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: =================================================; CHEMICALS; Tests find toxins in body of E.U. environment chief; Friday, November 07, 2003 By David Milliken, Reuters; BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Union's environment chief said Thursday her body contained 28 potentially toxic chemicals as she gave a practical demonstration of the case for new safety rules that are opposed by the industry.; A blood test on European Environment Commissioner Margot Wallstrom for human-made compounds commonly found in televisions, carpets, furniture, and food highlighted the presence of DDT, a pesticide the E.U. banned from farms in 1983 after it was found to harm wildlife and attack the nervous system.; "In just a couple of generations we have accumulated thousands of chemicals that were not there in our grandfathers' and grandmothers' bodies," Wallstrom told a news conference.; She helped launch the proposed new chemicals safety law last week, which would mean that tens of thousands of chemicals developed before 1981, and exempt from checks under existing E.U. safety rules, would be reevaluated for safety.; Industry has said the proposed rules will cost jobs and has criticized a concentration by environmentalists on what it says are minute traces of chemicals in the body. It also points out many chemicals have been very useful.; Chemicals such as DDT do not break down easily and build up in the fat of humans and other animals. Significant quantities are transferred to babies while they are in the womb or breast feeding.; Toxicopathologist Vyvyan Howard, who presented Wallstrom's test results, said levels of chemicals in her blood were average but would have been two to three times higher before Wallstrom gave birth to her two sons.; "If you breast feed a child for six months, it will get 17 percent of its lifetime dose of chemicals," Howard said.; Chemicals that mimic the body's hormones could be especially damaging at small doses, he added.; "There are many bad players that work at low dosages and affect development. There is a complete change in the way toxicologists are thinking about dose."; Howard said it was near impossible to determine the effects of particular combinations of chemicals on humans because of the sheer number of human-made compounds in the environment.; But Wallstrom said early action in withdrawing potentially unsafe chemicals was essential.; Source: Reuters; http://www.enn.com/news/2003-11-07/s_10207.asp; ---; Toxic shocker; Whoever you are, wherever you live, chances are your body is a chemical dump. The Guardian's environment editor knows this for a fact - in a pioneering study, his blood was tested for pollutants, and the results were alarming; John Vidal, Tuesday October 28, 2003, The Guardian; Several months ago I was invited along with 150 other people to have my blood tested for three groups of pretty nasty chemicals - organochlorines, PCBs and flame retardants. The idea, I was told by the Worldwide Fund for Nature, was to see how loaded I was with pesticides, insecticides and other widely used chemicals that are sprayed on crops, used in everyday materials like paints, or on furniture, carpets and everything from tellies to transistors….; http://www.guardian.co.uk/; =================================================; CHEMICALS – AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
Residues of Fossil Fuels (Aromatic Hydrocarbons) Increase Allergic Responses Breathing Easier; UCLA researchers have joined the effort to establish a connection between the residues of fossil fuel combustion and an epidemic of respiratory allergies; http://members.aol.com/DonationDrive/AHandAllergicResponse.html; Source: http://www.research.ucla.edu/chal/28.htm; =================================================; CHEMICALS – ARSENIC; Treated Wood Poses Cancer Risk to Kids; EPA Releases Early Findings on Exposure to Lumber Processed With Arsenic; By Eric Pianin, Washington Post Staff Writer, Friday, November 14, 2003; Page A11; A new Environmental Protection Agency study concludes that children who repeatedly come in contact with commonly found playground equipment and decks made of arsenic-treated wood face increased risk of developing cancer The study suggests the risk to children is considerably greater than EPA officials indicated last year in announcing the products were being taken off the market. Although manufacturers have agreed to stop producing arsenic-treated wood products beginning in 2004, such wood remains in many public playgrounds and back yards. …; © 2003 The Washington Post Company http://www.washingtonpost.com; ---; http://www.noccawood.ca; =================================================; CHEMICALS – BEHAVIOR; Chemicals and Behavior - Pollution doesn't only affect human bodies. It can also harm the mind.; Earthwatch Radio, 11 06 03 By Gina Walejko; If a chemical pollutant is found to cause cancer, public alarm usually leads to regulations that limit people's exposure. But information on how chemicals negatively affect behavior, including motor and mental skills, is often ignored.; Colleen Moore levels that charge in her book, "Silent Scourge." Moore, a psychologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, emphasizes the importance of looking at behavioral effects of pollutants, especially on children.; "Children are usually more sensitive to the effects of pollutants. And one principle of the effects of pollutants on children is that one negative influence on a child's life usually will not take them down a bad path, but multiple risks accumulate." ….; Additional Information: "New Study Finds Exposure to PCBs, Dioxins before Birth Changes Play Behaviors Years Later" in Environmental Health Perspectives; Check Earthwatch Radio on the web at http://ewradio.org Earthwatch Radio is a service of the Sea Grant Institute and the Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin- Madison; =================================================; CHEMICALS – CHLORAL HYDRATE; Final Hazard Identification document available: Chloral Hydrate; http://www.oehha.ca.gov/prop65/hazard_ident/72503CHHID.html; =================================================; CHEMICALS - DISINFECTANTS; From BfR, Germany, 2003-11-13 Exercise caution when using disinfectants!
Joint press release of the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) and the national Austrian environmental agency Umweltbundesamt GmbH Vienna Disinfectants don't belong in the home! This was the clear conclusion of experts attending a seminar on the "Risks of using disinfectants in the home" which was jointly staged by the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment and the national Austrian environmental agency Umweltbundesamt GmbH Wien in Vienna on 6 November 2003 under the aegis of the German Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Reactor Safety and the Austrian Ministry for Agriculture and Forestry, Environment and Water Management. Invitations were issued to experts from scientific and business circles as well as to representatives of non-governmental organisations.; However, the experts did also point out that the use of disinfectants in the home may be advised by doctors in some specific cases.; A sufficient level of hygiene in the home can be achieved, amongst other things, by:; · adequate cleaning using simple cleaning products; · frequently changing cleaning clothes; · regularly cleaning the fridge; · frequently emptying bins; · keeping the bathroom, kitchen and WC dry; · washing your hands!; Disinfectants contain substances which can be harmful to health and the environment. For instance, they can trigger allergies and eczema. There have been repeatedly reports of poisoning accidents caused by the direct intake of concentrated solutions by children and elderly people. Disinfectants can be harmful for the environment when they are used in large amounts in an unnecessary and uncontrolled manner. This is because they kill aquatic organisms and can cause major disruptions to the functioning of sewage treatment plants.; Bactericides, i.e. antiseptic agents, are used in many products and finished goods like socks, sports clothing but also in flooring, bath mats, bin bags, fridges etc. Frequently, their efficacy has not been proven in these applications. Nevertheless, these agents are to be considered harmful for health. In the opinion of experts the use of bactericides is superfluous in the above areas.; The use of disinfectants requires a high degree of expert knowledge. Incorrectly used disinfectants are not effective. Opinions differed amongst the experts as to whether the incorrect use of disinfectants leads to the emergence of resistances and whether disinfectants influence the efficacy of antibiotics. The experts called for further research efforts on these subjects.; The final results of the expert discussions can be summed up as follows: In advertising agents with antiseptic action are often offered to the consumer in an irresponsible way (e.g. "Antibacterial washing-up liquid kills 98% of all bacteria"). The experts, therefore, call for greater awareness amongst consumers. This awareness campaign should start in schools. The goal is to achieve a sufficient degree of hygiene in the home without resorting to products which are harmful to health and the environment.; =================================================; CHEMICALS – INDOOR; VOCs from the construction materials.; Sources of formaldehyde, other aldehydes and terpenes in a new manufactured house; Abstract Indoor Air, Volume 12 Issue 4 Page 235 - December 2002 doi:10.1034/j.1600-0668.2002.01129.x; Sources of formaldehyde, other aldehydes and terpenes in a new manufactured house A. T. Hodgson1, D. Beal2, J. E. R. McIlvaine2; http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/links/doi/10.1034/j.1600-0668.2002.01129.x/abs/; ''We found that the VOC load in indoor air is, on average, 10 times higher than outdoors. For the studied period there was a clear downward tendency for all VOCs in apartments in Leipzig, except for terpenes which show an upward trend in the period 1996-99.''; Abstract Indoor Air, Volume 13 Issue 3 Page 283 - September 2003 doi:10.1034/j.1600-0668.2003.00206.x; http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/links/doi/10.1034/j.1600-0668.2003.00206.x/abs/; =================================================; CHEMICALS – PESTICIDES; From P A N U P S Pesticide Action Network Updates Service; Resource Pointer #346 (Organic Farming: Trends and Data) November 19, 2003; Resource Pointer #345 (Understanding Technology: Developments and Impacts) November 12, 2003; Resource Pointer #344 (U.S. Agricultural Policy) November 5, 2003; ---; USDA Sued for Overlooking Risks of Biopharm; November 20, 2003 PANNA along with several other public interest organizations filed a lawsuit on November 12, 2003, to force the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to safely regulate biopharm crops--plants that have been genetically engineered to produce pharmaceutical and industrial chemicals. The suit asks USDA to fully assess the environmental and public health risks of open-air testing of biopharm crops currently underway in Hawai`i and throughout the United States. Attorneys with Earthjustice filed the suit brought by Center for Food Safety, Friends of the Earth, KAHEA--The Hawaiian Environmental Alliance, and PANNA. …; ---; Action Alert: Stop Increased Use of Methyl Bromide; November 11, 2003 Dangerous proposals to expand use of methyl bromide, a highly toxic and ozone depleting fumigant pesticide, are moving forward in California and in the U.S. Congress, representing serious backsliding away from protective public health and environmental standards.; This Alert explains the California situation, and urges you to send a letter to California Department of Pesticide Regulations (CA DPR) by the close of their comment period, November 18, 2003. If you are near enough, please also attend one of three public hearings on methyl bromide scheduled in the state, in Sacramento (1 pm, November 14), Ventura (1 pm, November 15) or Salinas (6 pm November 17). We will present the federal situation and ask for your help in stopping the proposed roll-back of U.S. methyl bromide limits under the international Montreal Protocol in the near future.; Methyl bromide is an acutely toxic and highly volatile reproductive and nervous system toxicant. Animal studies indicate that methyl bromide causes birth defects, repeated exposures cause neurobehavioral problems, and higher exposure levels can permanently damage the nervous system. A 2002 study of prostate cancer among more than 55,000 agricultural workers and professional pesticide applicators singled out methyl bromide for its increased prostate cancer risk, particularly related to higher exposures. In areas of California with high methyl bromide use (including Santa Cruz, Monterey and Ventura counties), many residents report chronic headaches, severe asthma attacks, nausea, sore throats and dry cough during methyl bromide season.; CA DPR has proposed methyl bromide field fumigation regulations that increase so-called "acceptable" exposure levels and keep workers and residents in rural communities at risk. In 2000, CA DPR adopted methyl bromide field fumigation regulations without addressing sub-chronic, or longer term, repeated, exposures. After several lawsuits brought by PANNA and other organizations, CA DPR has been forced to reissue their methyl bromide regulations.; CA DPR claims that the new regulations will improve protection from long-term methyl bromide exposure. In reality, CA DPR's proposed regulations raise so-called "acceptable" sub-chronic methyl bromide exposure limits nine fold for children (from 1 ppb to 9 ppb) and eight fold for adult workers (from 2 ppb to 16 ppb). These relaxed exposure limits are based on a controversial interpretation of a 2002 study conducted by the methyl bromide manufacturers. Pesticide hazard evaluation experts at California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment concluded that this study was highly