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UPDATE no.17 February 2002 INCHES
February 4, 2002 -The International Network on Children's Health, Environment and Safety
Dear member of INCHES,
In this update :
News items
Inter-American region
European region
African region
Eurasian region
Conferences
Children's Environmental Health Topics
INCHES network
The Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine in Lodz, Poland has provided INCHES with a candidate to work on issues related to the Network. Her name is Kinga Polanska, 26 years old, Master of Public Health and working since 2000 at the Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine at the Department of Environmental Epidemiology. She will be dealing with some of the network tasks
Health effects of noise on children and apperception of the risk of noise
Children's daily lives are full of noise, and children make noise themselves. High levels of noise are found in homes, day care, schools and discotheques. Noise in incubators is measured to be 80-90 db(A) with peaks up to 120 dB(A). Toys and tools can emit harmful noise, some exceeding 100 decibels.
Noise can adversely affect children. Infants reared in noisy homes manifest lower mastery scores on development tests. The most serious consequences of noise are hearing damage and tinnitus. Noise can also provoke a stress response in children that includes increased heart rate and increased hormone response. Noise can disrupt sleep and thus hinder needed restoration of the body and brain. Noise can negatively affect children's learning and language development, can disturb children's motivation and concentration and can result in reduced memory and in reduced ability to carry out more or less complex tasks.
The report gives an overview of the levels of noise in children's settings and an overview of the harmful effects of noise. The report also presents children's own perception of noise, and discusses what definitions of noise we could use in relation to children.
The project is supported by the European Commission by Grant Agreement no. SI2.143779 (99CVF2-601).
The partners in the project were:
Marie Louise Bistrup, Denmark ; Mario Cordeiro, Portugal ; Elsa Figueiredo, Portugal ; Peter van den Hazel, INCHES (the Netherlands); Staffan Hygge, Sweden; Lis Marie Keiding, Denmark; Henk Miedema, the Netherlands; Willy Passchier-Vermeer, the Netherlands
Health effects of noise on children and perception of the risk of noise
Edited by Marie Louise Bistrup; ISBN 87-7899-042-4, 116 pages
National Institute of Public Health ; Svanemøllevej 25; DK-2100 Copenhagen; Denmark
The report can be ordered by e-mail to: mlb@niph.dk (or niph@niph.dk)
Or by fax: + 45 39 20 80 10; Price: Postage and handling
The next issue of Teen Planet of UNEP will be printed soon. This issue will be focusing on Children's Environmental Health. It will also contain a section on INCHES and its Junior Board.
More in next update.
INCHES has launche another proposal to the EU within the Fifth Framework Program. The proposal is called: Policy Interpretation Network on Children's Health and Environment. It deals with translating research results (exposure assessment, epidemiology, toxicology, risk assesmment) into policy relevant recommendations. We hope this proposal will find enough support by the scientific reviewers to be funded. More news in the next update.
{Repeat message}
CHILDREN: General Assembly Special Session Rescheduled For May 2002
For the rescheduled U.N. General Assembly's special session on children, one of several meetings delayed by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, for May 8-10 in New York, we are seeking people who can represent INCHES during the meeting. The meeting, previously scheduled for Sept. 19-21, is a follow-up of the 1990 conference that set the guidelines for governments, interest groups and U.N. agencies to improve child education, healthcare and living conditions, with a particular focus on young girls and the poorest nations. The text of the governments is almost finished. Some paragraphs still need some consensus. The main activity for INCHES and its members will be representing children's environmental health issues at the many side events. Many organisations at the summit don't have a good idea about the environmental impact on children. We need to inform them!
If your organisation is planning to be at this summit and/or you want to represent INCHES at the summit, get in touch with Peter van den Hazel (pvdhazel@inter.nl.net) before the end of January.
As you might remember we had send in a description of our work and especially the formation of ajunior board to the Spirit of Lands Award, which is linked to the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. We received this answer with acknowledging our work.
Thank you for submitting information about your environmental education program. This year's selection was the biggest ever with 107 total applications from 17 countries and 25 US states. The quality of competition was outstanding and the panel of national and international judges had a very difficult time selecting the programs to be highlighted at the awards ceremony February 19th in Park City Utah. Your project was chosen to receive a certificate of Meritorious Achievement. This
certificate will be mailed to you in the next two weeks. We appreciate your efforts in environmental education and encourage you to continue providing excellent resources for building a sustainable future.
The EU is organizing the Green Week in april. At this week there will be stands of different organisations. INCHES will be having a stand there as well for the week. We offer the possibility of members of the Network to send us there promoting material which we could display at the stand during that week. The stands are free of charge so we wont charge any of you either.
The themes for the green week are: Environment and Children's Health; Sustainable Consumption and Production; The World Summit and NATURA. Any 3-D or animated exhibits are welcomed.
