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Dear subscribers,
I thank again all who sent me information, and who mailed me information about a
broken link.
www.safer-world grows with your help and your support.
When you want to unsubscribe this newsletter, please send me an email.
Best wishes to all
Ingrid Scherrmann
Fuchsfeldstr. 50
D-88416 Ochsenhausen
phone: + 49 7352 940529
fax: + 49 7352 4392
email: info@safer-world.org
web: http://www.safer-world.org
SAFER WORLD is a private independent
international internet-network for a safer environment.
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BOOK:
New WHO Textbook, Released by The Institute of Environmental Medicine at Karolinska
Institutet Stockholm, Sweden
Human Exposure Assessment An Introduction
Marika Berglund, Carl-Gustaf Elinder, Lars Järup
PDF (1,2MB), http://www.imm.ki.se/PDF/HEAboken.pdf
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CAMPAIGN - CHILDREN
As taken from the Child Health Information Project, 2/11/02
JOIN THE CAMPAIGN TO LEAVE NO CHILD BEHIND
The Children's Defense Fund has teamed up with scores of partner groups to mobilize
children's advocates all over the country to generate support in Congress for the Act to
Leave No Child Behind (S.940 and H.R.1990).
Introduced on May 23rd by lead sponsors Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) and CongressmanGeorge
Miller (D-CA), passage of the Act to Leave No Child Behind will provide each child in
America a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a SafeStart, a Fair Start, and a Moral Start in
life.
For more information on the Campaign to Leave No Child Behind®, go to http://campaign.childrensdefense.org
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CAMPAIGN - SIGN-ON-LETTER - PIPELINE-SAFETY
Below is an excellent sign-on letter to promote pipeline safety, including community
right-to-know.
Spearheading the letter are groups in Washington state´ where three children were killed
by a leak and fire at a pipeline facility in Bellingham.
Please sign your organization to this letter by responding to carlw@re-sources.org (Carl
Weimer)
If you need an actual copy of the bill you can get it at
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=107_cong_bills&docid=f:h3609ih.txt.pdf
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CHEMICALS - ARSENIC - ENDOCRINE DISRUPTER
Arsenic: A New Type Of Endocrine Disrupter?
/2/2001, A team of Dartmouth Medical School investigators has uncovered what may be
a unique mechanism for the way chronic exposure to low levels of arsenic increases the
risk of certain diseases.
http://www.dartmouth.edu/
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CHEMICALS - DETA - CONTACT DERMATITIS
Kanerva L, Estlander T, Jolanki R (1990), Contact Dermatitis 23:272-273
Occupational allergic contact dermatitis due to diethylenetriamine (DETA) from carbonless
copy paper and from an epoxy compound.
http://www.occuphealth.fi/users/timo.tuomi/ihoallergeenit/Ihoallergeenit_kirjallisuusviitteet_1Page4.html
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CHEMICALS - DIESEL - CHILDREN
New Study Warns of Dangers of Diesel Exhaust to Children
EHHI released a ground-breaking report indicating that children are exposed to diesel
exhaust from school buses at levels far above those predicted by current government
monitoring efforts.
The study concludes that the laws intended to control air pollution in the U.S. and
Connecticut must be strengthened to protect the health of children in several important
respects.
A pdf is available at: http://www.ehhi.org/
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CHEMICALS - FRAGRANCES - PERFUMES
Betty Bridges is interviewed:
Scents and sensitivities What to know before buying a Valentine's Day perfume By Francesca
Lyman
MSNBC CONTRIBUTOR; Feb. 6, 2002
http://www.msnbc.com
Environ Res 2001 Dec;87(3):123-30
Nitromusk compounds in women with gynecological and endocrine dysfunction.
Eisenhardt S, Runnebaum B, Bauer K, Gerhard I.
