The Canary Report

Open Tabs

Posted on Mar 12, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Environment, Government Regulation, News, Susie Collins

More from my series Open Tabs, sharing links to the pages I have open on my browser.

I’m sorry I don’t always remember where the links come from, many are sent to me through Facebook or email. I try to give credit when I can. I’m not working in a vacuum, most info I find is sent to me in one way or another and I thank all of you for taking the time to share. xoxo

Clean, Green, and Lean: Get Rid of the Toxins That Make You Fat by Dr. Walter Crinnion

My online friend, Missy, sent me this link to a book about losing weight, Clean, Green, and Lean: Get Rid of the Toxins That Make You Fat by Dr. Walter Crinnion. Before you get the wrong idea, this book is not about another fad diet so your can fit into your Gucci pants, this is serious information of value to people who have a weight problem due to toxic chemical or mold exposure. It’s also available on Kindle.

A renowned naturopathic doctor shows you how to get lean and be green while helping to save the planet.

Now you can lose weight and be good to the environment, too-without starvation diets, calorie counting, complicated meal plans, or even having to exercise. Dr. Walter Crinnion, a naturopathic doctor and environmental medicine physician, shows you how to clean up your diet and clear out your body and home to eliminate unwanted pounds and toxins from your life. You’ll be able to get rid of nagging health problems such as allergies and fatigue and enjoy greater energy and a greener planet. Clean, Green, and Lean:

* Shares an effective program to shed pounds and stay healthy by getting rid of toxins in your body and your life in just four weeks
* Combines losing weight with being good to the environment
* Can help reduce aches and pains, depression, and other health problems
* Is written by one of the country’s foremost authorities on environmental medicine who has appeared on The View and other programs

If you’re serious about losing weight and safeguarding your health, follow the expert advice of Dr. Crinnion and start getting clean, green, and lean today.

Here’s an enlightening essay by Helen Larkin on Women and the Environment: Understanding Connections.

America was created, designed, and governed by men, yet now we are one of the most violent Westernized countries, infested with cancer, and have the greatest disconnection from our ecological impacts. Young women today need to enter into the sciences with a vengeance studying toxicology, agriculture, biomimicry, conservation, green chemistry, alternative energy, health, nutrition, and ecological dynamics. Women today must enter all realms of governance. We need to preserve the best of modern living while walking as gently as possible on the planet. We must educate and KNOW that female is creation, female is nature, and female is the future. Most important: Female is Life.

The Environmental Working Group has an excellent page on Scented Secrets: Fragrances Hide Toxic Chemical Ingredients. It was produced as guidance for Valentine’s Day presents, but can be applied any day. The Environmental Working Group is one of the best places on the web to get information about toxic chemicals in consumer goods, it’s info you can trust.

Take a quick look at a personal care product label, and you’ll nearly always find a long list of chemical ingredients in tiny print. Chances are, somewhere in the midst of these technical chemical terms, is the simple word “fragrance.” Although companies are required by law to list all chemicals ingredients in a product, a special loophole allows them to hide what’s in the “fragrance” component[1]. And what’s hidden in that simple word can include complex mixtures of up to hundreds of chemicals that studies show may be linked to a variety of health problems, including allergies, skin reactions, endocrine/hormone disruption, and possibly even birth defects. Companies are not required to test cosmetics for safety before they are sold. The label is the primary protection we have to make decisions about products we rub, pour, and lather on our skin and hair. Yet when it comes to fragrances, we don’t even have this simple protection.

An online friend asked me to share some info about burn pits. I’ve covered this story previously on The Canary Report, but here’s a recent report in the New York Times: Veterans speak out against burn pits, a range of health problems are linked to the pits on military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan, toxic substances have been found in the smoke.

On the website Fragrance Free Living, Bonnie tells her story about losing her job and almost her house due to her Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. I’m pleased to see my online friend Roberta Bradley, vice president at the Environmental Health Association of Alberta, leave a comment for Bonnie with links and information.

Common Dreams reports Cities Sue Manufacturer of Weed-Killer Found in Tap Water: Federal Lawsuit Seeks Funding to Remove Atrazine from Water Supply. This story is interesting because the states are arguing that they shouldn’t have to pay for filtering out the contaminant that the chemical company is responsible for manufacturing and selling as safe. I would argue the federal government is equally to blame for this problem, having not done their job of protecting public health before protecting corporate interest.

