General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsChemicals toxic to developing brains
The article lists 12 chemicals that can affect the developing brain - with link to the journal article.
CNN) -- The number of chemicals known to be toxic to children's developing brains has doubled over the last seven years, researchers said.
Dr. Philip Landrigan at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and Dr. Philippe Grandjean from Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, authors of the review published Friday in The Lancet Neurology journal, say the news is so troubling they are calling for a worldwide overhaul of the regulatory process in order to protect children's brains.
"We know from clinical information on poisoned adult patients that these chemicals can enter the brain through the blood brain barrier and cause neurological symptoms," said Grandjean. "When this happens in children or during pregnancy, those chemicals are extremely toxic, because we now know that the developing brain is a uniquely vulnerable organ. Also, the effects are permanent."
http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/14/health/chemicals-children-brains/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
otohara
(24,135 posts)scented baby wipes, flame retardants, vinyl,...there's a glut of toxic products.
KT2000
(20,576 posts)that US manufacturers take out many of those chemicals so they can sell their products in Europe?
BadgerKid
(4,551 posts)I think there's a better appreciation, perhaps insistence?, for fresh food there. In the US, some companies seem to push for longer shelf lives of products as evidenced by additives "to preserve freshness." Between dyes, added flavors, HFCS, preservatives, you can turn low-quality ingredients into near real-tasting and -smelling food.
KT2000
(20,576 posts)their stated guidance is in the Precautionary Principle:
"When an activity raises threats of harm to human health or the environment, precautionary measures should be taken even if some cause and effect relationships are not fully established scientifically. In this context the proponent of an activity, rather than the public, should bear the burden of proof. The process of applying the precautionary principle must be open, informed and democratic and must include potentially affected parties. It must also involve an examination of the full range of alternatives, including no action." - Wingspread Statement on the Precautionary Principle, Jan. 1998
In the US, the injured party must prove they have been harmed by an activity or chemical after the fact. In other words, tough luck. There is essentially no liability here.
arthritisR_US
(7,287 posts)BadgerKid
(4,551 posts)It's so nicely phrased, too.
woo me with science
(32,139 posts)For example,
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023060005
proverbialwisdom
(4,959 posts)The Lancet Neurology, Volume 13, Issue 3, Pages 330 - 338, March 2014
doi:10.1016/S1474-4422(13)70278-3
Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved.
Neurobehavioural effects of developmental toxicity
Dr Philippe Grandjean MD a b , Philip J Landrigan MD c
Summary
Neurodevelopmental disabilities, including autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia, and other cognitive impairments, affect millions of children worldwide, and some diagnoses seem to be increasing in frequency. Industrial chemicals that injure the developing brain are among the known causes for this rise in prevalence. In 2006, we did a systematic review and identified five industrial chemicals as developmental neurotoxicants: lead, methylmercury, polychlorinated biphenyls, arsenic, and toluene. Since 2006, epidemiological studies have documented six additional developmental neurotoxicantsmanganese, fluoride, chlorpyrifos, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, tetrachloroethylene, and the polybrominated diphenyl ethers. We postulate that even more neurotoxicants remain undiscovered. To control the pandemic of developmental neurotoxicity, we propose a global prevention strategy. Untested chemicals should not be presumed to be safe to brain development, and chemicals in existing use and all new chemicals must therefore be tested for developmental neurotoxicity. To coordinate these efforts and to accelerate translation of science into prevention, we propose the urgent formation of a new international clearinghouse.
a Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
b Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
c Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
Correspondence to: Dr Philippe Grandjean, Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, 401 Park Drive E-110, Boston, MA 02215, USA
Link posted on Twitter.
