Dear subscribers,

I thank all who sent me information.

Normally I have the whole article in my inbox. When you don't find an article you want to read,  please don't hesitate to ask me for the whole article per email.

When you want to unsubscribe this newsletter, please send an email to info@safer-world.org with "unsubscribe newsletter/English" in the subject-line.

Best wishes and good health

Ingrid Scherrmann

Fuchsfeldstr. 50, D-88416 Ochsenhausen, phone: + 49 7352 940529, fax: + 49 7352 4392 email: info@safer-world.org web  : www.safer-world.org  

SAFER WORLD is a private independent international internet-network for a safer environment.

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ACTIVE

Urgent action needed on new European Chemicals Regulations (Greenpeace)

http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/contentlookup.cfm?ucidparam=20030418174355&MenuPoint=D-C&CFID=54236&CFTOKEN=73360356  

http://act.greenpeace.org/ams/e?a=754&s=blue2e  

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BOOKS

Kaye H. Kilburn, Chemical Brain Injury, ISBN: 0-471-29214-1, Hardcover, 416 Pages, February 1998 £70.50 / €100.00

Chemical brain injury Kaye H. Kilburn, M.D. The idea that the brain is the most susceptible body organ to the adverse effects of chemicals seemed a remote possibility a decade or two ago. Among the skeptics was Dr. Kaye H. Kilburn. Well-known in Environmental Medicine and Occupational Health, he had demonstrated that airways-obstruction caused the Monday-morning asthma from cotton dust in textile workers that led to the Cotton Dust Standard. He showed how asbestos scarred the lungs’ small airways to trap air and reduce vital capacity, and that welding fumes, aluminum refining, diesel exhaust, and formaldehyde caused asthma by narrowing small airways. These workers’ complaints of memory loss, inability to concentrate, dizziness, lightheadedness, and loss of balance led Dr. Kilburn to consider how to measure brain functions. He borrowed and adapted tests and built devices to measure key brain activities, and learned to find out how symptoms predicted losses of balance, quickness, and strength, and loss of vision for color and form. Nearly 300 patients who had been exposed to chemicals were evaluated for diagnosis and nearly 4,000 people who had been exposed in groups were evaluated for chemical effects. Statistical analysis of patients gathered from individuals and groups in cities, towns, and rural areas provided complementary insights into the effects of chemicals. Chemical Brain Injury focuses on how common and abundant chemicals affect the brain. It synthesizes endeavors to assess the effects of chemicals that were gathered over 15 years and published in 30 widely-scattered papers. Included are effects of chlorine, hydrogen sulfide, chlordane, arsenic, trichoroethylene, PCBs, hydrochloric acid, and diesel exhaust. To understand how individuals and populations respond to chemicals, it considers the effects of aging, of years of school completed, and of sex, height, weight, and other factors. The book addresses such issues as:

The infrequency of chemically unaffected populations in the United States, Mechanisms of brain damage from chemicals,

Prognosis and therapy, The last section examines the social context and discusses such matters as: The future of neurotoxicology, including needs and responsibility, Legal proceedings, Social changes, , Chemical Brain Injury is the definitive volume on the adverse effects of chemical exposure on the human brain.

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Jean Ziegler, "The new rulers of the world" is available in French, German, Italian, and the rights are awarded to Spain, Bulgaria, Croatia, Tuerkey.

The rights are not awarded to UK and/or USA in the moment. But I hope this will be soon.

Original Title: Les Nouveaux Maîtres du monde et ceux qui leur résistent, Fayard, Paris, 2002, 364 p, (available in Canada)

Comment Scherrmann: I find this book is one of the most important I ever was reading. There are a lot of facts, analyses and also subjectiv statements from the author.

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CHEMICALS - ALUMINUM

Aluminum in Drinking Water Tied to Alzheimer's

April 14, 2003  SAN DIEGO (Reuters Health) - Adding support to a controversial theory linking aluminum with Alzheimer's disease, new research indicates the disease is more common in regions of northwest Italy where levels of aluminum in drinking water are highest.  And when the investigators studied the effects of one form of the metal on two types of human cells in the lab, they found it hastened cell death.  "We were absolutely surprised by these results," said study author Dr. Paolo Prolo, a researcher at the University of California at Los Angeles. "I did not expect any effect from aluminum." ...

Related News: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_12359.html

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alphanews_a.html#AlzheimersDisease

Related MEDLINEplus Pages: Alzheimer's http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alzheimersdisease.html

Drinking http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/drinkingwater.html

and/or:  http://www.healthwell.com/hnbreakthroughs/mar98/aluminum.cfm

April 19, 2003

Can Aluminum Cause Alzheimer's Disease?  by Melvyn R. Werbach, M.D.

Senile dementia is a progressive degenerative brain disease associated with old age. Its symptoms include short-term memory loss, slowness in thought and movement, confusion, disorientation, depression, difficulty communicating, and loss of physical function. Alzheimer's disease accounts for about half of all senile dementia cases. Although there are many theories about what causes Alzheimer's, the fact is, its origins remain poorly understood. ....

Ways To Avoid Aluminum

Here are my suggestions for minimizing your exposure to aluminum. .....

more at:  http://www.healthwell.com/hnbreakthroughs/mar98/aluminum.cfm  

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CNR NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF ITALY - INSTITUTE FOR BIOMEDICAL TECHNOLOGIES   Padova Unit "Metalloproteins" , University of Padova , Department of Biology , Via G. Colombo 3, 35121 Padova, Italy An International Aluminum Network was established in 1995 open to all scientists interested to a better understanding of the aluminum impact on biological systems from different point of views: Physiological, Pathological, Toxicological, Biochemical in humans as well as in vitro and in vivo experimentation.  This network is devoted to exchanging proposals and scientific data (relevant papers, experimental data etc.) as well as to inform on various activities around the world: workshops, round tables, symposia etc. where relevant issues on Chemistry or Biology related to the Physiopathology of aluminum could be discussed.

