Toxic Chemicals and Health:
Find out how you and your children may be affected by toxic chemicals
Scientists Call For The 'Swifter and Sounder' Testing of Chemicals:
Eureka Alert.org reported on March 3, 2011 that eight Scientific societies representing approximately 40,000 researchers and clinicians are asking that American regulators tap a broader range of expertise when evaluating the risks of potentially toxic chemicals. The organizations signing the Science letter are:
To read the full article click here
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New Era, New Curriculum:
Green Chemistry
A program discussing UC Berkeley's development of an interdisciplinary approach to green chemistry aired on November 19, 2010 on Living Earth (www.loe.org).
To view the transcript of the program click here
To listen to an mp3 of the program click here
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The Case Against Fluoride:
How Hazardous Waste Ended Up in Our Drinking Water and the Bad Science and Powerful Politics That Keep It There
By Paul Connett PhD, James Beck MD, PhD, and H.S. Micklem DPhil
"When the U.S. Public Health Service endorsed water fluoridation in 1950, there was little evidence of its safety. Now, six decades later and after most countries have rejected the practice, more than 70 percent of Americans, as well as 200 million people worldwide, are drinking fluoridated water. The Center for Disease Control and the American Dental Association continue to promote it--and even mandatory statewide water fluoridation--despite increasing evidence that it is not only unnecessary, but potentially hazardous to human health.
In this timely and important book, Dr. Paul Connett, Dr. James Beck, and Dr. H. Spedding Micklem take a new look at the science behind water fluoridation and argue that just because the dental and medical establishments endorse a public health measure doesn't mean it's safe. In the case of water fluoridation, the chemicals that go into the drinking water that more than 180 million people drink each day are not even pharmaceutical grade, but rather a hazardous waste product of the phosphate fertilizer industry. It is illegal to dump this waste into the sea or local surface water, and yet it is allowed in our drinking water. To make matters worse, this program receives no oversight from the Food and Drug Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency takes no responsibility for the practice. And from an ethical standpoint, say the authors, water fluoridation is a bad medical practice: individuals are being forced to take medication without their informed consent, there is no control over the dose, and no monitoring of possible side effects.
At once painstakingly documented and also highly readable, The Case Against Fluoride brings new research to light, including links between fluoride and harm to the brain, bones, and endocrine system, and argues that the evidence that fluoridation reduces tooth decay is surprisingly weak".
To find out more visit www.floridealert.org
Click here to purchase the book
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Fluoride Action Network Letter to End Fluoridation
The Fluoride Action Network (FAN) has drafted a letter calling on the US Dept of Health and Human Services (HHS) to end the deliberate addition of a toxic chemical to drinking water.
Click here to learn more.
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Read CEC's comments on 3 of the workgroup reports that came out of the National Conversation:
"About the National Conversation
The National Conversation on Public Health and Chemical Exposures is a collaborative project, supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). The National Conversation vision is that chemicals are used and managed in ways that are safe and healthy for all people. The project's goal is to develop an action agenda with clear, achievable recommendations that can help government agencies and other organizations strengthen their efforts to protect the public from harmful chemical exposures. The National Conversation Leadership Council will author the action agenda, utilizing input from project work groups, and members of the public who choose to participate in web dialogues and community conversations."
--To read more about the National Conversation visit:
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Heinz Awards Honor Scientists Opposed By Chemical Industry
"The assault by the petro-chemical industry on scientific integrity - and scientists with integrity - has been well documented. This year, three winners of the 16th Annual Heinz Awards are scientists who are distinguished "by their courageous willingness to communicate the implications of their work, often in the face of determined opposition" from the chemical industry. The three have led efforts to reduce the use and emissions of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, such as dioxin and phthalates, associated with PVC plastic, and BPA (bisphenol A) used in epoxy-based building products and as a liner in food and beverage cans."
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The President’s Cancer Panel Released Groundbreaking Report:
Toxic Chemical Exposures and Cancer Burden In a letter to the President Obama, his Cancer Panel said the following:
“In 2009 1.5 million men, women and children were diagnosed with cancer and 562,000 died, from the disease.” Praising the administration’s commitment to the reform of toxic chemical regulation, the panel noted there is much more work to be done. “The Panel was particularly concerned to find that the true burden of environmentally induced cancer has been grossly underestimated. With nearly 80,000 chemicals on the market in the United States, many of which are used by millions of Americans in their daily lives and are un-or understudied and largely unregulated, exposure to potential environmental carcinogens is widespread.”