flawed and recommended keeping the more protective 1 ppb sub-chronic exposure limit.; Truly protective regulations should incorporate monthly township limits on methyl bromide use and increase required buffer zones to achieve safe air levels. CA DPR's own staff analysis in 2001 showed that monthly township use limits on methyl bromide use were needed to reduce air levels below 1 ppb. Without such limits, air levels at La Joya Elementary School in Salinas were 3.8 (ppb) in 2002 and 2.8 (ppb) in 2001, and Pajaro Middle School in Watsonville levels were 7.7 (ppb) in 2000 and 3.0 (ppb) in 2001, for example.; The proposed CA DPR regulations would also give individual county Agricultural Commissioners authority to approve even less protective buffer zones than those set by CA DPR if "the county agricultural commissioner determines, based on other information, that the methyl bromide application will assure equal or less exposure." County Agricultural Commissioners do not have the capacity to make such assessments accurately, and should not be given this authority.; The new regulations also rely on respirators to reduce fumigation workers' exposure during pesticide application and tarp repair. Yet CA DPR's respirator regulations are weaker than those set by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the proposed regulations, and allow use of respirator cartridges that have not been evaluated by any government agency.; Methyl bromide is not the only dangerous fumigant in wide use in the state. Repeated drift episodes have sickened hundreds of rural residents in California, pointing to the urgent need for strong controls on all fumigants, including chloropicrin, metam sodium and metam potassium. Rather than relax methyl bromide regulations, the state should work to reduce dependence on all fumigants, because they are highly toxic, applied in large quantities, require highly complicated and error prone use procedures and as gases, are inherently hard to control.; Action Alert: Contact CA DPR and tell them to go back to the drawing board and issue truly health protective regulations for methyl bromide that will:; -- Reduce sub-chronic exposures level to1 ppb utilizing township use-limits and buffer zones.; -- Ensure County Agricultural Commissioners do not reduce buffer zones.; -- Adopt tougher respirator standards to protect workers.; -- Reduce dependence on fumigants and encourage safer alternatives.; Sources: Final report: Methyl Bromide Ambient Air Monitoring in Oxnard/Camarillo and Santa Maria, August--October, 2001, Applied Measurement Science, http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/; Ambient Air Monitoring for Methyl Bromide and 1,3-Dichloropropene in Monterey/Santa Cruz Counties- Reports for Fall of 2000 and Fall of 2001, California Air Resources Board, Secondhand Pesticides, Airborne Pesticide Drift in California, 2003, PANNA, California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation (CRLA), Pesticide Education Center, Californians for Pesticide Reform (CPR) http://www.panna.org; Use of Agricultural Pesticides and Prostate Cancer Risk in the Agricultural Health, Michael C. R. Alavanja, Claudine Samanic, Mustafa Dosemeci, et al, American Journal of Epidemiology, October, 2002; Fact Sheet: Methyl Bromide Use in California, PANNA.; Contact: PANNA, CPR, email pests@igc.org , Web site, http://www.pesticidereform.org,; Back issues of PANUPS are available online at: http://www.panna.org/resources/panups.html; To subscribe, send a blank email to: PANUPS-subscribe@topica.email-publisher.com; Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA); 49 Powell St., Suite 500, San Francisco, CA 94102 USA; Email: panna@panna.org Web: http://www.panna.org; =================================================; CHEMICALS – VETERINARY MEDICAL PRODUCTS; From BfR, Germany, 2003-11-12 Scientists advise restrained use of veterinary medicinal products
BfR believes there is considerable scope for reducing their use in food-producing animals; The development and spread of antibiotic resistances of microorganisms and the impact of the use of antibiotic substances were the main topics at an international symposium staged by the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment in Berlin on 10 and 11 November 2003. This was already the fourth symposium at this institute on a subject which is considered to be a serious problem all over the world. The then Federal Institute for Health Protection of Consumers and Veterinary Medicine had already looked examined the problem of resistance in 1995, 1997 and 2002. BfR considers the ban on the use of antibiotic growth promoters in the European Union from 2006 onwards to be the fruit of these efforts