What Would Rachel Say?

( Beyond Pesticides , October 18, 2007) Antibacterial soaps show no health benefits over plain soaps and, in fact, may render some common antibiotics less effective, says University of Michigan public health professor Allison Aiello, Ph.D. The study, " Consumer Antibacterial Soaps: Effective or Just Risky? "appears in the August edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases.

....For complete article go to: http://www.beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/?p=210

With the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria responsible for an increasing number of hospitalizations, deaths and school closures, public health advocates are concerned over the rampant overuse of antimicrobial products and antibiotics. Triclosan is found in hundreds of common everyday products, including nearly half of all commercial soaps. In addition to soaps, triclosan is found in deodorants, toothpastes, cosmetics, fabrics and plastics.

Triclosan works by targeting a biochemical pathway in the bacteria that allows the bacteria to keep its cell wall intact. Because of the way triclosan kills the bacteria, mutations can happen at the targeted site. Dr. Aiello says a mutation could mean that the triclosan can no longer get to the target site to kill the bacteria because the bacteria and the pathway have changed form.

The analysis concludes that government regulators should evaluate antibacterial product claims and advertising, and further studies are encouraged. The FDA does not formally regulate the levels of triclosan used in consumer products. Other antiseptic products on the market contain different active ingredients, such as the alcohol in hand sanitizers or the bleach in some antibacterial household cleaners. Dr. Aiello's team did not study those products and those ingredients are not at issue.

Additionally, researchers at Virginia Tech have found that triclosan reacts with chlorine in tap water to form significant quantities of chloroform. Chloroform is classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a probable human carcinogen. The research also suggests that the reaction of triclosan with chlorine could produce highly chlorinated, and thus dangerous, dioxins in the presence of sunlight.

TAKE ACTION: When used in hospitals and other health care settings, or for persons with weakened immune systems, triclosan represents an important health care and sanitary tool. Outside of these settings, it is totally unnecessary, and the constant exposure to triclosan becomes a health and environmental hazard. The best solution to preventing infections is good old soap and water. Make sure you read all labels when buying soaps and other toiletry products to ensure that triclosan is not included.
Also be on the lookout for Microban and Irgasan, which are other names for triclosan. Consult our Triclosan factsheet for a list of products containing triclosan (some, like Teva sandals and kitchen knives, may surprise you.)

U.S. government info site praises Rachel Carson: USINFO published an article that praises activists for creating momentum that sparks the government to protect consumer rights. The writer describes scientist Rachel Carson as an example: "After recovery from World War II, reformist zeal reignited in the 1960s with the publication of Silent Spring by marine biologist Rachel Carson. Maligned at the time by chemical companies and politicians friendly to them, her book documented how the chemical DDT and other pesticides contaminated the food chain, killing wildlife and causing human illnesses. Toxic residues, for instance, were found in mothers' breast milk, fueling demands for environmental protection. By 1970, Carson's clarion call for action was enshrined into law with the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency. Since then, contamination levels of DDT, lead and cancer-causing polychlorinated biphenyls have declined sharply. In the era of global warming, awareness of the importance of the environment continues to grow."

Green For All, http://greenforall.org/ , an important new campaign working to bring "green collar" jobs to urban areas, launched at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York on September 26, 2007. The group, created by Van Jones, co-founder of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, seeks to capitalize on the exploding green economy while ensuring that the coming green economic wave lifts all boats.

October 25, 2007, 5:30 - 8:30 PM
Location: Bluemle Hall, 10th & Locust Streets, Philadelphia, PA,   WHEN celebrates 10 years of reducing environmental harm to women's and children's health. To honor this achievement, author Stacy Malkan will read from her new book, Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry, and Mia Davis, national coordinator for the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, will talk about personal care products. A reception will follow. Raffle items and books for purchase and personalization. http://www.when.org/

"California continues to lead the nation in protecting children from dangerous chemicals and in safeguarding our environment," she said. "AB1108 sends a clear message to the Consumer Product Safety Commission that if the Bush administration won't act, states will."

Article says state policy is driving chemical reform nationwide. This article also mentions that hospitals are phasing out phthalates. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin /article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/16 /MNT0SQDJV.DTL&tsp=1

Congrats to the Breast Cancer Fund, Environment California and everyone who worked so hard on this bill! Ten cheers to all the angels who are protecting kids from sucking on toxic chemicals!!... Stacy Malkan, Health Care Without Harm  www.noharm.org

The New Press is proud to announce the publication in paperback of The Body Hunters: Testing New Drugs on the Word's Poorest Patients (October 2007), investigative journalist Sonia Shah's gripping indictment of the global impact of big pharmaceutical companies.

Maude Barlow  and  Tony Clarke

ISBN: 978-1-56584-813B-9 $18.95
Paperback Published 09/01/2005

In this "chilling, in-depth examination of a rapidly emerging global crisis" ( In These Times), Maude Barlow and Tony Clarke, two of the most active opponents to the privatization of water show how, contrary to received wisdom, water mainly flows uphill to the wealthy. Our most basic resource may one day be limited: our consumption doubles every twenty years--twice the rate of population increase. At the same time, increasingly transnational corporations are plotting to control the world's dwindling water supply. In England and France, where water has already been privatized, rates have soared, and water shortages have been severe. The major bottled-water producers--Perrier, Evian, Naya, and now Coca-Cola and PepsiCo--are part of one of the fastest-growing and least-regulated industries, buying up freshwater rights and drying up crucial supplies.

A truly shocking expose that is a call to arms to people around the world, Blue Gold shows in frightening detail why, as the vice president of the World Bank has pronounced, "The wars of the next century will be about water."

Maude Barlow is the chair of the Council of Canadians, Canada's largest public advocacy organization, as well as chair of the committee on water for the International Forum on Globalization (IFG). Tony Clarke is the director of the Polaris Institute of Canada and chairs the committee on corporations for the IFG. Both live in Ottawa, Canada.

Our Laundry List Advisory Board member, Helen Caldicott, MD, was in Concord on Sunday. She called on activists to stand behind all pro-nuclear candidates with clotheslines and T-shirts painted with messages. "Stop the Plants, Hang Your Pants."