Fourteen
States Demand More Complete Pesticide Labels
Fourteen states demanded on August 1 that the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) require more complete labels on all pesticides sold
in the United States. Specifically, the states’ Attorneys General are
concerned that EPA does not require manufacturers to disclose the names of each
so-called “inert” ingredient found in pesticide formulations, including
those used in the home. For decades, industry officials have claimed that these
ingredients are trade secrets, and that they do not pose undue risks to human
health or the environment.
The Attorneys General who filed the petition disagree with
industry contentions. The petition, backed up by 40 pages of scientific evidence
and legal precedent, states that inert ingredients in pesticide mixtures are
known or suspected to cause cancer, nervous system disorders, liver and kidney
damage, and birth defects in humans. Many of these ingredients may also be endocrine
disruptors and may cause immune system suppression.
The petition—filed by Attorneys General from New
York, Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts,
New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin—is a formal
request to require label changes. EPA has 60 days to agree to the label changes
or to assess the chemicals. Should EPA chose to take no action within that time
frame, the 14 states have the option of filing a lawsuit to force EPA to require
disclosure.
New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer (D) summed up state
officials’ arguments, saying, “There is no logical reason for EPA
to mandate disclosure of those ingredients that harm pests, but exempt from
disclosure other ingredients that cause serious health and environmental problems.”
EPA Press Secretary Jennifer Wood says that there is no
cause for such concern. “Through testing, regulation, and labeling, EPA
ensures that products, which include both active and inert ingredients, are
safe for the public and the environment.”
Despite Wood’s assertion, there is no guarantee that
any pesticide is “safe,” even when registered by the EPA. Pesticides
such as DDT, dieldrin, chlorpyrifos, and 2,4 D were once thought to be safe
but were later found to cause a variety of serious health problems in humans.
For more information on pesticides, and for methods on
combating pest infestations without the use of highly toxic chemicals, visit
www.afhh.org/dah/dah_pesticides.htm.
FEMA
to Test Hurricane Evacuee Trailers for Formaldehyde Contamination
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced
in early August that it would begin formaldehyde testing in a sample of the
thousands of travel trailers currently being used by evacuees from 2005’s
devastating Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The decision to test comes after the
Sierra Club released a report, “Toxic Trailers?” that reveals that
94 percent of trailers sampled in Mississippi and 86 of trailers sampled in
Alabama and Louisiana had formaldehyde concentrations above the level recommend
by EPA.
U.S. House Representatives Charlie Melancon (D-LA) and
Henry Waxman (D-CA) sent a letter on August 10 demanding that FEMA move faster
and asserting that high formaldehyde levels were putting evacuees’ health
at risk. They also asked FEMA for a contingency plan if FEMA finds that formaldehyde
levels in the trailers are as high as those found by the Sierra Club.
Melancon and Waxman said, “In providing housing for
evacuees, FEMA has a responsibility to ensure that such housing does not threaten
the health and safety of evacuees by exposing them to unnecessary health risks.”
At indoor air levels above 0.1 parts per million, formaldehyde
causes eye and throat irritation, nausea, and difficulty breathing. Chronic
exposure to higher levels of formaldehyde can cause severe allergic reactions,
asthma attacks, and cancer.
To avoid high concentrations of the chemical while testing
is ongoing, FEMA recommends that evacuees increase ventilation by periodically
opening windows and running fans, keeping indoor temperatures lower to reduce
humidity, and not smoking. It was unclear how FEMA expected the evacuees, many
of whom were rendered unemployed by the hurricanes, to pay soaring electric
bills that would result from running air conditioning to keep interior trailer
temperatures low.
Delaware Governor Ruth Ann Minner (D) signed a new radon
bill into law on August 9. The bill requires potential homebuyers to sign a
document stating that they have been informed of the dangers of radon; sellers
to disclose to potential buyers the results of any radon test; and sellers to
provide written information developed by the state health agency to buyers about
radon dangers, testing, and remediation. Sellers are not required to conduct
radon tests, but homebuyers have the right to conduct a radon test in a home
at the buyer’s expense.
Thanks to the work of Alabama Arise, a statewide coalition
dedicated to improving the lives of low-income citizens of Alabama, and others,
tenants in Alabama now have legal protections.
