UPDATE no. 56   Dear member of INCHES, In this update:   News Call for factsheets News from Africa and Canada   Articles          Conferences   Reports   Interesting website     News   Call for factsheets We received quite a few factsheets or links to factsheets on the internet. These factsheets are mainly in the english language. We are calling members to send their available factsheets in other languages to be added to the database we are forming. So again, INCHES is calling all its members to send factsheets about any item on children’s environmental health. They could be in any language, ranging from lead poisoning, asthma, allergies, chemical, ventilation at school, etc. We are trying to build a very complete overview which we also share with the HECA network. So please send you electronic version or hard copy to the INCHES address: INCHES, pobox 163, 6950 AD Dieren, the Netherlands, or use this email of the update for your reply. Thanks very much in advance. Please try not to postpone your assistance as we would like to have a very substantial database of factsheets available in the next month for everyone. ---------------------- Exceptions in new EPA rules would allow testing pesticides on children http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-te.testing14sep14,1,2719340.story News from Africa LEADED petrol is to be phased out in Uganda by December 31, 2005. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development is promoting the importation of unleaded fuel. "Government has discussed the phasing out of leaded petrol with oil companies. We reaffirm our position to phase out leaded fuel by the end of this year," says state minister for energy Michael Werikhe. The minister says one of the reasons for phasing out leaded petrol is its health hazard to both human beings and the environment. It leads to the metabolic, neurological and developmental damage to the body. Lead is extremely toxic and has been shown to interfere with the nervous system development and causing mental impairment, especially in children. Children are susceptible to lead poisoning because they are likely to get contaminated dirt on their hands that they eventually ingest. Impoverished and undernourished children are especially at risk because their bodies absorb more lead if they do not get sufficient levels of other mineral nutrients like calcium. The severity of the effects of lead exposure increases with increased exposure. Even low levels of exposure begin to impact the IQ and brain development of children hence leading to behavioural and learning difficulties. Lead accumulates in the liver, kidneys and bones. It has been linked to increased frequency of miscarriages, while babies of pregnant women exposed to lead are more likely to be born prematurely or having low birth-weight. Leaded fuel is already banned in many parts of the world. Countries like the US have seen dramatic decrease in the level of lead in children's blood that correlates directly with the elimination of use of leaded petroleum. Lead has been a source of pollution for centuries. It accumulates in the human body as a result of exposure to contaminated air, water and foods as well as to lead dust in the air. The most significant source of lead is dust-old-lead paint, which threatens the health of children. Lead can become air-borne in the home when lead-based paint is improperly removed from surfaces by scrapping, sanding or open-flame burning. Lead-dust from contaminated soil tracked into the house can also cause high levels of airborne lead. At high levels, lead can cause convulsions, coma, or even death. Lower levels can adversely affect the brain, the central nervous system, blood cells and kidneys. Infants and children are especially vulnerable because lead is more easily absorbed into their bodies. Harmful effects of lead in infants and children include delays in physical and mental development. Werikhe says lead also damages catalytic converters, which are meant to clean vehicle exhaust gas emissions. "But when exporting vehicles to areas that still use leaded fuel, the catalytic converter is removed." Thus, the vehicles continue to pollute the space, water, soils, rocks, plants and animal making it hard for catalytic converters in cars to combat other environmental concerns such as global warming. Lead (Tetraithyllead) is an additive added to fuel at the refinery stage to prevent pre-ignition and help engines run more smoothly. The smooth running gives it the anti-knock property (endurance) of the engine. It also provides lubrication to the older engines manufactured prior to 1980. The valve seats were made of material that is corroded by repeated knock of the valves during engine running. The lead acted as a lubricant on the valve seats to stop the corrosion. Lead is heavy metal and has been a pollutant for centuries. Studies of the Greenland ice cap indicate a 1,500% in the lead content today as compared to 800 B.C. These studies reveal that the first large increase occurred during the industrial revolution. And the second great increase occurred after the invention of automobile oil companies that added lead to gasoline to improve performance and burning gasoline is a major source of lead pollution. Another source of lead pollution is older paints. Prior to 1940, indoor and outdoor paints often contained lead. In May 2005, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the ministry of Energy and the United Nations Environment Programme to support the lead phase out programme. http://allafrica.com/stories/200509130251.html   News from Canada The Canadian Partnership for Children's Health and Environment (CPCHE) is pleased to announce the launch this week of three new educational resources. Child Health and the Environment -  A Primer is a 125 page, full-colour introduction to this large and vitally important issue. The Primer is summarized in an eight page brochure, Playing it Safe: Childproofing for Environmental Health. Both of these resources were developed in conjunction with a larger report by Toronto Public Health, Environmental Threats to Children: Understanding the Risks; Enabling Prevention. All three documents are being co-released on Thursday and will be posted to the CPCHE website at  http://www.healthyenvironmentforkids.ca> www.healthyenvironmentforkids.ca   Articles Going Organic Can Shield Children From Pesticides By Marla Cone A study finds benefits are 'immediate' and suggests that youths are exposed to the chemicals primarily through food, not spraying of homes. Switching to organic foods provides children "dramatic and immediate" protection from pesticides that are widely  used on a variety of crops, according to a study by a team of federally funded