and the first step towards controlling resistances. “But we have by no means achieved our goal“, commented Professor Andreas Hensel, the President of the Federal Institute. “If we want to preserve the efficacy of our antibiotics in the long term for the health protection of consumers, then we must further reduce the use of antibiotics in animal husbandry“. Particularly when it came to the treatment of entire herds in which only individual animals were sick, the scientists felt that improvement of husbandry conditions, consistent hygiene and the increased use of vaccines were viable alternatives to the use of antibiotics.; The symposium, attended by around 200 scientists from 16 countries, was organised on the initiative of the Federal Ministry for Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture with the support of the Federal Agency for Consumer Protection and Food Safety and the Federal Agricultural Research Centre. The participants included several representatives of international organizations like the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the Office International des Epizooties (OIE). BfR will incorporate the results from this symposium into its assessment of risks resulting from the use of antibiotics in food-producing animals. Risk assessment is the foundation for recommendations of action to be taken which BfR will pass on to the people responsible for risk reduction management. The recommendations are to serve as the basis for a follow-up seminar to be staged by the Federal Agency for Consumer Protection and Food Safety next year.; Since the introduction of antibiotics for the treatment of bacterial diseases in humans and animals, there have always been bacteria which survive these “attacks” and acquire resistance. In practice this was not a problem as long as the resistance was recognised early on and a sufficient number of other effective substances were available to treat the diseases. However, since antibiotics have been applied on a wide scale in humans and the number of bacteria, which are resistant at the same time to several antibiotics, has been increasing around the world, the situation is now different. There are no new effective agents on the horizon and there have already been some fatalities as a consequence of treatment failure in patients. Against this backdrop each use of antibiotic substances must undergo a careful weighing up of the risks and benefits irrespective of whether they are to be administered to humans or animals.; It was not possible to put a number to the influence which the use of antibiotics in food-producing animals in Germany has on the development of resistance at the latest BfR symposium either. Nevertheless, no-one was in any doubt that resistances can be transmitted to humans via products and foods of animal origin. BfR has repeatedly pointed out the increased resistance to antibiotics used in animals and humans, most recently in April of this year in a press release on the results of a research project (BfR press release 08/2003). In that release the Federal Institute expressly issued a warning about the increased insensitivity of microorganisms to the antiobiotic sub-class of (fluor)chinolones.; For precautionary reasons the participants in the symposium advocated taking every conceivable step to reduce the risk of resistance development. Here the focus was on cutting back the use of antibiotics in animal husbandry and veterinary medicine. The participants expressly pointed out that this recommendation does not apply to treatment. Just like every human being, every animal has a right to treatment. The scientists' criticisms were directed far more at the so-called “metaphylactic“ use of antibiotics involving the “treatment“ of an entire herd or flock after individual animals had become sick. Because the dosage in this type of treatment varies considerably and individual animals only receive sub-optimum amounts of the antibiotic, this can encourage the development of resistances. The Scandinavians have proved that there is great potential for cutbacks in this area. They were able to markedly reduce the use of antibiotics in pig fattening and provide evidence of a decline in resistance without the number of sick animals increasing.; More detailed information on this subject can be accessed on the BfR homepage (www.bfr.bund.de ) under Food/Food Safety/Microbial risks or using the search keyword "Resistance".; Press releases:
- Antibiotic resistance of germs in meat production too high (Press release 08/2003 of 2003-04-01)
- Experts recommend restricting the use of fluoroquinolones to the therapeutically necessary degree (Press release 04/2002 of 2002-02-20); External Links:
