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. 

Protect Children from Toxic Toys
http://www.healthymichigan.net/eaction.html
Hazardous and untested chemicals don’t belong in toys and other children’s products when safer alternatives are available. Take action today. Tell candidates for the Michigan State House that you support the Healthy Michigan, Healthy Kids platform. Sign the postcard by visiting http://www.healthymichigan.net/eaction.html and urge your House of Representatives candidates to protect Michigan’s kids and Michigan’s economy.

Chemical Industry to Fight New Proposal
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0908/13548.html
The chemical industry lobby is gearing up to fend off a broad legislative overhaul that marks a significant shift in the way that chemicals are regulated in America. The push for chemical reform comes after this summer’s revamping of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Now, health advocates hope that success, which introduced the so-called precautionary principle into U.S. chemical regulation, will pave the way for an even more far-reaching overhaul next year.

Restrict the Use of Lindane! Take Action - Support HB 4569
http://www.mnceh.org/take.lindane.hb4569senate.php
Please take action to support HB 4569 to protect children and the Great Lakes from lindane, a pesticide that is banned for use in 53 countries and is no longer used in the U.S. on pets, in agriculture, or in the military. Currently, lindane can be applied directly to children's heads or bodies in Michigan to treat head lice or scabies. HB 4569 would allow use of lindane only in a doctor's office under a doctor's direct supervision. HB 4569 passed the House by a more than 2 to 1 margin (72-35) with bi-partisan support and is currently awaiting action in the Senate Health Policy Committee, chaired by Senator Tom George. Send an e-mail to your Senator and to Senator George asking them to pass this important bill immediately!
 

Stop the Next PCBs
http://www.mnceh.org/campaigns.flame.php
Fighting fires shouldn't have toxic consequences. Unfortunately, some of the flame-retardants added to products from furniture to TVs to mattresses may do just that. One of the worst and most common of these chemicals is deca-BDE, which is structurally similar to PCBs, chemicals once favored by industry but ultimately banned in the 1970s because of their toxicity and because they build up in people and wildlife. Fortunately, leading companies in Michigan and beyond are using safer, affordable, and effective alternatives. The Michigan House is currently debating HB 4465, which would phase out deca-BDE in products where these alternatives are already in widespread use: TVs, computers, mattresses & upholstered furniture. Please take action now to support this bill and ensure that fighting fires doesn't have toxic consequences. Take Action!
 

Bisphenol A Linked to Diabetes, Heart Disease in Humans
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/bisphenol-a-linked-to-diabetes-heart-disease-in-humans
People exposed to higher levels of a chemical in plastic food and beverage containers are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease and diabetes, according to a new scientific study published today. The research – the first large-scale study of bisphenol A in human beings – adds to evidence from animal tests that the compound may be contributing to an array of diseases and other health problems.
 

Excerpts from the Michigan Interdepartmental Toxics Steering Group Report on PBDEs (Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers)
The following statements are excerpted from “Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers: A Scientific Review with Risk Characterization and Recommendations,” a May 2008 report from the state’s Interdepartmental Toxics Steering Group. The full report is available at www.michigan.gov/documents/deq/deq-tox-PBDEBackground_Paper-5-08_243976_7.pdf

5 Tips: Keeping Fire Retardants Out of Your Kids
http://www.enviroblog.org/2008/09/fire-retardants-toddlers-have.htm

1. Inspect foam items and replace any with ripped covers or mishapen/breaking down foam.

2. Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter.

3. Don't reupholster foam furniture.

4. Carefully remove old carpet because the padding may contain PBDEs.

5. Have small children wash their hands frequently so they put clean hands in their mouths!

New Fact Sheet: Industrial Carcinogens: A Cause for Concern
 

CHE Partnership Call: From Lab to Law: The Phthalates Ban, the Precautionary Principle, and How New Science Becomes New Policy

How do REACH and the phthalates ban fit into a larger movement toward the precautionary approach? What constitutes "proof of harm" in light of emerging knowledge about the complexity of disease causation? Just how does new science become new policy? This call is now available for download as an mp3 at: http://www.healthandenvironment.org/partnership_calls/4236.