Besides, being the most abundant metal and the third most abundant element on the Earth's crust, aluminum has been implicated as an etiological factor in some pathologies related to long-term dialysis treatment of uremic patients and as a potential factor or cofactor in the Alzheimer's syndrome, as well as in the etiopathogenesis of other neurodegenerative diseases, Parkinsonism, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and other diseases.  http://www.bio.unipd.it/~zatta/alumin.htm  

For more information on Alzheimer's Disease (AD) see: Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral (ADEAR) http://www.alzheimers.org/index.html  

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CHEMICAL - ARSENIC

5/3/2003 : RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL; New study says arsenic has cancer connection Frank X. Mullen Jr. A Dartmouth Medical School study shows even small amounts of arsenic in drinking water may make people more vulnerable to cancer -- a significant finding for Fallon, which has the nation’s highest levels of the metal. It’s the first study to look at damage to DNA repair genes in people exposed to arsenic in drinking water, researchers said. The finding could be significant for Fallon also because the community is the site of a leukemia cluster of 16 children, three of whom have died.

Scientists have said it’s doubtful the town’s longstanding arsenic problem is a direct cause of the cluster. But in light of the Dartmouth study and other research, they said the naturally-occurring metal can’t be ruled out as a co-factor in the development of cancers, including leukemia. .... http://www.rgj.com/news/stories/html/2003/05/03/41092.php?sp1=rgj&sp2=News&sp3=Local+News    

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CHEMICALS - BROMACIL LITHIUM SALT

Availability of the Final Hazard Identification Document for Bromacil Lithium Salt [05/20/03] http://www.oehha.ca.gov/prop65/hazard_ident/dartHIDnotice0902.html  

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CHEMICALS - DIOXIN

From P A N U P S, Pesticide Action Network, April 25, 2003, More Were Exposed to Agent Orange

Researchers at Colombia University have dramatically increased estimates of both the levels of exposure and the number of people sprayed with Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. The study, published in the British journal Nature on April 17, 2003, reports the dioxin contaminants to be as much as four times higher than previous estimates, and mapped villages in which 2.1 million to 4.8 million people were directly sprayed with the herbicides.

From 1961 to 1971, the U.S. and South Vietnamese armies sprayed millions of liters of toxic herbicides, mainly Agent Orange, over approximately 10% of South Vietnam to destroy the dense tropical forests and crops that provided cover and food for combatants. According to official U.S. reports, "Operation Ranch Hand," as the spraying programs were called, destroyed 14% of South Vietnam's forests, including 50% of the mangrove forests.

The spraying program identified various herbicide mixtures with colored stripes on the containers, as Agents purple, white, pink, blue and green. Agent Orange was the most common herbicide formulation used.

About 65% of the herbicides were 2,4,5-trichloropheneoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T), which contains TCDD, the most dangerous form of dioxin. Dioxin is highly toxic and a known human carcinogen. In the U.S., Vietnam veterans are now compensated for ten diseases as well as the birth defect spina bifida that have been linked to exposures from spraying in Vietnam.

The Colombia University report's new estimates of dioxin contamination in Vietnam and neighboring Laos are derived from an extensive search of flight logs in the U.S. National Archives. Researchers were able to determine that more chemicals were sprayed in the earlier years of the war when the herbicides had higher levels of dioxin and were, therefore, more dangerous than those used later. By connecting census data collected during the war with the more accurate flight mapping, the researchers found that a far greater number of people had been exposed. The author of the report, Dr. Jeanne Mager Stellman of the Mailman School of Public Health said, "The number of people in hamlets that flights were directly over number in the millions. I was quite astounded by this."

The report points out that no large-scale epidemiological study of herbicides and the health of affected populations in Vietnam or of war veterans has been done. In the late 1990s, the Vietnamese government estimated that over 70,000 people in that country were experiencing medical problems caused by their exposure or their parents' exposure to Agent Orange; the Vietnamese Red Cross has tallied more than a million people affected.

Two years ago, the U.S. and Vietnam agreed to study dioxin contamination in Vietnam, partly in response to evidence that dioxin residues were still exposing residents through the food supply. A 2001 study by U.S. and Vietnamese government scientists found alarming levels of dioxin in the blood of residents of a southern Vietnamese city, Bien Hoa--even among those who didn't live there during the Vietnam War or were born after the war ended. Based on these results, researchers called for immediate widespread testing of blood and food samples. Because consumption of animal fat is the source of 95% of dioxins found in humans, researchers emphasized the urgency of determining which foods were contaminated.

The Colombia University researchers also raised the urgent need for additional study. The new information that pinpoints spraying locations should be the basis for a comphrensive study of the effects of the herbicides, "The major point is there is a new inventory and we now have an experimental methodology," said Dr. Stellman. "It's time to go ahead and do some studies before we are all dead."

Sources: The extent and patterns of usage of Agent Orange and other herbicides in Vietnam, Jeanne Mager Stellman, Steven D. Stellman, Richard Christians, Tracy Weber & Carie Tomasallo, Nature, April 17, 2003, http://www.nature.com; Researchers Raise Estimate on Defoliant Use in Vietnam War, New York Times, April 17, 2003; PANUPS, Dioxin Contamination in Vietnam, August 24, 2001, http://www.panna.org/resources/panups/panup_20010824.dv.html .

