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Collaborative on Health and the Environment's
Fertility/Reproductive Health Working Group
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| E-Bulletin October 29, 2009 |
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| This e-bulletin lists news and journal articles, organizational reports, calls for proposals, upcoming events and other items related to fertility, reproductive health and the environment. E-bulletins are archived and searchable on our website: http://www.healthandenvironment.org/working_groups/fertility |
CHE-Fertility Highlights
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Download the MP3 Recording from the Oct. 28 CHE-Fertility Call
What does the environment have to do with medicine? On Oct. 28,
CHE-Fertility hosted What Does the Environment Have to do with Medicine? Reporting Back from a Premier Reproductive Society Conference, a discussion that highlighted the role of the
Environment and Special Interest Group (ERSIG) at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). ERSIG was established in 2007, and has
since then promoted an environmental focus within ASRM. The mission of
ERSIG is to enhance understanding of environmental factors on
reproductive health through excellence in education, research, and
clinical practice.
Download the MP3 recording
Link to resources shared on the call
We heard reports from the following ASRM
members on environmental health highlights from this year's ASRM
conference, which took place in Atlanta, Georgia, October 17-21, 2009:
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Andrew R. La Barbera, PhD, HCLD,
Scientific Director, American Society for Reproductive Medicine,
Adjunct Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Alabama
Birmingham School of Medicine, Professor Emeritus of Obstetrics and
Gynecology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine -
Susan Benoff, PhD,
Associate Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology and of Cell Biology
and Director, Fertility Research Laboratories, New York University
School of Medicine; and Chair-Elect of ERSIG -
Michael Diamond, MD,
Kamran S. Moghissi Professor and Associate Chair of Obstetrics and
Gynecology, Director, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and
Infertility, Assistant Dean for Clinical and Translational Research,
Wayne State University School of Medicine, and Director, Detroit
Regional Institute for Clinical and Translational Research; and
Secretary of ERSIG Kevin Osteen, PhD, Professor, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine; and ERSIG Treasurer
Steve Heilig, MPH, Director of Public Health and Education, San Francisco Medical Society and CHE, moderated this call.
RSVP for the Nov. 11 CHE-Fertility/Partnership Call
In August, CHE leaders, scientists, clinicians and community
partners participated in the workshop Navigating the Science to Improve
Prevention. Now, join CHE on Wednesday, November 11th at 10:00 AM Pacific / 1:00 PM Eastern
for an important discussion about the efforts being undertaken to
translate the emerging science in environmental reproductive health
into timely action in clinical and policy arenas.
Complex
scientific evidence is constantly emerging about how the environment
affects our health. This evidence is often murky or inconclusive. How
can clinicians, policymakers, and others make decisions that protect
health when the evidence isn't cut-and-dried? In response to these
difficult questions an interdisciplinary group of 23 scientists,
clinicians and community/patient-based partners convened to develop the
Navigation Guide -- a methodology that forges the strengths of
evidence-based medicine and environmental health and can be used to vet
the scientific evidence related to reproductive environmental health in
a timely and transparent manner.
This call will give the
background for the workshop and provide several participants time to
reflect on real world applications for the methodology.
Featured speakers will include:
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Tracey Woodruff, PhD, MPH: Associate Professor and Director, Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment Jeanne Conry,
MD, PhD: Assistant Physician in Chief, Obstetrics and Gynecology,
Kaiser Permanente North Valley and Chair for the District IX office of
the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists for California -
Pablo Rodriguez,
MD: Associate Chief, Obstetrics and Gynecology and Clinical Associate
Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Brown Medical School
and Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island
The
call will be moderated by Heather Sarantis, MS, Women's Health Program
Manager at Commonweal and part of the organizing committee for this
workshop. The call will last one hour and will be recorded for archival
purposes.
RSVP for this call
The workshop was hosted by The University of
California, San Francisco (UCSF) Program on Reproductive Health and the
Environment (PRHE), the Collaborative on Health and the Environment/Commonweal, the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals (ARHP),
the Magee-Womens Hospital of University of Pittsburgh Medical Center,
the UCSF Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (PEHSU) and WorkSafe. The Endocrine Society Praises the California Medical Association The
Endocrine Society lauded the California Medical Association (CMA) on
Ocober 19, 2009 for supporting greater advocacy and collaboration in
decreasing public exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals. The
resolution reflects the findings and recommendations of The Endocrine
Society's peer-reviewed Scientific Statement on endocrine-disrupting chemicals released by the Society this past June.