Annie Bond writes about toxic teeth, BPA and dental bonding materials. This is a product about which every canary should be aware.

Okay, that’s enough, that should keep you busy for awhile! Thanks to everyone who sent me the links!

Continue Reading

Tags: Books, Chemicals, Environment, Fragrance, Perfume, Pesticides, Policy, Pollution, Products, Research, Toxic

Film: Gasland

Posted on Mar 12, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Environment, Government Regulation, Susie Collins

A cross-country odyssey uncovers toxic streams, dying livestock, flammable sinks and weakening health among rural citizens on the front lines of the natural gas drilling craze.

This is a follow-up on the same topic of yesterday’s post about fellow canary Sandra DenBraber, who is battling an oil and gas company contaminating her neighborhood with toxic emissions from a natural gas drill site near her home.

Meet Josh Fox, who is offered $100K for rights to drill for natural gas on his property, but Josh smells a rat and decides to travels through 32 states to discover for himself what happened in other areas that cut a deal. There he discovers the hellish world of fracking, the highly toxic process of natural gas extraction. And he catches the whole nightmare on film.

This film is currently on the film festival circuit. The next three Gasland film fests: WASHINGTON DC Environmental Film Festival, March 16th; the PHILADELPHIA film fest, April 9-11; and at the YALE Environmental Film Fest, April 11th.

Link to the Gasland website.

Continue Reading

Tags: Environment, Policy, Pollution, Video

Gas well drilling operation impacts health of an entire neighborhood

Posted on Mar 10, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Government Regulation, MCS, Susie Collins

Woman with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity is the first in  her neighborhood to detect toxic emissions from gas well drilling site; her health deteriorates while she fights for clean air.

Drilling at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Sandra DenBraber

Sandra DenBraber, who has Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, sent me an update about the toxic emissions from a natural gas drill site near her home. She wanted me to share with Canary Report readers an update about her health and a report in the Fort Worth Weekly published today.

“I really wanted you to have this story since the reporter did such an excellent job,” she wrote me. “The more people that hear about what happens to chemically sensitive people the more hope for change. I will continue to fight for change in drilling. It is essential since now 25% of children in the drilling area have respiratory problems per a recent news article.”

Here’s an excerpt from the Fort Worth Weekly report:

DenBraber, a former occupational health nurse, moved to her neighborhood more than 24 years ago after developing severe chemical sensitivities that forced her to quit her job. She went to great lengths to make sure her environment was as free of chemicals as possible: Her home has no carpeting, no gas lines, and several heavy-duty air filtration units. She lived there in relative good health, getting by on disability payments supplemented by a small income from making and selling charcoal masks for others who suffer from the same problem.

But in 2008, in the midst of drilling operations near UTA conducted by Houston-based Carrizo Oil and Gas, her health declined rapidly. Both DenBraber and her physician, Dr. Alfred Johnson, began to suspect emissions from the well site might be responsible.

“It got to the point I wasn’t able to leave my home without getting an instant migraine,” DenBraber said. “I have an above-ground pool for exercise [following joint replacement surgeries] that I was unable to use. I couldn’t work in my garden; I couldn’t step out the door.”

The change in her health became so pronounced that both Johnson and Dr. Susan Murphy , a rehabilitation specialist at UT Southwestern Medical Center, sent letters to Carrizo on her behalf in March and April of 2008, asking that the company work with DenBraber to find a mutually agreeable solution to her situation.

“Sandy tends to react more strongly to chemical exposure than most because of her chemical sensitivity,” Johnson said. “In a sense, she’s kind of like the canary in a mineshaft.”

My guess is that no one from Carrizo Oil and Gas lives anywhere near this operation. It shouldn’t be that the people who have been made ill are the ones at the front lines of the battles for clean air, but that is too often the case. Sandra has my respect and admiration for fighting the good fight not just for herself, but for the health, safety and welfare of her entire neighborhood. Brava, Sandra! I hope this is resolved soon so that you and your neighbors, including the students at UTA, are soon protected from this major polluter.

Photo credit of drilling site, Carrizo Oil and Gas.

Photo of Sandra ©2010 Sandra DenBraber

Continue Reading

Tags: Air, Children's Health, Environment, Indoor Pollution, MCS, Nontoxic, Policy, Pollution, Stink, Toxic

Anatomy of a toxic chemical spill

Posted on Feb 25, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Environment, Government Regulation, Guest Bloggers

On February 17, 2010, in Alameda, CA, a garbage or recycle truck owned by Alameda County Industries blew its hydraulic line at the corner of Oak Street and San Jose Avenue, spewing hydraulic fluid all over the street. I had to walk through it to get to my house.

