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UPDATE no 36 January 2003 INCHES
2003 - The International Network on Children's Health,
Environment and Safety
Dear member of INCHES,
In this update:
New members
News items:
PINCHE
Study links early adult deaths to lead - 30 million in U.S. could be at risk
CHILDREN'S ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH ISSUE
Upcoming Conferences
Detailed Information
INCHES funding
New member:
Center for Children's Rights (CCR)
CCR's work falls into four categories: Identifying children’s needs through conducting research, proposing solutions through workshops/seminars/conferences and trainings, fighting for change and raising awareness and advocacy
Contact person: Ahmed Roble: centerforchildrights@yahoo.com
People’s Empowerment Organisation
People's Empowerment Organisation is a non-profit organisation registered under the Indian Trust Act 1882 as an working NGO in the state of Manipur, India.Established in the year 1999 to Empower the people of the region through Advocacy and Networking in the field of Health and Environment and other social welfare activities.
Objective:
a) to promote the health of the people by taking up health care and promotion programme, projects like Reproductive health, drug de-addiction centre ,Hiv/Aids control programme and such other communicable as well as vulnerable diseases.
b) to afford and support on building up forestry and other environmental mobilization.
c) to organise seminars, conferences, workshops, tours exhibitions, social health and legal literacy camp for promoting unity, peace harmony, progress and development of the people and the society.
d) to take up such other social welfare programmes and projects from time to time as resolved by the managing committee in collaboration with the Governments and other related agencies.
e) to receive donations contributions, grants and loans for the furtherance of the objective from central and state governments, well wishers funding agencies.
Contact person: Vikram Singh Laishram (Secretary General): peo.org@rediffmail.com
Youth in Focus Foundation-Kenya
Youth in Focus Foundation-Kenya organises youth forums, trains youth on human rights, advocacy, leadership, HIV prevention, gender environment protection & conservation and conducts exchange programs
Contact person: Bikundo Onyari: yiff2000@yahoo.com
Youth and Development Organisation
Contact person: Augustine Zhanje Yid@worldassemblyofyouth.org
McMaster Institute of Environment and Health (McMaster University)
Mission Statement
-To mobilize research expertise to study and unravel the complex interactions of environments and health; to promote interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral approaches to assessing research needs and to designing and carrying out research programs; and to effectively communicate research results to appropriate audiences.
-To facilitate education in environment and health for our communities, colleagues and a broad range of students; from local to global, and undergraduate to post-professional.
-To serve decision makers, policy makers, stakeholders and the public in all sectors of society through consulting, advising and sharing expertise on environmental health issues.
Contact person: Luce Lavigne (Administrator): lavignl@mcmaster.ca
News items:
PINCHE
The Policy Interpretation Network on Children’s Health and Environment (PINCHE), a EU-funded project (QLK4- 2002-02395) has started in January. This three year project has been initiated by INCHES. The project will look at studies done on Children’s Health and Environment issues in the fields of air pollution, noise, carcinogens and neurotoxicants. Those studies will be evaluated on their exposure assessment, epidemiology, toxicology and risk assessment merits. Also looking at the socio-economic impact on children’s health, the project finally will produce policy relevant recommendations. More news on this project will be delivered in this INCHES update.
Study links early adult deaths to lead - 30 million in U.S. could be at risk
By Ronald Kotulak Chicago Tribune science reporter -December 27, 2002
Lead is the No. 1 environmental health hazard for children, but a new study indicates that more than 30 million American adults may be at risk of premature death because of past exposure to the metal.
The study, reported in the current issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, found that people who had elevated blood levels of lead early in life have a 46 percent increased rate of mortality from all causes later on, indicating that children may carry a legacy of lead toxicity as they grow older. Children are especially vulnerable to lead's effects, and it has long been known that lead can cause mental retardation in those exposed to relatively modest levels. But once children reached adulthood it was thought they would be more resistant to the damage. Experts say the findings not only underscore the importance of enforcing laws regulating the removal of lead paint from older houses, where children can ingest lead in dust and paint chips, but also suggest that federal standards for the amount of lead adult workers can have in their blood may be set dangerously high. "This is a very important new study," said Dr. Peter Orris, director of the Occupational Health Services Institute at the University of Illinois at Chicago. "It indicates that there is increased cardiovascular and cancer mortality in adults at blood lead levels we haven't been concerned about before."