The public remains unaware of many common environmental carcinogens and that children are far more vulnerable to environmental toxins. “Efforts to inform the public of such harmful exposures and how to prevent them must be increased. All levels of government from federal to local, must work to protect every American from needless disease through rigorous regulation of environmental pollutants.”
Environmental exposures increase the national cancer burden and the grievous harm from this group of carcinogens has not been addressed adequately by the National Cancer Program.
“The American people- even before they are born -are bombarded continually with myriad combinations of these dangerous exposures. The Panel urges you most strongly to use the power of your office to remove the carcinogens and other toxins from our food, water, and air that needlessly increase health care costs, cripple our Nation’s productivity, and devastate American lives.”
LaSalle D. Leffall, Jr., M.D., F.A.C.S., Chair
Howard University College of Medicine
Margaret L. Kripke, Ph.D.
The University of Texas
For Full Report go to:
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Green Chemistry at UC Berkley
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CEC Lends Comments to ANSI Standard
Read an article about the ANSI Standard for "Greener Chemicals and Processes Information Standard." Click here for CEC's comments.
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State Plan to Reduce Persistent Toxic Chemicals Needed
CEC advocates for the development of a state plan to reduce PBT chemicals and promote safer substitutes in consumer goods. New York could join with a growing number of states that have prioritized the phase out of these highly toxic chemicals. PBTs pose serious health threats and have polluted hundreds of water bodies and contaminated fish and waterfowl in the state
CEC is advocating for the phase out of persistent, bioaccumulative toxic chemicals, also called PBT chemicals, wherever safer alternatives can be found.
CEC is advocating the reduction of PBT chemicals through green purchasing, the Pollution Prevention Institute and state agency policies and procedures, such as a statewide reduction plan.
Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxic Chemicals (PBTs)
Persistent, bioaccumulative toxic chemicals (PBTs) are widespread, contaminating our environment and our bodies. Despite the fact that PBTs do not degrade easily, we continue to pour more of these substances into air, water and land every year. PBTs are also very toxic in very small quantities—they cause cancer, damage organs and our DNA, and disrupt normal body function. A comprehensive health-protective policy is needed on PBT chemicals and other high priority chemicals of concern on the state and national level. We are planning a comprehensive education campaign for the public on PBTs and other priority chemicals with fact sheets and powerpoint presentations.
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CEC's Chemical Policy Statement
New York's chemical policies are broken. We each carry as many as 300 industrial chemicals in our bodies that our great grandparents did not. Ninety percent of the chemicals on the market today have no publicly available health data. Yet manufacturers continue to use them in their products and our government continues to allow them to be produced and used without adequate assurance of safety, putting children, communities, and workers at risk. Diseases linked to these chemicals are on the rise, including birth defects, infertility, asthma, neurological problems, and some forms of cancer. At the front lines of this chemical assault -- at the fencelines of polluting facilities, in workplaces handling hazardous materials, in pesticide-laden agricultural fields, and in the wombs of mothers -- the burden is greatest.
Citizens Environmental Coalition is promoting a positive vision of a sustainable future that prevents pollution and waste, protects the health of New York residents and invests in a greener economy and jobs, while eliminating the degradation of the environment and the negative outcomes associated with end-of-pipe solutions. This year we are taking a multi-faceted approach to advocate for major chemical policy reform.
CEC is working on these projects with our partner groups in the Alliance for a Toxic-Free Future, which comprises key grassroots groups including Finger Lakes Citizens for the Environment, environmental justice groups such as Sustainable South Bronx, labor groups like NY Committee on Occupational Safety & Health, unions like Civil Service Employees Association, and health groups like NYS Nurses Association. With ATFF, CEC has a diverse, grassroots base of groups to effectively pressure policymakers and help make sure laws are adequately implemented and funded.
Please click on the links for our Green Building Guide, Toxic Flame Retardant Ban, and Toxic PVC
to learn more about our work fighting to transform New York's policies so that they truly protect our health and environment from highly toxic chemicals, promote safer technologies and jobs, and build support for federal policy reform.
