Healthy Children Project Monthly e-News

Feel free to let your friends, family and colleagues know about this valuable new resource. Instructions to subscribe or unsubscribe are at the end of this e-newsletter. MI Healthy Children's e-newsletter is part of a collaborative effort with the Learning Disabilities Association of America's Healthy Children Project and the Institute for Children's Environmental Health with support from the Beldon Fund. 

Toxins & Chemicals: Food Label Warnings Stirs Debate
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FOOD_WARNINGS?SITE=

MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
The government is too strapped to handle congressional legislation that would strip state-ordered warnings from food labels, a former Food and Drug Administration official said Thursday. The food industry wants Congress to prevent states from adding food warnings that go beyond federal law, affecting laws about milk safety in Massachusetts, Michigan and Nebraska and warnings about allergy-causing sulfites in Connecticut, Michigan and Virginia. The food industry's primary target is California's voter-passed Proposition 65, which requires warnings about cancer-causing chemicals or reproductive toxins in food, such as mercury in canned tuna or lead in Mexican candy.
 

DDT In Mothers Linked To Developmental Delays In Children, UC Berkeley Study Finds
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060705090426.htm
Since the 1970s, scientists have known that when DDT (an organic pesticide commonly used to combat mosquito-borne infectious diseases) accumulates in a woman's tissues it can be transmitted to her developing fetus across the placenta. Now, a new study led by a team of researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, has found that such in utero exposure is associated with developmental delays in the young child.
 

Study Points to Cancer Risks in Common Pollutant
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-07-27-cancer-tce_x.htm
Growing scientific evidence suggests the most widespread industrial contaminant in drinking water — a solvent used in adhesives, paint and spot removers — can cause cancer in people.
 

Lyme Disease Compound is Harmful, FDA Warns
http://pediatric.healthcentersonline.com/newsStories/newsprintfriendly.cfm?newsid=78206
An unapproved compound mixed by pharmacists to treat Lyme disease should not be used, U.S. health officials warned, after one person died and another was hospitalized earlier this year.
 

At Risk: A Surgery Hazard for Children Exposed to Smoke
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/25/health/25risk.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Children who live with smokers have been found to be at risk for a variety of health problems in even the best of circumstances. Now a new study finds that if the children happen to need surgery, they may be at even greater risk. Researchers from Harvard report that children exposed to secondhand smoke experienced more breathing problems under general anesthesia.
 

Children's Unique Vulnerability to Environmental Toxins
http://www.childenvironment.org/factsheets/childrens_vulnerability.htm
Children are uniquely vulnerable to environmental toxins. This heightened susceptibility stems from several sources. Children have greater exposures to environmental toxins than adults.

Environmental Working Group's Auto Asthma Index: Is Your Car Making Your Child Sick?
http://www.ewg.org/sites/asthmaindex/
"We found that vehicle pollution varies widely based not only on the type of vehicle, but also on the year it was built, the number of miles it has been driven, the automaker, and the quality of construction."

Potential Residential Exposure to Toxics Release Inventory Chemicals during Pregnancy and Childhood Brain Cancer
http://www.ehponline.org/members/2006/9145/9145.html
Although the susceptibility of the developing fetus to various chemical exposures is well documented, the role of environmental chemicals in childhood brain cancer etiology is not well understood. Risk of childhood brain cancers may be associated with living near a TRI facility; however, this is an exploratory study and further studies are needed.

Study Finds Toxic Chemicals More Expensive
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=135073&format=text 
Proponents of legislation to phase out the use of lead and nine other chemicals in consumer products hailed a state-funded study that found industry could replace hazardous chemicals with cheaper alternatives.

Research Finds That Even Tiny Infants are Getting a Dose of Phthalates
http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2006/jul/science/nl_plasticizers.html
Infants imbibing breast milk may also be sucking down a high dose of phthalates, the ubiquitous toxic plasticizers that are in many consumer products, from lipstick to vinyl flooring. New research published today on ES&T's Research ASAP website provides one of the first snapshots of phthalate delivery through breast milk. For 6 months, scientists tracked phthalate levels in the breast milk of Canadian mothers, but the health implications remain unclear and the data show that the amount of the toxic ingested by infants can vary from feeding to feeding.

Protect Yourself from Mold
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/mold/protect.asp
After natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods, excess moisture and standing water contribute to the growth of mold in homes and other buildings. When returning to a home that has been flooded, be aware that mold may be present and may be a health risk for your family.

Jury Awards Shipyard Worker's Widow $10M
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/ASBESTOS_VERDICT?SITE=

MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
A jury awarded $10.4 million to the widow of a former shipyard worker who died of lung cancer after four years of working with materials that contained asbestos.