The research also sheds light on the reason African-Americans--who tend to be exposed to more lead in the environment--have significantly increased rates of some diseases, especially high blood pressure, which has been linked to elevated lead levels. Lead's danger to children led to the gradual elimination of leaded gasoline and lead paint, the two major sources of lead in the environment. Lead was banned from residential paint in 1978, and leaded gasoline was phased out by 1986. Blood lead levels have since plummeted dramatically. But for people in their late 30s and older who were exposed to much higher levels of lead before the bans, the heavy metal now poses a serious threat to their lives, said Ellen Silbergeld of Johns Hopkins University, who headed the study. "This is a study of people who had prior elevated lead exposures, as most of us did: people who were born before 1975 and grew up under conditions where we had blood lead levels that were substantially within the range that we're associating with these later risks," she said. Her findings show that people who had elevated blood lead levels--although still below those currently considered safe in industry--had a significantly higher rate of death, especially from heart disease, than people who had much lower blood levels.
"Lead's effects are leveraged through many different organ systems," said Dr. Howard Hu, professor of occupational and environmental medicine at the Harvard School of Public Health. "When you put it all together, lead is probably having a very real public health impact," said Hu, whose studies showed that lead exposure can cause high blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart disease. "It's not just organ dysfunction. It's not just subclinical kidney function. It's a real effect on mortality." Unlike iron, zinc, chromium and selenium, lead serves no known useful purpose in the body. It stubbornly settles in bone, brain and other tissue--remaining there for many decades--to block nerve cell communication, disrupt heart rhythm, reduce artery elasticity and interfere with genetic functions.
High levels of lead have been found in the bones of ancient Romans, who used lead widely, including to line drinking water pipes and to sweeten wine. Because long-term lead exposure can affect not only the heart but also the central nervous system, reproductive system, kidneys and blood-forming function, some experts say the accumulated effects could have weakened the Roman population over time, contributing to the decline of the empire. Recent research shows that chronic elevated lead levels, such as from a workplace environment, can lead to mental deterioration later in adulthood as well as reduced nerve control of muscles. Silbergeld's study involved more than 20,000 people nationwide, dating back to 1976, and accounted for other risk factors such as age, sex, smoking, weight, education, neighborhood, exercise and income. She found that people who had blood lead levels of 20 to 29 micrograms per deciliter in the '70s had nearly a 50 percent increased death rate over those whose lead levels were below 10. "We would estimate between 16 and 19 percent of deaths due to cardiovascular disease can be attributed to lead exposure," Silbergeld said.
In 1978 the average lead level in the U.S. population was 14 micrograms, and about 15 percent of the population--or 29 million people--had levels in the range of 20 to 29 micrograms or above, Silbergeld said. These are the people who still bear the toxic lead burden and should be tested for early signs of high blood pressure and other problems, she said. Effective treatments are available for many of these conditions, she added. Currently, an estimated 1.7 million people, primarily workers exposed to lead on the job, have readings of 20 to 29. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration permits blood lead levels in workers of 30 micrograms per deciliter. OSHA limits a worker's exposure to the job site when levels reach 40 micrograms and requires removal from the job at 50. "Since we're seeing elevations in deaths at the current OSHA standards, that suggests that our current occupational health standards for lead are not protective," Silbergeld said. Hu agreed: "The conclusion is clear. The current occupational lead standards are out of date and should be lowered."
