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Use of Potentially Harmful Chemicals
Kept Secret Under Law
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/03/AR2010010302110.html
Of the 84,000 chemicals in commercial
use in the United States -- from flame retardants in furniture to
household cleaners -- nearly 20 percent are secret, according to the
Environmental Protection Agency, their names and physical properties
guarded from consumers and virtually all public officials under a
little-known federal provision.
Toxic Dust from Tar Travels into
Homes
http://news.discovery.com/earth/toxic-dust-coal-tar-sealant.html
Could we literally be walking toxic compounds right into our
homes? Find out here.
Even Low Exposure to Lead Poses Risk
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10007/1026424-114.stm
Recent research shows that lead exposure, long known to be
dangerous to children, is also hazardous for adults and even
low-level exposure can cause significant health risks. According to
a review of studies in the December Journal of Environmental Health,
adult health impacts are occurring at lead exposure levels far below
those regulated by the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration's standards, and those standards, set in 1978, are no
longer protective of human health.
Sesame Street Goes Green at 40; But
Some Environmental Topics "Too Scary" for Preschool Audience
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/11/091109-sesame-street-google-images-michelle-obama-40.html
Sesame Street celebrated its 40th anniversary in November. The
40th-anniversary season premiere kicked off a two-year,
environmental "curriculum" called "My World is Green and Growing."
But don't look for hot-button issues such as global warming on
preschooler-oriented show—no matter how many sunny days may be
sweeping the clouds away. "Global warming and deforestation—those
are really adult concepts, and it's just too scary for children,"
said Rosemarie Truglio, vice president of research and education at
Sesame Workshop, the New York City-based nonprofit that produces
Sesame Street. "The place we're coming from is, 'Let's love and care
for the Earth, because it's so beautiful, and we appreciate its awe
and wonder, and we're going to respect it.'"
New CHE Resource: Climate Change and
Children's Health
http://www.healthandenvironment.org/working_groups/childrens_health/climate
With several recent
reports and statements regarding the impact of climate change on
health, CHE's Initiative on Children's Environmental Health (ICEH)
is pleased to provide a new resource page on climate change and
children's health. This page lays out why children are especially
vulnerable, what health impacts may be caused or exacerbated by
climate change and actions that we can take as individuals and as
groups. A resources section also links to additional information.
Maryland Advocates Push to Speed
Phase-out of Flame Retardant
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bal-md.fireretardant04jan04,0,5091472.story
Maryland advocates for a ban on a toxic flame retardant that
accumulates in the environment and has been linked to cancer and
brain development problems intend to pursue an earlier phaseout of
the chemical than the timeline currently spelled out in a recent
federal agreement. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
announced last month that the three largest manufacturers and
importers of decabromodiphenyl ether, also known as decaBDE, had
negotiated a pact to phase out the chemical, used in upholstery,
mattresses, electronics and more, by 2013.
Australia: Unsafe Toys Seized and
Crushed
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/unsafe-toys-seized-and-crushed-20100107-lvj0.html
Thousands of toys have been seized and crushed in Victoria to stop
them from being sold to children. About 30,000 toys have been deemed
unsafe because of excessive levels of lead or small breakable parts
that could choke a child.
New Ad Campaign Touts 'Made in China'
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2010-01-07-made-in-china-products_N.htm
Tainted toothpaste, drugged catfish, lead-painted Elmos, poison
pet food. Scandals involving Chinese-made products have ordinary
people here worried that a bad reputation threatens to derail their
status as No. 1 exporter in the world. So what to do? Call in
Madison Avenue.
Autism Clusters Found in CA, Linked
to Highly Educated Parents
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/autism-clusters
California scientists have identified clusters of autism, largely in
the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas, where children are twice as
likely to have autism as children in surrounding areas. The 10
clusters were found mostly among children with highly educated
parents, leading researchers to report that they probably can be
explained by better access to medical experts who diagnose the
disorder. Because of the strong link to education, the researchers
from University of California at Davis said the new findings do not
point to a localized source of pollution, such as an industry, near
the clusters. “I suspect access to services plays the major role,”
said Irva Hertz-Picciotto, senior author of the study published
Tuesday in the journal Autism Research. They added, however, that
there could be other reasons why higher-educated parents lead to
more autism, including environmental exposures, such as chemicals
from consumer products. For more articles on this topic, see
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/archives.jsp?sm=&tn=0lede&tv=autism&ss=1.
EPA Strengthens Dioxin Cleanup Goals
http://michiganmessenger.com/32699/epa-strengthens-dioxin-cleanup-goals
As promised last summer, the U.S. Environmental Protection agency
has announced new, more stringent rules for cleanup of dioxin, a
highly toxic byproduct of the chemical manufacturing process that
has contaminated the Saginaw River watershed. In a New Year’s Eve
announcement EPA called for public comments on a plan to change the
preliminary remediation goals for dioxin in residential soil from
the current federal level of 1,000 parts per trillion (ppt) to 72
ppt.
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