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Collaborative on Health and the Environment's
Fertility/Reproductive Health Working Group
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| E-Bulletin January 20, 2010 |
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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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Join us for tomorrow's CHE Call, Upstream: Complex Chemical Contributors to Thyroid Function and the Potential Impacts on Policy
When: Thursday, January 21, 2010
10:00 a.m. Pacific / 1:00 p.m. Eastern time
RSVP for this Call
Join
CHE for a discussion of the complex array of chemical contributors to
thyroid function. Presenters will cover chemicals linked to thyroid
function, upstream biological impacts to thyroid hormones during
pregnancy that can lead to a variety of health
problems later in life and the policy implications given all the
complexity. In particular, speakers will address perchlorate, which
inhibits the uptake of iodide into the thyroid gland, an essential part
of the process of making thyroid hormone. Small changes in maternal
thyroid hormone are associated with significant decreases in IQ.
This
call will be moderated by Steve Heilig, Director of Public Health and
Education at the San Francisco Medical Society and CHE. It will last
one hour and will be recorded for archival purposes.
Featured speakers will include:
- Tom Zoeller, Professor and Chair of Biology, University of Massachusetts
- Greg Brent, Professor of Medicine and Physiology, UCLA School of Medicine
- Tracey Woodruff, Director, Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment and Associate Professor, UCSF
- Craig Steinmaus,
Public Health Medical Officer III, California Environmental Protection
Agency and Assistant Adjunct Professor, University of California at
Berkeley
Download the MP3 Recording from the Jan. 14 CHE-Fertility Call, Disinfectants Overkill
This call highlighted the recently released Women's Voices for the Earth report, Disinfectants Overkill, which outlines the health impacts associated with common antimicrobial chemicals and safer alternatives. Presenters discussed emerging disinfectants of concern including quaternary compounds and triclosan. Featured speakers included Erin Switalski, Executive Director, Women's Voices for the Earth, Alexandra Gorman Scranton, MS, Director of Science and Research, Women's Voices for the Earth, Patricia Hunt, PhD, Meyer Distinguished Professor, School of Molecular Biosciences, Washington State University, and Ann Blake, PhD, Environmental & Public Health Consulting. Link to the call resources, including specific resources mentioned on the call.ACOG Educates Lawmakers About Environmental Health On Tuesday, January 19, 2010, ACOG held a legislative briefing at the California State Capitol to educate state policymakers on the impacts of pesticides to women's health. Presenters included Robin Johnson, District IX Committee of State Legislation, Director, Family Engagement Program, LA Best Babies Network; Tracey Woodruff, Associate Professor and Director, Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, UCSF; and Martha Arguello, Executive Director, Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles. The event was co-sponsored by CHE-Fertility and other partners in the field. For more information, contact Robin Finnestead at 916-446-ACOG (2264) or email rfinnestead@ca.acog.org. New Pamphlet for Expecting Moms The American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) has developed a color, folded, cross-cultural pamphlet to be given to women at Ob-Gyn appointments. This educational pamphlet explains environmental risks at home, in the workplace, and outdoors and is intended for use in clinics and doctors offices around the country. Contributing partners include the Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA), American College of Nurse Midwives, and the V.A. women's health program, with funding from the John Merck Fund. A Spanish version of the pamphlet will be available shortly. To download click here. Reproductive Health Briefing on Capitol Hill On December 15, 80 people gathered for the Dangers of Chemicals on Reproductive Health
briefing in D.C. This widely attended event was hosted by the
Association of Reproductive Health Professionals (ARHP), Reproductive
Health Technologies Project (RHTP) and Safer Chemicals, Healthy
Families, in cooperation with Representative Jane Harman (D-CA) and
Representative Lois Capps (D-CA). Read the follow-up blog by Jenn
Rogers, Programs and Policy Director of RHTP: 'Twas the Night Before the Reproductive Health Hearing.