Recently, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommended that occupational lead exposure be limited to less than 25 micrograms. Blood lead levels for the average person in the U.S. are now about 3 micrograms per deciliter, but they are much higher in certain pockets, such as inner city older housing where children and adults are exposed to lead-based paint. Eighty percent of houses built before 1978 contain lead paint. Although local, state and federal agencies have programs to remove lead from homes, those in the poorest neighborhoods still have the highest levels. As a result, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 30 percent of children living in inner cities have high lead levels. The CDC estimates that about 1 million children have lead levels of 10 or above, which increases their risk of developing learning disabilities and behavior problems. Part of the reason that African-Americans have higher rates of high blood pressure and heart disease may be that they are exposed to higher levels of lead beginning in infancy, Silbergeld said. "These are past exposures that are conferring a current and future risk of heart disease," she said. "The stage can be set for cardiovascular problems, such as hypertension, later in life by events that occur early in life, and lead might be one of those events for some people."
CHILDREN'S ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH ISSUES
As the new year begins, many U.S. agencies and organizations are anticipating that children's environmental health issues will draw significant attention in 2003. Advocates see a windfall: protection of children, one of the most vulnerable population groups, will result in better health protection for everyone. But critics are concerned that protection of vulnerable populations will result in overly restrictive environmental regulations for everyone else. This issue has been shaping up for more than a decade, with developments in recent months sharpening debates: The pesticide industry is actively working with EPA to limit who may speak at an EPA-funded conference designed to educate health care professionals and others about pesticides, a topic that many experts are identifying as particularly important for children. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) is trying to limit the industry's influence: "Pesticide Industry Attempts to Veto Speakers from EPA-funded Conference."
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry dedicated the entire Fall 2002 issue of its revamped quarterly publication, Public Health and the Environment, to children's environmental health issues. Included is a lengthy list of pertinent government, professional, and advocacy organizations. The agency has expanded its Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit program to Canada and Mexico, is updating its toxicological profiles to incorporate information about developmental toxicity, and is continuing numerous site-specific investigations. (contact ATSDR: Elaine McEachern, + 1 404-498-0070).
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has given the topic its own Web site. For years, NIEHS has published children's environmental health studies in its journal, Environmental Health Perspectives. Recent studies address transplacental exposures to pollutants; incidental transport of pesticides from farms to farm workers' homes; effects of PCBs and dioxins on children's play behavior; and many other topics.
In November 2002, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced preliminary results from its research on allergens, lead, and pesticides in child-care facilities. They found that one in four facilities had dust-mite allergens, one in six had cockroach allergens, and one in seven exceeded EPA lead standards. They also found at least 24 pesticides in the facilities. The final report is scheduled to be published by February or early March 2003. (contact: HUD, Brian Sullivan, + 1 202-708-0685, HUD Lead Hazard page).
The Center for Children's Health and the Environment raised eyebrows with an advertising campaign in mid-2002 in The New York Times and the Columbia Journalism Review. The seven ads focused on issues such as contaminated breast milk, attention deficit disorder, and brain cancer. Many of the ads' backers (e.g., Philip Landrigan, Lynn Goldman, Herbert Needleman, Frederica Perera, Fred vom Saal, Robin Whyatt) may be good sources for stories. CCHE has a number of irons in the fire for 2003, pending funding decisions by several foundations. (contact: CCHE, Lauri Boni, + 1 212-241-7840).
EPA's report, "America's Children and the Environment: Measures of Children and the Environment," remains to be published. When finished we are hoping to see a review here.
Short list of upcoming events
6/7 February: PINCHE members meeting, Amsterdam, Netherlands
19-21 February CEC North American Workshop on Risk Assessment and Children’s Environmental Health, Oaxaca, Mexico (see this update)
24-26 February Children’s Environmental Health: identifying and Preventing Environmental Threats to Children, NIEHS, Bethesda, USA (see this update)
16-25 March World Water Forum Kyoto (16/17 Health relevant days)
7 April World Health Day on Healthy Environments for Children
28/29 April European Environment and Health Committee EEHC, Copenhagen
May World Health Assembly, Geneva (www.who.int)
8-10 May EH scientific conference in Aarhus (see this update)
11-14 May Child & Youth Health 2003 conference, Vancouver Canada
18-23 May Ecosystem Approaches to Human Health, Montreal, Canada (www.idrc.ca/forum2003)
21-23 May Environment for Europe Ministerial Conference, Kijv, Ukraine (www.unece.org)
27-30 May 2003: Our Future on Common Ground, Health and the Environment. 30th Annual Conference presented by the Global Health Council, Washington DC (USA)
26/27 June (tbc) 1st Intergovernmental meeting on European Children Environment and Health Action Plan CEHAP, Sweden
14-16. September, date to be confirmed- NGO strategy meeting for Budapest conference, Bonn, Germany
1-4 October Mar del Plata, Argentina, First Children Environment and Health conference of the southern American Cone countries as part of the 33 Argentinean Pediatric congress.