The first preparations are being made for the Third International Conference on Children's Environmental Health in Nairobi, Kenya. Any organisation that wishes to participate more actively in this organisation should contact someone of the INCHES committee through this email.
INCHES will be represented by several Coordination Committee members at the International Conference on Environmental Threats to the Health of Children: Hazards and Vulnerability; 3-7 March 2002, Bangkok, Thailand.
Peter van den Hazel will be one of the speakers at this conference. We hope it will improve the contacts for INCHES in this part of the world.
Conferences
The EU is organizing in April 2002 a special session within the GREEN WEEK 2002 : "Children's Health and Environment"
Monday 15 April Opening session 11:30 - 13:00
Launch WHO/EEA publication on CHE
Dr Marc Danzon, WHO Regional Director for Europe
Followed by a panel discussion
Policy : Jürgen Trittin (Environment Minister Germany)/Michael Martin (Health Minister Ireland)
Scientists : Dr. Giorgio Tamburlini/Dr. Philip Landrigan (Mount Sinai Hospital, NY)
NGO: Dr Gaudenz Silberschmidt, Secretary General of International Society of Doctors for the Environment ISDE
Commissioner Wallström : conclusions
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Application deadline for the 2002 International Children's Conference on the Environment (ICC) has been extended to the end of February 2002. The 2002 ICC will be held in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada from 21 - 25 May 2002.
The ICC provides children, 10-12 years, an opportunity to share experiences, voice concerns and join a global network to promote positive environmental action.
For further information, including an online application form, you may visit our website at <www.unep.org/children_youth> OR the organizers at <www.iccCanada2002.org>
Encourage children and schools in your locality to apply.
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Commission for Environmental Cooperation Meetings
Children's Health and the Environment in North America and JPAC regular session, 7-8 March in Mexico City
On behalf of the Expert Advisory Board on Children's Health and the Environment in North America and the Joint Public Advisory Committee (JPAC) of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), we would like to invite North American citizens to participate in a public meeting to be held at the Sheraton Maria Isabel Hotel on 7 March in Mexico City.
Guided by CEC Council Resolution 00-10, which stated that "children are not little adults and that there is abundant scientific evidence that children are particularly vulnerable to many environmental hazards in the air they breathe, the water they drink, the food they eat and the environment in which they live, learn, and play," the main objective of this meeting is to receive your comments on the draft cooperative agenda to better protect the health of North America's children from environmental threats.
In addition to the Expert Advisory Board and JPAC, this one-day meeting will also involve representatives from Canada, Mexico and the United States who are involved in activities related to children's health and the environment.
On the morning of 8 March, at the same location, the public is invited to attend the JPAC deliberations as observers. JPAC will hold its regular session to discuss several issues, including potential advice to Council on Children's Health and the Environment in North America, the evolving North American electricity market, matters related to Articles 14 and 15, the North American Fund for Environmental Cooperation (NAFEC), a follow-up on the Pollutant Release and Transfer Register Project and the next Council Session in June 2002. At the conclusion of the meeting, observers will have an opportunity to make comments.
Please find attached the registration form and the preliminary agenda for the JPAC Regular Session on 8 March. We will send you the draft cooperative agenda related to the public meeting on Children's Health and the Environment in North America as soon as it is available.
Registration and financial assistance Registration is free and on a first-come, first-served basis. To confirm your attendance at these meetings, please fill the registration form attached or send an e-mail to Jocelyne Morin at <jmorin@ccemtl.org>, including your name, title, organization, address, phone and fax numbers and e-mail address or complete and return the registration form that you will find on the web site. Once participants have registered, they will receive any documents relevant to these meetings.
Limited financial assistance is available for not-for-profit organizations and individuals who preregister. Please complete the appropriate section of the registration form. The deadline to submit a request for financial assistance is before 8 February 2002. The CEC was established by Canada, Mexico and the United States to build cooperation among the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners in implementing of the North America Agreement for Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC), the environmental side accord to NAFTA. The CEC addresses environmental issues of continental concern, with particular attention to the environmental challenges and opportunities presented by continent-wide free trade.
The Expert Advisory Board is nine-person panel composed of environment and health experts selected by the Parties to advise Council on issues concerning children's health and the environment in North America. JPAC is a 15-member, independent, volunteer body that provides advice and public input to Council on any matter within the scope of NAAEC.
For more information on these meetings, please contact:
Erica Phipps, Program Manager, Pollutants and Health; E-mail: ephipps@ccemtl.org
Manon Pepin, JPAC Liaison Officer; E-mail: mpepin@ccemtl.org
Commission for Environmental Cooperation; 393, rue St-Jacques Ouest, Bureau 200
Montréal (Québec) Canada H2Y 1N9;Tel: (514) 350-4300; Fax: (514) 350-4314
* Agenda for the JPAC Regular Session on 8 March 2002
http://www.cec.org/pubs_docs/documents/index.cfm?varlan=english&ID=564
* Registration form
http://www.cec.org/pubs_docs/documents/index.cfm?varlan=english&ID=566
Did you locate a possible sponsor? Do you a private sponsor? Can we mail some information on INCHES to one of your friends?