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CHEMICALS - ENVIRONMENTAL ESTROGENS

Environmental Estrogens and Other Hormones Web Site Center for Bioenvironmental Research at Tulane and Xavier Universities  http://www.som.tulane.edu/ecme/eehome/   http://www.cbr.tulane.ed 

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CHEMICALS - GREENHOUSE GAS

EU greenhouse gas emissions rise for second year running

Copenhagen, 6 May 2003  Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the European Union have increased for the second consecutive year, moving the EU further away from meeting its commitment to achieve a substantial emissions cut by the 2008-2012 period.

Total EU emissions of six gases widely considered to be contributing to global climate change are estimated to have stood 1.0% higher in 2001, the latest year for which data are available, than a year earlier, the annual emissions inventory compiled by the European Environment Agency shows.

A preliminary assessment indicates that the main reasons for the rise were a colder winter in most EU countries that led households to burn more heating fuel, higher emissions from transport and greater use of fossil fuels in electricity and heat production.

Despite the increase from 2000, EU GHG emissions in 2001 stood 2.3% below their level in 1990. However, this was less of a drop than in the two previous years. In 2000 emissions had stood 3.3% lower than in 1990 and in 1999, 3.6% lower.

The EU must bring down its emissions of the six gases to 8% below their 1990 level by 2008-2012 if it is to comply with the Kyoto Protocol on combatting climate change.

The inventory represents best estimates and is subject to annual revision. It does not take account of the impact of land use and forestry, which can either produce emissions or absorb them, because no internationally accepted methodologies exist yet.

EU emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), by far the most important greenhouse gas, accounting for 82 % of total EU GHG emissions, increased by 1.6% between 2000 and 2001. They also stood 1.6% higher in 2001 than in 1990.

Revised figures show that the EU held its CO2 emissions in 2000 at their 1990 level, as it had committed itself to do. Initial data had indicated that CO2 emissions in 2000 were 0.5% lower than in 1990.

Increased heating needs meant that CO2 emissions from households and small businesses jumped 6.0% in 2001 from a year earlier, contributing substantially to the increase in overall GHG emissions. Germany, France and the United Kingdom saw the biggest rises in CO2 emissions from households and small businesses.

CO2 emissions from electricity and heat production rose by 1.5% between 2000 and 2001, and those from transport by 1.3%. The main reasons for these increases are growing production of power and heat from fossil fuels, in particular coal, and a continuing increase in transport volumes, especially in road transport.

The latest figures show that 10 of the 15 Member States are heading towards overshooting their agreed share of the EU GHG emissions target by a wide margin. This is the case for Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain.

Big increases in emissions from 2000 to 2001 occurred in Austria (+4.8%) and Finland (+7.3%). Initial analysis indicates these were partly due to the cold winter but also to lower rainfall which cut hydropower production in both countries and reduced Finland's imports through the Nordic electricity market. Consequently Austria and Finland had to increase their use of fossil fuels for power and heat production.

Ireland, Spain and Portugal are furthest away from keeping to their share of the EU target. Ireland's emissions in 2001 stood 31% higher than in 1990, well over double the 13% increase it is allowed between 1990 and 2008-2012.

For the first time in five years Spain's emissions decreased, by 1.1% compared with 2000, due to higher hydropower production which reduced use of fossil fuels for power and heat.

Luxembourg shows the biggest GHG emissions cut of any Member State in percentage terms, decreasing by 44% since 1990. Germany, the largest EU emitter, has achieved the deepest reduction among the big Member States, with a 18% cut since 1990. Between 2000 and 2001 Germany's emissions rose by 1.2%, however.

Details of EU and Member State emissions are shown in an Annex to the online version of this news release at http://org.eea.eu.int/documents/newsreleases/ghg-2003-en. EEA will publish an analysis of the emission figures and trends, together with latest projections for the year 2010, in autumn 2003.

The inventory is available on the EEA's web site at http://reports.eea.eu.int/technical_report_2003_95  

Notes to editors

* The 1997 Kyoto Protocol to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will control industrialised countries' emissions of CO2, methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O), plus three fluorinated industrial gases: hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6). The EU is responsible for around 24% of industrialised countries' man-made emissions of the six gases. The Protocol has yet to achieve the required number of ratifications to enter into force.

* A "burden-sharing" agreement between EU governments lays down differentiated emissions limits for each Member State with the aim of ensuring that the EU meets its overall 8% reduction commitment under the Protocol. The limits are expressed in terms of percentages by which Member States must reduce, or in some cases may maintain or increase, their emissions compared with the base year level. The national commitments are shown in Table 1 in the Annex. For the sake of simplicity, in this press release 1990 is treated as the base year for all gases. In fact, the inventory uses 1995 as the base year for the three fluorinated gases, as allowed for under the Protocol. This reflects the preference of most Member States.

* The EEA and its Topic Centre on Air and Climate Change compiles and quality-checks the annual inventory for the European Commission from data provided by Member States. The Commission has submitted it to the Secretariat of the UNFCCC. The inventory is published as EEA Technical Report No 95 and titled Annual European Community Greenhouse Gas Inventory 1990-2001 and Inventory Report 2003. Submission to the Secretariat of the UNFCCC.

* Figures for 2000 and previous years have been revised because of recalculations by Member States using improved methodologies for estimating emissions and/or improved data on economic activity. The fall in total EU GHG emissions between 1990 and 2000 has been revised to 3.3% from 3.5% in last year's inventory.

About the EEA

The European Environment Agency is the main source of information used by the European Union and its Member States in developing environment policies. The Agency aims to support sustainable development and to help achieve significant and measurable improvement in Europe's environment through the provision of timely, targeted, relevant and reliable information to policy-making agents and the public. Established by the EU in 1990 and operational in Copenhagen since 1994, the EEA is the hub of the European environment information and observation network (Eionet), a network of around 300 bodies across Europe through which it both collects and disseminates environment-related data and information.