Link to the press releaseToxic Matters A new guide that highlights how to prevent exposure to toxic substances
at home, in the workplace and in your community. Toxic Matters is a publication of the University of California, San Francisco
Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment (PRHE), From Advancing Science to Ensuring Prevention (FASTEP). FASTEP is a project of PRHE and an alliance of academic, government and non-governmental partners spanning the fields of reproductive, environmental, occupational and pediatric health and toxicology. The goal of FASTEP is to secure each and everyone's right to optimal reproductive health by fostering environemnts that prevent exposure to toxic substances and support healthy pregnancies, children, adults and future generations.
The recommendations in this brochure are designed for women, men and children, and apply to everyone regardless of whether or not you're pregnant now or are planning to have children in the future. To learn more and download a pdf version of Toxic Matters, click here. Free CME Webinars and Materials for Patients and Educators From the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals (ARHP).
Website ChangesThe Fertilty/Reproductive Health website is being expanded, reorganized
and updated. You'll see a new navigation box in the left column listing
new pages that better organize resources and activities. Look for
further revisions in the coming weeks.
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Announcements
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A daily news feed with these articles and announcements is now
available on CHE's website:
http://www.healthandenvironment.org/news/announce.
Job opening: San Francisco. The
Women's Foundation of California seeks a development and communications
associate as the primary writer of external communications and the
steward of their online community.
Read more
Job opening: Washington, DC. The
nationally accredited journalism program of The School of Communication
at American University is seeking an experienced journalist with a
strong record/expertise in health, science, and/or environmental
journalism for a tenure-track position beginning in August 2010.
Read more
Job opening: Wenatchee, Washington.
The Chelan-Douglas Health District has an opening for an environmental health specialist to conduct routine public health inspections, review facility designs for code compliance and more. The position will stay open until filled. Read more
Job opening: Anchorage, Alaska.
Alaska Community Action on Toxics (ACAT) seeks a full-time development/communications coordinator to facilitate the implementation of ACAT's Development Plan. The coordinator is responsible for fundraising and communication with ACAT supporters and constituents to increase public awareness and support of ACAT's work. Read more
Job opening: Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The Endometriosis Association is seeking an education program coordinator/associate director to manage and coordinate the Association's Education Program, including writing, copyediting, proofreading and producing/publishing literature, the website, and the volunteers, staff, and vendors involved in this work. Read more
Safer chemicals campaign platform.
The Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families campaign has published a platform for Reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act. The group invites organizations to sign the platform and join the campaign. Read more
Safe Cosmetics video.
Lead in lipstick, carcinogens in baby shampoo -- you've heard the rumors, now get the real story behind what's in your cosmetics and what you can do about it. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. Read more
Share your stories, successes, and visions for environmental health.
The Health & Environmental Funders Network has launched a new project to highlight and archive the diverse and exciting work that has happened over the past ten years and capture people's visions and hopes for the next ten years. Read more
Call for proposals: Effects of Gene-Social Environment Interplay on Health and Behavior in Later Life.
This FOA from the National Institute on Aging is intended to lay the foundation for future studies of the role of gene-environment interplay in accounting for links between social experiences and physical health, functionality, and psychological well-being in midlife and older age. Of particular interest are applications that can embed this foundation within a lifespan perspective. Applications due November 9, 2009. Read more
EPA opens transparency window into pesticide registration decisions.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is establishing a new transparent process that will allow the public to review and comment on risk assessments and proposed registration decisions for pesticides. This expanded process will apply to all new pesticide active ingredients and first food uses, first outdoor uses, and first residential uses. Read more
EPA announces research strategy to study nanomaterials.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today outlined a new research strategy to better understand how manufactured nanomaterials may harm human health and the environment. Read more
New EPA information on insect repellents.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has launched a new web page containing product information on certain skin-applied insect repellents. EPA's goal is to provide the public with information on registered insect repellents and their effectiveness claims in a clear, consistent, and user-friendly format. Read more
EPA administrator announces plan to retool and reinvigorate clean water enforcement program.
The Clean Water Action Enforcement Plan is a first step in revamping the compliance and enforcement program. It seeks to improve the protection of our nation's water quality, raise the bar in federal and state performance and enhance public transparency. US Environmental Protection Agency. Read more
New website: Find Water Polluters Near You.
The New York Times has compiled data on more than 200,000 facilities that have permits to discharge pollutants and collected responses from states regarding compliance. Read more
The future of U.S. chemicals policy conference videos.
