and systems that will generate and sustain community and global health. This call must be based on uncompromised science and unprecedented precaution--two principles we can no longer forsake in hopes of a better annual return.
What does all this mean for CHE as we move into a new year? The growing number of people--and younger and younger people--facing disease and disability, along with the dismal economy and implications of climate change, ask us to be even more creative and forward thinking than ever. Collaboration and partnership have never been more important-particularly as so many organizations and institutions have to tighten their belts. As CHE's Director, I hope to help harvest our collective efforts over the last almost seven years and bolster the effectiveness of our partnerships across the U.S. and abroad. As a CHE Partner, your ideas, engagement and inspiration are welcome. I look forward to working with you-and it is truly my honor to do so in this new role.
Elise Miller, MEd
Director
Collaborative on Health and the Environment (CHE)
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CHE Partnership and Cafe Calls
-- CHE Café Call --
A Chat with Nena Baker, Author of The Body Toxic, and Andrew Szasz, Author of Shopping Our Way to Safety
Mon, Jan 26 at 10 AM Pacific/ 1 PM Eastern
This call will feature a discussion with Nena Baker, author of The Body Toxic, and Andrew Szasz, author of Shopping Our Way to Safety.
The moderator will be Steve Heilig, Director of Public Health and
Education at the San Francisco Medical Society and CHE. No need to RSVP - just
use the dial-in information below. If you have any questions, send us an email.
Dial-in number: 1-712-580-8020 (This is a standard long-distance call - no extra charges apply.)
Access code: 198686#
Book Reviews
The Body Toxic - San Francisco Chronicle review by Steve Heilig
Read the Review
Shopping Our Way to Safety - YES! Magazine review by Steve Heilig
Read the Review
--CHE Partnership Call--
Findings from the National Academy of Sciences Report on Phthalates and Male Reproductive Health
Save the date! -- Thurs, Jan 29, at 10 AM Pacific/ 1 PM Eastern
This call will feature a lineup of expert speakers to explain the findings of the National Academy of Sciences report on phthalates and male reproductive health and comment on their significance.
Speakers:
- Dr. Deborah Cory-Slechta, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
- Dr. Sheela Sathyanarayana, University of Washington
- Marla Cone, Editor-in-chief of Environmental Health News
More About the NAS Report
--CHE Partnership Call--
Critical Windows of Development: A Conversation with Dr. Theo Colborn
With Dr. Linda Giudice and Pete Myers
Tues, Feb 10, at 10 AM
Pacific/ 1 PM Eastern
This call will highlight a new tool developed by Dr. Colborn that demonstrates the importance of environmental impacts to critical windows of development. The Critical Windows of Development tool is a timeline of how the human body develops in the womb, with animal research showing when low-dose exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals during development results in altered health outcomes.
Speakers:
- Dr. Theo Colborn, President, The Endocrine Disruption Exchange (TEDX) and Professor, University of Florida, Gainsville
- Dr. Linda Giudice, Professor and Chair, Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco
- Dr. Pete Myers, CEO, Environmental Health Sciences
The
call will last one hour and will be recorded for archival purposes.
RSVP for CHE's conversation with Dr. Theo Colborn
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Resources from recent CHE calls
If you missed any of the following CHE calls, you may listen to MP3 recordings and find supporting materials at the following links:And of course, you can always explore our archived resources from past Partnership calls.
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CHE Working and Regional Group Updates
CHE Fertility~ coordinated by Julia Varshavsky, CHE Program Associate julia@healthandenvironment.org~
As we dive in and roll up our sleeves in 2009, please take note that
the CHE Fertility/ Early Pregnancy Compromise Working Group has become
the CHE Fertility/ Reproductive Health Working Group. This change will
broaden CHE Fertility's focus to include reproductive health endpoints
beyond conception, pregnancy and birth outcomes, such as endometriosis,
polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and prostate cancer. The shift
reflects the broad interest of the now over 300 CHE Fertility
participants that make up this working group. Many reproductive health
problems are connected to fertility challenges in one way or another,
and the primary focus of the working group will remain fertility. We deeply welcome CHE Partners who are interested in fertility and reproductive health issues to join the CHE Fertility/ Reproductive Health Working Group. If you are interested, please contact CHE Fertility's coordinator at Julia@HealthandEnvironment.org. ~ We welcome everyone to join us for the upcoming CHE Fertility teleconference - Girl, Disrupted: Hormone Disruptors and Women's Reproductive Health- scheduled for Tuesday, Feb 24 at 11 AM Pacific/ 2 PM Eastern time. This call will highlight the scientific findings from the 2008 Women's Reproductive Health and the Environment Workshop.