25-29 October (to be confirmed) Third global and first African conference on Healthy Environments for Children, Nairobi, Kenya
1-7 November International Forum for Chemical Safety, Bangkok, Thailand
23-25 June 2004: 4th ministerial conference on Environment and Health, Budapest (Hungary)
February 24 - 26, 2003 - Children's Environmental Health: Identifying and Preventing Environmental Threats to Children
Symposium Topics: Respiratory Disease & Air Quality, Neurological Impairments, Childhood Cancer, Birth Defects, Endocrine Disruption. Special Sessions: Obesity & Nutrition, Built Environment, Autism, Fetal Origins of Adult Disease, International Perspectives. This conference will be held at the Natcher Conference Center on the NIH campus in Bethesda, MD. For more information contact the conference coordinator at cehc@niehs.nih.gov or visit https://www-apps.niehs.nih.gov/cehc2003/home.htm.
The North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation is organising the North American Workshop on Risk Assessment and Children’s Environmental Health, to be held in Oaxaca, Mexico, on February 19-21, 2003
Workshop objectives:
-To identify areas where the three countries can benefit from the sharing of work, expertise, information and ideas on risk assessment, with a particular focus on children’s environmental health.
-To share country-specific approaches in assessing environmental health risks to children.
-To facilitate a common understanding of current risk assessment methodologies, principles, terms and concepts among practitioners, and identify emerging approaches, particularly with respect to children’s health.
-To coordinate the sharing of scientific information used within and among jurisdictions (i.e. health, environment, and research sectors) for regulatory risk assessment processes and identify information needs.
-To identify current capacities with respect to risk assessment for children’s environmental health within the three countries, assess future capacity building needs and suggest initial activities.
-To discuss the context within which risk assessments are used to inform decision-making, including the role of precaution, the need for transparency, outreach, and risk communication.
Who should attend:
This workshop is viewed as an opportunity to bring different groups together across the risk assessment and decision making spectrum, across countries, and across sectors. Parts of the workshop will focus on technical issues and are targeted primarily at risk assessment practitioners; other parts of the workshop will focus more on policy and risk communication issues. The objective is to attract all groups to attend the full workshop in order to generate understanding, learning, and exchange of ideas across these groups.
Information: E-mail: meetingservices@ccemtl.org; fax +1 (514) 350-4345
Environmental Medicine Research Center, Danish Ministry of Health and Interior - An Environment for Better Health
Supported under the EU Framework programme - Quality of life and management of living resources – Environment and Health Key Action (KA4).
Scandinavian Congress Center, Århus, Denmark; May 8-10, 2003
On behalf of the organising committee, I will like to invite you to participate in the EU-supported conference “ An Environment for Better Health”. The objective of this conference is to follow-up on the recommendations made by the European Science Foundation programme “Environment and Health” (www.esf.org), that were presented at the Inter Governmental Conference (IGC) on Environment and Health in London, 1999. In preparation for the next IGC in Budapest, 2004, the ESF/WHO/EU environment and health contact group has planned this conference to summarize, what has been accomplished at the European and the national levels since 1999. The over-arching issues to be discussed at the conference is “Children and Environment”
The meeting will have six scientific sessions: Air pollution and Health, Urban Environment, Children and Environment, Water and Health, Chemical in the Environment and Health, and Risk Perception and Risk Communication. Each session will consist of an overview of activities supported at the national level and presentations of EU-supported projects.
Registration and hotel booking forms can be found at
http://www.conferencecity.dk/kongreskompagniet/Form.asp?sch_id=7
Did you locate a possible sponsor? Do you know 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, Netherlands
Last updated January 21, 2003
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