- Müller: Handlungsbedarf bei Antibiotikaresistenzen (BMVEL Pressedienst vom 10.11.2003); =================================================; COUNTRIES - EU; Food safety; - International Food Safety Issues; Codex Alimentarius : CCFICS - Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Certification and Inspection (updated) http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/ifsi/eupositions/ccfics/ccfics_index_en.html; - Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health - Sections : Biological Safety of the Food Chain, Controls and import conditions, Animal Health and Animal Welfare; Short report of the meeting held in Brussels on 15-16 July 2003 (234KB) http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/rc/scfcah/biological/rap11_en.pdf; - Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health - Section : Plant Health; Short report of the meeting held on 14 October 2003 (4/2003) - Pesticides Residues (129KB) http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/rc/scfcah/plants/rap22_en.pdf; - Contamination of Food and Feed Materials Inspections; Final report of a mission carried out in Spain from 24 to 28 March 2003 in order to assess the control measures in place for import controls on products of plant origin, and in particular for the assessment of mycotoxin, pesticide residues and 3-MCPD contamination and for the monitoring of irradiated foodstuffs and to monitor compliance with Commission Decisions imposing special conditions on the import of certain products regarding mycotoxin contamination and to follow up on food hygiene mission 3216/2001 (9110/2003) http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/inspections/fnaoi/reports/contaminants/spain/index_en.html; - Pesticides Residues; - EU MRL's sorted by crop (4101KB) updated 28/10/2003; - EU MRL's sorted by pesticide (4101KB) updated 28/10/2003; - EU MRL's sorted by food commodity (4101KB) updated 28/10/2003; http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/ph_ps/pest/index_en.htm; consumer affairs; - Press release; Preparation of the Competitiveness Council of Ministers, Brussels, 10th November 2003, 07 November 2003 http://europa.eu.int/rapid/start/cgi/guesten.ksh?p_action.gettxt=gt&doc=MEMO/03/222|0|RAPID&lg=EN&display=; - Safety of Products; Guidance Document on the Relationship between the General Product Safety Directive (GPSD) and Certain Sector Directives with Provisions on Product Safety http://europa.eu.int/comm/consumers/cons_safe/prod_safe/gpsd/revisedGPSD_en.htm#guid; Public health; - Overview of health policy; Patient mobility and healthcare developments New http://europa.eu.int/comm/health/ph_overview/co_operation/mobility/patient_mobility_en.htm; - Health promotion programme; Funded project 1998 : "Setting up a professional training programme for nurses in Public Health within the European Union (Phase 1) / Elaboration d'un programme de formation professionnelle continue en Santé Publique pour les infirmières de l'Union Européenne (Phase 1)". Information updated http://europa.eu.int/comm/health/ph_projects/1998/promotion/promotion_project_1998_full_en.htm#13; - Health promotion programme; Funded project 2001 : "Development of the professional training programme for nurses in Public Health within the European Union (Phase 2) / Mise en oeuvre du programme de formation professionnelle continue en Santé Publique pour les infirmières de l'Union Européenne (Phase 2)". Information updated http://europa.eu.int/comm/health/ph_projects/2001/promotion/promotion_project_2001_full_en.htm#6; - Rare diseases programme; Funded project 2001 : "EUROCAT 2 : Surveillance of congenital anomalies in Europe (Phase 2)". (Interim report, August 2003) http://europa.eu.int/comm/health/ph_projects/2001/rare_diseases/rarediseases_project_2001_full_en.htm#1; - Health monitoring programme; Funded project 2001 : "CAMON - Comprehensive cancer monitoring programme in Europe". (Interim report, June 2003). http://europa.eu.int/comm/health/ph_projects/2001/monitoring/monitoring_project_2001_full_en.htm#15; Additional outcome of the project: Publication: Lung cancer in Europe in 2000: epidemiology, prevention, and early detection (2003). http://europa.eu.int/comm/health/ph_projects/2001/monitoring/monitoring_project_2001_full_en.htm#15; and more URLs; =================================================; DISEASE – BREAST CANCER – ENDOMETRIOSIS - CONFERENCE; from Deborah Elaine Barrie http://www.noccawood.ca; November 2003, Press Release: Green Party, Media Advisory Silent Epidemics:; Breast Cancer, Endometriosis, Chemical Sensitivity; Green MP Sue Kedgley will host three experts at Parliament's Grand Hall this Friday (November 14) to discuss how environmental factors contribute to the