What is the state of the science on the impact of endocrine-disrupting
chemicals (hormone disruptors) on female reproductive health disorders
such as early puberty, uterine fibroids, endometriosis, and breast
cancer? What do we need to know, and what is needed to answer these
questions? Featured speakers include: - Louis J. Guillette, Jr, PhD,
Distinguished Professor, Department of Zoology, University of Florida,
Gainesville; and Professor, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
- Linda Giudice, MD, PhD, MSC, Professor and Chair, Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco
The call will last one hour. More Information and Call Details~ An MP3 recording of the January CHE Fertility Call - Shaping
Our Legacy: How Far Have We Come Since the 2007 UCSF-CHE Summit on
Environmental Challenges to Reproductive Health and Fertility? - will soon be available. CHE Fertility Webpage HEAL (Health and Environment Alliance)~ coordinated by Lisette Van Vliet, Toxics Policy Advisor, HEAL and Health Care Without Harm Europe lisette@env-health.org~ HEAL campaign on pesticides and cancer
The Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) has launched a "Sick of
pesticides" campaign Europe-wide to increase information and debate
about how pesticides may affect people's health, and to increase the
involvement of the health community in the development of National
Action Plans for pesticides reduction. The campaign began with a focus
on France, where HEAL is working with the Movement for the Rights and
Respect of Future Generations (Mouvement pour les Droits et le Respect
des Generations Futures, or MDRGF). Specific activities in the UK begin in
January 2009. ~ HEAL Pesticides & Cancer website in English and French ( www.pesticidescancer.eu)
provides current updates on the initiative, information on how to join,
and resources on pesticide-related diseases. A Facebook group "Sick of
Pesticides" disseminates the latest news and comments, including via
videos from involved citizens and expert scientists. By responding to a
one-question poll, visitors can make their voice heard on pesticides
and health. CHE Cancer~ coordinated by Jeanne Rizzo, RN, Executive Director of the Breast Cancer Fund, Diana
Zuckerman, PhD, President of the National Center for Policy Research
(CPR) for Women & Families, and Michael Lerner, PhD, President of
Commonweal For more information about this group, contact Shelby Gonzalez, CHE Administrative Coordinator, at shelby@healthandenvironment.org ~ We invite you to voice your support for a stronger, science-based cancer prevention agenda by signing the new CHE Consensus Statement on Cancer and the Environment.
The Consensus Statement on Cancer and the Environment outlines the
scientific rationale for stronger cancer prevention and enumerates
specific research and policy initiatives to prevent environmental
exposures that contribute to cancer. Many notable scientists and other
reviewers have agreed to sign the statement. The Consensus Statement is
being presented to the President's Cancer Panel. This year the Panel is
holding a series of meetings focused on "Cancer and the Environment".
We believe the Panel has a unique opportunity to influence the
strategic direction of the national cancer prevention agenda in this
country and around the world; an agenda that includes an expanded
perspective on the occupational and environmental contributors of
cancer in our research, policy and educational programs. Our goal is to gather as many signatures as possible by Jan 27, 2009,
the date of the fourth and final President's Cancer Panel meeting on
cancer and environment, to indicate a critical mass of public support
for a stronger cancer prevention agenda. We invite you to review the
statement and sign as an individual or on behalf of your
organization/institution at: www.healthandenvironment.org/cancersignon. ~ The final meeting of the President's Cancer Panel will focus on nuclear fallout, electromagnetic fields and radiation exposure and cancer.
The meeting will take place in Phoenix, AZ on Jan 27, 2009.
