For MASSPTA

IAQ and Energy Conservation : AQS Reports Focus on Protecting Public Health

In response to concerns about global warming and the growing popularity of sustainable (green) building in both the commercial and residential sectors, energy conservation usually takes center stage. Yet, according to a new research report from Air Quality Sciences, Inc. (AQS), as demand for energy continues to increase and concerns about global warming grow, an important lesson about indoor air quality (IAQ) is at risk of being forgotten: IAQ and energy conservation are interdependent and both should be given the same priority to ensure the health of building occupants.

"What is missing in today's discourse is the understanding that to pursue energy conservation in homes and buildings without taking the quality of indoor air into consideration puts building occupants at unnecessary health risk. Conversely, to pursue good IAQ without considering the efficient use of energy may unnecessarily increase energy costs and emissions of greenhouse gases, thereby contributing to outdoor air pollution and global warming. The two go together," said Marilyn S. Black, PhD, CEO and chief scientist at AQS. More... www.aqs.com   " IAQ and Energy Conservation"

Contact: Mark Estes
(770) 933-0638 x3055
mestes@aqs.com

Thanks to a grant by the John Merck Fund, the Autism Society of America convened an Advisory Board on Environmental Health, and together released a special issue of the Autism Advocate and a Web campaign to increase awareness about links between autism spectrum disorders and environmental toxins. ASA and its advisory board have launched a "campaign of influence" for early 2007 which will build a grassroots community to continue research and awareness of the effect of environmental influences on autism.

For more information about ASA's Environmental Health Project use the menu on the right.

Feature Articles:

Time to Get a Grip - Martha R. Herbert, M.D., Ph.D.

Can Exposure to Environmental Toxicants Influence Autism Susceptibility? by Isaac N. Pessah, Ph.D.

The UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute: Uniquely Designed to Study Gene-Environmental Interactions in Autism by Robert Hendren, D.O.

ASA partnered with the M.I.N.D. Institute on a seminal, CME conference entitled "Clinical Implications of Environmental Toxicology for Children's Neurodevelopment in Autism." See video and transcripts here.

October 21-27, 2007

Did you know that nearly 70% of children described as "bullies" and 66% of bullying victims were crime victims, compared with 43% of children who were neither bullies nor victims?  Those sobering statistics from a new study from the University of New Hampshire's Crimes Against Children Research Center show why more needs to be done to prevent bullying in America's schools. National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week (October 21-27) aims to do just that.

National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week is sponsored by the PACER Center's National Center for Bullying Prevention and cosponsored by the PTA and other educational organizations.  During the week, teachers, parents, and children nationwide are encouraged to increase community awareness about the prevalence and impact of bullying.  Both the PACER Center and PTA have a significant amount of antibullying resources to help educate your school and community during National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week and beyond.

We are pleased to announce a Readiness Project Early Education and Care Town Hall meeting with Governor Patrick on Thursday, October 25 ^th from 6:00 pm to 8:00pm at Somerset High School.  This will be an open meeting and a great opportunity for community members to hear directly from the Early Education and Care subcommittee of the Governor's Readiness Project.

What: Readiness Project Early Education and Care Town Hall Meeting with Governor Patrick

When: Thursday, October 25, 6pm to 8pm

Where: Somerset High School (625 County Street, Somerset)

Please share this information with colleagues and neighbors.  Thank you and we hope to see you on October 25 ^th.

Christina Wu, christina.wu@gov.state.ma.us

Office of Governor Deval Patrick

One Ashburton Place, 14th Floor, Boston, MA 02108

( 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.

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.

CDC's Centers and Divisions have developed a wide variety of
science-based and other instructional materials that can help schools
enhance existing health education curriculum and instruction. CDC's
School Health Education Resources (SHER) is a unique, user-friendly web
tool that consolidates these resources in one convenient location. SHER
helps Pre-K-12 classroom teachers, school nurses, counselors, curriculum
directors, and school administrators easily locate CDC's health
education resources. 

A section on "Community and Environmental Health" is included.

SHER features instructional materials aligned with the National Health
Education Standards, Second Edition, 2007, and CDC's Characteristics of
Effective Health Education Curriculum. The online database is searchable
by:
     Health education topics commonly found in a comprehensive school
     health education curriculum.
     Four types of resources (curriculum and lessons, teacher
     instructional materials, student materials, and fact sheets).
     Grade level groupings (Pre-K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12).

SHER provides the sole comprehensive, user-friendly place to browse and
access these resources at CDC. Visit CDC' SHER online at
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyout h/SHER

PTA, NEA, NCWO Announce Unprecedented New Children's Television Initiative

This morning, leading nonprofit organizations representing millions of American parents, teachers, nurses and children announced the formation of the Smart Television Alliance (STA) to promote quality television content for children. STA is being created under the combined leadership of the National Education Association, the nation's largest professional organization with 3.2 million members; National Parent Teacher Association (PTA), the nation's largest volunteer child advocacy association with 5.5 million members; and the National Council of Women's Organizations (NCWO), a coalition of more than 200 organizations representing over ten million women.

"In today's media saturated world, parents and caregivers need quality information from reliable sources that they can use to make smart choices about what is appropriate for their families," said Jan Harp Domene, PTA national president and STA co-chair. "By uniting a diverse group of nationally recognized nonprofit organizations with a shared commitment to improving what kids watch on TV, we will help parents make informed choices about what television programming their families watch. We want to make screen time healthy and educational, gathering the best information from a variety of trusted sources, including children's media experts, educators and parents."

STA will encourage families to use information from trusted sources to identify shows that inform and educate children and to utilize technology to control what is on television and when it is watched. NEA members also will contribute information, as well as offering specific tips from educators for parents to use television as a learning opportunity.

Children's television programming recommendations will come from nonprofit experts including Parent's Choice Foundation, Common Sense Media, Parent's Television Council, member organizations, as well as from parents and caregivers by means of an interactive Web site and Smart News, STA's twice monthly free newsletter.

For more information on STA and to receive Smart News, please visit: www.smarttelevisionalliance.org.