http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs daily 1 2008-12-11T17:02:33Z http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2012/green-chemistry-funding In an announcement that stunned scientists, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has cancelled grant applications for what was supposed to be a $20-million, four-year green chemistry program. The mysterious cancellation comes less than three weeks before the deadline for the proposals. The grants, which were supposed to fund four new centers, would have been a major new source of funding for green chemistry, a field that seeks to design environmentally friendly chemicals and processes that can replace toxic substances. The requests for proposals may be reissued, the EPA said. But the program's sudden halt and uncertain future -- and lack of explanation -- have left scientists disheartened. "My reaction is shock that it happened and total dismay that what appeared to be a novel program was cancelled without warning or explanation," said Eric Beckman, a chemical engineer at the University of Pittsburgh. No publisher mcone 2012-04-10T17:55:18Z Page http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2012/perus-dolphin-die-off When a retired fisherman called to report that about 1,500 dolphins had washed up dead on Peru’s northern coast, veterinarian Carlos Yaipén’s first reaction was, “That’s impossible.” But when Yaipén traveled up the coast last week, he counted 615 dead dolphins along a 135-kilometer stretch of coastline. Now, the death toll could be as high as 2,800, based on volunteers’ counts. Peru's massive dolphin die-off is among the largest ever reported worldwide. The strandings, which began in January, are a marine mystery that may never be unraveled. The causes could be acoustic impact from testing for oil or perhaps an unknown disease. In addition, stress or toxic contaminants can make marine mammals more vulnerable to pathogens such as viruses, said Peter Ross, a research scientist at Canada’s Institute of Ocean Sciences. In a mass die-off, “there might be a smoking gun, but often we find that it’s two or three or four factors,” said Ross. No publisher mcone 2012-04-06T15:01:40Z Page http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2012/burning-irony In one of the deadliest nightclub fires in American history, 100 people died at a concert in Rhode Island nearly a decade ago. But the biggest killer wasn't the flames; it was lethal gases released from burning sound insulation and other plastics. In a fatal bit of irony, attempts to snuff fires like this catastrophic one could be making some fires even more deadly. New research suggests that chemicals – brominated and chlorinated flame retardants – that are added to upholstered furniture and other household items to stop the spread of flames are increasing emissions of two poisonous gases. In one experiment, nylon containing the flame retardant brominated polystyrene released six times more hydrogen cyanide when set afire than the same material containing a halogen-free flame retardant. Hydrogen cyanide, used in the Nazi gas chambers, is 35 times more deadly than carbon monoxide. During a fire, it can kill in as little as one minute. No publisher mcone 2012-04-05T20:51:11Z Page http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2012/radioactive-iodine-from-fukushima-in-california-kelp Kelp off Southern California was contaminated with short-lived radioisotopes a month after Japan’s Fukushima accident, a sign that the spilled radiation reached the state's coastline, according to a new scientific study. Scientists tested giant kelp from the ocean off Orange County and other locations after the March, 2011 accident and detected radioactive iodine at peak concentrations 250-fold higher than levels found in West Coast kelp before the nuclear accident. “Basically we saw it in all the California kelp blades we sampled,” said biology professor Steven Manley of California State University, Long Beach. The radioactivity had no known effects on the giant kelp, or on fish and other marine life, and it was undetectable when the kelp was tested again a month later. Iodine 131 “has an eight-day half life so it’s pretty much all gone,” Manley said. “But this shows what happens half a world away does effect what happens here. I don’t think these levels are harmful but it’s better if we don’t have it at all.” No publisher phayes 2012-03-30T10:09:07Z Page http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2012/opinion-endocrine-disruptors-low-level-effects As a scientist, I am often asked what “proof” links hormone-altering chemicals to diseases and birth defects. One mother questions whether exposures during her pregnancy caused her child’s autism. Another asks whether chemicals in the foods she ate could have caused her son’s abnormal genitalia. The underlying question raised by these mothers is provocative: Do small amounts contribute to human health problems? My colleagues and I have concluded in a new report that