Videos of the "Future of U.S. Chemicals Policy conference are now available for viewing online. Watch the video
Call for proposals: Environmental influences during windows of susceptibility in breast cancer risk.
NIEHS and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) solicit cooperative
agreement grant applications from institutions to conduct basic
laboratory or ancillary research projects involving existing
populations or clinical studies focused on gene-environment
interactions, as well as the molecular mechanisms engaged, during
specific windows of susceptibility that have the potential of modifying
a womans lifetime risk for developing breast cancer. Letters of
application are due December 30, 2009. Read more
EPA releases guide to help scientists understand children's exposure to pollutants. Wednesday, October 28, 2009
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today released a user-friendly
document to help risk assessors understand how children are exposed to
pollution. Read more
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News, Science and Other Resources
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Below you will find recent news headlines, studies, and organizational reports - gleaned from the CHE Fertility Online Library hosted by Environmental Health News and the CHE daily news feed.
Why boys are turning into girls.
Official research from Denmark shows that two-year-old children are at
risk from an array of gender-bending chemicals in such everyday items
as waterproof clothes, rubber boots, bed linen, food, nappies and
sunscreen lotion. Yet gender-benders are largely exempt from new EU
regulations controlling hazardous chemicals. London Daily Telegraph, United Kingdom. 24 October 2009.
Stress impact on male fertility.
Exposure to a combination of excess stress hormones and chemicals while
in the womb could affect a man's fertility in later life, a new study
suggests. BBC. 22 October 2009.
Judge can't enforce $97M judgment against Dole.
A Florida judge has said a $97 million judgment against U.S. food giant
Dole and Dow Chemical Co. cannot be enforced because the Nicaraguan
court that issued it neither had jurisdiction nor met international
legal standards. Associated Press. 22 October 2009.
New study reveals how daily life 'can make men infertile.'
The combination of stress and a gender-bending chemical found in
plastics ranging from children's toys to credit cards raised the odds
of reproductive defects, a study found. London Daily Mail, United Kingdom. 22 October 2009.
The gift of life, and its price.
An increasing number of babies born using fertility treatments are
twins, and they carry special risks often overlooked in the desire to
produce new families. New York Times. 12 October 2009.
[Registration Required]
DDT may cause androgyny in babies.
South Africa's use of the pesticide DDT for malaria control in the
Limpopo River basin is likely to lead to an increase in babies being
born with deformed sex organs or being born with both male and female
genitalia. Cape Town Cape Times, South Africa. 12 October 2009.
EPA director backs tougher regulation of chemicals.
Lisa Jackson, director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
said Tuesday that massive reform is needed if America's children are to
be protected from toxics, such as bisphenol A, found in household
products. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin. 7 October 2009.
Regulators plan to study risks of atrazine.
New studies linking atrazine in drinking water with birth defects, low
birth weights and reproductive problems in humans have prompted the
E.P.A. to study its effects. New York Times. 7 October 2009.
[Registration Required]
Early births take a toll, group says.
Nearly one in 10 of the world's babies is born premature, and about one
million infants die each year as a result, according to a report that
is the first attempt to measure a toll that is hidden in much of the
world. Associated Press. 5 October 2009.
Flourescing fish may offer a quick and easy way to test if specific
chemicals - or complex mixtures found in the environment - will affect
the thyroid gland and its normal hormonal functions. With so many
chemical contaminants in the environment, rapid screening tools that
target specific physiological processes or tissues are increasingly
valuable to regulators and researchers. 2 October 2009. More...
Environmental factors in birth defects: What we need to know.
The causes of only about 30% of birth defects are somewhat well
understood, and knowledge even of those is sometimes spotty. The 70%
still unknown leaves open the possibility that environmental factors
could play a significant role. Environmental Health Perspectives. 1 October 2009.
Mom's obesity tied to daughters' early puberty.
Researchers found that daughters of obese mothers, versus normal- or
under-weight mothers, were about three times more likely to start
menstruating before their 12th birthday. Reuters Health. 1 October 2009.
Chemicals in breast milk linked to testicular cancer.
Pollutant chemicals in mothers' breast milk have been linked to an
increased rate of testicular cancer. A study in Denmark suggests
hormone-disrupting chemicals such as pesticides may explain why so many
men in the country develop the disease. London Daily Mail, United Kingdom. 25 September 2009.
Air pollution may raise preterm birth risk.
Exposure to air pollution later in pregnancy may raise a woman's risk
of delivering her baby too soon, a new study suggests. Previous studies
have linked air pollution exposure in both the first and third
trimester of pregnancy to an increased risk of preterm delivery Reuters. 25 September 2009.
