Activities

WHO: 13 million people die annually from preventable environmental causes Filthy drinking water, mosquitoes and other avoidable menaces kill 13 million people a year, the World Health Organization writes in  a 104-page report called “Preventing Disease through Healthy Environments.” While 24 percent of the diseases affecting the general population result from exposure to threats in the environment, the figure rises to more than 33 percent for children, it said.

HEAL is working on the reduction of coal power plants. In Europe there are several countries that are in the process of phasing out coal power plants. This will benefit children by the substantial reduction of emitted compounds. See HEAL for more information.

By removing bromine atoms from the large Deca PBDE flame retardant used in computers and televisions, microbes may be able to transform it into banned compounds. Research published on ES&T’s ASAP website (DOI: 10.1021/es052508d
documents that microbes can break down the large molecules of the widely used Deca PBDE (polybrominated diphenyl ether) flame retardant. The paper raises concerns about the Deca flame retardant’s safety by showing that various bacteria can work in concert to remove the bromine atoms from the Deca compound to produce the smaller PBDE compounds that have been banned in the EU and discontinued in the U.S.