New Bill Introduced: The Endocrine Disruption Prevention Act of 2009
On December 3, 2009, Representative Jim Moran and Senator John Kerry introduced The Endocrine Disruption Prevention Act of 2009 to authorize an ambitious research program at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). The goal of the program is to develop reliable and reproducible methods to identify chemicals that can disrupt the human endocrine system. This bill will facilitate the development of comprehensive multi-system assays to identify EDCs. To download a copy and find more information about how to support this bill you can visit The Endocrine Disruption Exchange website at http://www.endocrinedisruption.com/endocrine.edlaw.php. TEDX Video: The Male Predicament. The Male Predicament is the informative and compelling lecture that Dr. Theo Colborn has delivered across the U.S. and overseas. Using scientific facts, photos and a touch of humor, it describes in detail how males are susceptible to endocrine disrupting chemicals. To order copies of the video, go to: http://www.endocrinedisruption.com/endocrine.male.php. Link to the videoWTC Report: Earliest Exposures. New tests by the Washington
Toxics Coalition reveal that children spend their first nine months in an
environment that exposes them to known toxic chemicals. WTC
tested nine pregnant women, from Washington, Oregon, and California, for
chemicals including bisphenol A, phthalates, mercury, and "Teflon chemicals."
The first-of-its kind study tested blood and urine from pregnant women during
their second trimester of pregnancy and found their bodies contaminated with
chemicals found in a wide variety of consumer products. This
new study was completed by the Washington Toxics Coalition in
collaboration with the Commonweal Biomonitoring Resource Center and the
Toxic-Free Legacy Coalition. Link to the report
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Media Spotlight
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UCSF Highlights PRHE's Toxic Matters Brochure.
The University of California, San Francisco released a press release this month to highlight the UCSF Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment's (PRHE) Toxic Matters brochure. The press release quotes Dr. Tracey Woodruff, Director of PRHE:
"Our goal is to engage the clinical community and consumers through education and access to resources to protect this and the next generation from environmental exposures," said Tracey Woodrufff, PhD, MPH. "We've identified key areas where exposures are constant and avoidable, and a means for individuals to contact government representatives to prevent impacts of environmental contaminants on future generations. Although certain groups are most vulnerable, toxic substances in the environment affect every person, every day and are the responsibility of all of us," she said.
The Toxic Matters brochure was created by an alliance of partners (including CHE) led by PRHE and offers practical recommendations on five ways to avoid exposure to toxic substances - in the home, at work, in the community, at the market and through influencing government policy - for women, men and children that apply to everyone regardless of whether a person is pregnant or planning to have children in the future. Link to the press release. |
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: Washington, DC.
Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) seeks an articulate, creative and experienced grassroots organizer to server as chapter development and student program manager, coordinating and strengthening PSR's network of state, local and student chapters. The application deadline is January 22, 2010. Read more
Job opening: Washington, DC.
Earthjustice, the nonprofit law firm for the environment, currently has an opening for a Advocacy/Communications Campaign Manager.
Read more
Job opening: San Francisco. The
Women's Foundation of California seeks a development and communications officer 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
EPA petitioned to regulate chemicals that pose widespread risks for human and animal reproduction.
The Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to establish water-quality criteria for numerous endocrine-disrupting chemicals under the Clean Water Act, the first step in regulating and eliminating persistent and widespread chemicals that damage reproductive functions in wildlife and humans. Read more
EPA announces 4th annual Rachel Carson contest.
The categories are poetry, photography, essays and dance. The contest seeks to instill a sense of wonder for the environment among all generations and spur environmental stewardship. Entries are due June 16, 2010. Read more
Call for comments: The National Plan for Action Changing Outcomes - Achieving Health Equity.
Initiated by the Office of Minority Health, the National Plan for Action inspires us to move forward to implement the strategies and provides us a roadmap to make an impact in the elimination of health disparities, a costly and undue burden on our country. Comments are due by February 12, 2010. Read more
EPA seeks public input on interim guidance for dioxins in soil cleanup goals.
Dioxins are contaminants that are very widespread in the environment that have been of concern to EPA and the public health community for decades. This action would strengthen EPA's preliminary remediation goals at dioxin contaminated sites. Read more
EPA announces actions to address chemicals of concern, including phthalates: Agency continues efforts to work for comprehensive reform of toxic substance laws.
For the first time, EPA intends to establish a "Chemicals of Concern" list and is beginning a process that may lead to regulations requiring significant risk reduction measures to protect human health and the environment. In addition to phthalates, the chemicals EPA is addressing today are short-chain chlorinated paraffins, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and perfluorinated chemicals, including PFOA. Read more
[See related articles: What the EPA's "chemicals of concern" plans really mean and Use of potentially harmful chemicals kept secret under law]
Call for proposals: Health Impact Project.