Key environmental epigenetics paper challenged.
The findings of a key paper with potentially profound implications for
the future of environmental health research and regulation are being
challenged by a small group of government and industry scientists who
say they cannot replicate its results. Environmental Science & Technology. 24 September 2009.
Chemical pollutants linked to fewer female births.
High exposure to PCBs and PBBs, now-banned industrial chemicals that
persist in the environment, may lead to fewer female births, a new
study suggests. What this means for the public at large is unknown. Reuters Health. 17 September 2009.
Gender-bending fish widespread in the U.S.
A survey of "feminization" of fish finds that a large percentage of
male bass are producing egg cells. Scientists suspect this abnormal
phenomenon is the result of synthetic chemicals in water that mimic the
behavior of female hormones. All Things Considered, NPR. 17 September 2009. |
Upcoming Events
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Online Calendar. These and more upcoming events are listed in the CHE-Fertility searchable calendar.
1) Conference: ISES 2009 Annual Conference
Sunday through Thursday, November 1 - 5, 2009
Minneapolis, Minnesota
at the Marriott Minneapolis City Center
Sponsor: International Society of Exposure Science
The ISES 2009 Annual Conference will bring together scientists from
a wide range of disciplines to share current research activities and to
identify critical needs for exposure science in the 21st century. The
goal of ISES is to foster and advance the science of exposure analysis
related to environmental contaminants, both for human populations and
ecosystems.
Price: unknown
Visit the website
Contact: ises09@gmail.com
2) Conference/Seminar: Brownfields 2009
Monday through Wednesday, November 16 - 18, 2009
New Orleans, Louisiana
Sponsor: International City/County Management Association, US Environmental Protection Agency and others listed on the Sponsors page
This is a comprehensive conference focused on environmental
revitalization and economic redevelopment. Conference themes include
"Environmental Assessment & Cleanup" and "Public Health &
Worker Safety", among others.
Price: unknown
Visit the website
Contact: Brownfields 2009 Hotline, 877-343-5374
3) Conference/Seminar: Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry North America 30th Annual Meeting
Thursday through Monday, November 19 - 23, 2009
New Orleans, Louisiana
at the Hilton Riverside
Sponsor: Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
The conference theme is "Human-Environment Interactions:
Understanding Change in Dynamic Systems", and a session on "Hormones in
the Environment" is planned for Friday afternoon.
Price: see the registration page
Visit the website
4) Training/Workshop: New Habits of Mind for New Solutions
Friday November 20, 2009
8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Seattle, Washington
at NWETC Headquarters, 650 South Orcas Street, Suite 220
Sponsor: EOS Alliance
This eight-hour class is about systems thinking, systems in the
natural world, and ways to increase our ability to address complex
problems. Our class will give you the competence and confidence to
start using systems thinking in your organizations and communities to
better understand complex problems - whether you find them in the
natural environment or in social systems. Participants will learn what
makes a system a system, and why systems thinking is so useful and so
necessary in our world. We'll share our understanding of the ways and
habits of systems thinking, as well as how to apply these habits. We'll
learn about some systems thinking tools, such as causal loops and
behavior over time graphs, and how to identify feedback loops. We'll
use the "iceberg model" to deepen our understanding of leverage points
for change. At the end, we'll put it all together - applications and
practice. Learning will occur through hands-on activities such as small
group conversations, large group dialogue, individual reflection,
system thinking games, viewing personal stories through a new lens, and
the collaborative exploration of complex problems. Both instructors'
intense interest in the natural world has been enriched through the
study and application of systems thinking.
Price: $195, $155 reduced tuition for Native American tribes;
government employees; nonprofits; students; and NAEP, NEBC, NWAEP
members
Visit the website
Contact: Northwest Environmental Training Center, 206-762-1976
5) Conference/Seminar: Making Healthy Babies, Raising Healthy Children: Living Well in a Toxic World
Saturday November 21, 2009
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Berkeley, California
at the UC Berkeley Art Museum Theatre, 2625 Durant Avenue
Sponsor: Sage Femme, Ryder Foundation, Midwifery Today, Autism Recovery Consortium
The 2009 CIA World Factbook ranks the USA 45th among nations for
infant mortality -- the worst among all industrialized countries. The
autism rate in our country is now 1 in 100. How can we understand and
take appropriate steps to ensure healthy mothers, births and children?