Check out:
CEC Presentation at NY DEC Chemical Policy Roundtable October 27, 2008
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Green Purchasing
CEC is working with the Governor's office and many state agencies to implement the State Agency Green Purchasing Executive Order which was released by Governor David Paterson in April. We are asking the state to appoint key health, environmental and labor groups on the Advisory Council. The new administrative policy, which was largely developed by CEC, requires agencies to purchase environmentally-friendly products and develop sustainability and stewardship programs. This is important because it ensures that the $9 billion worth of goods that New York purchases annually are helping to reduce the environmental impacts of the state’s operations, create markets for sustainable technologies, and reduce disposal costs. CEC will be advocating for the creation of a "priority chemical avoidance list" to phase out the purchase of any products with persistent, bioaccumulative toxic chemicals (PBTs), carcinogens, bisphenol A, brominated flame retardants and perfluorinated compounds. At the same time CEC has been pressing for passage of the state Healthy and Sustainable Purchasing Act, which would make this policy state law. This legislation passed the Assembly this session and we hope to see this pass the Senate next year. Click Here for more info on Green Purchasing
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Toxic Flame Retardant Ban
Scientists and advocates are increasingly concerned with a set of chemicals previously assumed safe: brominated flame retardants, especially polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) These toxic flame retardants are rapidly accumulating in our environment, and have been increasingly linked to serious health problems; such as delayed onset of puberty in males and females, impaired development of reproductive organs, decreased sperm count, lowered thyroid hormone levels, and thyroid and pancreatic cancers.
Facts about PBDEs:
* The three most common BDEs are penta-, octa- and deca-BDE, referring to the number of bromine molecules they contain: five eight, and ten, respectively.
* PBDEs are found in: televisions, stereos, computers, hair dryers, toasters, and upholstery fabrics.
* The level of PBDEs in people’s bodies is doubling every 2.5 years.
* American women's breast milk and breast tissue contain the highest levels found in people anywhere in the world
* Studies have linked PBDE exposure to disrupted brain development, delayed onset of puberty in males and females, impaired development of reproductive organs, decreased sperm count, lowered thyroid hormone levels, and thyroid and pancreatic cancers.
Safer Alternatives
Companies have already redesigned products to eliminate the need for brominated chemical additives despite the bromine industry’s claims there are no alternatives to deca-BDE. For example, Apple is replacing the plastic exterior casings on its new laptops with metal to negate the need for flame retardants. Many companies have achieved safer flame retardant features in their products by finding safer chemical substitutes. For example, IBM mandates its suppliers not use PBDEs and NEC plans to phase out all BFR use by 2011.
The bromine industry also claims that deca-BDE is safe, because its molecules are too large to be taken up into the body. However, these flame retardants have a tendency to "debrominate," or shed bromine molecules over time, into the more readily assimilated forms.
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Pollution Prevention
CEC and ATFF were instrumental in the creation of a statewide Pollution Prevention Institute (PPI) in 2007. The Institute will help businesses reduce their use of toxic and radioactive chemicals by providing technical assistance, research and development and education on pollution prevention and green chemistry practices.
In 2007, Governor Eliot Spitzer and the NYS Legislature passed legislation creating the PPI with $2 million in funding. In 2008, Governor David Paterson and the Legislature approved $3 million for the Institute (including reappropriating unspent funds from 2007). The Institute is based on the successful Toxics Use Reduction Institute in Massachusetts which helped industry reduce their hazardous waste generation by 65% and use of chemicals by 42%, and provided $14 million in cost savings for the state. CEC researched various state programs and drafted an Executive Order and legislation on PPI, and worked closely with state policymakers to ensure its passage.
In the spring of 2008, the state announced the PPI and its programs will be housed at Rochester Institute of Technology, with complimentary green chemistry programs at the University of Buffalo, Rensselaer Technology Institute and Clarkson University. In addition, ten Regional Technical Assistance Centers will provide assistance to businesses.
Recently, CEC Executive Director Barbara Warren was appointed to the statewide PPI Advisory Committee. For more information, contact CEC Executive Director Barbara Warren at 518-462-5527 X13 or warrenba@msm.com
Toxic Chemicals & Health
Click here to read CEC's comments on the "Greener Chemicals and Processes Information Standard"