Any donations (or suggestions of possible donors) are welcome at bank account nr.: 526292490 ABN AMRO (swiftcode ABNANL 2A), Dieren, the Netherlands.
Children's Environmental Health Topics
In this paragraph we would like to place some items that are important for their contents. If anyone wishes to send in an abstract on any topic related to children's environmental health and safety, mail it to the email address of the update.
Study: Pollution May Cause Asthma Illness Affects 9 Million U.S. Children
By William Booth, Washington Post Staff Writer, Friday, February 1, 2002; Page A02
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 31 -- For the first time, researchers have shown that children who breathe heavily polluted air are much more likely to develop asthma, according to a decade-long study released today.
The scientists said the study is the strongest evidence yet that smog can not only aggravate existing childhood asthma, which has reached epidemic proportions among American youth, but may actually be one cause of the life-threatening disease.
Asthma is now the leading serious chronic illness among youth, afflicting about 9 million children, and it causes not only suffering, but millions of lost hours at school and at work for parents who must nurse sick kids. Asthma sufferers feel their lungs constrict and experience, during their episodes, each new breath as if drawn through a narrow straw.
"We've known for some time that smog can trigger attacks in asthmatics. This study has shown that ozone can cause asthma as well," said Alan Lloyd, chairman of the California Environmental Protection Agency's Air Resources Board, which sponsored the newly published research conducted by the University of Southern California. The study is being published in the current issue of the Lancet, a British medical journal.
The new findings could invigorate the debate in Washington over how quickly -- and how cleanly -- America's air should be scrubbed of pollutants such as ozone, nitrogen oxides and tiny particulate dust, all produced by the machinery of the modern world, from automobiles to power plants to backyard barbecues.
The Bush administration is reviewing standards for emissions from refineries and factories and other sources, and the White House and Congress are both being heavily lobbied by industries and environmentalists. Because of decades of stricter state and federal regulation, the air in the United States has steadily become cleaner, but in many cities, on many days, the government and health officials still consider the smog levels capable of making people sick. Researchers said today that their finding that active children can develop asthma applies not only to the Los Angeles region, but to other heavily polluted areas, such as Washington, Houston and Las Vegas.
During a news conference announcing the study results, California officials and the researchers agreed their study suggested that even as the air has gotten cleaner, "it has not sufficiently protected children's health," Lloyd said. "We still have a long way to go."
The study compared new asthma cases in 3,535 children who were followed over five years in 12 Southern California communities, though the youths are part of a longer 10-year study. Six of the communities enjoyed relatively clean skies and six experienced some of the dirtiest air in the nation. The researchers further focused their study on children who participated in active sports, which would require them to draw up to 17 times the "normal" amount of air sucked into the lungs of a child who
was relatively inactive.
The researchers followed children who played active sports such as soccer, basketball, baseball, tennis and swimming, for at least five years, starting at age 9. They found that 265 of the children were diagnosed with asthma during the study, and that those most likely to develop the disease were exercising in the most polluted cities. "This research suggests that contrary to conventional wisdom, ozone is involved in the causation of asthma," said Rob McConnell, associate professor of preventative medicine at the University of Southern California. McConnell and his colleagues said they attempted to sort out other risk factors for asthma, such as a family's income, smoking habits, pest infestations and histories of allergies and other ailments.
"Somewhat to our surprise, in low-ozone communities, we found no increased risk of asthma in children who played team sports," McConnell said. What they found was that the children who played the most active sports in the most polluted areas developed the most asthma. "The bottom line is this: Exercise is really healthy for children, for many reasons, and children should be encouraged to play team sports," McConnell said. "But on days when air pollution levels are expected to be high, children should limit prolonged outdoor exertion." The researchers suggested that parents in areas where the air is dirty monitor the air pollution forecasts and levels, and take appropriate action, such as stopping exercise and play.
© 2002 The Washington Post Company
Any reactions to this article?
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We are looking for some fact sheets on different children's environmental topics, like reducing risk from lead, risk from mercury, risk from pesticides, risk form solvents, risk from indoor air pollution, risk from environmental tobacco smoke. We would like to produce factsheets on these and other topics and have them translated in different languages. If your organisation has produced a fact sheet, please make it available to the network. We will try to have it translated and make it usuable for different countries. PLEASE MAIL your FACTSHEETS to: pvdhazel@inter.nl.net
We are also interested in powerpoint or similar presentations on these same topics. We are collecting them in order to put them on a CD for our members.
Last updated 05 June 2002
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