The Agency, which is open to all nations that share its objectives, currently has 31 member countries. These are the 15 EU Member States; Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein, which are members of the European Economic Area; and the 13 EU accession and candidate countries, namely Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, the Slovak Republic and Turkey. The EEA is the first EU body to take in the accession countries. Negotiations on EEA membership are also under way with Switzerland.

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CHEMICALS - HOUSEDUST

Greenpeace exposes hidden poisons in our homes - New scientific study into chemicals found in housedust,

April 30, 2003 Available also in Finnish, Swedish and certainly also in other languages, go to the individual page!

Urgent action on European Chemicals Regulations

An EU review of chemicals has enabled a unique opportunity to create legislation ensuring the production and use of cleaner, safer chemicals across the European Union.

New scientific study into chemicals found in housedust

Greenpeace today published a scientific investigation into toxic chemicals in house dust, revealing their widespread presence in homes across the UK. In November 2002, Greenpeace vacuumed 100 houses across the country to collect dust that was later sent to laboratories to be analysed for a range of harmful pollutants (1), chemicals for which health concerns are widely acknowledged.

The dangerous chemicals Greenpeace targeted for investigation were not those coming from traffic fumes or factory chimneys but unseen and often unlabelled chemical additives brought into our homes inside everyday consumer products like toys, televisions, carpets and toiletries.

The majority of chemicals that have been identified in house dust arise from the use of consumer goods used in the home. This is despite some manufacturers' claims that these chemicals are bound into products and present no risk. Humans can breathe in the dust and any chemicals it contains or ingest it from contaminated food or teething toys or even absorb it directly through our skin. Greenpeace chemicals campaigner Oliver Knowles said,

"This report exposes the fact that widespread chemical contamination is not just there in the 'outside world' but in our homes, our offices and everyday lives. People know that chemical pollution can find its way into their homes from busy roads or dirty factories but do not expect unseen poisons to be escaping into our bedrooms and living rooms from every day products like toys and televisions. From there they can contaminate our body tissue and the tissue of unborn children.

Greenpeace found substantial amounts of hormone disrupting akylphenols, used in cosmetics and other personal care products phthalate esters used mainly to soften PVC which are harmful to the reproductive system, brominated chemicals which disrupt hormones, used as fire retardants chlorinated paraffins which may be cancer-causing, used in paints, plastics and rubbers.

New laws currently being drafted by the EU present a rare opportunity to improve legislation on chemicals, which for years has failed to protect people and the environment from contamination. The current EU wide review of chemicals policy was initiated by the Commission in February 2001 in response to mounting concern about the effectiveness of existing legislation.

Greenpeace believes the action required is simple. The proposed new EU laws require that chemicals of the highest concern carry an 'authorisation' to allow only specific continued uses. Greenpeace supports this but believes this action is meaningless unless a second step is put in place - chemical producing companies must be placed under a legal obligation to substitute these chemicals of high concern wherever a safer alternative exists. Where an alternative does not exist and the chemical is deemed essential, an authorisation must only be granted for a limited time period to allow for safer alternative chemicals, material or products to be developed. Any such authorisations must be based on strong justification that the chemicals are really essential.

Oliver Knowles, said;

"The EU have recognised the major problem chemical pollution is causing but are shying away from solving it. Companies must be legally obliged to substitute dangerous chemicals for the safest available alternative. Only then can we take a real step towards ridding our environment, our homes and our lives of these lingering chemicals that threaten ourselves and our children with cancers and other health problems."

Further information

Journalists can obtain 'Consuming chemicals: Hazardous chemicals in house dust as an indicator of chemical exposure in the home' from the Greenpeace Press Office and from our briefings library.

http://www.greenpeace.org

Toxics housedust report: consuming chemicals "Consuming Chemicals" (PDF, 340kb) http://www.greenpeace.se/files/

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CHEMICALS - PLASTICS

Genetic Mutations from Plastic Bottles

21. Apr 2003.. This recent Science News article has enormous importance. Environmental Medicine physicians have been saying for years that putting food and drink

into plastic containers was fraught with hazard. All the newer clear transparent plastic 'polycarbonate' bottles, (which are used to package

spring water, juice and soda and other products) release the chemical Bisphenol-A into the liquids that the bottle contains.

The attached new article cites a forthcoming scientific publication showing beyond any doubt that Bisphenol-A, a known estrogen mimic, also cause

genetic mutations -- in this case, usually a triple chromosome, like "Trisomy-21", which is Down's Syndrome. The article also states that it is now known that 25% of all human miscarriages are due to abnormal numbers of chromosomes. ...

Plastic ingredient spurs chromosomal defects The primary chemical in some plastics causes female mice to produce eggs with abnormal numbers of chromosomes, according to a new study. In people, the condition - called aneuploidy - is the leading cause of miscarriages and several forms of mental retardation including Down's syndrome.

The new finding could shed light on the causes of aneuploidy, but it also raises questions about the safety of bisphenol-A (BPA), the prime ingredient of the polycarbonate plastics that make up products ranging from baby bottles ( http://www.sciencenews.org/sn_arc99/9_4_99/food.htm   )  to tooth-protecting sealants. (SN: 11/22/97, p. 324). ....SCIENCE NEWS APR 5, 2003 VOL. 163: 213

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CHEMICALS - TABACO

From Joe Cherner, 5 Million Deaths a Year Worldwide from Tobacco- Tobacco smoke is the world's most lethal weapon of mass destruction

The greatest cause of disease and death in every developed country and most developing countries is tobacco addiction. The World Health Organization estimates that tobacco addiction kills 5 million people worldwide each year, including more than 400,000 Americans.

In effort to combat this worldwide plague, the World Health Organization (made up of 192 member countries) voted unanimously last week to adopt the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The Convention urges countries to eliminate tobacco advertising, establish bigger/stronger warning labels, raise cigarette prices, and adopt smokefree workplace laws.