By guestblogger Steph.

~~~

02-17-10

February 17, 2010 - Alameda, CA. That's not snow - it's 57F outside. Alameda County Industries garbage or recycle truck blew its hydraulic hose earlier in the day, and their crew came out with an absorbent material to pick up the spill. That material was like fine grain sand and immediately went airborne. Now it's on the cars and everything, and likely in my house since I had to open the front door to go inside.

~~~

02/18/10

On February 17, 2010 in Alameda, CA, a garbage or recycle truck owned by Alameda County Industries (ACI) blew its hydraulic line at the corner of Oak Street and San Jose Avenue, spewing hydraulic fluid all over the street.

Cars continued driving, as San Jose Ave is a thoroughfare, and the oil spread all up and down both streets. ACI sent a cleaning crew, who applied a thin sandy ‘absorbent’ material all over the road, which got picked up by passing cars and went airborne immediately, with the oil particles on the sand.

The scene above is what I had to walk through to get to my house.

Please google hydraulic fluid toxicity to learn more, and also check out a news story about a woman who died after a similar accident.

I have also uploaded photos here. My lips were stinging when I got back into the house last night after taking pictures. I should have worn a mask of course. Of course. I shed all my clothes in the kitchen and put them in a garbage bag. I took a shower immediately.

Last night I filed complaint with the Alameda Department of Public Works and the City Clerk’s office for Boards and Commissions. This morning, following Susie Collins’ advice, I phoned up the police department to make sure they’d been notified. They said they had, and seemed indifferent to me. They routed me over to the fire department, where I was told I’d get a call back. I got a voicemail saying they’d send someone over to check out the street, but I didn’t see anyone come by in a Fire Department uniform or vehicle.

At 3pm today, I received the following email:

Good afternoon Steph,

I am responding back to your e-mail that was sent to ACI this morning, at approximately 2:30pm on February 17,2010 one of our fully automated trucks had a hydraulic hose rupture and leaked fluid onto the street, our driver immediately contacted our dispatch center and a field supervisor.

Upon notification of the spill we immediately contacted the City of Alameda, Public works department. Both the City of Alameda Fire and Police department were called and responded to the scene to assist us with the cleaning of the street and traffic control.

After meeting with the fire department and the urban run-off group they released the scene back to us for our cleanup process. We responded with 7 ACI employees to put dry sweep on the on the fluid and swept up all the areas effected. The hydraulic fluid can become slippery and that’s why we reacted to get it cleaned up immediately. The fluid that was on the ground is a premium hydraulic oil that is commonly used in hydraulic systems. The absorbent that was used is called select sorb professional multi purpose spill aid (MSDS_SelectSorbProfessional.pdf).

We are keeping in contact with the city of Alameda and the urban run-off Manager, today we had street sweepergo thru the areas that were effected and he will be returning again tonight after cars have left the street. As far as the City of Alameda and ACI is concerned there are no direct health hazards as a result of the spill.

I apologize for any inconvenience this matter may have caused you, please feel free to contact me should you have any further questions or concerns.

Best Regards,

Guy Martinez

Safety Manger

I sent an email back to Mr. Martinez, asking for specifics on the hydraulic fluid; “Thank you for your response. Can you tell me what type of hydraulic fluid had spilled, aside from it being ‘premium’? Was it mineral oil, organophosphate ester, or polyalphaolefin?”

And now I wait.

[...]

Continue Reading

Tags: Air, Children's Health, Environment, EPA, Law, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Pollution, Products, Toxic

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity associations in Spain meet with Ministry of Health officials

Posted on Feb 05, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Disability Rights, Government Regulation, Guest Bloggers, MCS, Social Justice

Eva Caballé reports on the meeting between Multiple Chemical Sensitivity associations and Ministry of Health officals in Spain, Feb. 4, 2010

Translated from Spanish by Eva Caballé

On February 4th 2010 at 12:00h has been held the meeting with Ministry of Health to state the situation of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity sufferers in Spain.

Mr José Martínez Olmos, Secretary General of the Ministry of Health, Mr Alberto Infante Campos, General Director of Professional Planning, Cohesion of SNS and High Inspection and Mr Francisco Valero Bonilla have attended to the meeting representing the Ministry of Health. One person by almost each MCS association has attended to the meeting and also Jaume Cortés, lawyer of Colectivo Ronda, and Dr. Pablo Arnold, immunologist specialized in MCS.