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Mandatory Testing for Lead Now Part of Michigan's WIC Program
A bill, requiring children under the Women, Infants and Children program receive testing for lead in their systems, has also been signed by Michigan’s Governor.. The new law (SB 1185, PA 286, immediate effect) expands the number of children who are eligible for tests and will help the state meet its goal of testing 80 percent of children in Medicaid eligible families by 2007. Almost 85 percent of children in Medicaid households are also enrolled in WIC. "Testing and treating children, especially those who live in high-risk areas, is a critical step to ensuring that they can get off to a good start in life," the governor said. The bill was signed, filed and effective on July 19, 2006. [Source: Gongwer News Service]

Fetal Lead Exposure at Each Stage of Pregnancy as a Predictor of Infant Mental Development
http://www.ehponline.org/docs/2006/9067/abstract.html
Fetal lead exposure has an adverse effect on neurodevelopment with an effect that may be most pronounced during the 1st trimester and best captured by measuring lead in either maternal plasma or whole blood.

Fact Sheet: Lead and Your Health
http://www.niehs.nih.gov/oc/factsheets/pdf/lead.pdf
Lead poisoning in American children has decreased by about 86% since the late 1970s.1 Much of this success is due to research supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and others which helped to identify and reduce the health effects of lead poisoning in children and adults.
 

"EPA's Roadmap for Mercury" is Now Available
http://www.epa.gov/mercury/
EPA has released a report that: provides information about the Agency's progress to date in addressing mercury issues domestically and internationally; and outlines EPA's major ongoing and planned actions to address risks associated with mercury.
 

Can the Mercury Poisoning the Poor: Tuna Industry Subsidies Should Stop, Say Advocates
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/20060711/pl_usnw/can_the_mercury_poisoning_the

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In light of new testing by Defenders of Wildlife showing higher-than-expected levels of mercury in canned light tuna, advocates are urging U.S. agencies to take more precautionary measures to protect low-income and vulnerable Americans from exposure to mercury.

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KidsHealth: Environmental Control Measures
http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/general/body/environ_control.html
Families need to take the environmental control measures that reduce exposure to a child's allergy triggers. Allergies can develop over time with continued exposure - dust mites may not be a trigger for a child now, but with continued uncontrolled exposure, they can become one. Your doctor may suggest taking proactive steps now so your child doesn't develop new allergies. This article contains suggestions for reducing and controlling these triggers.

National CHE Partnership Call - Human Metabolism, Diabetes and Obesity: The Environmental Connections is Now Available Online

http://www.healthandenvironment.org/articles/partnership_calls/615

In addition to background information, call resources and CHE blog, an MP3 recording of this teleconference is now available. This call took place on July 20, 2006.
 

CHE Asthma Working Group Call - NIEHS Research on Asthma, Pulmonary Health and the Environment: An Update and Discussion with NIEHS Director, Dr. David Schwartz

http://www.healthandenvironment.org/wg_asthma_news/664
In addition to background information and call resources, an MP3 recording of this teleconference is now available. This call took place on July 19, 2006.

The Economic Impact of Early Life Environmental Tobacco Smoke Exposure: Early Intervention for Developmental Delay
http://www.ehponline.org/docs/2006/9165/abstract.html
The conclusion of this study: The high annual cost of just one aspect of developmental delay due to prenatal exposure to ETS provides further impetus for increased prevention efforts such as educational programs to promote smoke-free homes, additional cigarette taxes, and subsidization of smoking cessation programs.

Toddlers of Mothers Who Smoked During Pregnancy Show Behavior Problems
http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/jul2006/nida-13.htm
New findings from a study supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institutes of Health suggest that toddlers of women who smoked during pregnancy begin to show a pattern of behavior problems as early as 18-24 months of age. It is the first study to show a link between smoking during pregnancy and child behavior problems in the first years of life.

Adolescent Birth Rate Falls to Record Low, Kids’ Exposure to Secondhand Smoke Drops
http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/jul2006/nichd-14.htm
The federal government’s yearly statistical report on the well-being of our Nation’s children shows that the adolescent birth rate fell to the lowest level ever recorded. The infant mortality rate also declined to its former, lowest ever, level after having increased in the previous year. The proportion of children exposed to secondhand smoke declined, as did the proportion of high school seniors who reported smoking cigarettes daily in the last 30 days. Compared to the previous year’s statistics, the average mathematics score increased for 4th and 8th graders and the average reading score for 4th graders also increased.
 

Nicotine Exposure During Development Leads To Hearing Problems
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060718221113.htm
Scientists know that children of women who smoke during pregnancy can develop hearing-related cognitive deficits. For the first time, researchers believe they have evidence that not only implicates nicotine as the culprit, but also shows what the substance does to the brain to cause these deficits.

Maternal Smoking Linked with Severe Tic Disorder
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2006-06-26T193646Z_01_COL670543_RTRUKOC_0_US-MATERNAL-SMOKING.xml&pageNumber=1&imageid=&cap=&sz=13&WTModLoc=NewsArt-C1-ArticlePage1
Women who smoke during pregnancy appear to have a very strong risk of having a child with severe symptoms of Tourette's syndrome and the risk of having obsessive-compulsive disorder is also increased in these children.