Advocates fought to obtain legal protections for Alabama tenants for the past
13 years. In 2006, Alabama Arise and others actively supported HB287, a landlord-tenant
bill that limits security deposits, defines habitable dwellings, and gives tenants
the right to break a lease if necessary repairs are not made. The bill passed
with overwhelming legislative support, with a unanimous vote of 100-to-0 in
the state House, followed by a 21-to-0 vote in the state Senate. Governor Bob
Riley (R) has signed HB 287 into law.
Ohio Bill
Would Help Low-Income Homeowners Address Lead Hazards
A bill introduced on August 18 in Ohio would help qualified
low-income Ohio homeowners address lead hazards in their homes. The bill would
create a new program that pays for lead hazard reduction in child-occupied single-family
homes that are the primary residence of an owner where household income is below
200% of the federal poverty level and the home is subject to a government lead
hazard control order. The program does not pay for repairs in rental units,
however.
The bill, introduced by State Senator Eric Kearney (D),
would provide up to $20,000 per unit to help eliminate lead hazards in single-family
homes. Kearney named the bill after a family in Cincinnati who were severely
impacted by lead poisoning.
The need for the bill is apparent throughout the state,
according to Kearney. In Cincinnati alone, 30 percent of homes with lead hazards
are owned by people who simply can’t afford repairs.
HUD, EPA,
and U.S. Attorney Announce Lead Disclosure Settlement with Minneapolis Landlord
In early August, the Department of Housing and Urban Development,
the Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for
the District of Minnesota announced a legal settlement with a Minneapolis landlord
who failed to inform his tenants that their homes might contain lead paint hazards.
Steven Meldahl, owner of SJM Properties, agreed to fix all lead hazards in the
34 Minneapolis homes he owns, pay a civil fine of $5,000, and fully comply with
the federal lead disclosure law in the future.
The settlement was the sixth such agreement in Minnesota
to require landlords to abate all lead hazards in their rental properties. Nearly
5,000 rental units in Minneapolis and St. Paul are being made lead-safe under
these settlements, and affected landlords are donating more than $170,000 for
local children’s health projects.
Coagulants
Used to Clear Organic Matter from Drinking Water May Increase Lead Levels
As officials continue to study high lead levels in drinking
water in various locations throughout the country, another water treatment has
been shown to leach lead from plumbing. Coagulants, used to remove organic matter
from drinking water, are suspected as a cause of high lead levels in Durham,
NC.
Durham, Greenville, NC, and Stafford, VA, changed from
alum to ferric chloride as their choice of coagulant substance. According to
corrosion engineers and water chemistry experts, this change increased the ratio
of chloride to sulfate in the drinking water, which at a certain level erodes
particles of solder. In drinking water systems and homes where that solder is
made of lead, actual particles of lead can enter the water, causing lead levels
to soar.
Though deteriorated lead-based paint is still the main
cause of lead exposure and lead poisoning in the United States, public health
officials have warned that high lead levels in water are a concern. In Durham,
doctors are almost certain that lead levels in drinking water caused an elevated
blood lead level of over 20 micrograms per deciliter in a child, as they could
find no other source of lead exposure in the child’s home.
For more information on lead and lead poisoning, visit
www.afhh.org/lead.
Integrated
Pest Management Found Effective in Reducing Pesticide Exposures to Pregnant
Women
A study posted to Environmental Health Perspectives
in late July shows that integrated pest management (IPM) interventions can effectively
combat pest infestations and reduce pesticide exposures to occupants. The study
specifically focused on pesticide exposures to pregnant woman, as many high-toxicity
pesticides can cross the placenta and harm sensitive developing fetuses.
The IPM methods used in the study included cleaning, sealing
pest entry points, application of low-toxicity chemicals, and pest prevention
education. Researchers evaluated pesticide exposure in both treatment and control
groups by measuring insecticide levels in indoor air samples taken at the beginning
of the study and one month after interventions were completed.
During the study, cockroach infestations fell significantly
in treatment households, but did not decline in the control households. Strikingly,
indoor air levels of piperonyl butoxide, a synergist used in pyrethroid pesticide
formulations, also decreased significantly in treatment households. Insecticides
were also detected in blood samples from pregnant women living in the control
households, but not in women living in households treated with IPM methods.
The researchers conducted the IPM study in a low-income
neighborhood in New York City. They concluded that given the success of the
IPM interventions used in the study, as well as the relatively low cost of the
methods used, IPM can be successfully adapted for use by individuals within
households in low-income communities.