• ACAF: Cristina Montané
• AFCISQUIM: María Roldán
• Alas de Mariposa- SQM: Tránsito Rodríguez
• ALTEA – SQM: Cristobalina Bejarano
• APQUIRA: Mª Carmen Gómez de Bonilla
• AQUA: Mario Arias
• ASQUIFYDE: Francisca Gutiérrez
• AVASFASEM-AVASQ: Francisca García
• ENA: Laura Domínguez
• MERCURIADOS: Mª Carmen Miravete
• Plataforma Estatal Contra la Contaminación Ambiental: Minerva Palomar
• PLATAFORMA PARA LA FM ,SFC, SQM, reivindicación de derechos, Asociación Nacional: Elena Navarro

A petitions document done by MCS associations under David Palma coordination has been submitted. This document has been signed by:

• ABAF: Margarita Pascual
• ACAF: Maite Ribera
• AFCISQUIM: María Roldán
• Alas de Mariposa- SQM: Irene Escudero
• ALTEA – SQM: Cristobalina Bejarano
• APQUIRA: Mª Carmen Gómez de Bonilla
• AQUA: Mario Arias
• ASQUIFYDE: Francisca Gutiérrez
• AVASFASEM-AVASQ: Francisca García
• ENA: Rosa de Gabriel
• MERCURIADOS: Servando Pérez
• Plataforma Estatal Contra la Contaminación Ambiental: Minerva Palomar
• PLATAFORMA PARA LA FM ,SFC, SQM, reivindicación de derechos, Asociación Nacional: Elena Navarro
• Eva Caballé

Also a copy of Desaparecida: Una vida rota por la Sensibilidad Química Múltiple (Missing: A life broken by Multiple Chemical Sensitivities) has been hand delivered on behalf of Eva Caballé, who couldn’t attend to the meeting, as an example of what MCS sufferers have to go through in Spain.

The meeting with Ministry of Health has meant an agreement on minimum standards by the Ministry, but a big hope for all MCS sufferers.

Representatives of Ministry of Health have committed to contact MCS associations within 2 weeks to jointly agree on experts to form a Scientific Committee to create a document of consensus on the MCS. They have stated that this is the first step to make possible the inclusion of the MCS in ICD-10, i.e. its official recognition as disease in Spain. They have demonstrated that later there would be necessary to start creating the protocols.

All people who have been part of this process are thrilled by the result of the meeting, because doors have opened us to obtain the recognition of the Multiple Chemical Sensitivity in Spain and to achieve that MCS sufferers have the same rights as the other chronically ill people.

Link

Continue Reading

Tags: Children's Health, Environmental Health, Environmental Illness, Law, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Policy, Research, Work

US Senate committee holds hearing on public exposures to toxic chemicals

Posted on Feb 04, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Environment, Government Regulation, Susie Collins

Now available: Transcript and webcast of today’s hearing at the United States Senate Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics and Environmental Health entitled, “Current Science on Public Exposures to Toxic Chemicals.”

Led by Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), at left, the United States Senate Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics and Environmental Health held a hearing today entitled, “Current Science on Public Exposures to Toxic Chemicals.” I urge you to become familiar with Sen. Lautenberg’s work on the hill; along with Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), he’s the greatest advocate in the U.S. Senate for toxic chemical policy reform. For those of you who follow The Canary report, you’ll remember a post I did on Sen. Launtenberg back in February 2009 when he assumed the chairmanship of this committee. Lautenberg is the senator who introduced the Kid-Safe Chemicals Act, a proposal to overhaul federal restrictions on toxic chemicals.

Canaries will recognize the name of one other of our heroes among the panel members: Ken Cook, president at the Environmental Working Group.

Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics and Environmental Health hearing entitled, “Current Science on Public Exposures to Toxic Chemicals.”
Thursday, February 4, 2010
10:00 AM EST
EPW Hearing Room – 406 Dirksen

Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics, and Environmental Health, will convene a hearing to examine the current science on public exposures to toxic chemicals.