Tracing the Origins of Autism: A Spectrum of New Studies
http://www.ehponline.org/members/2006/114-7/focus.html
The etiology of a medical condition might seem an unlikely subject to arouse intense feelings. Yet few medical disorders have stirred up as much passion and divisiveness among scientists and the general public as autism has in recent years. The heat of the controversy has even attracted attention from periodicals such as The Wall Street Journal, the Columbia Journalism Review, and Wired magazine -- seemingly improbable forums for a medical debate. Why all the furor?

Lung Function in Children Inversely Tied to Carbon in Macrophages
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060717222027.htm
The amount of carbon in airway macrophages is directly related to the amount found in air and inversely linked to lung function in children, according to a new report. The findings provide some of the strongest evidence to date that breathing air contaminated with particulate matter from fossil fuels is, in fact, harmful.

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Fact Sheet: What is Environmental Health?
http://www.niehs.nih.gov/oc/factsheets/pdf/e-health.pdf
This fact sheet, from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, gives an overview of the different aspects of environmental health.

Research: Health Effects of Dental Fillings in Children
http://www.nih.gov/news/research_matters/april2006/04282006dental.htm
Dentists have used silver-colored amalgam to fill cavities for more than 150 years. It’s made from a mix of silver, copper, zinc, and other metals held together like glue by mercury, which comprises about half the total weight of a filling. Worries about the safety of mercury have led 2 groups of scientists, supported by NIH’s National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, to conduct the first-ever randomized clinical trials to evaluate the safety of amalgam fillings in children’s teeth.
 

Featured Publication: A Citizen's Guide to Radon: The Guide to Protecting Yourself and Your Family From Radon
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/pubs/citguide.html
You can't see radon. And you can't smell it or taste it. But it may be a problem in your home. Radon is estimated to cause many thousands of deaths each year. That's because when you breathe air containing radon, you can get lung cancer. In fact, the Surgeon General has warned that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States today. Only smoking causes more lung cancer deaths. If you smoke and your home has high radon levels, your risk of lung cancer is especially high.

Environment-Friendly Program: Greener Computers and Monitors Will Soon Hit the Market
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/68b5f2d54f3eefd28525701500517fbf/

4cb4e905e82ac61f852571b5006311b7!OpenDocument
More environmentally friendly computer equipment will soon be available to large volume purchasers thanks to manufacturers like Dell, HP, and others that now have products that meet the Electronic Products Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) standard. EPEAT-registered computer products have reduced levels of cadmium, lead, and mercury to better protect human health, and are easier to upgrade and recycle, in addition to meeting the government's Energy Star guidelines for energy efficiency.
 

Upcoming Event: International Conference on Mercury as a Global Pollutant
Dates/Location: August 6 - 11, 2006 in Madison, Wisconsin
Description: This is an international forum for formal presentation and discussion of scientific advances concerning environmental mercury pollution.
Description: For more information, visit http://www.mercury2006.org/Default.aspx?tabid=1435.

Upcoming Event: Fourth Biennial Scientific Symposium on Children's Health as Impacted by Environmental Contaminants
Dates/Location: September 16, 2006 in Cedar Creek, Texas
Description: This symposium will focus on the National Children's Study, the largest long-term study of human health ever conducted in the United States. Study researchers will follow 100,000 children from before birth to age 21, hoping to better understand how children's genes and their environments interact to affect their health and development. In the study, "environment" includes factors like air, water, food and house dust, as well as how children are cared for, the safety of their neighborhoods, and how often they see a doctor.
Contact: For more information, visit http://www.cehi.org/.

Upcoming Event: 2006 National Environmental Public Health Conference

Dates/Location: December 4 - 6, 2006 in Atlanta, Georgia
Description: The National Center for Environmental Health and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (NCEH/ATSDR), CDC, will host its seventh National Environmental Public Health Conference. The theme of the conference is “Advancing Environmental Public Health: Science, Practice, New Frontiers.”  The conference will bring together a cross-section of federal, state, tribal, and local, and international colleagues within the field of environmental public health and its allied professions.

Contact: For more information, visit http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/conference/index.htm

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The Learning Disabilities Association of Michigan is pleased to offer grants to 501(C) 3 non-profit organizations located in Michigan for educational programs/events/materials which will help inform key stakeholders of the existing and emerging science linking certain chemical exposures to learning, behavioral, and developmental disabilities. Priority will be given projects which target families and disability groups and/or promote action towards creating a healthier environment for all children. Grantees will be responsible for submitting a final project report, documentation of all expenditures, and copies of materials produced. Maximum award $400. Click here to download an application (PDF).

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Call toll free at 888-597-7809 or 517-485-8160
 

Email us at info@ldaofmichigan.org
 

Write to us at 200 Museum Dr. Ste. 101, Lansing, Michigan 48933

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For more information on The Learning Disabilities Association of Michigan's Healthy Children Project visit http://www.ldaofmichigan.org/healthychild.htm.

 
For more information on The Healthy Children Project visit http://www.healthychildrenproject.org/index.html.

 
For more information on the Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative, coordinated by the Institute for Children’s Environmental Health visit http://www.iceh.org/LDDI.html. To join the the Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative (LDDI), please complete the form at http://www.iceh.org/LDDImembers.html.

 
For more information on The Beldon Fund visit http://www.beldon.org/.

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