Chemical
in Some Home Air Fresheners May Damage Lungs
Researchers at the National Institute of Environmental
Health Sciences (NIEHS) found that exposure to 1,4 dichlorobenzene (1,4 DCB),
a volatile organic compound (VOC), could result in decreased lung efficiency.
The compound can be found in many air fresheners, toilet bowl cleaners, mothballs,
and other deodorizing products. The researchers discovered that out of many
VOCs that were tested, only 1,4 DCB had the effect of reduced lung function.
Adjustments for smoking were incorporated into the experiment. Out of the 953
adults tested, 96 percent had detectable 1,4 DCB blood concentrations. There
also appeared to be disparities in exposure to the chemical, with the highest
exposures in African Americans and the lowest in Caucasians.
Leslie Elliot, Ph.D, a researcher involved with the study,
said that even in low doses, DCB could have serious harmful effects due to how
much time people spend indoors.
“The best way to protect yourself, especially children
who have asthma or other respiratory illnesses, is to reduce the use of products
and materials that contain VOCs,” said NIEHS researcher Stephanie London,
M.D.
The data from the experiment are included in the study
published in the August 2006 issue of Environmental Health Perspectives.
For more information, visit www.ehponline.org/members/2006/9019/9019.html.
Editor’s Note: This article was written by Justin
Key, one of the Alliance’s Summer 2006 interns. Justin is a student at
Stanford University.
Environmental
Tobacco Smoke Increases Risk of Developing Osteoporosis, Poses “Third-Hand”
Risk to Infants
Researchers reported at an International Osteoporosis Foundation
meeting that environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) inhalation increases the risk
of osteoporosis in pre-menopausal women. Scientists at Harvard’s School
of Public Health studied over 14,000 men and pre and post-menopausal women in
rural China. For the study, ETS exposure was characterized as residing with
one or more persons who smoked daily. Non-smoking pre-menopausal women living
with one smoker were at double the risk for osteoporosis in contrast to women
not living with a smoker. Pre-menopausal women living with more than one smoker
had a three times greater risk for osteoporosis and were also at a two and a
half times greater risk for a non-spinal bone fracture than non-smoking women.
ETS of another variety—what researchers define as
residue and gasses from cigarettes that fuse to walls, clothes and parts of
the body—has been determined to be harmful to young children. Georg Matt,
a professor at San Diego State University, notes that up to 90 percent of nicotine
from cigarettes lingers on surrounding surfaces. Infants and young children
are vulnerable to these residues, for which researchers have coined the term
“third-hand smoke,” as they crawl and come into contact with surfaces
covered in nicotine. Matt’s preliminary research eludes that “third-hand
smoke” can be inhaled, swallowed, and absorbed, and can linger for periods
of time that depend on household ventilation and the amount of smoke involved.
In a small study of infants under 13 months old, Matt revealed that nicotine
could be found throughout the infants’ homes even if smoking was done
outdoors. Cotinine, a byproduct of nicotine, was also detected in infants’
urine and hair shafts. Adults can come into contact with “third-hand smoke”
as well if they occupy spaces like rental cars and hotel rooms where smoking
previously occurred. Infants and children are at a higher risk, however, because
they may be exposed for longer durations and they breathe more rapidly, inhaling
more chemicals on a pound-per-pound basis than adults.
Editor’s Note: This article was written by Courtney
Hinton, one of the Alliance’s Summer 2006 interns. Courtney is a student
at the University of Maryland—College Park.
Alliance
Contributes to New Book about Race, Class, and Hurricane Katrina
Several staff members from the Alliance for Healthy Homes—Executive
Director Robert O. Zdenek, Community Projects Director Ralph Scott, Housing
Policy Director Jane Malone, and Communications and Media Relations Director
Brian Gumm—are authors of a chapter about strategies for safe and healthy
rebuilding of housing in devastated working class communities in the new book
There Is No Such Thing as a Natural Disaster: Race, Class, and Hurricane
Katrina. The book, edited by Chester Hartman of the Poverty and Race Research
Action Council and Gregory D. Squires of George Washington University, is published
by Routledge and is now available.