The meeting is free and open to the public, with 30 minutes reserved
for public comment. CHE will be hosting a reception immediately after
the event; if you are interested in attending, send an email to info@healthandenvironment.org. ~ We
encourage CHE Partners and friends to submit written testimony to the
Panel so it becomes part of the Panel's official record and is
taken into consideration as the final report is written and ultimately
submitted to the President of the United States. You may submit comments to the panel at pcp-r@mail.nih.gov. You may also submit written comments to: The President's Cancer Panel National Cancer Institute 6116 Executive Boulevard Suite 212, MSC 8349 Bethesda, MD 20814-8439 For more information on the President's Cancer Panel meeting series, visit CHE's PCP resource page:http://www.healthandenvironment.org/cancerpanel
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Announcements
Call for Comments - President's Cancer Panel
--Comments due January 27, 2008--
The
President's Cancer Panel is preparing a report on cancer and the
environment that will be presented to President Obama in 2009. We
encourage CHE Partners and friends to submit written testimony to the
Panel so it becomes part of the Panel's official record and is
taken into consideration as the final report is written and ultimately
submitted to the President of the United States.
You may submit comments to the panel at pcp-r@mail.nih.gov. You may also submit written comments to:
The President's Cancer Panel
National Cancer Institute
6116 Executive Boulevard
Suite 212, MSC 8349
Bethesda, MD 20814-8439
For more information on the President's Cancer Panel meeting series, visit CHE's PCP resource page:
http://www.healthandenvironment.org/cancerpanel
First Annual Pacific Northwest Environmental Health Conference: Bridging Research, Care, and Policy
Feb 6-7, 2009
Portland, OR
Please
join CHE-OR and others for the first annual NW Environmental Health
Conference, to be held on February 6th and 7th, 2009. This conference
will bring together leading scientists, researchers and healthcare
professionals in the field of environmental health and will focus on
stimulating robust dialogue regarding the impact of the environment on
health and healthcare practices. Most importantly, this conference will
strive to promote a paradigm shift in the healthcare professionals'
approach and integration of environmental health concerns in their
daily practices with clients.
More Information and Registration
NIEHS/NIOSH RFA: Community Exposures Information Collection and Environmental Public Health Action
The
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) have
released a new Request for Applications (RFA) to solicit applications
designed to collect information on community exposures to environmental
or occupational agents or exposure-related diseases and use this new
information to support environmental public health action.
Access the RFA (RFA-ES-09-001):
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-ES-09-001.html
RFA Details
This
RFA solicits research applications designed to bring together community
members and environmental and occupational health researchers to
investigate the potential health risks of environmental and
occupational exposures that are of concern to the community. Research
will focus on environmental or occupational agents known or strongly
suspected to be a significant environmental public health issue by
community members but lacking basic information on exposure levels,
sources of exposure, or potential health effects. An education,
outreach, prevention or intervention program(s) also must be developed
to translate and disseminate research findings to relevant audiences
(e.g., scientists, community members, healthcare professionals, and
policymakers) to inform them about the potential health burden(s)
associated with environmental or occupational agents in their
community, with the ultimate goal of supporting actions that will lead
to the prevention or reduction of harmful environmental/occupational
exposures and improve human health. Evaluation will be a central
component of all projects.
Applicants may request a project period of up to four years and a budget for direct costs of up to $225,000 per year.
The
NIEHS intends to commit $2 million in FY2009 to fund five to seven new
grants in response to this FOA. The NIOSH intends to commit $500,000 in
FY2009 to fund one to two new grants in response to this FOA.
Applications are due April 1, 2009. Prospective applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent (LOI) due March 1, 2009.
Peer Review Date(s): June 2009
Council Review Date(s): August 2009
Earliest Anticipated Start Date(s): September 30, 2009
Questions?
Caroline H. Dilworth, PhD -- Email: dilworthch@niehs.nih.gov (NIEHS)
Bernadine Kuchinski, Ph.D. -- Email: bkuchinski@cdc.gov (NIOSH)
Job Announcement: Director of Research and Technology, Oregon Environmental Council
Within the environmental arena, both the problems we face and many of
the solutions we need to embrace are increasingly complex. To help us
ground our public policy proposals in solid research, sound science and
the availability of viable technology, Oregon Environmental Council is
hiring a Director of Research and Technology, with support from the
M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust.
Full Announcement
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Reports and Other Resources
Radiation Protection Regulations Fail Women, Children
--Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IEER)--
A major new study released on Jan 7th shows that U.S. radiation exposure regulations and compliance assessment guidelines often fail women and children because they are based on "Reference Man," a hypothetical 20 to 30 year old "Caucasian male".
