Pesticide
Industry Heavily Influenced OMB And EPA on Human Testing Rule; Industry Says
“Never say never” to Testing Pesticides on Children
In late May, evidence emerged that the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and the White House Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) were heavily influenced by the pesticide industry when the Agency and
the Office were formulating a new human testing rule. Exemptions for which the
industry pushed were ultimately adopted on January 26, 2006.
At an August 9, 2005, meeting at OMB, representatives of
CropLife America and Bayer Crop Life Science met with OMB and EPA officials.
James Aidala, a chemical industry lobbyist formerly with EPA, also attended
the meeting. Among the industry’s statements and requests were, “Re
kids—never say never,” and “Pesticides have benefits. Rule
should say so. Testing, too, has benefits.”
Despite the risks to life and health posed by pesticides
and testing such chemicals on humans, no ethicists, children’s advocates,
scientists, or public health officials were invited to this meeting to add balance
to the chemical industry’s claims and requests. As ultimately adopted,
the EPA human testing rule contains loopholes, such as an exception for testing
on workers and allowing the use of studies of exposures unrelated to the approval
process for new pesticides. The rule also allows dosing experiments on infants
and pregnant women using non-pesticide chemicals, even though these substances
may be just as hazardous as a pesticide.
In other EPA and pesticide approval news, unions representing
Agency scientists, risk managers, and related staff sent a letter to EPA on
May 24 expressing concern that EPA is not adhering to principles of scientific
integrity and sound science in its pesticide tolerance reassessments. Of particular
concern to the letter’s signatories are more than 20 high-toxicity organophosphate
and carbamate pesticides. By August 3, EPA is required to issue final tolerance
decisions for these chemicals. The scientists and others urge EPA to use the
precautionary principle in assessing all exposure risks from these chemicals,
all of which are potent neurotoxins that have been shown to pose significant
health risks to humans, especially children whose developing brains and nervous
systems could be permanently damaged by these pesticides.
EPA has responded to the letter by stating it follows the
scientific method and uses sound science in all of its pesticide review processes.
U.S. House
of Representatives Pushes Forward with Several FY07 Appropriations Bills
The House of Representatives was active in marking up and
passing several FY 2007 appropriations bills during May and June. Three bills,
Energy and Water, Interior and Environment, and the bill that contains HUD’s
budget were quickly amended and passed. All three contain programs of significant
importance to cities, states, healthy homes advocates, and community-based organizations.
The House’s version of the HUD budget originally
slashed funding for the Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control (OHHLHC).
Thanks to a floor amendment proposed by Representatives Slaughter (D-NY) and
Velazquez (D-NY), an additional $35 million is provided to OHHLHC in the bill.
Overall, the House version of the Office’s budget is $2.2 million below
last year’s level, with significant cuts to technical assistance and the
Urban Lead Hazard Reduction Program, also known as the Lead Hazard Demonstration,
which targets cities with the greatest lead hazard problems. Within the overall
budget, general lead hazard control grants are increased $15 million over FY06.
Operation LEAP and the Healthy Homes Initiative Grants hold roughly steady,
at $8.7 million each.
In addition to modifications of OHHLHC funding, the FY07
HUD appropriations bill decreased Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding
by $20 million and increased the HOME Investment Partnerships program by $141
million.
The House also passed an Interior and Environment appropriations
bill that contains EPA’s FY07 budget. The House decreased the Environmental
Programs and Management budget by $45 million, but it restored all but $70,000
of environmental justice funding; the Bush Administration had proposed slicing
$1.78 million from this program. Science and Technology funding would increase
$67 million under the House bill.
In its Energy and Water bill, the House increased funding
for three important weatherization and energy efficiency programs that can have
far-reaching impacts on housing affordability and health. The bill increased
funding for the Weatherization Assistance program by nearly $10 million, after
the President proposed gutting the program by more than $76 million; the House
was so appalled at the Administration’s request that it admonished the
Department of Energy for “severely underfunding this program.” The
House restored and then increased funding for the Energy Star program and Building
Codes Training and Assistance, two programs the Bush Administration had proposed
eliminating altogether.
As of July 7, the Senate had not passed any FY 2007 appropriations
bills.