Today, France announced that it is raising cigarette prices by 25% and will continue to do so until prices reach 7 euros ($8.40) per pack. Currently, cigarettes cost about 4 euros ($4.80) per pack. The last price hike resulted in a 10% decline in youth smoking. In addition, new cigarette warning labels have gone into effect in Europe covering 1/3 of both the front and back of a pack of cigarettes. Canada and Brazil have strong picture based warning labels (click_here). Ireland and Norway have announced that restaurants and bars will be smokefree next year. Finland currently has smokefree casinos.

In the U.S., four entire states-- CA, DE, NY, and CT-- have gone totally smokefree (including restaurants, bars, and casinos). Hundreds of cities have also gone totally smokefree, including four of the most popular tourist destinations-- New York, Los Angeles, Boston, and San Francisco.

Canada and Australia continue to lead the world in smokefree workplace legislation.

In Japan, the densely populated Chiyoda Ward went smokefree outdoors last year, in response to growing complaints from residents about sidewalks and roads littered with cigarette butts and clothes being burned by cigarettes. Mayor Masami Ishikawa -- himself a smoker -- backed the ordinance, saying he believes it is no longer possible to rely on smokers to voluntarily stop throwing cigarette trash on the street.

Although there is much to be done, it is obvious that the world is taking action to prevent another generation of tobacco addiction and disease. Five million deaths a year are simply too much to ignore.

Joseph W. Cherner, President , SmokeFree Educational Services, Inc. , http://www.smokefree.org 

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CONFERENCES

First International Conference on METALS AND THE BRAIN:

From Neurochemistry to Neurodegeneration (University of Padova, Italy: 20-23 September 2000)

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Environmental Hormone 2003 Conference October 16-18, New Orleans, LA http://e.hormone.tulane.edu 

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DISEASE - ASTHMA

Asthma in Schools

Each day, one in five Americans occupies a school building and the majority of these occupants are children. Environmental asthma triggers commonly found in school buildings are cockroaches and other pests, mold resulting from excess moisture in the building, and dander from animals in the classroom. Secondhand smoke and dust mites are other known environmental asthma triggers found in schools. In addition, some literature suggests children

with asthma may be affected by other pollutants found in schools from such sources as un-vented stoves or heaters and common products such as cleaning agents, perfumes, and sprays.

Effectively managing a child's asthma can best be accomplished through a comprehensive plan that addresses both the medical management of the disease and avoidance of environmental triggers. Since children spend most of their time in schools, day care facilities, or at home, it is important to reduce their exposure to environmental asthma triggers as much as possible in each of these environments. This publication focuses on steps that schools can take to help children breathe easier. http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/asthma/asthma_in_schools.htm  

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DISEASE - CHRONIC FATIGUE

11 May, 2003, Chronic fatigue 'costs UK billions'

Many people with ME are unable to continue working

Chronic fatigue syndrome costs the British economy billions of pounds each year, a report suggests. Research carried out for the charity Action for ME suggests the total cost runs to £3.5bn annually. This represents almost £15,000 for each person with the syndrome, also known as ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis). http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3014341.stm  

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DISEASE - MCS

04/18/2003: MCS articles at Ragged Edge homepage

Two articles on the MCS housing crisis can be viewed at the site of the international disability advocacy journal, Ragged Edge, at

http://www.raggededgemagazine.com/0303/0303ft5.html  

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searchable database of MCS and related information, It is updated most weekdays with the latest information. http://www.chemical-survivors.com  

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FOOD - GE Crops

Reuters, 05.30.03, Tests find traces of GM crops in U.S. wheat supply

By Carey Gillam

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Reuters) - Tests have revealed that traces of genetically modified grains are repeatedly creeping into U.S. wheat supplies, even as the debate rages over whether the world's first biotech wheat variety should be released in North America, grain industry sources said. ....

Bush's evangelising about food chills European hearts  The fight over GM crops exposes the weaknesses of globalisation, says Jeremy Rifkin

June 2, 2003, The Guardian

In case you thought that the Bush administration's rift with its European allies ended with the Iraqi military campaign, think again. The White House has now set its sights on something far more personal - the question of what kind of food Europeans should put on their table.

News Update From The Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered Foods

E-mail: mailto:label@thecampaign.org  , Web Site: http://www.thecampaign.org 

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From P A N U P S Pesticide Action Network Updates Service

May 30, 2003, GE Crops Won't End Hunger

Genetically engineered crops pose a considerable threat to farmers and food security in developing countries, according to ActionAid, a highly respected development organization in Great Britain. The group recently issued a report, GM Crops--Going Against the Grain, that compares the promises of biotech companies with the real performance of genetically engineered (GE) crops in Asia, Africa and Latin America. It concludes that the new technology will lead to more hungry people, not less.

ActionAid released the report as part of a national debate about GE food soon to begin in the UK. The debate has been made even more important by the mid-May announcement that the U.S. will file a World Trade Organization (WTO) case against the European Union for its moratorium on biotech crops. President Bush has gone so far as to assert that Europe's refusal to allow food from GE crops into their markets has discouraged Third World countries from using this technology and thus undermined efforts to end hunger in Africa.

Matthew Lockwood of ActionAid warned, "The UK public should not be duped into accepting GE in the name of developing countries. GE does not provide a magic bullet solution to world hunger. What poor people really need is access to land, water, better roads to get their crops to market, education and credit schemes." ActionAid is one of the UK's largest development organizations, working with poor and marginalized people in 30 countries around the world to eradicate poverty.