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Study: Northeastern, West Coast Women Have High Mercury Levels
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/northeastern-pacific-coast-women-have-highest-mercury-levels
Women in the Northeast are contaminated with the highest concentrations of mercury in the United States, with one of every five exceeding levels considered safe for fetuses, according to a new national study. The study, led by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency scientist Kathryn R. Mahaffey, is the first regional look at mercury concentrations in women of childbearing age. Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that accumulates in fish and seafood. When babies are exposed to high concentrations of mercury in the womb, their brains may develop abnormally, impairing learning abilities and reducing IQ. Nationwide, one of every ten women—nearly 7 million women—exceeded the mercury concentration that may pose a risk to fetuses, according to the new report, published online in Environmental Health perspectives on Aug. 25.

Lead: Celebrate its Ban, but Don't Cross it Off Your List
http://www.enviroblog.org/2008/09/lead-celebrate-its-ban-but-don.htm
"Like many parents, I spent a lot of last year feeling outraged by the (literally) 45 million toy recalls, especially the lead paint. It seemed like every day I read about another contaminated children’s product. Lead is a known neurotoxin to young children that was banned 30 years ago for residential use in the U.S., yet here it was, topping my ‘avoid it’ list 30 years later. Huh?"

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Teleconference: Environmental Contaminants and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

AAIDD’s Environmental Health Initiative (EHI) is proud to announce the next teleconference in our Research and Science teleconference series, sponsored by the John Merck Fund, and presented by Daniel A. Axelrad. This event will take place on October 7, 2008 from 2-3 p.m. EST. The PowerPoint will be available to view or print the week of the teleconference, at www.ehinitiative.org.

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.

Candidates running for the Michigan House of Representatives are responding enthusiastically and endorsing the Healthy Michigan, Healthy Kids platform. We need your help! Please encourage candidates running in your district to sign the Healthy Michigan, Healthy Kids platform. You can send candidates an online postcard right now. Visit http://www.healthymichigan.net/eaction.html to send a postcard to candidates in your district.

If you are a Michigan House candidate, and you haven’t already, we hope that you will show your support for protecting Michigan’s children by signing and returning this platform, and integrating its message throughout your campaign. It’s time to protect kids from toxic toys! If you have questions about Healthy Michigan, Healthy Kids please visit http://www.healthymichigan.net/.

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Students Invited to Create "Green Solutions" in National Middle School Sustainability Challenge; Deadline: March 15, 2009
http://wecanchange.com/
Middle school students across the United States are invited to submit their solutions to environmental problems in their com- munities for the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge, a national sustainability education initiative. The Siemens Foundation (http://www.siemens-foundation.org/en/), Discovery Education (http://www.discoveryeducation.com/), and the National Science Teachers Association (http://nsta.org/) have partnered for this initiative to educate, empower, and engage students, teachers, and communities to become "agents of change" in improving their community. Student teams from sixth through eighth grade, under the mentorship of a teacher or adult supervisor, can register for the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge.

Download the August 2008 Healthy Children News which appears in the Fall 2008 Edition of the Learning Disabilities Association of Michigan Newsletter.

Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative (LDDI) Publishes Policy Consensus Statement
http://www.iceh.org/pdfs/LDDI/LDDIStatement.pdf

The Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative has developed a policy consensus statement on environmental agents associated with neurodevelopmental This policy statement is based on the scientific consensus statement that LDDI published earlier this year and details specific policy initiatives to be taken to protect children from exposures that are associated with learning and developmental disabilities.

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.

New Document: Hormone Disruptors and Women's Health
 
New Report: Shaping Our Legacy: A Report from the 2007 UCSF-CHE Summit on Reproductive 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.

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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