Majority Statements
Barbara Boxer
Frank R. Lautenberg

Minority Statements
James M. Inhofe
Witnesses

Opening Remarks

Panel 1

Steve Owens
Assistant Administrator, Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances
Environmental Protection Agency

Henry Falk M.D., M.P.H.
Acting Director, National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

John Stephenson
Director, Natural Resources and Environment, U.S. Government Accountability Office

Linda Birnbaum Ph.D., D.A.B.T., A.T.S.
Director
National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences

Panel 2

Molly Jones Gray
Participant in a Biomonitoring Study

Ken Cook
President
Environmental Working Group

Charles McKay MD FACMT, FACEP, ABIM
Division of Toxicology, Department of Emergency Medicine, Hartford Hospital

Tracey J. Woodruff PhD, MPH
Associate Professor and Director
Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco

I don’t know how much change is going to be made as a result of these hearings, but I can tell you that trends are moving in the direction of toxic chemical policy reform. If President Obama manages to hang on to a second term despite the discontent that is brewing due to the economic problems, we will have a much better chance at stronger reform. I can tell you though, that even though the wheels of Washington, DC, move painstakingly slow, I’ve seen more happening to enforce the Clean Air Act and to put progressive environmental policies in place over the past year than I saw in the entire eight years of the Bush administration.

Link to transcript and webcast of today’s hearing.

Continue Reading

Tags: Air, Chemicals, Environment, Food, Law, Policy, Pollution, Products, Research, Toxic, Water

MCS groups in Spain to meet with Secretary of Health

Posted on Jan 26, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Disability Rights, Government Regulation, MCS, Policy, Social Justice, Susie Collins

A coalition of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Groups in Spain will meet with the Secretary General of the Ministry of Health to discuss formal recognition of MCS.

Eva Caballé at NO FUN reports that a coalition of MCS groups in Spain will meet with the Secretary of the Ministry of Health on Feb. 4 to discuss the formal recognition of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity as a physical illness. The groups also will ask that all people with MCS have the same rights as the other chronically ill people.

The meeting will be held on February 4th 2010 in the Ministry of Health. Mr José Martínez Olmos, Secretary General of the Ministry of Health and Mr Alberto Infante Campos, General Director of Professional Planning, Cohesion of SNS and High Inspection will attend to the meeting representing the Ministry of Health. Following the Ministry of Health instructions, one person by each MCS Association will attend to the meeting and a lawyer and a doctor specialized in MCS too.

David Palma is coordinating this process selflessly.

We are now working on petitions document that will be signed by all MCS associations. This document will be given to the Ministry during the meeting, along with medical information about MCS.

List of MCS associations that are part of this process:

* ACAF
* AFCISQUIM
* Alas de Mariposa
* ALTEA – SQM
* APQUIRA
* ASQUIFYDE
* AVASFASEM-AVASQ
* ENA
* MERCURIADOS
* PLATAFORMA PARA LA FM ,SFC, SQM, reivindicación de derechos, Asociación Nacional

Link to read more about Eva’s book.

Link to read about Eva’s essay in Delirio’s “Silence” issue.

Link to read about Eva’s essay in Delirio’s “Naked” issue.

Continue Reading

Tags: Law, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Policy

Environmental illness and disability law proposed in Italy

Posted on Dec 27, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, Disability Rights, Government Regulation, MCS, Policy, Social Justice, Susie Collins, Worker's Rights

Silvia Müller at the Chemical Sensitivity Network wrote to tell me there’s an Italian law proposal for environmental illnesses and disability. The proposed law includes definitions of various environmental illnesses such as Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and Electromagnetic Sensitivity, diagnosis and prevention guidelines, guidelines for health care professionals, building and planning rules, employment protections, and financial coverage.

This is really good news. We are seeing country after country enact these types of laws, most recently Germany and Japan. Getting these laws enforced is another story, but we should still celebrate this forward momentum toward global recognition of environmental illnesses, moving us closer to full rights given to those who need medical care, safe housing, financial, and other support.

MeP DOMENICO SCILIPOTI (IDV): “HOW TO HELP PEOPLE AFFECTED BY ENVIRONMENTAL DISABILITY”

PRESS RELEASE, Rome 21.dec.09

“In order to help people with Environmental Disabilities whose survival and quality of life depend not on drugs, but on avoiding certain environmental factors, today I presented a project of law about this issue”, comments On. Scilipoti. “The law is meant for environmentally triggered diseases such as Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), involving a loss of tolerance of chemicals, or Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity (EHS), forcing the affected ones to get far from electromagnetic fields emitted by mobiles, Wi-Fi, electric cables, etc. But the law is also meant for genetic, metabolic, neurological or immunological disorders such as fibromyalgia or CFS (involving chemical intolerances) or favism, which gives serious reactions to legumes. Other cases of environmental disability are seen in autism, epilepsy, migraine and lupus that involve reactions to fluorescent lighting”. “It’s important to discuss this law as soon as possible in order to give an answer to these people”, Scilipoti concludes.

