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, the Michigan Network for Children's Environmental Health website, and the Institute for Children's Environmental Health with support from the Beldon Fund. 

Health Risks Stack Up for Students Near Industrial Plants
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/school-air1.htm
The growl of air-monitoring equipment has replaced the chatter of children at Meredith Hitchens Elementary School in this Cincinnati suburb along the Ohio River. School district officials pulled all students from Hitchens three years ago, after air samples outside the building showed high levels of chemicals coming from the plastics plant across the street. The levels were so dangerous that the Ohio EPA concluded the risk of getting cancer there was 50 times higher than what the state considers acceptable.
 

Toxins Can Affect Kids, Adults Differently
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/school-air-chemicals.htm
Outside almost every school in the country, the model used by USA TODAY indicates the presence of at least one or two chemicals capable of causing a variety of ailments. Whether the chemicals could cause harm depends on which are in the air and at what levels.

HealthyToys.org Launches Updated Database of Toys

http://www.healthytoys.org/

HealthyToys.org includes test results for more than 1,500 toys and children’s products. This site is a first step in providing parents, grandparents, and others who care about children with the information they need to make better choices when purchasing toys and other children’s products.

Editorial: Children Need Protection From Imported Toxic Toys
http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2008/12/01/opinion/doc4933b4ca6ce3a534306887.txt
Amid all the hoopla over our recent federal, state and local elections, one consumer advocacy group feels somewhat forgotten. “Many in the media have neglected to address the mounting number of toy and children's products that still contain toxic chemicals,” says a recent press advisory from Healthy Michigan, Healthy Kids. The release continues that “with the Christmas holiday upon us, this issue is again looming ominously over all of us. Fortunately, this issue has not escaped the attention of the candidates who ran for the Michigan House or Michigan voters. Noting that 54 members of the recently elected Michigan House have pledged their support, the group is pushing a package of bills it refers to as “Safe Children's Product.”

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One in Three Children's Toys Tested by www.HealthyToys.org Found to have Significant Levels of Toxic Chemicals Including Lead, Flame Retardants, and Arsenic
http://www.healthytoys.org/press.releases.php
Some products on shelves this holiday season will be illegal to sell in February 2009; Environmental health groups hold toy testing events nationwide and urge manufacturers and government to phase out most harmful chemicals immediately.

Vendors Urge Relaxed Lead-Safety Rule
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122696993087535701.html
Manufacturers and retailers of children's products are asking the government to relax a requirement that they stop selling any inventory that doesn't meet tough new lead standards, beginning Feb. 10.

Milwaukee Loses Appeal in Lead Paint Lawsuit
http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2008/11/25/milwaukee_loses_appeal_in

_lead_paint_lawsuit/
The District 1 Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 the evidence was sufficient to uphold a jury's ruling that NL Industries Inc. does not have to pay the city costs of cleaning up the inner-city homes. The city sought $52.6 million for the program, which spanned 1992 to 2006 and involved replacing old windows. The Milwaukee County jury ruled last year the widespread presence of lead paint in Milwaukee homes was a public nuisance, but NL Industries did not "intentionally and unreasonably engage in conduct" that caused it and was not negligent.

Push to Replace Mercury Thermometers is Going Global
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/push-to-replace-mercury-thermometers-is-going-global
Old mercury thermometers have just about vanished in the U.S. and Europe. But they remain in many other countries. Now, a new global effort, part of a UNEP program to reduce mercury emissions, is spreading the word about viable alternatives for health care.

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The Autism Society of America Publishes New Online Course on Autism and Environmental Health
http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer?pagename=research_envirohealth
The Autism Society of America is pleased to announce the release of its newest online course, “Autism and the Environment 101.” Sponsored by the John Merck Fund, this introductory-level course was designed to give individuals with autism spectrum disorders, parents, other family members, physicians, educators or anyone affected by autism a general overview of the links between environmental toxins and autism.
 

The Campaign for Smokefree Air

The Campaign for Smokefree Air (CSA) is a grassroots coalition committed to creating smokefree workplaces in Michigan. CSA is currently working to pass legislation to Make MI Air Smokefree. If you want to receive updates from CSA, please visit http://www.makemiairsmokefree.com/.

Healthy Michigan Healthy Kids Campaign

Lead, mercury, arsenic and other toxic chemicals simply don’t belong in kids’ products. But as the nearly 5 million children’s product recalls for lead in the first seven months of 2008 demonstrate, our national system for protecting children from toxic products has failed. It’s time for Michigan’s leaders to take action.

• Download the Healthy Michigan, Healthy Kids Platform at http://www.healthymichigan.net/documents/HMP_Signon_6.17.08.pdf (pdf).

• Download Toxic Chemicals, Healthy and Economy - A Guide For Candidates at http://www.healthymichigan.net/documents/safer-candguide_4.08-05.pdf (pdf).

The Healthy Michigan, Healthy Kids platform calls for Michigan to follow the lead of other states and countries by taking commonsense steps to protect Michigan’s children from toxic chemicals in children’s products by: eliminating added lead, mercury and arsenic; giving the public the right to know what other high-priority toxics are in kids’ products; and encouraging “Green Chemistry” and safer product development in Michigan. If you have questions about Healthy Michigan, Healthy Kids please visit http://www.healthymichigan.net/.

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Childhood Obesity Antidote: A Walk to School
http://www.glrc.org/story.php3?story_id=4259
Kids in big cities often live close to school, so you'd think walking to school would be an easy solution to cutting childhood obesity. But some parents worry about traffic, abduction, or gangs so much, they stuff their kids in the car instead. Shawn Allee met some groups who want parents to overcome that fear and let kids burn more calories.
 

Subscribe to "Toxic Times"

http://www.mnceh.org/toxictimes/news.php

"Toxic Times" is a weekly recap of the top stories on toxics from the Michigan Network for Children's Environmental Health.

CHE Partnership Calls

http://www.healthandenvironment.org/news/calls

You can also listen to previous calls, download documentation and view call blogs at this website.

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:

• October 20, 2008 - "Environmental Threats to Healthy Aging"

• September 25, 2008 - "From Lab to Law: The Phthalates Ban, the Precautionary Principle, and How New Science Becomes New Policy"

• September 4, 2008 - "The Future of Cancer: Primary Prevention, the President's Cancer Panel, and the New CHE Cancer Consensus Statement"

LDA of Michigan's Healthy Children Project Offering Conference Co-Sponsorships

http://www.ldaofmichigan.org/conf.cosponsorships.pdf

LDA would like to co-sponsor up to three (3) statewide conferences of 501(c)3 non-profit organizations which are dedicated to children’s health issues and family memberships. Those selected will receive $500 from the LDA HCP to help support their overall conference. To learn more, download the PDF information sheet and Microsoft Word application form.

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

Email us at jackie.igafoteo@ldaofmichigan.org
 

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

To subscribe to the Healthy Children Project e-Newsletter, send a blank email to healthychildrenproject-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
 
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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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