The report states that nearly 800 million people go hungry every day because they cannot grow or buy enough food. One in seven children born in the countries where hunger is most common die before they reach the age of five. The biotechnology industry says that GE crops will solve the problem of world hunger by increasing food production. Yet the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) finds there is more than enough food in the world to meet current global needs, both now and several decades into the future. The causes of food insecurity are political and economic; many people are too poor to buy food, lack the land or other resources to grow food themselves, or are unable to obtain food through existing distribution systems.

Four GE crops, maize (corn), cotton, canola (oilseed rape) and soya (soybeans), account for 99% of all commercial GE crops in 2002. With the exception of cotton, these crops are used primarily for animal feed. Soy and the vegetable oils derived from canola are used in processed foods.

ActionAid reports the pesticide industry has been the driving force behind GE agriculture, as four multinational corporations--Monsanto, Bayer CropScience, DuPont and Syngenta--have purchased seed and biotechnology companies around the world and now control most of the GE seed market. The global market for GE seeds is on the rise, with 2002 estimates at US$4.25 billion, up from US$3.8 billion in 2001. GE seeds represented 13% of the global commercial seed market in 2001.

Despite the biotech industry's claims that genetic engineering is an essential tool to combat hunger, GE research in Africa, for instance, focuses on export crops such as cut flowers, fruit, vegetables, cotton and tobacco. In Kenya, only one out of 136 patent applications for plants was for a food crop; more than half were for roses.

Genetically engineered seeds threaten the practice of saving and replanting seeds, which is common in many countries around the world. Up to 1.4 billion people, including 90% of farmers in Africa, depend on saved seed. Yet GE seeds must be bought each season, and biotech companies charge farmers royalty fees and force them to sign contracts that they will not save or replant seeds, use only the corporation's chemicals on the crop, and provide access to their property to verify compliance. These companies also continue to develop "Terminator technologies" which makes plants produce sterile seeds.

The report also contradicts biotech companies' claims that GE crops will lower use of dangerous pesticides, reporting that chemical use per hectare in Argentina has more than doubled on GE soy fields compared to conventional varieties. Also, GE technology will enable corporations or farmers in wealthy countries to grow crops currently grown only in tropical climates. Such "crop substitutions" would deprive export-producing countries of valuable income and employment. For example, corporations are currently developing canola genetically engineered to produce oils to replace coconut and palm oils grown in the developing world, devastating coconut oil production in India and oil palm producers in Malaysia and Ghana.

Sources: GM Crops--Going Against the Grain, ActionAid, 2003, available for free download at: http://www.actionaid.org/resources/pdfs/gatg.pdf ;

Press Release, May 28, 2003, Press Release, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, May 13, 2003.

Contact: ActionAid (44-20) 7561 7627, Hamlyn House, Macdonald Road, Archway, London N19 5PG, UK; phone (44-20) 7561 7561; fax (44-20) 7272 0899; email@actionaid.org.uk  ; Web site http://www.actionaid.org

Back issues of PANUPS are available online at: http://www.panna.org/resources/panups.html

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Uncontroled release of GMO's in accessioncountries could weaken EU policy framework.  Friends of the Earth Europe and ANPED - Environmental groups warn that EU enlargement could weaken policy on GMOs

Brussels – 27 May 2003 – A report released today warns that the lack of implementation of GMO laws in accession countries could result in GMOs unapproved in the EU, flooding the EU market after accession. The report entitled: "EU Enlargement - the introduction of GMOs by the back door of EU accession?" outlines the difficulties accession countries face in trying to harmonise their laws on GMOs used in food and agriculture, with the EU patchwork of legislation that is constantly under review, revision and expansion.

All the accession countries of Central-Eastern Europe (CEE) have now transposed all but the most recent EU GMO legislation. However, most of these countries lack any means to implement their laws on GMO authorisation and labelling. Only the Czech Republic and Hungary have state laboratories certified to detect GMOs in seed, food and feed.

"What GMOs are circulating on the markets of these countries is a big unknown, as there are no monitoring programmes to check compliance," said Iza Kruszewska, of ANPED, The Northern Alliance for Sustainability, an NGO network that released the report. "Poland, the largest of the new Member States requires authorisation and labelling of GMOs, but has no means to enforce these requirements," said Ela Priwieziencew, from the Polish NGO, Socio-Ecological Institute. "In early 2002, Poland authorised the import of Monsanto’s genetically engineered soybeans and (Bt) maize for use as animal feed, but to this day there is no certified laboratory to check what is really being imported and if it is labelled," she explained. "Already in 2001, we found a soya product in Poland sold by the Polish company Santé, containing 4% genetically engineered soybeans – without any authorisation or labelling. Although we alerted the authorities, nothing was done to take these products off the market," she added.

Despite their poor implementation, many provisions in the laws of CEE accession countries address gaps in EU law or go further than EU legislation. For instance, the GMO laws in Poland and Slovakia provide for liability. Vera Mora, from the Hungarian NGO ETK gives another example: "Hungarian legislation on GMOs allows for the creation of genetic protective zones. We must be allowed to retain this provision to protect organic and non-GM farmers in Hungary from GMO contamination." The Slovene GMO law provides a safeguard clause that allows Slovenia not to automatically authorise all the GMOs already approved in the EU. According to Marjana Dermelj, from the Slovene NGO Umanotera: "Where there are concerns about potential biodiversity or other impacts, the Environment Ministry can re-assess the risk of releasing the GMO – even one approved in the old EU15 - into Slovenia’s ecosystems." However, Dermelj doubts this provision will be applied: "Seven years of legal vacuum has created a situation where we just don’t know the extent of GMO contamination – both with EU-approved and unapproved GMOs".