WHO Collaborating Centre for Research in Gynecological Endocrinology, Department for
Gynecological Endocrinology and Reproduction, University Hospital of Obstetrics and
Gynecology, Voss-Strasse 9, Heidelberg, 69115, Germany.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11771925&dopt=Abstract
Allergy, Volume 54 Issue 5 Page 495 - May 1999
Provocations with perfume in the eyes induce airway symptoms in patients with sensory
hyperreactivity
E Millqvist, U Bengtsson, O Löwhagen
Background: In earlier studies, we have shown that patients with a history of
sensory
hyperreactivity develop asthmalike symptoms when exposed to strong scents, even if
they
cannot smell any scent. http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/servlet/useragent?func=synergy&synergyAction=showFullText&doi=10.1034/j.1398-9995.1999.00031.
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CHEMICALS - GLUTARALDEHYDE - HOSPITAL - RESPIRATORY SYMPTOMS
Glutaraldehyde: an occupational hazard in the hospital setting
Allergy, Volume 54 Issue 10 Page 1105 - October 1999
F. Di Stefano, S. Siriruttanapruk, J. McCoach, P. Sherwood Burge
Background: We report a series of 24 healthcare workers with respiratory symptoms
suggestive of occupational asthma due to glutaraldehyde exposure.
Full Article, View/Print PDF article (84K)
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/servlet/useragent?func=synergy&synergyAction=showFullText&doi=10.1034/j.1398-9995.1999.00239.x
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CHEMICALS - INHALANTS
From FADAA: The Florida Alcohol & Dzrg Abuse Association:
Chemicals used for sniffing are all fat-soluble, organic substances that easily pass
through the blood stream and are metabolized in the liver and kidneys. They produce
effects that are similar to anesthetics, which act to slow down the body’s functions.
The “high” begins within minutes and lasts from 15 to 45 minutes. With low
doses, users may feel slightly stimulated. With moderate amounts, users may feel less
in-hibited,
less in control, lightheaded and giddy. Large doses can cause unconsciousness.
http://www.fadaa.org/resource/justfact/!inhalan.pdf
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CHEMICALS - MERCURY
Mercury Poisoning: The Hidden Danger in Your Home, by Dan Fagin, Family Circle, March 2002
http://www.familycircle.com
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CHEMICALS - PCB - COURT
New York Times, January 27, 2002
PCB Pollution Suits Have Day in Court in Alabama by KEVIN SACK
http://www.nytimes.com/
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CHEMICALS - PCB - INTELLIGENCE - BEHAVIOUR
Emerging science on the impacts of endocrine disruptors on intelligence and behavior.
The URL is not more available
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CHEMICALS - PLASTICIZERS - PVC
24 Jan 2002 Health Canada Üanaö warns that plasticizer in PVC medical devices may harm
developing babies, infants, boys.
A Health Canada Expert Advisory Panel recommends that health care providers not use DEHP
containing devices in the treatment of pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, infants,
males before puberty an patients undergoing cardiac bypass hemodialysis or heart
transplant surgery.
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/
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CHEMICALS - PESTICIDES - PREVENTION
Health impacts of pesticide exposure and approaches to prevention
Fengsheng He, Shuyang Chen , P.R. China
Abstract at
http://www.occuphealth.fi
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CHEMICALS - PESTICIDES - CUT FLOEWERS
http://www.igc.org
- article related to flowers
and pesticides.
http://www.sierraclub.org/
- an article from the Sierra Club regarding the toxins on imported flowers. The end
od this article includes information concerning alternative organic flowers.
http://www.igc.org/
- article concerning a Colmbian flower grower.
http://www.epa.gov/
The EPA Worker Protection Standard, which allows roses to be an exception to the
law. Click on "Worker Protection Standard Amendments" and find links to
information concerning roses on the following page.
http://www.igc.org
- info regarding pesticide use in developing countries. Includes a table of U.S.
exports that have been banned or restricted.
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CHEMICALS - RESIN - DERMATOSES
Jolanki R, Kanerva L, Estlander T, Tarvainen K, Keskinen H, Henriks-Eckerman ML
(1990)
Occupational dermatoses from epoxy resin compounds. Contact Dermatitis 23:172-183
http://www.occuphealth.fi
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CHEMICALS - TERPENE - RESPIRATORY EFFECTS
Terpene exposure and respiratory effects among workers in Swedish joinery shops.