scientists. Concentrations of two organophosphate pesticides, malathion and chlorpyrifos,  declined substantially in the bodies of elementary school-age children during a five-day period when organic foods were substituted for conventional foods. The two chemicals are the most commonly used insecticides in U.S. agriculture. More than 2 million pounds were applied to California crops in 2003, according to records of the state Department of Pesticide Regulation. The health effects of exposure to minute amounts of pesticides found in food are largely unknown, especially for children. Some research, however, suggests that the residue may harm the developing nervous system. For 15 days, a team of environmental health scientists from the University of Washington, Emory University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tested the urine of 23 elementary school-age children in the Seattle area. During the first three days and last seven days, the children ate their normal foods. But during the middle five days, organic items were substituted for most of their diet, including fruits, vegetables, juices and wheat- and corn-based processed items such as cereal and pasta. Average levels of both pesticides in the children "decreased to the nondetect levels immediately after the introduction of organic diets and remained nondetectable until the conventional diets were reintroduced," the researchers reported Thursday in the online version of the scientific journal Environmental Health Perspectives. When they ate organic foods, the children on average had zero malathion detected in their urine, with a high of seven parts per billion in one child. But when the children returned to eating conventional foods, one child had as much as 263 parts per billion and the average increased to 1.6 parts per billion. For chlorpyrifos, the children had less than one part per billion when they ate organic foods, but the average increased fivefold as soon as they returned to their previous diet. The findings suggest that children are exposed to organophosphate chemicals mainly through food, not through spraying in homes or other sources. In 2001, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency banned most residential uses of chlorpyrifos but has left most agricultural uses unrestricted. Three other organophosphate pesticides that are not widely used on farms and are more highly restricted by the EPA were undetectable in most of the children, according to the study, directed by Emory's Chensheng Lu. "In conclusion," the researchers wrote, "we were able to demonstrate that an organic diet provides a dramatic and immediate protective effect against exposure to organophosphorus pesticides that are commonly used in agricultural production." Margaret Reeves, a staff scientist at the Pesticide Action Network North America, based in San Francisco, said the findings were "not surprising because we know that food is an important source of [organophosphate] exposure. Also, we know that these pesticides don't last very long in the body, and you can have a relatively quick response" to a diet change. Pesticide manufacturers say that while low levels of residue are detectable on many products, there is no evidence that children are harmed by them. They say that pesticides, which are the most highly tested and regulated chemicals in the United States, are vital to providing an affordable and plentiful world food supply. But Reeves said the children's study "is a pretty strong argument that [organic food] is a good way to go, if you have access to it and can afford it." Organic foods can be expensive and sometimes difficult to find. But parents can minimize their children's exposure if they substitute organic products for those that contain the most residue. Experts advise parents to wash produce and peel skins if they buy conventional foods, but for foods that cannot be peeled, such as grapes and strawberries, organic may be a wise choice. In the late 1990s, U.S. Department of Agriculture data showed that about 75% of foods sampled from conventionally grown crops contained pesticide residue, compared with 23% for organic products. The Consumers Union reported in 2000 that peaches, apples, pears, grapes, green beans, spinach, winter squash, strawberries and cantaloupe had the highest levels of pesticide residues. Those with few residues included bananas, broccoli, canned peaches, canned or frozen peas, canned or frozen corn, milk, orange juice, apple juice and grape juice. Thirty-five percent of peaches sampled by the USDA in 2003 contained traces of chlorpyrifos, and 26% of the celery in 2002 had malathion residue, according to the new study.                             Conferences: 3rd World Environmental Education Congress - Educational Paths towards Sustainability (Turin, Italy, 2-6 October 2005,) http://www.3weec.org/     The Government of Argentina, the World Health Organization, the Pan American Health Organization, and the Argentine Pediatric Society announce an international conference on children's environmental health, Healthy Environments Healthy Children: Increasing Knowledge and Taking Action, to take place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 14-16 November, 2005. Immediately following this conference will be a workshop sponsored by the World Health Organization and the International Programme on Chemical Safety, called Advances in the Use of Biomarkers in Children, 17-18 November. Limited financial assistance for travel and expenses may be available to professional scientific researchers conducting laboratory or epidemiology studies addressing children's environmental health who live in developing countries. To qualify for consideration, a 250 word abstract of research conducted and results found or anticipated must be submitted, in English, with the option to submit in both English and Spanish. Abstracts must be received by September 30, 2005, and can be submitted on the registration form in the conference website. The conference website, including the no-cost registration form and call for abstracts form, can be found at: http://www.paho.org/English/AD/SDE/RA/HealthyChildren.htm  (English) and http://www.paho.org/spanish/ad/sde/ra/NiñosSanos.htm  (Spanish).   Please share this information with others, especially those who might be interested in submitting abstracts, as the time limit for abstracts is approaching. Registration for both the conference and workshop is free but required. Registrations are accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis. Register now to secure your place! Feel free to contact me with any questions.       Reports No reports received.   Interesting website Please forward your website to share with our network members.