Investigation
Shows Lead in DC Water May Have Been More Harmful than First Described
A researcher from Virginia Polytechnic and State University
says that the levels and types of lead contamination in Washington, DC’s
water supply in 2004 may have been more harmful than first described by federal
and local agencies responsible for safeguarding the District’s water quality.
Marc Edwards, a corrosion engineer with the university,
recently asserted that water quality agencies used flawed science to try to
calm the public. The agencies’ claim, that the DC drinking water contamination
experience “shows that lead in drinking water is not a health threat,”
has prompted water quality managers across the country to question the need
to keep lead levels low in drinking water (see http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2006/may/science/rr_mislead.html).
Edwards’ claims are based on his investigation of
studies by the District. DC health officials based their assertions on the assumption
that old service lines were the only significant source of drinking water contamination.
However, the addition of chloramine as a disinfectant not only corroded old
service lines, it also caused lead solder particles to be sent down the service
lines and leached lead from brass plumbing in homes, most of which is not truly
lead-free. Edwards says that as a result of the solder particles and plumbing
fixtures leaching lead, at least two DC children experienced elevated blood
lead levels.
The District is not the only location in the United States
where chloramine has eroded lead solder, sending particles into home drinking
water supplies. In Greenville, NC, lead solder particles caused the lead poisoning
of two children.
Not all agency staff have agreed with downplaying the threat
of lead in drinking water and focusing only on old service lines. In 2004, EPA
Region 3 environmental scientist Lisa Donohue advocated for including in public
notices information about damage to lead solder and the leaching of lead from
brass plumbing fixtures. She stressed that the Agency continued to miss a “teachable
moment” by keeping its focus solely on old lead service lines. Donohue’s
suggestions were never adopted by EPA or the DC Department of Health.
While public health experts and healthy homes advocates
stress that deteriorated lead-based paint and lead-contaminated house dust continue
to pose the greatest lead poisoning threat to children and their families, they
also say that more study is needed to assess the true impact of lead-contaminated
drinking water on blood lead levels.
For more information on lead and how to protect children
and families from this potent neurotoxin, visit www.afhh.org/lead.
Minnesota
Joins Eight Other States in Requiring Carbon Monoxide Detectors in All Single-Family
Homes and Apartment Complexes
The State of Minnesota has joined Massachusetts and seven
other states in requiring carbon monoxide detectors to protect homeowners and
apartment dwellers from the deadly gas.
On June 2, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty (R) signed the
detector requirements into law. The new law will require carbon monoxide detectors
within 10 feet of every bedroom in every single family home and most apartments
in the state. All new construction will be required to include installation
of the detectors, beginning in 2007. All existing single-family homes must comply
with the law by August 2008, and all existing apartment buildings must have
the detectors outside every bedroom in every unit by August 2009. Apartment
complexes with centralized heating systems may instead install detectors near
furnaces and boilers, provided those detectors are hard-wired into an alarm
system that can be heard throughout the complex.
The law carries no financial penalties for non-compliance,
but it does open property owners to liability through civil lawsuits should
carbon monoxide poisoning occur in properties without the detectors. State Representative
Denny McNamara (R-Hastings) believes the threat of lawsuits provides enough
of an incentive to comply with the law; each detector costs between $35 and
$50, compared to the potential for multi-million dollar wrongful death and negligence
actions against non-compliant property owners.
Local Radon
Reduction Policies Move Forward
In response to extremely high radon levels found in many
homes throughout Lancaster County, PA, Pequea Township in February adopted an
ordinance requiring radon reduction technologies in all new home construction.
Healthy homes advocates and public health experts hailed the measure as groundbreaking,
but a coalition of homebuilders immediately filed a legal challenge against
the law.
Radon, a radioactive gas produced by the breakdown of uranium
in rock and soil, is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the United States,
leading to more than 20,000 deaths each year.
The Pennsylvania Builders Association, the Lancaster County
Building Industry Association, and others initially asserted that the township’s
radon mitigation requirements would add far too much to new home construction
and would thus constitute an undue burden upon their businesses. However, on
May 16, the builders dropped their challenge, allowing the ordinance to stand.
The builders stated that after studying the law for two months, they concluded
that the township had been right in claiming that including radon mitigation
technologies in new construction only adds a maximum of $500 to the cost of
a new home. The builders also admitted that the health protection benefits far
outweighed the small additional construction costs.