Eriksson KA, Levin JO, Sandström T, Lindström-Espeling K, Lindén G, Stjernberg NL
Scand J Work Environ Health 1997;23(2):114--120.
lung function, metabolites, monoterpenes
http://www.occuphealth.fi
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CHEMICALS - TREATED WOOD
European Union considers ban on arsenic-treated wood
By JULIE HAUSERMAN, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published February 3, 2002
http://www.sptimes.com
Treated wood: Dangerous and Still Unregulated
The EPA is stalling, concerned groups warn.
Several environmental advocacy groups say the Environmental Protection
Agency is not moving fast enough to protect consumers from the hazards of
treated wood. Now bills to require specific warning labels have been
introduced into both houses of Congress.
URL:
http://www.organicgardening.com
Beyond Pesticides/National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides
Contact: Jay Feldman or Toni Nunes , 202-543-5450, www.beyondpesticides.org
Victims of Wood Preservatives Want Them Fully Banned - EPA Announced Phase-out
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COUNTRIES - CENTRAL ASIA
Announcing a new website about Central Asia and Caspian. Relevant in context with post-911
world.
Some original and exclusive material posted weekly.
Journalist are welcome to send any contributions about Aral Sea disaster, Caspian
ecological problems, effects of US campaign on Afghan ecosystem and other environment
related matters about Central Asia. No payments possible but material will be posted with
gratitude. http://www.saeedi.4t.com
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COUNTRIES - EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT - CHEMICALS - CADMIUM
Even small amounts of cadmium are harmful
Denmark, Finland and Sweden are pressing for a ban on the use of cadmium in batteries, as
the European Commission is preparing a directive. Three new medical studies give
supporting evidence showing that even very small amounts of cadmium can damage health
http://www.swedenvironment.environ.se
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COUNTRIES - EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT - MEDICAL PRODUCTS
Scientific Committee on Medicinal Products and Medical Devices
- Draft agenda of the Plenary Meeting, 18 January 2002
http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sc/scmp/agenda/agen02_en.pdf
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COUNTRIES - NEPAL - MULTINATIONALS
Greenpeace detects toxic wastes in Nepal
German multinationals identified as culprits (translated from the website of German
Television ARD,
www.tagesschau.de)
Hamburg, 14.01.2002
Greenpeace has detected German toxic wastes stored in two unsecured storage facilities in
Nepal, reports the German daily “Bild am Sonntag”. A major part of these
residues from pesticide production originates from multinational companies of German
origin like Bayer AG and others like Sandoz, Monsanto, Shell, Ciba-Geigy. There is no hint
so far as to who has imported the wastes into Nepal, says the newspaper
report.
According to “Bild am Sonntag” among the toxic items, mercury compounds were
found which are banned in Europe and the US because of its cancer-causing properties. For
example Bayer’s products “Folidol E 605” and “Solbar” are rotting
away in barrels posing a severe danger to drinking water supplies for Kathmandu city.
Greenpeace had secured the toxins in larger barrels and had asked the companies concerned
to take care of the toxins, the newspaper reports.
A spokesman for Bayer AG had told the newspaper office that if indeed it was true that his
company’s products were identified it would contribute towards its detoxification.
Questions remain about the origins of the toxic wastes. A Greenpeace expert assumes the
toxins were brought into Nepal under some development aid programmes several years ago.
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COUNTRIES - TURKEY - NEW WEBSITE
WWF Turkey has designed a new web site. It's just in Turkish at the moment,
but the English site will be ready in March.
The site is designed to be a user friendly tool for everyone who are
interested in Turkey. If you want to learn more about Turkey's nature and
rich biodiversity , please visit our new site www.wwftr.org
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DISEASE - BIRTHDEFECTS:
Am. J. Epidemiol. 15 February 2002; Vol. 155, No. 4
Mother's serum levels of DDE and birth defects.