there truly are no safe doses for hormone-altering chemicals. Academic, regulatory and industry scientists must work together to identify and replace such chemicals that are ubiquitous in everyday consumer products. No publisher phayes 2012-03-15T06:49:31Z Page http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2012/low-doses-big-effects Small doses can have big health effects. That is a main finding of a new report, three years in the making, published Wednesday by a team of 12 scientists who study hormone-altering chemicals. Dozens of substances that can mimic or block hormones are found in the environment, the food supply and consumer products, including plastics, pesticides and cosmetics. One of the biggest controversies is whether the tiny doses that most people are exposed to are harmful. Researchers led by Tufts University’s Laura Vandenberg concluded after examining hundreds of studies that health effects “are remarkably common” when people or animals are exposed to low doses. "Fundamental changes in chemical testing are needed to protect human health," they wrote. No publisher mcone 2012-03-15T16:35:22Z Page http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2012/opinion-u.s.-policy-must-move-toward-carcinogen-free-workplaces John Anderson, a refinery electrician from New Jersey who worked with asbestos, addressed the President's Cancer Panel about the need to strengthen cancer protection for workers. Then he handed the microphone to his wife, Bonnie, who looked gaunt and unsteady. She told the rest of their story – she was suffering from mesothelioma, and it was not because she ever worked with asbestos. She was the one who washed her husband’s dust-covered work clothes. Today, Bonnie Anderson is still battling her cancer, two years after the panel concluded in its report that reducing toxic exposures “should be the cornerstone of a new national cancer prevention strategy.” Had such a precautionary strategy been in place, the disease that has devastated this woman might have been avoided. We urge a new approach that moves us toward a carcinogen-free workplace and a cancer-free economy. It is unethical for a public health agency like NIOSH to sanction cancer risks to workers that are orders of magnitude greater than what is deemed acceptable for the general public. A new federal policy, if thoughtfully redesigned, would not only prevent cancer among workers, but also protect the health of families and communities. No publisher mcone 2012-03-09T09:58:04Z Page http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/pcbs-and-attention-deficits-in-kids When Deidre Ramos moved with her infant son to the Parker Street section of New Bedford, Mass., little did she know that her new neighborhood was toxic. Today, a decade later, Ramos is worried about her two sons growing up in a community still contaminated by an old burn dump containing polychlorinated biphenyls. “What will be the long-term effects on my children?” asked Ramos. Now new research suggests that PCBs, which were first linked to learning problems in children more than two decades ago, may play a role in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, too. Boys in New Bedford who were exposed to higher levels of PCBs in the womb scored lower on focus and concentration tests, which indicates they are more likely to have attention problems related to ADHD, according to a newly published study. All of the children studied were born to mothers who lived near the contaminated harbor and dumpsites in this low-income community but their exposures were comparable to children's levels throughout the United States so the link to attention problems could exist in other communities, too. No publisher mcone 2012-03-05T17:00:13Z Page http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/job-opening-senior-editor-environmental-health-news Part-time (25-30 hours/wk), work-at-home, benefits-eligible position with a leading nonprofit journalism organization. No publisher phayes 2012-02-20T16:21:54Z Page http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2012/dioxins-report-revealed After 21 years of wrangling over health threats, uncertain science and industry pressure, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday released its assessment of dioxins defining how toxic they are. Lauded by environmental activists and criticized by industry, the report concluded that there are potentially serious effects at ultra-low levels of exposure. Nevertheless, the EPA said that exposures have declined so much in the past two decades that most people are safe. "Today’s findings show that generally, over a person’s lifetime, current exposure to dioxins does not pose a significant health risk," EPA officials said. One scientist called that statement "very odd" because it discounts the threat to people who have higher exposures and those, such as babies, who are at higher risk of effects. Studies have linked dioxins to cancer, disrupted hormones, reproductive damage such as decreased fertility, neurological