Across the country, the Topeka, KS, City Council adopted
a similar ordinance on June 13, requiring radon control in all newly constructed
one- and two-family homes. The council’s vote was 9-0. The ordinance adopts
standards listed in the International Residential Code for One- and Two-Family
Dwellings.
Environmental
Health Hazards Cost Minnesota $1.5 Billion Annually
Environmental health hazards that impact children’s
health, including deteriorated lead-based paint and household pesticides, contribute
to massive health care costs in the state of Minnesota, according to a new report
released by the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy and the Institute
for Agriculture and Trade Policy. Costs of $1.5 billion every year can be attributed
to indoor and outdoor toxic pollution, the report’s authors say, with
asthma alone costing the state $30 million annually.
The authors said, “Our findings demonstrate that
there is not only a moral imperative to reduce the impacts of these preventable
childhood diseases, but it also makes good economic sense. Investing in policies
that protect public health will pay off in the long term and help ensure a healthy
future for Minnesota’s children.”
Diseases that Christine Ziebold, a pediatrician and a contributor
to the report, attributes to toxic pollution include childhood lead poisoning,
asthma, and several types of childhood cancer. Birth defects and learning disorders
are also cited by the report as stemming from toxic chemicals.
Teenagers
in Two Cities Face Cancer Risks from Indoor Air Pollutants
A recent study published online by Environmental Health
Perspectives shows that teenagers in Los Angeles and New York face significant
cancer risks from indoor air pollution, especially in their homes. The study
examined air monitors attached to backpacks worn by 87 high school students
in the two cities.
An analysis of the data from the air monitors found that
40 to 50 percent of the teens’ cancer risk could be attributed to indoor
exposures at home and school. While surprised by the intensity of the cancer
risk, researchers weren’t shocked that much of the exposure to airborne
carcinogens occurs indoors; Americans spend 90 percent or more of their lives
in offices, schools, and homes.
Two compounds were found to be especially risky to the
teenagers. The first, formaldehyde, is commonly found in many pressed-wood items,
including cabinets, computer desks, and plywood. The chemical was also extensively
used in older types of carpeting.
The other chemical, dichlorobenzene, is used in some mothballs
and home deodorizers. Researchers remarked that some teenagers’ homes
in the study had “very, very high concentrations.”
In breathing these and 17 other carcinogenic compounds,
teenagers in Los Angeles face a 1 in 1,949 chance of developing cancer, according
to the researchers. The study determined that cancer risks to New York City
teenagers were even higher. The EPA generally considers cancer risks “acceptable”
at a level of 1 in one million chance or lower.
Though numerous attempts to regulate these and other indoor
air pollution problems have been made recently, bills in a number of states
have been defeated under pressure from industry and business lobbyists.
More
Evidence of Pesticide-Parkinson’s Disease Link Emerges
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic reported in June that more
evidence has emerged that gives credence to a link between pesticide exposure
and the development of Parkinson’s disease in men. Parkinson’s is
a neurological disease that can cause tremors, slow and limited movement, stiff
muscles, aches, difficulty walking, and face and throat muscle weakness, and
is newly diagnosed in roughly 50,000 Americans every year.
The Mayo Clinic study, published in the online version
of Movement Disorders journal, showed that men regularly exposed to
pesticides were 2.4 times more likely to have a diagnosis of the disease than
men who were not regularly exposed to the chemicals. The researchers asserted
that they found no similar impact on women, leading some to believe that estrogen
may protect against neurotoxic pesticides.
One of the researchers, Jim Maraganore, MD, said of the
study, “This confirms what has been found in previous studies: that occupational
or other exposure to herbicides, insecticides, and other pesticides increases
the risk for Parkinson’s. What we think may be happening is that the pesticide
use combines with other risk factors in men’s environment or genetic makeup.”
As a result of this and other studies, Great Britain’s
environment department has launched an ambitious three-year study in an effort
to identify specific pesticides responsible for increasing the risk of Parkinson’s
disease. Though pesticide reduction advocates are cautious about the motive
behind the study, Parkinson’s researchers are optimistic about the study’s
potential to add to the understanding of the origins of the disease.