Link to read entire law proposal.

Thanks, Silvia!

Continue Reading

Tags: Environmental Illness, Law, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Policy, Support, Work

Change is coming on U.S. toxic chemical policy

Posted on Dec 09, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, Government Regulation, Policy, Social Justice, Susie Collins

A great report today from the Huffington Post on the work currently being done in Washington DC to change toxic chemical policy.

While Afghanistan, the economy, Copenhagen and health care grabbed headlines this week, on December 2nd, Senators Frank Lautenberg and Barbara Boxer, who chairs the Senate Environment & Public Works committee, held a hearing on an issue that could significantly influence three out of four of those big ticket items. That issue is chemicals – the synthetic and industrial chemicals, largely petrochemical in origin that permeate every aspect of our lives – and the inadequacies of TSCA (Toxic Substances Control Act), the primary law aimed at protecting Americans from chemical hazards.

The report also covers introduction of the Endocrine Disruption Prevention Act of 2009 by Senator John Kerry and Representative Jim Moran. The Environmental Working Group’s study is included as reference (they are doing God’s work in my opinion). EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson has called for increased research and development of safer chemicals through green chemistry. Coinciding with the Senate hearing was a statement signed by 13 states also calling for TSCA reform.

The coming changes might not impact the lives of people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity in real time, but the current paradigm on chemical policy, the one that got most of us sick in the first place, is about to get trounced.

Link

Continue Reading

Tags: Chemicals, Environment, Environmental Health, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Policy

Government to improve regulation of toxic chemicals

Posted on Oct 14, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, Environment, Government Regulation, Policy, Social Justice, Susie Collins

EPA director presents new guidelines to improve regulation of toxic chemicals.

The Michigan Messenger reports momentum builds for tighter regulation of industrial chemicals; health care providers say reform of chemical regulation is key to creating public health system.

In a recent policy speech, Lisa Jackson, director of the Environmental Protection agency, called the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act an “inadequate tool” and presented a set of guidelines that she said should steer efforts to improve regulation of chemicals. Environmental health activists, representatives of the American Nurses Association, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and Clean Water Action are urging the EPA to use biomonitoring data — data gleaned from screening certain demographics for chemicals in blood and urine — as a guide in prioritizing its investigation of chemical safety.

The Michigan Messenger reports on the EPA announcement from their state’s perspective:

New chemical regulations could have special meaning in Michigan. Midland-based Dow Chemical (NYSE:DOW), the nation’s largest chemical company, is in negotiations with EPA officials over how to handle the company’s widespread contamination of the state’s largest watershed with industrial chemicals. In the Midland area, and in other industrial and post-industrial sites around the state, people are burdened with historic chemical contamination in the environment as they also encounter new chemicals in everyday items [emphasis added].

Unlike pharmaceutical chemicals, which are often only available by prescription and only after they are evaluated for safety by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and manufacturers are required to divulge information about possible side effects, industrial chemicals — found in plastics, food packaging, cleaning products, building materials, furniture, medical supplies and a host of consumer products — are generally not reviewed for safety by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

“[W]e need to review all chemicals against safety standards that are based solely on considerations of risk — not economics or other factors ,” Jackson said, “[A]nd we must set these standards at levels that are protective of human health and the environment.

Although more than 80,000 chemicals have been manufactured, since the 1976 enactment of the Toxic Substances Control Act, EPA has only declared five unsafe.

The article explains well the problems in current chemical regulations.  Given the weak federal protections, states were pretty much left on their own to strengthen the most problematic of health and environmental toxicity. We saw this when California recently initiated the first of its kind state-level chemical oversight program. The article makes the case for using the new momentum initiated by the EPA to strengthen chemical regulations at both state and federal levels.

I don’t think any of this current activity is going to bring tangible relief to those of us with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. Both policy reform and biomonitoring initiatives are first looking at the most egregious offenders, already backed by solid science as being harmful — such as lead, Bisphenol A, mercury, perfluorinated compounds, phthalates, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, and triclosan — not necessarily the most common household chemicals that can make our lives a living hell on a daily basis. But there are trends moving in our favor in toxic chemical regulation reform and also with breakthroughs in green chemistry. Again, perhaps not activity that will bring people with MCS relief in the near future, but nonetheless positive activity when looking at “cause” of our illness.