proverbialwisdom
(4,959 posts)Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/foeaction/ and http://www.oninstagram.com/beelove
Google: #BeeLove site:twitter.com
This link from a #beelove Tweet (didn't save source): http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/press/news/131217.htm
Bad for bees, bad for kids: Europe takes action on pesticides now linked to impacts on kid's brains http://bit.ly/1nva5xI #ecowed #beelove
According to @hashtracking Hashtag Explorer #BeeLove generated 7,779,227 impressions w/ 1,500 tweets in the last day http://bit.ly/WggVtR
Call Home Depot: 1-800-466-3337 Lowes: 1-800-445-6937 and urge them to stop selling bee-killing pesticides! #BeeLove @foe_Canada @sonnyBeez
Help bees this Valentine's Day! http://ow.ly/tzDIs #BeeLove #EcoWed
...when it's goofy, billions are at stake.
http://www.panna.org/blog/ge-corn-sick-honey-bees-whats-link
proverbialwisdom
(4,959 posts)[img][/img]
Lowe's in Framingham
[img][/img]
Home Depot in Eugene
More.
I'm unfamiliar with this, personally, but the following Aug 2013 petition link pops up as a tweet from Jan 2014 and pairs Bayer and Sygenta against the EU.
http://action.sumofus.org/a/bayer-bees-lawsuit/?sub=tw
Related: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024479039
proverbialwisdom
(4,959 posts)PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 14-Feb-2014
Harvard School of Public Health
Growing number of chemicals linked with brain disorders in children
Boston, MA Toxic chemicals may be triggering the recent increases in neurodevelopmental disabilities among childrensuch as autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and dyslexiaaccording to a new study from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The researchers say a new global prevention strategy to control the use of these substances is urgently needed.
The report will be published online February 15, 2014 in Lancet Neurology.
"The greatest concern is the large numbers of children who are affected by toxic damage to brain development in the absence of a formal diagnosis. They suffer reduced attention span, delayed development, and poor school performance. Industrial chemicals are now emerging as likely causes," said Philippe Grandjean, adjunct professor of environmental health at HSPH.
The report follows up on a similar review conducted by the authors in 2006 that identified five industrial chemicals as "developmental neurotoxicants," or chemicals that can cause brain deficits. The new study offers updated findings about those chemicals and adds information on six newly recognized ones, including manganese, fluoride, chlorpyrifos and DDT (pesticides), tetrachloroethylene (a solvent), and the polybrominated diphenyl ethers (flame retardants).
The study outlines possible links between these newly recognized neurotoxicants and negative health effects on children, including:
* Manganese is associated with diminished intellectual function and impaired motor skills
* Solvents are linked to hyperactivity and aggressive behavior
* Certain types of pesticides may cause cognitive delays
Grandjean and co-author Philip Landrigan, Dean for Global Health at Mount Sinai, also forecast that many more chemicals than the known dozen or so identified as neurotoxicants contribute to a "silent pandemic" of neurobehavioral deficits that is eroding intelligence, disrupting behaviors, and damaging societies. But controlling this pandemic is difficult because of a scarcity of data to guide prevention and the huge amount of proof needed for government regulation. "Very few chemicals have been regulated as a result of developmental neurotoxicity," they write.
The authors say it's crucial to control the use of these chemicals to protect children's brain development worldwide. They propose mandatory testing of industrial chemicals and the formation of a new international clearinghouse to evaluate industrial chemicals for potential developmental neurotoxicity.
"The problem is international in scope, and the solution must therefore also be international," said Grandjean. "We have the methods in place to test industrial chemicals for harmful effects on children's brain developmentnow is the time to make that testing mandatory."
<>
About Harvard School of Public Health
Harvard School of Public Health brings together dedicated experts from many disciplines to educate new generations of global health leaders and produce powerful ideas that improve the lives and health of people everywhere. As a community of leading scientists, educators, and students, we work together to take innovative ideas from the laboratory and the classroom to people's livesnot only making scientific breakthroughs, but also working to change individual behaviors, public policies, and health care practices. Each year, more than 400 faculty members at HSPH teach 1,000-plus full-time students from around the world and train thousands more through online and executive education courses. Founded in 1913 as the Harvard-MIT School of Health Officers, the School is recognized as America's first professional training program in public health.
Link from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140214203938.htm (from Twitter).