effects, immune system changes and skin disorders. Most people on Earth have traces in their bodies, and they are exposed mostly through fish, meat and other animal products. No publisher phayes 2012-03-01T16:28:42Z Page http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/hearts-and-air-pollution/hearts-and-air-pollution Around the world, breathing a variety of air pollutants – in some cases for a single day – increases the chance that people will suffer heart attacks, according to a new analysis published Tuesday. For the first time, scientists analyzed previous studies from five continents to verify and quantify the links between air pollution and heart health. They found that short-term exposure – less than seven days – to all major air pollutants except ozone was associated with an increase in heart attacks. The team from France and the U.S. reported in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. that the magnitude of the risk “is relatively small” compared to other factors, such as smoking, high blood pressure and diabetes. But they stressed that so many people worldwide are breathing fine particulates, carbon monoxide and other pollutants that the numbers of people at risk are substantial. Dr. Jesus Araujo of UCLA said there is now “more than enough evidence” that air pollution kills. “We don’t have to be exposed for weeks or months or years,” Araujo said. No publisher mcone 2012-02-16T19:53:06Z Page http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2012/is-cadmium-the-new-lead It’s a heavy metal. It’s linked to learning problems in school children. And every child is exposed. Sounds like lead? It’s cadmium. Signs are emerging that cadmium – a widespread contaminant that gets little attention from health experts and regulators – could be the new lead. Children with higher cadmium levels are three times more likely to have learning disabilities and participate in special education, according to new research. Absorbed from the soil, cadmium is found in certain foods, particularly potatoes, grains, sunflower seeds and leafy greens, as well as tobacco. It also is used in some inexpensive children’s jewelry, prompting new voluntary industry standards last fall. Harvard's Robert Wright said the links to learning disabilities and special education were found at commonplace levels previously thought to be benign. “One of the important points of the study is that we didn’t study a population of kids who had very high exposures. We studied a population representative of the U.S.," he said. "That we found any [effect] suggests this is occurring at relatively low levels." No publisher phayes 2012-02-10T20:03:43Z Page http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2012/plasticizer-clouds-cyclists-doping-tests In the race to catch drug cheats, sports officials are turning to more sophisticated tests. Since cheaters are rarely caught red-handed, scientists devised a plan to catch them with the packaging – inside their bodies - by looking for residues of a plasticizer. But the chemical is so ubiquitous that it has clouded the results of these blood doping tests in the professional cycling world. Some experts – and Tour de France champion Alberto Contador, who was found guilty of doping Monday – say that these phthalate residues are so widespread that there is doubt about how they got into an athlete's body. But others say that spikes of these chemicals are a red flag for doping. No publisher phayes 2012-02-10T20:09:32Z Page http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2012/gm-crops-escape-and-grow-wild Throughout North Dakota, little yellow flowers dot thousands of miles of roadsides. These canola plants, found along most major trucking routes, look harmless. But they are fueling a controversy: They prove that large numbers of genetically modified plants have escaped from farm fields and are now growing wild. About 80 percent of canola growing along roadsides in North Dakota contains genes that have been modified to make the plants resistant to common weed-killers. No publisher phayes 2012-01-27T11:22:29Z Page http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2012/children-have-more-pfoa-than-moms Children living near DuPont’s plant in West Virginia are exposed to much higher concentrations of an industrial chemical than their mothers, according to a newly published study. Children under 5, who are exposed from drinking water as well as their mothers’ breast milk, had 44 percent more of the perfluorinated chemical in their blood than their mothers. The study was undertaken by scientists who have spent seven years trying to determine whether the DuPont chemical is making people sick in the Mid-Ohio Valley. The discovery about moms and their children comes as scientists elsewhere linked the chemical, known as PFOA, and related chemicals to reduced effectiveness of childhood vaccinations. The compounds are used to manufacture Teflon cookware, food packaging and other products. No publisher phayes 2012-01-25T21:20:11Z Page