It’s wise to remember while watching trends that government regulations do not truly change corporate practices in a systemic manner until consumers demand it. So keep doing what canaries do best: educate, educate, educate. Live by example. Continue sparking discussion and debate about toxic chemicals with your friends, family, employers, landlords and elected officials. It’s a tough job, especially when struggling with chronic illness, but it’s always tough for people ahead of the curve on medical, social and economic change. Hang in there and be aware that there are forces out there finally taking a look at toxic chemical regulation reform.

Continue Reading

Tags: Chemicals, Environment, Environmental Health, EPA, Fragrance, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Policy, Pollution, Products, Research, Toxic

French film: Our Children Will Accuse Us

Posted on Aug 05, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, Environment, Government Regulation, Media/Videos, Social Justice

French movie: Nos Enfants Nous Accuseront, Our Children Will Accuse Us (with English subtitles) about the affects of agricultural chemicals on children.

Continue Reading

Tags: Air, Asthma, Chemicals, Children's Health, Environment, Environmental Health, Environmental Illness, Film, Pesticides, Policy, Pollution, Toxic, Video, Work

Sign the petition to protect kids

Posted on Jul 26, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, Government Regulation, Media/Videos, Social Justice, Susie Collins

Go sign this petition!

We are morally outraged by a national chemical policy that allows 100’s of toxic industrial chemicals in kids’ bodies. The Declaration is our way of saying: Enough Is Enough. We hope you’ll sign it: http://www.kidsafechemicals.org.

Because it’s just not right. You know it. We know it. Let’s be sure our elected officials in Washington DC know it, too.

Continue Reading

Hawaii’s roadsides routinely sprayed with herbicide

Posted on Jul 09, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, Government Regulation, MCS, Susie Collins

People with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity have reported experiencing dizziness, brain fog, asthma attacks or neurological problems that make it difficult to walk and talk after exposure to roadside herbicides.

Honolulu Weekly reports on The last Roundup: Herbicides are more than just a headache for Hawaii residents.

Reporter Joan Conrow takes a look at the problem of roadside spraying here in Hawaii, using as one of her primary sources a woman with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.

This is a well researched report and Conrow does a good job explaining the problems associated with the ubiquitous use of Roundup herbicide on virtually all our roadways. It can be a nightmare for people with MCS. Not your vision of paradise, is it?

Diane Koerner travels with an oxygen tank in the trunk of her car, all the windows rolled up and the air conditioning on recirculate. The Big Island resident, who suffers from severe Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, takes such precautions because smelling the herbicide Roundup can leave her with a debilitating migraine. And given that chemicals are used to suppress vegetation along nearly every mile of roadway in the Islands, an unpleasant chance encounter is not an unlikely risk.

Koerner is not alone. Other persons with MCS have reported experiencing dizziness, brain fog, asthma attacks or neurological problems that make it difficult to walk and talk after exposure to roadside herbicides. And even those who haven’t been diagnosed with MCS complain of headaches and flu-like symptoms after traveling in areas that have been sprayed. Still others worry about the impact of weed-suppression chemicals on children, pets and the environment.

Link to full report.

Photo credit, a roadside on Kauai that’s been sprayed with Roundup. Virtually all county and state roadsides in Hawaii are lined with an ugly, dead strip of foliage that’s been sprayed with Roundup. As soon as it starts to rebound, workers come along and spray it again. The spraying is done from trucks without much thought to the way the wind is blowing. During application, where the truck moves slowly along the shoulder as the spray is applied, it’s not unusual for the herbicide mist to be floating or blowing all over the road onto and into passing vehicles.

Continue Reading

Tags: Chemicals, Children's Health, Environment, Environmental Health, EPA, Hawaii, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Pesticides, Policy, Pollution, Stink, Toxic

Flame retardent in plastic pallets may contaminate fruits and vegetables

Posted on Jun 24, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, Government Regulation, Home & Garden

Animal studies link chemical to cancer, brain and reproductive disorders.

Environmental Working Group reports:

WASHINGTON — Large plastic pallets used to ship, cool and store produce contain decabromodiphenyl ether (Deca), a flame retardant chemical and known neurotoxin that may leach onto the fruits and vegetables inside.