At least three federal agencies -- the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and Department of Energy (DOE) -- still use Reference Man in radiation dose regulations and compliance assessment, including the Clean Air Act and some safe drinking water rules, despite evidence that it fails to adequately protect many groups.
IEER's "Reference Man" recommendations, the full report (46 pages) and the correspondence between Senator Obama and Chairman Waxman and the Environmental Protection Agency regarding Reference Man are available at www.ieer.org
Access the Report
Green Purchasing Tool Kit
--Center for Health, Environment and Justice--
The Green Purchasing Tool Kit includes the best local and state green purchasing programs in America, as well as model policies, resources and fact sheets.
From start to finish, this tool kit helps you support policies to green the marketplace and promote environmentally-friendly products. It includes the following resources:
- How to Pass a Green Purchasing Policy Fact Sheet walks you through all the steps to pass a Green Purchasing policy in your community
- Buying Smart: Experiences of Municipal Green Purchasing Pioneers is a valuable report by the Green Purchasing Institute with a Greening Government Resource List.
You can download model municipal policies from Buffalo, Los Angeles, New York City, Portland, San Francisco and Seattle, and state policies from CA, MA, ME, NJ, NY and WA.
Access the Tool Kit
Environmental Threats to Healthy Aging Report in Environmental Health Perspectives
Age-related chronic diseases will put unprecedented stress on U.S.
society with a near-doubling of the number of people aged 65 years and
older by 2030, according to the U.S. Administration on Aging. These
diseases are also complex. An October 2008 report, Environmental Threats to Healthy Aging: With a Closer Look at Alzheimer's & Parkinson's Diseases,
now describes in greater detail how a lifetime of environmental factors
from conception onward shapes our health in our later years.
Read More
CHE Director Elise Miller, MEd: Heeding a Chemical Wake-Up Call
--CHE Spotlight--
When Elise Miller, MEd, was growing up in the coal-mining country of
southwest Virginia, she went for a hike with her uncle in the
Shenandoah Mountains. They passed a creek. Her uncle warned her not to
drink the water, and the warning stunned her.
"Why?" she asked. "What's
wrong with it?"
Read More
Males Under Threat: Effects of Pollutants on the Reproductive Health of Male Vertebrate Wildlife
--CHEM Trust--
CHEM Trust launched its report "Effects of Pollutants on the Reproductive Health of Male Vertebrate Wildlife - Males Under Threat" in December 2008. The report notes that if testicular dysgenesis syndrome (TDS - in humans which includes birth defects of baby boy's genitals such as undescended testes, low sperm count and testicular cancer) is occurring in humans due to pollutants, then genital
disruption should be found in wildlife in areas with high levels of pollutants, and this does indeed seem to be the case with effects reported in fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals in many
locations worldwide.
The full report, and executive summary, is available for free download on the CHEM Trust website: CHEM Trust WebsitePD Consensus Statement Meeting Report in Environmental Health PerspectivesBackground: Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder. People with PD, their families, scientists, health care providers, and the general public are increasingly interested in identifying environmental contributors to PD risk.
Methods: In June 2007, a multidisciplinary group of experts gathered in Sunnyvale, California, USA, to assess what is known about the contribution of environmental factors to PD.
Read More Public Access to Data on NIH-Funded Research
NIH recently launched a new website called RePORT. RePORT gives the public a single access point to quickly and easily find data, including information on NIH expenditures and the results of NIH-supported research. RCDC results will show the amount NIH funded in each of the same 215 categories it has historically reported to Congress and the public. The results will be accessible through the RePORT website. Each category will provide detailed information, including for the first time a complete list of all NIH-funded projects included in that category.
The RCDC results tables will be one of six features within the RePORT site. Other features include the Extramural Data Book, and in 2009, NIH will add a new, enhanced version of CRISP-on-the-Web. This new tool, called Reporter (RePORT Expenditures and Results) will include RCDC categories and project listings. Reporter will enable the public to search for NIH-funded research information and find information associated with funded projects, including budget information and links to publications and patents. |
Access NIH RePORT Website
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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 Elise Miller, Director of CHE, at elise@healthandenvironment.org.
Best wishes,
Elise Miller, MEd, Director
Shelby Gonzalez, Administrative Coordinator
Julia Varshavsky, Program Associate
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