Building Blocks Online, the web version of CDC’s
Building Blocks for Primary Prevention: Protecting Children from Lead-Based
Paint Hazards, marked its one year anniversary in June. Over the past twelve
months, more than 33,000 users have accessed Building Blocks Online resources,
which present a variety of primary prevention strategies as possibilities for
state and local governments, community-based organizations, and others to use
in combating childhood lead poisoning. Building Blocks Online, developed by
the Alliance for Healthy Homes, is available at www.afhh.org/buildingblocks.
National
Center for Healthy Housing and Battelle Publish Findings Showing Effectiveness
of Lead Hazard Control Measures
Recently, the National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH)
and Battelle evaluated the effectiveness of lead hazard control (LHC) treatments
conducted by 14 grantees in communities across the country. The project team
selected a random sample of treated units from four grantee sites for continued
environmental assessment at six years post-intervention. The study compared
the relative effectiveness after six years of the different classes of interventions
used by the grantees, after controlling for such factors as housing conditions
and characteristics and resident and neighborhood characteristics.
Geometric mean dust-lead levels on floors and windowsills
were 11% and 23% lower, respectively, at six years post-intervention than at
any preceding point following the intervention. Although geometric mean window
trough dust-lead levels were slightly higher at six years post-intervention
than at other post-intervention time periods, troughs were still over 75 percent
lower than before intervention.
Treatment at more-intensive levels was associated with
lower windowsill and window trough dust-lead levels; however, statistical modeling
found no significant difference in floor dust-lead loadings over time between
the levels of treatment. Findings from the Six-Year Extension study indicate
that across all grantees and treatment strategies, the treatments applied were
effective at significantly reducing environmental lead levels on floors, windowsills,
and window troughs at least six years following the intervention.
CDC
Posts Web Resources for Integrated Pest Management of Rodents
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
launched its new rodent control web page in June. This is the first pest-specific
web page at CDC, and it focuses almost exclusively on integrated pest management
methods (especially trapping) to rid one’s home of rodents, which in some
parts of the country can carry the dangerous hantavirus.
CDC’s rodent control web page is located at www.cdc.gov/rodents.
For additional information on controlling rodents and other common household
pests without the use of high-toxicity pesticides, visit www.afhh.org/dah/dah_pesticides.htm.
Funding Opportunities
Two funding opportunities are open to Minnesota counties
through Medica. The first is the Health Needs of Greater Minnesota Communities
Grant. The purpose of this grant is to support programs that develop and implement
programs to address gaps in access and health care services, including well
child screenings and blood lead testing. The second opportunity is the Partnership
for Prevention Grant program. The purpose of this grant is to improve utilization
and quality of preventive care. Priority is given to programs that address well-child
screenings, including blood lead testing and asthma treatment and education.
The deadline for both grants is July 28. More information on the grants can
be found at www.medica.com/C12/MedicaFoundation3/default.aspx#cycle2.
Upcoming
Conferences
The 2006 Environmental Public Health Conference, presented
by Centers for Disease Control's National Center for Environmental Health, will
be held in Atlanta December 4-6. The conference theme is "Advancing Environmental
Public Health: Science, Practice, New Frontiers." The conference committee
is now accepting abstracts for workshops, posters, and exhibits. The deadline
is August 1, 2006. For more information, see www.cdc.gov/nceh/conference/abstract_submission.htm.
The International Conference on Developmental Toxicity
and Fetal Programming will take place May 20-24, 2007, in Tórshavn, Faroe
Islands (located in the North Atlantic). This international conference emphasizes
a) the developmental perspective, i.e., the risks during different developmental
stages, from preconception to adolescence, from toxic substances; b) the environmental
perspective, i.e., the impacts of different environmental hazards; and c) the
disease perspective, i.e., long-term health implications. For further information,
please visit www.pptox.dk.
Upcoming
Trainings
The Healthy Homes Training Center is offering its Essentials
for Healthy Homes Practitioners course in various locations across the country
in June and July. The course will be available July 10 and 11 in Baltimore;
July 11 and 12 in New Britain, CT; and July 19 and 20 in Chicago. For more information
about these courses, visit www.healthyhomestraining.org/upcoming.htm.
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