The Alliance staff’s chapter, “Reclaiming New
Orleans’ Working-Class Communities,” argues that smart, safe, and
healthy recovery and rebuilding is possible and necessary in the communities
affected by the storm. The chapter discusses the conditions necessary for successful
rebuilding, makes the case for citizen participation in all neighborhood and
citywide planning, and looks at the rebuilding process as an opportunity for
reducing race and class disparities.
The book chapter is one part of the Alliance’s larger
healthy homes hurricane rebuilding work. The Alliance has delivered “train
the trainer” workshops to more than 50 local partner organizations in
the New Orleans area on safe and effective methods for ridding flooded but structurally
sound homes of mold and debris. The Alliance also is partnering with building
experts to promote affordable flood-resistant rebuilding strategies. The Alliance
has published a hurricane recovery guidebook, available at www.afhh.org/res/res_publications.htm#hurricanerecovery.
National
Center for Healthy Housing Announces Clearinghouse
The National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH) has created
a database of peer-reviewed research and guidance documents related to healthy
homes issues through the National Healthy Housing Clearinghouse. The Clearinghouse,
which is funded through a cooperative agreement from the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, is intended to provide researchers, policymakers, and
program staff easy access to the latest research on housing and health issues.
The site contains more than 600 documents and is updated monthly.
The site enables keyword searches as well as searches by
document/article title, author, journal or publication name, publication date,
or abstract. Where the publisher has granted permission, the full text articles
are available. Where such permission has not been granted, the Clearinghouse
provides a full citation and abstract as well as a link to the publisher so
that you can access the information.
The Asthma Regional Council of New England (ARC) has released
a revised version of Building Guidance for Healthy Homes to incorporate additional
practices that will work to reduce moisture and allergens, particularly in below
grade spaces. The Guidance includes references to the newest version of READ
THIS: Before you Design, Build or Renovate, produced by Building Science.
Improving
Kids’ Environment Publishes Guide to Indiana Lead Laws
With the support of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), Improving Kids' Environment (IKE) published a manual in August
called Lead-Based Paint: the Law in Indiana. Its main purpose is to educate
and be a resource for judges and others in the judicial system, but has wider
applicability as a basic overview of lead poisoning and the laws related to
the issue.
Since Indiana does not have a fully comprehensive state
law on lead poisoning prevention, a large portion of the manual discusses how
federal law can be used to promote lead safety. The manual also covers the basics
of lead poisoning, its health effects, and how children get poisoned, making
it a good beginning text for people new to the issue. It can serve also as a
useful reference and model for anyone planning to create a similar manual for
their own jurisdictions.
In 2005, the American Association of Code Enforcement (AACE)
designated October as National Code Enforcement Month. State and local codes
governing health, building construction, and housing maintenance are important
tools for promoting healthy housing. In conjunction with the observance, AACE
will continue its campaign to advance public and professional interest in the
contributions that code compliance officers have made to the quality of life
in communities throughout the country.
To help recognize National Code Compliance Month, AACE
also invites state and local governments to issue a proclamation declaring October
as Code Compliance Month in their jurisdictions.
Sample proclamations are available from AACE by writing
to aace@aace1.com. AACE
also requests copies of any issued proclamations, which can be forwarded to
American Association of Code Enforcement; 5310 E Main St, Suite 104; Columbus,
OH 43213.
Thank You!
The Alliance for Healthy Homes thanks all Alliance Alert
readers who have made recent contributions. The response to the Alliance’s
fundraising campaign has been gratifying and will help us continue our work
to ensure that every American has the ability to live in a healthy home. Those
interested in contributing to the Alliance but who have not already done so
can visit www.afhh.org/misc/misc_contrib.htm
to donate via credit card online or via check through the U.S. Mail.
Upcoming
Conferences
The State of Asthma in the District conference will occur
on September 13 in Washington, DC. The target audience for this conference is
inclusive of all lead agencies, community partners, and key stakeholders working
to control asthma in the District. Health care professionals, public health
professionals, non-governmental organizations, state, and federal agencies are
welcome to participate. The morning plenary session will focus on initiatives
in the District, and the afternoon plenary session will include a regional and
national overview of asthma control practices. There will also be four small
group sessions: (1) Pediatric Asthma, (2) Environmental and Occupational Asthma,
(3) Health Education/Community Initiatives, and (4) Health Services and Quality
Assurance. The conference is free, and breakfast and lunch will be provided.