Take a unique look at the entire system that affects our future
generations. This symposium brings together scientists, doctors,
researchers and professionals for a compelling conversation about
environmental influences around birth and childhood. It features
plenary speakers, panels, audience questions and film clips.
Revolutionary new software will also be introduced that will help
parents assess the risks our children may encounter from the
environment before birth, at birth and during childhood. Our three-part
program will make clearer to attendees what they should know about
environmental health, their world, and how it affects them and their
children.
Price: $60 until October 31st, $75 after that; a student discount is available
Visit the website
Contact: see the Contact page
6) Conference/Seminar: PPTOXII: Role of Environmental Stressors in the Development of Origins of Disease
Monday through Thursday, December 7 - 10, 2009
Miami Beach, Florida
at Loews Hotel
Sponsor: Society of Toxicology
Fetal and early postnatal development constitutes the most
vulnerable time period of human life, in regard to adverse effects of
environmental hazards. Subtle effects during development can lead to
functional deficits and increased disease risk later in life. This
hypothesis, which states that environmental exposures lead to altered
programming leading to increased susceptibility to disease/dysfunction
later in life, has gathered much support from both experimental and
epidemiological studies. The objective of the conference is to examine
the animal and human data supporting this hypothesis of a developmental
basis of disease, disease by disease, in order to review the current
state of the literature and to identify mechanisms for the effects as
well as to identify research gaps and challenges and to integrate the
basic and applied science. Because of its International nature, the
multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary nature of the speakers, and the
attendance and participation of students from multiple disciplines, we
expect this meeting to stimulate collaborations that will lead to the
development and validation of biomarkers of exposure and disease
susceptibility, improvement of exposure assessment and extrapolation
across species and routes of exposure.
Price: see the registration information on the website
Visit the website
Contact: Society of Toxicology headquarters, 703-438-3115
7) Training/Workshop: Introduction to Managing Environmental Data with Microsoft Access 2007
Wednesday and Thursday, December 9 - 10, 2009
8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Kirkland, Washington
at Yarrow Bay Office Park - One North Building, 10604 NE 38th Place, Suite 118
Sponsor: Northwest Environmental Training Center
This course is part of a series and is immediately followed by the
Managing Environmental Data With Microsoft Access 2007, Applying the
Tools workshop, December 11, 2009. Participants may register for either
course individually or both courses. A discount applies when
registering for both courses. After completing this course,
participants will be able to 1) understand concepts of database
structure and design, 2) create relationships between tables, 3) import
and export datasheets, 4) perform simple queries on multiple tables, 5)
construct and customize forms for retrieving data and 6) build macros
for automating tasks.
Price: $495 or $395 for Native American Tribes; nonprofits;
government agencies; students; and NAEP, NEBC, NWAEP members; an
early-bird discount of $20 is available until November 6, 2009.
Visit the website
Contact: NETC, 206-762-1976 or info@nwetc.org
8) Conference/Seminar: 2nd All Africa Environmental Health Congress
Monday through Thursday, May 24 - 27, 2010
Lilongwe, Malawi
at the Crossroads Hotel
Sponsor: International Federation of Environmental Health (IFEH) in
collaboration with the Government of Malawi and the University of Malawi
The conference theme is "Environmental Health - Key to a Better Life
for All", and the vision of this congress is the improvement of the
standards of environmental health in Africa. Objectives are to 1) raise
the profile of environmental health in Africa, 2) share best practices
of environmental health services delivery in Africa, 3) enhance
inter-country collaboration in environmental health practice, 4)
address the training needs of environmental health, 4) promote the
environmental health needs of children in Africa and 5) promote
environmental health research.
Price: see the Registration page
Visit the website
Contact: 265 187 7592 or washted@poly.ac.mw
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The Collaborative on Health and the Environment offers this information as a service but does not endorse any of the events, articles or announcements.
Please email Julia Varshavsky, CHE's Fertility/Reproductive Health Working Group Coordinator, at julia@healthandenvironment.org with any questions, comments, or suggestions.
If you would like to join the Collaborative on Health and the Environment (CHE) and the Fertility/Reproductive Health Working Group, please complete the application on the CHE website: http://www.healthandenvironment.org/application. Joining CHE means receiving up to four email messages a month from the CHE National listserv. CHE costs nothing to join and the benefit is shared information and opportunities for further engagement, if you choose. Be sure to mark that you want to join the CHE Fertility/Reproductive Health Working Group at the bottom of the application.
Julia Varshavsky
Collaborative on Health and the Environment
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