The study cited below found modest associations between elevations in mother's serum level
of DDE and increased risks in male offspring for undescended testicles, hypospadias and
extra nipples. See citation
Maternal Serum Level of 1,1-Dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethylene and
Risk of Cryptorchidism, Hypospadias, and Polythelia among Male Offspring
Matthew P. Longnecker, Mark A. Klebanoff, John W. Brock, Haibo Zhou, Kimberly A. Gray,
Larry L. Needham, and Allen J. Wilcox
Am. J. Epidemiol. 2002;155 313-322.
The URL is not more available
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DISEASE - SICK BUILDING PROBLEMS
Introduction to sick building problems
Even chemicals used in routine household and office work (cleaners, glues, solvents,
perfumes, paper dust, chemicals from printers and copiers) can potentially contribute to
SBS occurrence (Brooks 1994, Cone & Shusterman 1991). Many chemicals related to SBS
are volatile organic compounds (VOC). They may be emitted from various materials as well
in the building as in office practices, from sources such as furniture and outdoor air
(traffic pollution).
http://www.occuphealth.fi/e/info/estonia/supplement/no1.html
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FOOD:
Eggs, honey, maple syrup don't meet Canada's safety standards, says report
Ottawa Citizen A:10, Tuesday, February 19, 2002
Source: http://www.canada.com/news/story.asp?id={9B9166B7-3E2D-4F1B-978C-6D34A91CF9B6}
International Food Safety Issues
- Codex Alimentarius : CCFAC - Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants
(updated)
http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/ifsi/eupositions/ccfac/ccfac_index_en.html
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LAWCOURT - DISABILITIES ACT
9 Jan 2002 The Supreme Court ruled today that to qualify as disabled, and therefore
to be protected by the Americans With Disabilities Act, a person must have
substantial limitations on abilities that are "central to daily life," and
not only to life in the workplace. More at
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/09/national/09SCOT.html?todaysheadlines#top
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LAWSUIT- INDUSTRIE - PCB
Jury finds Monsanto liable for releasing tons of PCB
Firm covered up pollution for more than 40 years
Michael Grunwald, Washington Post 23feb02
An Alabama jury has found that Monsanto Co. engaged in "outrageous" behavior by
releasing tons of polychlorinated biphenyl into the city of Anniston and covering up its
actions for decades, handing 3,500 local residents a huge victory in a landmark
environmental lawsuit.
MORE: www.mindfully.org/Industry/Monsanto-PCBs-Anniston.htm
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POLITIC - PETITION - MCS
The petition concerns recognition of MCS by the White House through proclamation of an
awareness and education month (May). The petition can be read at the following URLs.
Petition for U.S. Citizens:
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/31032/petition.html
Petition for Non U.S. Citizens !!!!!!
http://www.petitiononline.com/10862/petition.html
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POLITIC INTERNATIONAL
UNEP Press Release: Trade, Poverty at Heart of Environment and Development Challenge
Bangkok, January 13, 2002
United Nations Environment Programme Executive Director Klaus Toepfer today urged
flexibility in tackling the challenges of poverty alleviation, environmental protection
and managing economic
globalisation. (the whole speach see at the end of this email.)
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POLITIC-WATER
Scientists publish consensus statement on Atlantic coast contaminants
D. Shaw, 207-374-2135, Issued:
2/14/02
www.merireesearch.org.
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SCANDAL - SCIENCE
Scandal of scientists who take money for papers ghostwritten by drug companies
Doctors named as authors may not have seen raw data
Sarah Boseley, health editor, Thursday February 7, 2002, The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/medicine/story/0,11381,646078,00.html
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From: CBGnetwork , January 30, 2002
Users of Baycol to sue Bayer
British users of Baycol, the anti-cholesterol drug which was withdrawn after being linked
to more than one hundred deaths, are to sue Bayer, the German manufacturer, for millions
of pounds in compensation. A South Wales solicitor is seeking legal aid to file a class
action lawsuit against Bayer on behalf of 22 Britons who complained of adverse sideeffects
ranging from liver and kidney problems to heart failure. UK Investigators have so far
uncovered four suspicious deaths linked to Baycol, known as Lipobay outside the US. No
link has yet been conclusively proven between the drug and the deaths.