Government agencies, educational institutions and nonprofit organizations are encouraged to apply to undertake health impact assessment (HIA) demonstration projects. The application period is rolling and there are no deadlines for letters of interest.Call for proposals: Health Impact Project.
Government agencies, educational institutions and nonprofit organizations are encouraged to apply to undertake health impact assessment (HIA) demonstration projects. The application period is rolling and there are no deadlines for letters of interest. Read more
Call for proposals: Community-Based Participatory Research.
The Northwest Health Foundation invites innovative, community-driven
research proposals that seek to reduce the burden of chronic diseases
using community-based participatory research approaches. Concept papers
are due February 1, 2010. Read more
EPA seeks applications for environmental community grants.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is making $2 million available
in 2010 to reduce pollution at the local level through the Community
Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) program. Applications are due March 9, 2010. Read more
National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals.
The blood and urine samples were collected from participants in CDC's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which is an ongoing survey that samples the U.S. population every two years. Read more
[See related articles: New CDC survey tracks mercury levels in Americans and New frontiers -- and limitations -- in testing people's bodies for chemicals]
Call for comments: EPA to strengthen oversight of pesticide's impact on children and farmworkers.
EPA's proposal would include a more thorough assessment of risks to workers, including farmworkers and farm children, as well as risks posed by pesticides that are not used on food. The agency is asking the public to comment on the new approach and how best to implement the improvements. The proposed policy will be available for a 60-day public comment period after it is published in the Federal Register. 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.
Alcohol during pregnancy chemically alters fetal DNA.
Drinking too much during pregnancy can harm offspring permanently. Now
experiments in mice suggest this may be because alcohol chemically
alters the fetus's DNA, affecting how genes are expressed. New Scientist. 15 January 2010.
Exposure during development to the active ingredient of many birth control pills caused infertility in adult male rates.
More than 50 million women worldwide take contraceptive pills. Of
those, 3 to 4 percent may take them into the second trimester of
pregnancy. Doses sufficient to cause effects were higher compared to
birth control pills. 15 January 2010. More...
Common herbicide might affect frogs.
One of the herbicides most widely used to fight a broad range of weeds
in cornfields and on other cropland appears to affect the sexual
development of frogs when it gets into the waterways in which they
live, according to researchers at the University of Ottawa. Washington Post. 14 January 2010.
[Registration Required]
Vet's daughters cope with toxic inheritance.
Carrie Price-Nix and Amanda Price Palmer are sisters who both have
Chiari malformation, a structural defect in the base of the brain
associated with spina bifida, the only defoliant-related birth defect
the VA recognizes in the offspring of male veterans. Chicago Tribune, Illinois. 10 January 2010.
Examining DDT's urogenital effects.
A team of researchers has documented a variety of urogenital
malformations in male babies born to women living in an area of South
Africa where the potentially endocrine-disrupting pesticide DDT is
still used. Environmental Health Perspectives. 8 January 2010.
Environmental factors and semen quality. An increasing number of reports suggest that chemical and physical agents in the environment, introduced and spread by human activity, may affect male fertility in humans. This article aims at evaluating the impact of environmental exposures (pesticides, phthalates, PCBs, air pollution, trihalomethanes (THMs), mobile phones) on semen quality, by revieing most recent published literature. Link to pubmed abstract.
A study examining frogs in South China shows
for the first time that frogs absorb PBDE flame retardants from their
food, concentrate them in their tissues and organs and deposit higher
amounts of them in their eggs. The concentrations of PBDEs were
greater in the frogs than in their food. The results indicate the fire
suppressors may have the potential to biomagnify - increase in
concentration with each increasing level of the food chain (as occurs
with the insecticide DDT). 5 January 2010. More...
Early menstruation linked to heart disease risk.
British researchers found that among nearly 16,000 middle-aged and
older women followed for more than a decade, those who'd started
menstruating before age 12 were more likely to die early and more
likely to develop cancer, heart diseases, and to suffer strokes. Reuters Health. 1 January 2010.
FDA to study safety of drugs taken during pregnancy.
U.S. health officials plan to study the safety of medications taken
during pregnancy with an eye toward using the data in future
regulations and medical practice, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
said on Wednesday. Reuters Health. 31 December 2009.
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Upcoming Events
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Online Calendar. These and more upcoming events and RFP/abstract deadlines are listed in the CHE-Fertility searchable calendar.
