The Weekly Toxic Times

From the Michigan Network for Children's Environmental Health

News highlights from May 30 - June 6, 2008

A recap of the top stories on toxins in Michigan, National, and International news.

Our apologies for the recent hiatus for the Toxic Times during May. As we transitioned into our summer staffing, we did not have the resources to pull it together weekly. This issue includes highlights from the last week and we are working on a May compilation to catch you up on all the news.

Michigan News

Hazardous rail car routes probably won’t change

The Bay City Times, Thursday, June 05, 2008

Rail cars loaded with hazardous chemicals travel every day on railroad tracks through Bay City, Saginaw and Midland, despite community concerns about spills and leaking.
www.mlive.com/news/bctimes/index.ssf?/base/news-11/1212678926121320.xml
&coll=4&thispage=1

Michigan will pitch Great Lakes cleanup plan to next president

The Detroit News, Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Michigan will develop a Great Lakes restoration plan to present to the next U.S. president in a bid for federal dollars to combat contamination and foreign species invading the lakes via ocean-going vessels, Lt. Gov. John Cherry announced Wednesday.
www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080604/METRO/806040446/
1409/METRO

Symbolic ceremony held in Ann Arbor to advocate for stronger consumer protection on children's toys

The Ann Arbor News, Tuesday, June 03, 2008

“Parents and activists congregate at a press conference in Ann Arbor to send a message to US Representative John Dingell who is in a unique position to ensure that toxicants are excluded in toy production.”
blog.mlive.com/annarbornews/2008/06/symbolic_ceremony_held_in_ann.html

Free testing of kids’ toys for lead offered Saturday

Kalamazoo Gazette, Monday, June 02, 2008

“Toys containing lead and other heavy metals may still be in homes posing a threat. On Saturday, two Kalamazoo College students with the help of several health organizations, are holding a Toxic Toy Town Hall at the St. Joseph Catholic Church, 936 Lake St., from 1 to 4 p.m.”
www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/news-29/1212440178205550
.xml&coll=7

Dow Chemical to negotiate dioxin cleanup along Tittabawassee

The Bay City Times, Monday, June 02, 2008

“John K. Brown said he and fellow Riverside Drive residents are anxious to put the Dow Chemical Co. dioxin issue to rest. Recent soil samples taken along Riverside Drive indicated average dioxin levels more than two times the 1,000-parts-per-trillion state threshold, making cleanup necessary and classifying the area as contaminated.”
www.mlive.com/news/bctimes/index.ssf?/base/news-11/1212419714298610
.xml&coll=4

Lead study draws local interest

The Battle Creek Enquirer, Saturday, May 31, 2008

“A top Calhoun County law-enforcement official and a local lead expert both welcomed a report this week that links childhood lead poisoning to future criminal behavior.”
www.battlecreekenquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080531/NEWS01/
805310318/1002/NEWS01

National News

Bisphenol A Under Scrutiny: Congress, media call into question safety of widely used plastics chemical

Chemical and Engineering News, Monday, June 2, 2008

“In the wake of a media firestorm and a congressional investigation centered on the use of BPA in baby bottles, infant formula cans, and everyday consumer goods, many retailers are bowing to consumer pressure and voluntarily pulling BPA-containing products off their shelves.”
pubs.acs.org/cen/government/86/8622gov1.html

Leading to problems

Gristmill, Friday, May 30, 2008

“Implications of the study linking childhood lead exposure and adult criminality”
gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/5/30/75055/2039

USDA cuts budget to its pesticide use data program: no budget, no data, no public information about agriculture chemical use

National Resource Defense Council, Tuesday, May 20, 2008

“A coalition of public interest groups including NRDC, the Center for Food Safety, the Union of Concerned Scientists, and The Organic Center came together to protest budget cuts that will kill the collection and public reporting of pesticide use data by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).”
switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/jsass/_a_coalition_of_public.html

International News

Warning: Makeup carcinogenic

Winnipeg Free Press, Friday, June 6, 2008

Using products to look good on the outside could slowly be making you sick on the inside, women at the World Conference on Breast Cancer learned Thursday.

www.winnipegfreepress.com/life/story/4182926p-4772490c.html

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Articles were researched and compiled by Beth Kerwin and Marci Baranski, MNCEH Interns.

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