KT2000
(20,576 posts)Thank you so much for responding. What could be more important than the brains of the next generation but there does not seem much interest here or elsewhere.
I am guessing you are involved in this issue too. What is so incredible about this is that the conditions mentioned do have price tags shown in other research.
When trying to get a chemical safety bill passed, my state representative said that it all comes down to cost. I was able to show him the costs that these conditions impose upon society (the robbing of a person's potential does not have a cost apparently) and he said he now had a rebuttal when the chemical lobbyists approached him. Since then he has fought for every chemical safety law that comes before the legislature.
I just wanted to share that in case it is helpful to you in your state.
proverbialwisdom
(4,959 posts)Kickstarter Launch Video (2:18)
from Penelope Jagessar Chaffer 2 months ago
The launch Kickstarter video for the Toxic Baby App campaign
http://vimeo.com/81748634
from Hamyard PRO 3 months ago
Director Penelope Jagessar Chaffer commissioned Hamyard to produce this animation for her feature documentary, Toxic Baby.
This film highlights the shockingly widespread use of harmful toxins in baby food containers and products.
http://vimeo.com/79418756
CHECK IT OUT!
Streamed live on Sep 3, 2013 (40:45)
Anna and Karen interview Penelope, the producer and director of Toxic Baby on her new application to help families to be safe and healthy. Her application is the first of its kind that makes her movie dynamic and not static to be current on all available environmental news.
Tyrone Hayes + Penelope Jagessar Chaffer: The toxic baby
FILMED DEC 2010 POSTED FEB 2012 TEDWomen 2010
Filmmaker Penelope Jagessar Chaffer was curious about the chemicals she was exposed to while pregnant: Could they affect her unborn child? So she asked scientist Tyrone Hayes to brief her on one he studied closely: atrazine, a herbicide used on corn. (Hayes, an expert on amphibians, is a critic of atrazine, which displays a disturbing effect on frog development.) Onstage together at TEDWomen, Hayes and Chaffer tell their story.
Tyrone Hayes studies frogs and amphibians -- and the effects on their bodies of common farming chemicals. Full bio »
Penelope Jagessar Chaffer made the film "Toxic Baby," exploring environmental toxins through interviews and surreal imagery. Full bio »
During search for Toxic Baby Kickstarter campaign, which I could not find, lots of allied groups popped up. Looks like a tipping point only outside of any media spotlight.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/leadsafeamerica/mislead-americas-secret-epidemic-a-documentary-fil/posts/408951
http://www.toxipedia.org
KT2000
(20,576 posts)This is terrific. I will pass it along to others too.
proverbialwisdom
(4,959 posts)L0oniX
(31,493 posts)proverbialwisdom
(4,959 posts)By Saundra Young CNN
Debate rages about chemicals, effects on young brains
Report cites new chemicals; others say the warning is overblown
UPDATED 12:25 AM PST Feb 15, 2014
<>
The American Chemistry Council, meanwhile, called the review a "rehash" of the authors' first review.
"This iteration is as highly flawed as the first, as once again the authors ignore the fundamental scientific principles of exposure and potency," said council spokesman Scott Jensen.
"What is most concerning is that the authors focus largely on chemicals and heavy metals that are well understood to be inappropriate for children's exposure, are highly regulated and/or are restricted or being phased out. They then extrapolate that similar conclusions should be applied to chemicals that are more widely used in consumer products without evidence to support their claims. Such assertions do nothing to advance true scientific understanding and only create confusion and alarm."
Landrigan and Grandjean now say all untested chemicals in use and all new chemicals should be tested for developmental neurotoxicity.
This is not a new concept. In 2007, the European Union adopted regulations known as REACH -- Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals -- to protect human health from risks posed by chemicals. REACH covers all chemicals, placing the burden of proof on companies to prove that any chemicals they make are safe.
"We are behind right now and we're falling further behind," Landrigan said. "... I find it very irritating some of the multinational manufacturers are now marketing products in Europe and the U.S. with the same brand name and same label, but in Europe (they) are free of toxic chemicals and in the U.S. they contain toxic chemicals."