1) Training/Workshop: Introduction to Managing Environmental Data with Microsoft Access 2007
Tuesday and Wednesday, January 26 - 27, 2010
8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Los Angeles, California
at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center, 224 South San Pedro Street
Sponsor: Northwest Environmental Training Center
This course is designed for participants who wish to gain beginning
to intermediate skills in using Microsoft Access 2007 to build
relational databases for managing and mining their environmental data.
This comprehensive class uses Access 2007 to cover in-depth the use of
tables, queries, forms, reports and macros objects through extensive
hands-on exercises. These Access database subjects are taught using
real-world environmental examples with actual field data. This class is
recommended for anyone desiring a concentrated exposure to Access
training in a powerful 2- to 3-day class. This course is part of a
series and is immediately followed by the Managing Environmental Data
With Microsoft Access 2007, Applying the Tools workshop, January 28,
2010.
Price: $495/$395 for two-day introductory class, or $650/$545 for all three days
Visit the website
Contact: NWETC, 206-762-1976 2) Teleconference/Webcast: How the Chemical Industry Harms Children's Health: The Need for Protective Public Policy
Wednesday January 27, 2010
9:00 a.m. Alaska time / 1:00 p.m. Eastern
Sponsor: CHE-Alaksa/Alaska Community Action on Toxics
The speaker will be Alice Shabecoff, co-author with her husband Philip of Poisoned Profits: The Toxic Assault on our Children, published in 2008 (to be published this spring in paperback as Poisoned for Profit).
Price: free
Contact: Alaska Community Action on Toxics, 907-222-7714 or diana@akaction.org 3) Teleconference/Webcast: Green Chemistry and Environmental Health
Wednesday February 3, 2010
3:00 p.m. Eastern / 2:00 p.m. Central / noon Pacific time
Sponsor: Great Lakes Green Chemistry Network
The speaker will be Dr. Linda Birnbaum, director of the US National
Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Toxicology
Program.
Price: free
Visit the website 4) Call for Abstracts: 138th APHA Annual Meeting
Deadline: February 1-5, 2010, depending on topic and
Denver, Colorado
The Community-Based Public Health Caucus and other groups invite abstracts related to the science and practice of community-based public health for the 138th American Public Health Association Annual Meeting and Exposition to be held from November 6 - 10, 2010. The theme of the 2010 meeting is "Social Justice: Public Health Imperative," with particular interest in abstracts and proposals that reflect this theme. Limited funding is available through the CBPH Caucus for community-based organization representatives who present during the 2010 meeting.
Visit the website
5) Teleconference/Webcast: A Conversation with Linda Birnbaum, Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Thursday February 4, 2010
10:00 a.m. Pacific / 1:00 p.m. Eastern time
Sponsor: Collaborative on Health and the Environment
We will hear from Dr. Birnbaum on the priorities and challenges facing the NIEHS in the coming years as well as discuss other pressing environmental health concerns.
Price: free
Visit the website
Contact: CHE, info@healthandenvironment.org
6) Training/Workshop: Human Health Risk Assessment Workshop:
Practical Approaches to Estimating Risk and Developing Site-specific
Cleanup Levels
Thursday and Friday, March 11 - 12, 2010
8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Kirkland, Washington
at the Kirkland Computer Lab, Yarrow Bay Office Park, One North Building, 10604 NE 38th Place, Suite 118
Sponsor: Northwest Environmental Training Center
Risk assessments are now being performed at almost all sites,
whether part of a Risk-Based Correction Action (RBCA) analysis, to
determine remediation strategies, or for litigation support and
prevention. This class is hands-on, covering each of the steps in a
risk assessment. Emphasis will be placed on fate and transport modeling
to estimate exposure point concentrations. RISC software will be used
for classroom exercises, however the principles learned are can be
applied to other risk-assessment software. Each participant will have
their own computer workstation throughout the class.
Price: $895/$845 earlybird pricing through January 30th or $945/$895 thereafter
Visit the website
Contact: NWETC, 206-762-1976 7) 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
8) Conference/Seminar: Nevada Environmental Health Association Annual Educational Conference
Tuesday through Thursday, July 27 - 29, 2010
Las Vegas, Nevada
Sponsor: Nevada Environmental Health Association
Information about the conference will be posted on the website.
Price: unknown
Visit the website
Contact: see the Contact page | |
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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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