The report examines the legal status of GMOs that have been put on the market in the old EU or on the market of a pre-accession country, at the moment of accession, when the two markets merge to create a single market. Accession will create a new situation regarding existing approvals for GMO releases. Prior approvals - even if they concern the same GMO variety - should not be automatically considered valid, either in the "old" EU or in the new member states. "EU authorisations cannot be extended to the territories of new Member States by default, irrespective of whether the GMOs were approved in pre-accession countries or not. Arguably, a new approval procedure must be initiated for all GMOs", explains Thomas Schweiger, the author of the report.

"The biotech companies with the support of the US government have moved into Central and Eastern Europe in a big way, seeking to avoid the more rigorous legislative framework of the EU; most successfully in Poland - the most US-friendly new EU Member State," said Geert Ritsema of FoE Europe, co-publisher of the report. "But, we will not allow GMOs to be introduced by the back door of EU enlargement," concluded Ritsema.

For more details and the latest version of the programme, please see: http://www.foeeurope.org/GMOs/conference/home.htm  

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LAW

BBC 5 May 2003: UK Soldier Wins Landmark Gulf War Syndrome Case, Veterans welcome illness ruling,

LONDON (Reuters) - A British soldier suffering from a brittle bone disease has won a landmark Gulf War Syndrome case after a tribunal ruled that a cocktail of drugs given to him in 1991 should be blamed for his illness. Alex Izett was never deployed in the Gulf, but his symptoms, including fatigue and digestive and psychological problems, were identical to those of some veterans of the war in which a U.S.-led coalition drove Iraqi troops out of Kuwait. The ruling is seen as the first recognition of the syndrome, which Britain's Ministry of Defence says does not exist. The ministry said on Monday it had lost the case on legal, not medical, grounds and that it had no plans to appeal. ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/3001943.stm and/or http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=281308  

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NOISE - FIREWORKS

May 27, 2003 National Campaign for Firework Safety - Firework Noise - One man's sound is another man's noise

Noise has been defined as 'unwanted sound'. The sounds of celebration on a Saturday night is noise to those not involved.

Environmental noise is increasing. Many of the sounds are of thriving communities; lorries bringing goods to our shops; workplaces providing employment for many; building construction noises.  Many of these sounds can be isolated and each will be dealt with in accordance to its need in the community at large. Such as an ambulance, police or fire engine siren needs to be loud to be heard by other road users, in order to give way and allow the emergency vehicles to pass.Sleep Disturbance

The 24 hour society is not yet, total in the UK. The traditional 9 to 5 work period and typical school day, is still the main. So are the sleeping patterns of the vast majority of us. Young babies and toddlers are beginning to establish a bed-time from seven o'clock onwards. Children as young as four or five and upwards to teenagers, their bed-times are from eight o'clock onwards.

It is very important that the sleeping patterns of the children, as well as adults, are well developed, and more importantly noise free. It has been established that any noise above 45dB(A) will disturb those asleep or about to sleep. The "Future Noise Policy, European Commission Green Paper, Brussels 1996" reported broken sleep patterns increase the annoyance factor.

In 'Guidelines for Community Noise' the World Health Organisation states, "At night, more than 30% are exposed to equivalent sound pressure levels exceeding 55 dB(A), which are disturbing to sleep". It continues"Sleep disturbance is a major effect of environment noise. It may cause primary effects during sleep, and secondary effects that can be assessed the day after night time exposure. Uninterrupted sleep is a prerequisite for good physiological and mental functioning." ...

www.angelfire.com/co3/NCFS  There are two versions of the 'Fireworks 2002' survey, both will be available on our website from June 4 2003.

Editors may download a copy of the full version by logging on to www.angelfire.com/co3/NCFS/survey/fireworks2002/testdownload.html   Copies are available in both Adobe and WordPad.

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WATER

May 27, 2003, International Organisations urge G8 World Leaders to Allocate Funds to Promote Cooperation over Transboundary Waters for Development, Security and Peace

Global Water Partnership, Green Cross International, IUCN - The World Conservation Union, International Network of Basin Organisations, International Secretariat for Water, Programme Solidarité Eau, World Water Council and World Wide Fund for Nature **

....The Global Water Partnership, Green Cross International, IUCN - The World Conservation Union, the International Network of Basin Organisations, the International Secretariat for Water, Programme Solidarité Eau, the World Water Council and the World Wide Fund for Nature, ask the World Leaders meeting in Evian for the G8 Summit to recognise the management of transboundary rivers, lakes and aquifers basins as a priority and to allocate $1 billion during the next 10 years to finance interstate cooperation over this strategic issue.

This very realistic figure represents less than 1/1000 of the hundreds of billions that need to be invested during the next 10 years, in order to meet the Millennium Development and Johannesburg Water Goals. This commitment is a prerequisite for success in facing this great global challenge. www.iucn.org  , << Appeal INTNGO-G8-FINAL.pdf  >>

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WHISTLE-BLOWERS

Whistle-blowers may be lauded for their courage in stepping forward to declare malfeasance, but they often face great risks. Anonymizer has  created a special tool that facilitates reporting of illicit activities by helping witnesses retain their anonymity. The new service gives enterprises  a way to meet obligations imposed on them to create methods for reporting corporate wrongdoing. And because the service provides anonymity  (Anonymizer's strong suit), it may even lead to more whistle-blowing.  http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,1040578,00.asp  

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GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES

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USA - NIEHS -Report on Carcinogens

May 20, 2003 , NTP UPDATE: Resending note about the Availability of Background Documents for Substances Nominated for Listing in the Report on Carcinogens, Eleventh Edition