<>
The silent epidemic of chemical toxins hurting our children
GAYLE MACDONALD
The Globe and Mail
Published Sunday, Feb. 16 2014, 6:30 PM EST
Last updated Sunday, Feb. 16 2014, 6:30 PM EST
Two of the worlds top toxicology experts are calling on governments around the globe to crack down hard on the widespread use of industrial chemicals which they say are hurting the development of childrens brains.
Countries need to transform their chemical risk-assessment procedures in order to protect children from everyday toxins that may be causing a global silent epidemic of brain development disorders, says a new study published Friday in the medical journal The Lancet Neurology.
The reports authors, Dr. Philippe Grandjean, a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, and Dr. Philip Landrigan, of Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, say the number of recognized chemical causes of neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism, attention deficit disorder, dyslexia and cerebral palsy, has doubled from six to 12 in the past seven years. During the same time period, they say the list of unregulated chemicals found in everyday items such as toys, furniture and clothing, and known to damage the human brain, has expanded from 202 to 214.
In a phone interview from Copenhagen late last week, Grandjean said the European Union has been proactive in banning and regulating certain chemicals that are known to harm childrens and adults health, but that the United States and Canada lag far behind. Until manufacturers are legally required to prove that all existing and new industrial chemicals are non-toxic before hitting the marketplace similar to the EUs reformed chemical law REACH we are facing a pandemic of neurodevelopmental toxicity, warns Grandjean, who adds that childrens brains are often impacted in the womb by toxins that pregnant mothers are exposed to. (REACH stands for Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals.)
Maggie MacDonald, toxic program manager at Toronto-based Environmental Defence, says the study is particularly troubling because of:: How prevalent these chemicals are in our environment, our homes and our bodies. Babies are being exposed to pollutants before they are even born, says MacDonald, whose organization did a recent study testing umbilical-cord blood of newborns and found lead, methylmercury, pesticides, PCBs and PFCs (chemicals found in non-stick coatings), among other toxins. This is a very serious problem that needs to be dealt with urgently, for the sake of children everywhere.
<>
proverbialwisdom
(4,959 posts)2014 Toxic Chemicals Legislation
Posted by SAFER States on Feb 17, 2014
proverbialwisdom
(4,959 posts)...New Evidence on BPA-Free Plastics
And the Big Tobacco-style campaign to bury it.
By Mariah Blake | March/April 2014 Issue
[img][/img]
Photographs by Evan Kafka
Update (3/3/14): After this story went to press, the US Food and Drug Administration published a paper finding that BPA was safe in low doses. However, the underlying testing was done on a strain of lab rat known as the Charles River Sprague Dawley, which doesn't readily respond to synthetic estrogens, such as BPA. And, due to laboratory contamination, all of the animalsincluding the control groupwere exposed to this chemical. Academic scientists say this raises serious questions about the study's credibility. Stay tuned for more in-depth reporting on the shortcomings of the FDA's most recent study.
EACH NIGHT AT DINNERTIME, a familiar ritual played out in Michael Green's home: He'd slide a stainless steel sippy cup across the table to his two-year-old daughter, Juliette, and she'd howl for the pink plastic one. Often, Green gave in. But he had a nagging feeling. As an environmental-health advocate, he had fought to rid sippy cups and baby bottles of the common plastic additive bisphenol A (BPA), which mimics the hormone estrogen and has been linked to a long list of serious health problems. Juliette's sippy cup was made from a new generation of BPA-free plastics, but Green, who runs the Oakland, California-based Center for Environmental Health, had come across research suggesting some of these contained synthetic estrogens, too.
He pondered these findings as the center prepared for its anniversary celebration in October 2011. That evening, Green, a slight man with scruffy blond hair and pale-blue eyes, took the stage and set Juliette's sippy cups on the podium. He recounted their nightly standoffs. "When she wins every time I worry about what are the health impacts of the chemicals leaching out of that sippy cup," he said, before listing some of the problems linked to those chemicalscancer, diabetes, obesity. To help solve the riddle, he said, his organization planned to test BPA-free sippy cups for estrogenlike chemicals.
