What Would Rachel Say?

Seventh Generation, The Environmental Working Group and Dr. Alan Greene Conduct Educational Event About Chemicals and Our Children

http://www.seventhgeneration.com/children-and-chemicals-discussion

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• CDC's National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) strives to promote health and quality of life by preventing or controlling those diseases or deaths that result from interactions between people and their environment.
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http://www.truthout.org/ 102708EA
Erin Anderssen, The Globe and Mail: "This week, Ms. Barlow was named senior adviser to the United Nations on water issues - a new position created by General Assembly President Miguel d'Escoto, who raised the subject of water as a human right in his first UN speech in September."

U Mass, Lowell Center for Sustainable Production
http://chemicalspolicy.org/ index.shtml

The Chemicals Policy Initiative is a project of the Lowell Center for
Sustainable Production at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.  The
Initiative seeks to significantly advance the dialog around chemicals
policy reform in the US; assist in the development of sustainable
chemicals management outside the US; encourage the development and use
of safer alternatives by creating and promoting a comprehensive
framework for alternatives assessment; and identify tools and
appropriate ways of assisting green chemistry innovation and safer
supply chain management of chemicals.

A new addition to the site is the State Chemicals Policy Database,
http://chemicalspolicy.org/ uslegislationsearch.php
The database can be searched by state, region, status (e.g., enacted,
proposed, and failed), policy category  (e.g., pollution prevention,
single chemical restriction, etc.), chemical, and product type (e.g.
children's products, cleaning products, etc.).

Male, interrupted. At Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, the genitalia of roughly 300 baby boys are repaired every year - about double the number from 30 years ago. Chemicals called phthalates, found in dozens of consumer products, may be to blame. Philadelphia Inquirer, Pennsylvania. [Registration Required]

See Food&WaterWatch Alert Online

October 2008

See the Trailer for The Water Front

Like you, people around the world are waking up to the fact that water privatization is a threat facing communities all over the globe. Many artists, including Mos Def and Public Enemy, are making the connections between economics, race, class, and water through their art.

One artist who has made a unique contribution to the cause is Joe L. Carter - one of the last legendary bluesmen of Detroit. Joe L. Carter composed "Please Mr. Waterman" for the award winning documentary, The Water Front.

The Water Front invites you to enter its Remix Contest with your winning spin on "Please Mr. Waterman." The Water Front is touring the Great Lakes region. Check out the trailer and future screenings.

By Rita Arditti  |  October 27, 2008

http://www.boston.com/ bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/ oped/articles/2008/10/27/why_ cancers_gaining_on_us/

FOR ALL the pink ribbons, breast-cancer awareness events, fund-raisers, and celebrations of "survivorship," the facts remain grim. In this country, a woman's lifetime risk of breast cancer is one in eight. In 1975, the risk was about one in 11.

Outside of skin cancer, breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women. It is estimated that in 2008 there will be 250,230 new cases of breast cancer among women. An estimated 41,000 women will die of metastatic breast cancer in 2008. Because we still do not know what the causes of breast cancer are, primary prevention remains an elusive goal while mammography and early detection are the focus of attention.

Since World War II, the proliferation of synthetic chemicals has gone hand-in-hand with the increased incidence of breast cancer. About 80,000 synthetic chemicals are used today in the United States, and their number increases by about 1,000 each year. Only about 7 percent of them have been screened for their health effects. These chemicals can persist in the environment and accumulate in our bodies. According to a recent review by the Silent Spring Institute in Newton, 216 chemicals and radiation sources cause breast cancer in animals.

Nearly all of the chemicals cause mutations, and most cause tumors in multiple organs and animal species, findings that are generally believed to indicate they likely cause cancer in humans. Yet few have been closely studied by regulatory bodies. There is concern about benzene, which is in gasoline; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are in air pollution from vehicle exhaust, tobacco smoke, and charred foods; ethylene oxide, which is widely used in medical settings; and methylene chloride, a common solvent in paint strippers and glues.

http://www.boston.com/ bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/ oped/articles/2008/10/27/why_ cancers_gaining_on_us/

From: Nancy Alderman
Date: Sat, Oct 25, 2008 at 7:54 AM
Subject: SynTurf in Trust for Public Land's Newark park restoration
To: william.rogers@tpl.org

Dear William Rogers, President and CEO of the Trust for Public Land,
      
It has come to our attention, by way of the New York Times editorial*, that the Trust for Public Land plans to include a synthetic turf field as part of its restoration plan in Newark. We would encourage you, as an important environmental voice, not use synthetic turf - but instead use an organic grass field.
        
We are including our Op-Ed piece on synthetic turf for your information.
                
Thank you for your attention,

Nancy Alderman, President
Environment and Human Health, Inc.
1191 Ridge Road
North Haven, CT 06473
(phone)   203-248-6582
(fax)        203-288-7571
http://www.ehhi.org