The National Toxicology Program (NTP) announces the availability of the background documents for two nominations under consideration for listing in the Report on Carcinogens (RoC), Eleventh Edition ("the Eleventh RoC"). The background documents are available for the nominations: Lead and Lead Compounds and Diazoaminobenzene. These documents can be obtained electronically on the NTP web site for the Eleventh RoC: http://ntp-server.niehs.nih.gov/Newhomeroc/11RoCBkgrnd.html   or in hardcopy and/or on CD by contacting Dr. C. W. Jameson at the following address: National Toxicology Program, Report on Carcinogens, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, 79 Alexander Drive, Building 4401, Room 3118, P.O. Box 12233, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709; phone: (919) 541-4096, fax: (919) 541-0144, email: jameson@niehs.nih.gov

The background documents for Lead and Lead Compounds and Diazoaminobenzene are the first two of the six background documents that are being prepared for the second set of nominations for the Eleventh RoC that includes Lead and Lead Compounds, Diazoaminobenzene, Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), High Risk Human Papillomaviruses (HPVs), and X-Radiation, GAMMA (g)-Radiation and Neutrons. (Note: the X-rays and g-rays and neutron nominations will be combined into one background document). Background documents for the other nominations in this set will be available in the near future. The background documents for the 10 nominations that have completed scientific review for the Eleventh RoC [see Federal Register: January 22, 2003 (Vol. 68, No. 14) pages 3033-3036] are also available on the web at the same site or by contacting Dr. Jameson.

All future notifications about the availability of background documents for other nominations under consideration for the Eleventh RoC will be provided through NTP list-server announcements.

The NTP identified the nominations under consideration for listing in the Eleventh RoC in previous Federal Register notices [July 24, 2001 (Vol. 66, No. 142) pages 38430-38432 and March 28, 2002 (Vol. 67, No. 60) page 14957]. The NTP follows a formal process for the review of nominations that includes multiple phases of scientific peer review and several opportunities for public comments. Additional information about the review of nominations for the Eleventh RoC, including the date and location of the public meeting of the NTP Board of Scientific Counselors RoC Subcommittee and the deadline for submission of public comments for consideration at that review, will be announced through future Federal Register and NTP list-server notices.

Background Information about the RoC

The RoC is an informational, scientific, and public health document that identifies and discusses agents, substances, mixtures, and exposure circumstances that may pose a carcinogenic hazard to human health. The report is prepared biennially in response to Section 301 of the Public Health Service Act, as amended. The NTP welcomes nominations for listing in or changing the current listing in the RoC at any time. Additional information about the nomination process, the criteria for listing a nomination in the RoC, and the formal multi-step review process for nominations is available on the NTP web site ( http://ntp-server.niehs.nih.gov  , select Report on Carcinogens) or from Dr. Jameson at the address provided above.

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GERMANY - BfR

2003-05-20 With independence and transparency to improved consumer protection

Federal Minister Renate Künast appoints Professor Andreas Hensel as the President of BfR

As of today he heads the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment: Professor Andreas Hensel, veterinarian and hygienist, expert in the field of microbiology, molecular biology and infectiology. The woman who introduced him to his new office is the person who was responsible for launching the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment last November: Federal Minister Renate Künast. By separating risk assessment and risk communication from risk management she took the courageous step of creating a scientific institution independent of political, economic and social interests. With his new position Andreas Hensel has also taken up this challenge. By means of competence and transparency, he intends to strengthen consumer protection and raise BfR to the standing of an internationally renowned scientific body in the field of risk assessment.

"Avoiding crises before they happen" is how Hensel describes the guiding principle for his work. He stresses the need to distinguish carefully between existing knowledge and any gaps in knowledge in the event of a crisis. The most important task of the Institute will, therefore, be to identify early on possible risks from foods, feedstuffs, substances and products and propose suitable measures in order to reduce them quickly and sustainably. By contrast, the monitoring of foods and products is not one of the Institute's tasks. It remains the responsibility of the federal states. The expert examination and assessment of global information and data on hidden risks will be supplemented in BfR by research of its own. In order to achieve more safety of foods, feedstuffs, substances and products, the Institute will work on the international stage and in close cooperation with the new European Food Safety Authority.

The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment advises the Federal Ministry for Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture and other federal ministries on scientific issues. The Institute works indirectly (through the legislator) and also directly for the consumer. Consumer safety has the highest priority. Consumers are to be involved and supplied with comprehensive information. Only an informed consumer has the freedom to decide for himself which risks he wishes to take and which he does not. Consumers and consumer representatives will, therefore, play an important role in BfR. In the same way as politicians, scientists and members of the business community, they will be represented on the Institute's committees and given an opportunity to input their knowledge into the assessment work. BfR wants to take this one step further and approach those consumers who, up to now, have not shown an active commitment. In this way, the Institute seeks to ensure that its work is tailored to the needs of consumers.

Given the inundation with "expert" opinions, BfR aims to provide exhaustive and scientifically sound information at the right time. Consumers are entitled to receive answers to their questions whenever possible. But the boundaries of science must also be communicated in an open manner. Risk communication in BfR will involve consumers and consumer representatives and be carried out in cooperation with other national and international risk assessment bodies.

"I would be delighted", commented the President of BfR, "if we were to succeed in winning back the trust of consumers in food safety by means of independent scientific competence, consistent transparency and through involving consumers in risk assessment".

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Checklist for women in childbed clarifies questions about breastfeeding

The National Committee for the Promotion of Breastfeeding puts information for parents to be, midwives and hospital staff on the Internet

Shorter stays in hospital are both sensible and desirable after giving birth when it comes to containing costs in the health sector. However, they do make it more difficult to give mothers extensive advice when it comes to breastfeeding their newborn babies. They also restrict the opportunity to practice breastfeeding and looking after the newborn baby under practical supervision. If no midwife care can be provided at home, the mother and her partner are left to their own devices after being discharged from hospital. Frequently, many questions to do with breastfeeding and the problems that may arise remain http://www.bfr.bund.de/sixcms/detail.php?id=2134

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