The case represents the first attempt to bring a multi-party action on behalf of British
patients. So far Bayer has denied knowledge of any British fatalities in connection with
the drug. The class action is being brought by John Watkins, a solicitor with Hugh James
Ford Simey, a law firm that specialises in litigation against pharmaceutical groups. Mr
Watkins is currently investigating 492 reports to the UK's Medicines Control Agency of
adverse side-effects allegedly caused by Baycol. Of these reports, four resulted in a
fatal outcome.
Bayer admitted last week that the number of deaths linked to Baycol had doubled to more
than 100. It is alleged that the drug gives rise to a serious muscle-wasting condition
known as rhabdomyolysis that in some cases can lead to life-threatening kidney failure.
Writs against Bayer, which analysts suggest could lead to compensation payouts of $10
billion (£6.9 billion), have already been lodged by German and American users of the
prescription drug, which was withdrawn by Bayer in August.
News of a British case against Bayer comes as the drug company lists its shares on the New
York Stock Exchange today, having postponed an earlier attempt to list because of the
controversy surrounding Baycol.
BY ANGELA JAMESON, Times Business Section
THURSDAY JANUARY 24 2002
----
UK: BAYER headquarter blockaded
UK GM protesters blockade Bayer on day of Wall Street launch
Anti-genetic modification (GM) protesters have blockaded the UK headquarters of German
chemical and pharmaceutical giant Bayer on the day the company floats on the New York
Stock Exchange. Bayer are being targeted for their ongoing takeover of Aventis
CropScience, the company behind most of the UK's controversial GM crop trials. The
activists accuse crop science companies of ignoring public concern about GM crops and
using their size and power to manipulate governments and farmers.
Around 60 protesters blocked entrances to the carparks at Bayer's Newbury headquarters
using a scaffold tripod and a human chain of people padlocked together, and hung banners
outside the building to highlight Bayer´s recently acquired status of Europe's biggest GM
research company. After a blockade of the site lasting six hours, activists left
peacefully, of their own accord, without arrest and having made their point.
The Wall Street launch is important for Bayer as the company is attempting to raise
capital to fund the Aventis CropScience takeover and its internal restructuring. The
launch had to be delayed from last year after Bayer's share price plummeted following
revelations that one of its core products, the anti-cholesterol drug Baycol, had been
linked to almost 100 deaths.
David Locke, one of the protesters, said, 'Bayer has a long history of neglecting public
safety in order to safeguard its profits. Given the fears over the possible danger of GM
crops, is this a company you want to trust to provide your food?' The majority of crop
trials in the UK this year will be run by Bayer. The inconvenience caused to the company
displayed the concerns of people around the world who believe that GM food is neither
needed nor wanted. In addition to genetics, Bayer have a number of questionable activities
in the chemical and pharmaceutical sectors.
CBG/Coalition against BAYER-dangers collects information about BAYER and coordinates
activities against violations of human and environmental rights caused by this company.
Anyone who has information on possibly illicit activities of BAYER or who wants to receive
our newsletter regularly - please let us know. Anyone who needs photos or information
concerning BAYER is invited to contact us:
new website www.bayerhazard.com for background information
CBG/Coalition against BAYER-dangers, Postfach 15 04 18, 40081 Duesseldorf, Germany
E-mail: CBGnetwork@aol.com , website:
www.CBGnetwork.com , Fax: (+49) 211 333 940 Tel:
(+49) 211 333 911
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POLITIC INTERNATIONAL:
UNEP Press Release: Trade, Poverty at Heart of Environment and Development Challenge
Bangkok, January 13, 2002
United Nations Environment Programme Executive Director Klaus Toepfer today urged
flexibility in tackling the challenges of poverty alleviation, environmental protection
and managing economic
globalisation.