The center shipped Juliette's plastic cup, along with 17 others purchased from Target, Walmart, and Babies R Us, to CertiChem, a lab in Austin, Texas. More than a quarterincluding Juliette'scame back positive for estrogenic activity. These results mirrored the lab's findings in its broader National Institutes of Health-funded research on BPA-free plastics. CertiChem and its founder, George Bittner, who is also a professor of neurobiology at the University of Texas-Austin, had recently coauthored a paper in the NIH journal Environmental Health Perspectives. It reported that "almost all" commercially available plastics that were tested leached synthetic estrogenseven when they weren't exposed to conditions known to unlock potentially harmful chemicals, such as the heat of a microwave, the steam of a dishwasher, or the sun's ultraviolet rays. According to Bittner's research, some BPA-free products actually released synthetic estrogens that were more potent than BPA.
Estrogen plays a key role in everything from bone growth to ovulation to heart function. Too much or too little, particularly in utero or during early childhood, can alter brain and organ development, leading to disease later in life. Elevated estrogen levels generally increase a woman's risk of breast cancer.
Estrogenic chemicals found in many common products have been linked to a litany of problems in humans and animals. According to one study, the pesticide atrazine can turn male frogs female. DES, which was once prescribed to prevent miscarriages, caused obesity, rare vaginal tumors, infertility, and testicular growths among those exposed in utero. Scientists have tied BPA to ailments including asthma, cancer, infertility, low sperm count, genital deformity, heart disease, liver problems, and ADHD. "Pick a disease, literally pick a disease," says Frederick vom Saal, a biology professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia who studies BPA.
<>
Link from: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Toxic-Baby/147639041948185?ref=stream
proverbialwisdom
(4,959 posts)First link from article above, excluding update.
MAY 23, 2011
CEHs 15th Anniversary!
More videos at link.
KT2000
(20,576 posts)This really shows that they only wanted to fool people - not stop the damage these chemicals cause.
proverbialwisdom
(4,959 posts)House Chemical Reform Bill Would Erode Protections For Health, Environment
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2014
Washington, D.C. Legislation proposed by Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.) to reform federal chemicals management law would leave the public at even greater risk of exposure to toxic substances than under the outdated current law, said Environmental Working Group in a statement today.
The Shimkus plan codifies the worst features of current law while tying the hands of states that seek to protect their own citizens from harmful chemicals, said Ken Cook, president and co-founder of EWG.
Lowlights of Shimkus Chemicals in Commerce Act, which would update the 1976 Toxics Substances Control Act, include:
It would perpetuate the existing weak safety standard based on unreasonable risk, adding layers of cost-benefit analysis and tipping the scales in favor of chemical companies at the expense of public health.
It does not include disadvantaged communities in the definition of potentially exposed sub-populations that would be factored in when EPA decides how to prioritize a chemical for safety review.
It contains sweeping preemption language that, among other things, would prevent states from regulating chemicals that EPA considers a low priority.
It includes broad protections for confidential business information that would allow chemical companies to keep secret the chemical identity of their products.
It would not require the chemical industry to pay fees to EPA to defray the cost of ensuring the safety of chemicals.
It would not require companies to submit minimum data sets to EPA to provide the critical baseline information needed to review a chemicals safety.
It would not establish meaningful deadlines for regulatory action to protect public health.
It does not require that EPA conduct a minimum number of chemical reviews annually.
The only thing this bill would do is add additional layers of protection for the chemical industry allowing it to continue unleashing hazardous materials into commerce, added Cook.
proverbialwisdom
(4,959 posts)Last edited Fri Apr 25, 2014, 08:12 PM - Edit history (1)
Please help this effort go viral: http://kck.st/1kl5imJMore: http://www.democraticunderground.com/113910894