epidemics of breast cancer, endometriosis and multiple chemical sensitivity, and how can we reduce our exposure to them.; One in ten New Zealand women and girls are affected by endometriosis, while 2000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. Evidence suggests that exposure to many common chemicals found in the household and the environment contribute to the illnesses.; The speakers include internationally renowned Greenpeace Scientist Ms Pat Costner, leading Wellington gynaecologist and endometriosis specialist Mrs Hanifa Koya, and pesticide researcher Dr Meriel Watts.; Topics they will explore include:; * why the rise in breast cancer rates around the world parallels the rise in the use of synthetic chemicals, many of which mimic natural hormones;; * how the oestrogenic environment caused by synthetic chemicals is contributing to breast cancer and to chemical sensitivity and endometriosis;; * why 80 per cent of MCS sufferers are women;; * why there is a silent epidemic of endometriosis amongst young women;; * why breast cancer rates continue to climb despite all the effort put into early detection;; * what we can do to reduce our exposure;; * which chemicals are implicated;; * and which occupations are most at risk.; Speakers: Ms Pat Costner Greenpeace International Senior Scientist, USA with 30 years experience and expertise in the health effects from waste disposal, incineration, the chlorine industry and dioxin.; Mrs Hanifa Koya Wellington Gynaecologist concerned about the environmental causes (such as mercury, dioxin, DDT) of endometriosis. She is launching an endometriosis awareness project in schools.; Dr Meriel Watts Author of The Poisoning of New Zealand, focusing on a range of endocrine disrupting chemicals implicated in breast cancer, including those found in household products and building materials.; Where: Grand Hall, Parliament; When: Friday November 14th; R.S.V.P. Sue Kedgley MP, Green Spokesperson for Health,; http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0311/S00195.htm; =================================================

LAW – THE RIGHT to HEALTHY INDOOR AIR; Volume 13 Issue s6 Page 50 - January 2003 doi:10.1034/j.1600-0668.13.s.6.7.x; The right to healthy indoor air: status by 2002; L. Mølhave1 and M. Krzyzanowski2; Abstract: One of the reasons for the inadequate quality of indoor air arises from the poor articulation, appreciation and understanding of basic principles underlying the policies and actions related to indoor air quality. A WHO Working Group derived nine statements on rights to healthy indoor air. The discussions and statements are available as a WHO report. It informs the individuals and groups responsible for healthy indoor air about their rights and obligations, and empowers the general public by making people familiar with those rights. One year after their publication the statements have been adopted as the base for future regulation and guidance. The Board of Directors of the International Society of Indoor Air Quality (ISIAQ) and the participants of two international conferences endorse the use of the statements. No opposition to the statements have been registered. The statements have entered curricula of training courses and have been used in lawsuits.; http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/links/doi/10.1034/j.1600-0668.13.s.6.7.x/abs/; QuickSearch in: Synergy for Authors: L. Mølhave M. Krzyzanowski; Correspondence L. Mølhave Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine, The University of Aarhus, Vennelyst Boulevard 6, build. 260, DK-8000 Århus C, Denmark, , e-mail: lm@mil.au.dk; =================================================; NTP – USA; From NTP Liaison and Scientific Review Office: The NTP solicits final public comment on the nominations reviewed in 2003 and proposed for listing in the 11th Edition of the Report on Carcinogens. A copy of the Federal Register notice (Vol. 68, No. 215, pages 62825-62827) is posted on the NTP web site (http://ntp-server.niehs.nih.gov under "What's New?").

The NTP Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction announces the availability of the draft expert panel report on Fluoxetine and an upcoming expert panel meeting on Fluoxetine and requests public comment on the draft report. A copy of the Federal Register notice (Vol. 68, No. 216, pages 63122-63123) is posted on the NTP web site (http://ntp-server.niehs.nih.gov under "What's New?").; =================================================; RACHEL'S ENVIRONMENT & HEALTH NEWS; October 16, 2003 (Published November 13, 2003); Challenging corporate “rights” #780; http://www.rachel.org; =================================================; end of newslettter /English/23