In a letter sent today, Richard Wiles, senior Vice President and for Policy and Communications of Environmental Working Group (EWG), urged Margaret Hamburg, commissioner of the federal Food and Drug Administration, to order the food industry to stop using plastic pallets made with Deca.

Wiles pointed out that significant levels of Deca could accumulate during the standard food industry practice of “hydro-cooling” produce by submerging stacked pallets filled with fruits or vegetables in water or by dripping water over the pallets. As the water is recycled, its Deca concentration intensifies and leaves Deca residues on the produce.

Citing concerns that this practice could lead to Deca contamination of food, on April 29, 2009 Dr. Elizabeth Sánchez of the FDA’S Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition advised a Washington, D.C.-area consulting firm that Deca is “not authorized” as a component of plastic pallets used in the hydro-cooling produce. She said that FDA required pre-market approval for the chemical “to be used in contact with food.”

April 29 letter: http://files.bnpmedia.com//RFF/Home/Files/PDFs/Letter2.pdf

January 23 letter: http://files.bnpmedia.com//RFF/Home/Files/PDFs/PNC757_R_correspondence%2…

“Given the Agency’s decision that Deca-treated plastic food pallets are not authorized for use in hydro-cooling, the FDA must take action to ensure that they are not, in fact, used for this purpose,” Wiles wrote Hamburg.

According to statements by iGPS , the shipping industry’s largest plastic pallet supplier, plastic pallets are now being used by General Mills, Borders Melon Company, PepsiCo, Cott, Okray Family Farmsand Martoni Farm. The company said that Dole Foods and Kraft Foods are conducting trials of plastic pallets. If the iGPS statements are accurate, the food industry’s ongoing transition from wooden to plastic pallets raises the threat of Deca food contamination.

“This is yet another example of our tattered food and chemical safety net,” Wiles said in a separate statement. “Highly toxic chemicals creep into the food supply while no one in government is paying any attention.”

According to studies by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and academic scientists, Deca, like other flame-retardants, can disrupt brain and reproductive system development.

The EPA website says that some research on Deca has yielded “suggestive evidence of carcinogenic potential.” It cites studies showing increased incidence of four different cancers and non-cancerous tumors in rats and mice.

Other research cited by EPA has found that activity levels and behavior of mice exposed to Deca for a single day undergo notable changes associated with neurotoxicity. EPA says that “the neurotoxic effect of neonatal decaBDE exposure was persistent and also worsened with age.”

“Fruits and vegetables are an essential part of a healthy diet, but contaminated produce pallets could cause millions of men, women and children to consume harmful levels of a chemical neurotoxin,” Wiles said. “A toxic chemical designed to suppress fire should not be allowed to taint the food we eat.”

As a result of the serious health risks presented by Deca, public health authorities in Maine and Washington State have restricted its use. State legislators in 10 states have proposed Deca bans this year.

See Mr. Wiles’ letter to FDA.

###

EWG is a nonprofit research organization based in Washington, DC that uses the power of information to protect human health and the environment. http://www.ewg.org

Photo credit

Continue Reading

Tags: Chemicals, Children's Health, Environment, EPA, FDA, Food, Organic, Research, Toxic

Help launch What’sOnMyFood? website

Posted on Jun 18, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, Food, Government Regulation, Home & Garden

The Pesticide Action Network launches interactive website.

The Pesticide Action Network reports:

Today we launched PAN’s new What’sOnMyFood? website.

The searchable site reveals what pesticides are found on which foods, in what amount, and – for the first time – links pesticide residues to the health effects associated with exposure to each of the chemicals.

Spread the Word » What’sOnMyFood? is an outreach tool meant to build momentum toward real pesticide reform — we need your help to make it work!

In addition to highlighting the health risks of pesticide residues, the What’sOnMyFood? database points to the hazards of pesticide use before food even reaches the kitchen table. By taking readers deeper into the public problem of pesticides, the site shows how widespread use of agricultural chemicals threatens the health of workers and rural communities, as well as harming wildlife and contaminating ecosystems.

Examples of pesticides facts found with What’sOnMyFood?

• 22 different pesticides were found on one strawberry sample.
• 79% of conventionally produced carrots contain linuron, a pesticide known to cause developmental or reproductive health problems.

Share this tool with 3 friends today! » Thank you for helping us launch this important new website.

Continue Reading

Tags: Chemicals, Children's Health, Environment, EPA, FDA, Food, Pesticides, Policy, Products, Research, Toxic, Water, Work