For more information and updates, see www.gwu.edu/~macche/dcasthmaconference.
The 2006 EPA Region 8 Children's Environmental Health Summit
will take place in Vail, CO, September 19-21. The theme for this year’s
Summit is "Children's Health and Their Environments: Making the Connection."
Goals are to 1) increase the ability of health, environmental, and education
professionals to identify, prevent, and reduce environmental health threats
to children; 2) share information, resources, “best practices,”
and emerging science regarding the protection of children's health from environmental
hazards; 3) encourage coordination and information sharing across government
agencies, health organizations, health care providers, educators, and the general
public in addressing children's environmental health issues; 4) identify actions
that can be implemented throughout the region to protect children from environmental
health threats; and 5) provide public health professionals with an opportunity
to identify/implement effective children's health strategies in advance of Children's
Health Month in October. For more information, visit www.epa.gov/region8/humanhealth/children/2006summit.html.
The North Central Regional Conference on Eliminating Childhood
Lead Poisoning, Implementing Healthy Homes Programs, and Combating Indoor Environmental
Hazards will be held September 28-29 in Arlington Heights, IL (near Chicago).
Conference details are available at www.leadmoldconferences.com.
The 2006 CDC National Lead Poisoning Prevention Partners'
Conference will be held in Savannah, GA, October 11-13. The theme of the conference
is "Reaching Elimination and Stretching Beyond" highlighting CDC’s
commitment to the elimination of childhood lead poisoning by 2010 and to the
future of children's environmental health. The goal of the conference is to
provide knowledge and increase programmatic skills for CDC-funded programs.
In addition, the conference will provide a forum for exchange of information
so that childhood lead poisoning prevention programs can further develop plans
and policies to eliminate childhood lead poisoning and reduce the adverse impacts
of housing on children’s health. Staff of state and local CLPPPs, other
interested state and local agency staff, federal agency staff, and advocacy
groups working on lead poisoning prevention are all invited to attend. For more
information, visit https://www.lppconf.org/home.html.
The Collaborative on Health and the Environment will host,
with many co-sponsors, a one day national conference titled, "Environmental
Public Health: Science, Medicine, Prevention And Policy," on Friday, October
13 at the University of California—San Francisco. The all-day conference
will provide a solid overview of current scientific knowledge regarding environmental
contributors to human disease, and state-of-the-art efforts to prevent, treat,
and otherwise improve such impacts. The meeting is open to all health professionals,
researchers, advocates, and anyone interested in these issues. For more information
and an agenda, visit www.healthandenvironment.org/articles/doc/729.
The Mid-Atlantic Center for Children's Health and the Environment
will hold its 4th Annual Conference on Children's Health and the Environment
in Pittsburgh, PA, on October 21. The conference will address clinically important
issues in children's health that are affected by the environment. Children of
all ages, including those in the fetal stages of development, can be affected
by environmental hazards. Exposure to environmental toxins via air, water, food
or soil can have a significant impact on the health of children. The conference
will focus on the following areas: the built environment, heavy metals exposure
and neurocognitive issues, cancer and environmental exposures and newborn outcomes
and environmental exposures. For information on this year’s conference,
see www.health-e-kids.org
or contact Aurora Amoah, MPH, at 202-994-1166 or eohaoa@gwumc.edu.
The Northeast Regional Conference on Eliminating Childhood
Lead Poisoning, Implementing Healthy Homes Programs, and Combating Indoor Environmental
Hazards occurs November 1-3 in Providence, RI. For conference details, see www.leadmoldconferences.com.
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." For more information,
see www.cdc.gov/nceh/conference/index.htm.
The 6th Annual New Partners for Smart Growth: Building
Safe, Healthy and Livable Communities Conference will be held in Los Angeles,
February 8-10, 2007. The conference hosts a variety of participants and speakers
who cross disciplines to share experiences and insights, and valuable tools
and strategies to encourage smart growth implementation. Public health is one
important discipline that has begun to recognize smart growth as a viable solution
to improve our nation’s health. To view more information on this conference,
visit www.newpartners.org.
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 September. The course will be available September
11 and 12 in Baltimore; September 12 and 13 Chicago; and September 19-20 and
September 21-22 in Indianapolis. For more information about these courses, visit
www.healthyhomestraining.org/upcoming.htm.
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