These are critical areas for re-analysis, creativity and action in the lead up to the
World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), he told a meeting of the Asia-Pacific
Forum on Environment and Development in Bangkok.
Mr Toepfer said there were hopeful signs that environment, poverty and sustainable
development had moved towards the centre of the international trade debate following the
Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Doha, Qatar, in November.
"Trade ministers from over 140 countries now firmly accept that globalization of
trade and the reduction of trade barriers must take into account environmental issues and
the development needs of some of the world's poorer countries," he told an audience
of leading thinkers from throughout the region.
He also said the Doha meeting took some first, important, steps towardreducing or phasing
out so called "perverse subsidies" in areas such as fisheries, where subsidies
of $15 billion a year distort trade, contribute to the collapse of fish stocks, and
cause broader impacts on the marine environment.
Mr Toepfer said a lot more detailed work was needed on further integration of the rules of
the World Trade Organisation and those of the Multilateral Environmental Agreements (the
conventions on climate change, biodiversity, biosafety, chemicals etc).
"We need to use trade to lift large numbers of people out of poverty while
maintaining and promoting a healthy, clean and environmentally sound planet. It is
important to ensure that increases in incomes, as a result of trade liberalization, do not
occur at the expense of the environment. But it is equally important to have safeguards so
that countries do not use the environment as an excuse for banning imports, so called
'green protectionism', " he said.
In response to demands of developing countries for specific capacity building activities
in this complex, political, area UNEP, together with the UN Conference on Trade and
Development (UNCTAD) has recently created the Capacity Building Task Force on Trade,
Environment and Development.
UNEP has also recently published the results of studies on the environmental impacts of
trade liberalization on fisheries, forestry, water and other sectors in six developing
countries and the economic instruments
that can be used to sustainably manage them.
The Asia-Pacific Forum for Environment and Development, initiated by Japanese environment
minister Yoriko Kawaguchi and chaired by former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto, finishes
its first substantive meeting today. It will prepare a message to the WSSD in Johannesburg
in August, as part of a three-year programme to identify new development frameworks -
harnessing technology innovation and globalisation - that will lead to greater
equitability and sustainability in the region.
In relation to trade, the forum focussed on the need for capacity building, the promotion
of environmentally sound technologies, market access for the poor and the important role
of small and medium-sized enterprises. It noted the decline in Official Development
Assistance since the 1992 Rio Earth
Summit and an opposite trend in Foreign Direct Investment.
While signaling a need for a greater recognition and role for business in sustainable
development, Mr Toepfer also pointed out that increasing foreign direct investment was
benefiting only a dozen of the more favoured developing nations.
Many of the least developed countries remained reliant on the export of raw natural
materials, which are vulnerable to market fluctuations, and access to small loans, secure
tenure, good governance, gender equity and educational opportunities were crucial issues
for sustainable development.
He urged the forum to emphasize flexibility in tackling the needs of developing countries
and suggested creative combinations of "officially credited foreign investment"
and "debt for education" as well as 'debt for nature' swaps.
Mr Toepfer congratulated the Japanese Environment Minister for catalysing dialogue on
these important issues at a crucial time in the lead-up to the Johannesburg Summit.
"As the largest, most populous, fastest growing, and most diverse region,
Asia-Pacific holds the key to the global sustainable development challenge," he said.
"It is essential that we seize the opportunity provided by the Johannesburg Summit to
redefine our relationship with this planet and with each other, building on what was
achieved 10 years ago at Rio's United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development."
The APFED meeting was organised by the Ministry of the Environment of Japan, the Ministry
of Science, Technology and Environment of Thailand, the United Nations Environment
Programme, the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, the Thailand
Environment Institute and the
Institute for Global Environmental Strategies.
For further information contact:
Tim Higham, Regional Information Officer, United Nations Environment, Programme, ph 288
2127, email higham.unescap@un.org , UNEP News Release ROAP/2002/02
================================================================
end of the newsletter/English/6/03.02.2002 from SAFER WORLD
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