The Weekly Toxic Times
From the Michigan Network for Children's Environmental Health
News highlights from June 15 - June 19, 2008
A recap of the top stories on toxins in Michigan, National, and International news.
Michigan News
Council to issue subpoenas to spark incinerator resolution
The Detroit Free Press, Monday, June 16, 2008
" The Detroit City Council is expected to issue subpoenas Tuesday to two top city officials to compel a discussion about the next step in the decision-making process about whether to continue incinerating most of the city's household garbage."
www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080616/NEWS01/80616031/1003/
NEWS
Illegal dumping posing hazard to environment
The Daily Press, Monday, June 16, 2008
The article explains how in Escanaba Michigan, proper disposal of electronics has become an environmental hazard.
www.dailypress.net/page/content.detail/id/504362.html?nav=5003
Deposits on bottled water? Group pushes to spread law to other nonrefundable containers littering state
The Detroit Free Press, Wednesday, June 18, 2008
"The Michigan United Conservation Clubs threw its considerable political weight Tuesday behind a plan to extend Michigan's first-in-the-nation bottle deposit law to containers for water, juice and tea bottles."
www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080618/NEWS05/806180317
National News
CDC recommends turf fields should be tested.
North Jersey, Thursday, June 19, 2008
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that certain artificial turf fields be tested for lead and that young children should be kept away from fields with high lead levels.
www.northjersey.com/health/CDC_recommends_turf_fields_should_be_tested.html
Lead found in Disney charms, U.S. group says
Reuters, Wednesday, June 11, 2008
"Three Disney-licensed charm bracelet sets and four "Charm It!" charms for children were tested and found to contain illegal levels of lead, according to the U.S. advocacy group Center for Environmental Health."
www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN1128429420080611
FDA issues precautionary note on silver fillings
US News and World Report, Thursday, June 12, 2008
"Silver dental fillings contain mercury, and the government for the first time is warning that they may pose a safety concern for pregnant women and young children. The Food and Drug Administration posted the precaution on its Web site earlier this month, to settle a lawsuit - making the move a victory for anti-mercury activists."
hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MED_DENTAL_MERCURY?SITE=DCUSN&
SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Strictest limits on lead urged: EPA due to update 30-year-old standard by September 15
The Baltimore Sun, Friday, June 13, 2008
" A Bush administration proposal to tighten national air pollution standards for lead might not go far enough to protect the public from the metal's toxic effects, environmental and health experts told a government panel in Baltimore yesterday."
www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bay_environment/bal-md.lead13jun13,0,
502755.story
Health spotlight: Environmental concerns force asthmatics to pay more for life-saving inhalers
Gainesville Times, Sunday, June 15, 2008
This article describes the shift in asthma inhaler propellant from CFCs to HFA which will occur in December to benefit the atmosphere. However, this shift will create an environmental justice issue because these new inhalers cost significantly more as there are no generic versions of these new inhalers.
www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/article/6432/
Editorial: Congress must step in Bills in both the House and Senate to ban bisphenol A should make it easy for Congress to fill the consumer-protection void left by regulators.
The Journal Sentinel, June 15, 2008
"Federal regulators should have done a better job of protecting Americans from the health hazards of chemicals, such as bisphenol A, commonly found in many household products, from baby bottles to dental sealants. But they didn't, and now lawmakers in both houses are stepping in."
www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=761971
Tons of PCBs May Come Calling at a Down-at-the-Heels Texas City
The New York Times, Thursday, June 19, 2008
"Despite a federal ban on importing PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, the company, Veolia Environmental Services, has asked the Environmental Protection Agency for an exemption to move the chemicals by truck from Mexico and to burn them at its incinerator just outside Port Arthur. The incinerator has been disposing of the United States' PCB waste since 1992. In March, the E.P.A. gave tentative approval to the proposal. A final decision is expected after August."
www.nytimes.com/2008/06/19/us/19PCB.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1213887621-
uGFJQR0LAQ93HnU8WzGKjQ
International News
Ontario Joins Quebec in Banning Pesticides across the Province
The Canadian Press, Thursday, June 19, 2008
" Ontario joined Quebec in banning the sale and cosmetic use of pesticides Wednesday, but critics say the move will actually weaken existing anti-pesticide rules across the province. More than 80 ingredients and 300 pesticide products will be prohibited once the ban is fully implemented next spring, which supporters say will give Ontario the toughest rules in North America."
www.cftktv.com/news/14/739657
Smoking ban aims to protect kids in cars
The Windsor Star, Tuesday, June 17, 2008
"Windsor smokers expressed outrage Monday when they learned the Ontario legislature had banned smoking in cars when children are present."
www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/story.html?id=46d0504a-1ecb-4c2c-8b36-
b004e21c8e69
Chemical Law Has Global Impact : E.U.'s New Rules Forcing Changes By U.S. Firms
The Washington Post, Thursday, June 12, 2008
"The new laws in the European Union require companies to demonstrate that a chemical is safe before it enters commerce -- the opposite of policies in the United States, where regulators must prove that a chemical is harmful before it can be restricted or removed from the market."
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/11/AR2008061
103569.html
Articles were researched and compiled by Beth Kerwin and Marci Baranski, MNCEH Interns.
Organizational Members: American Academy of Pediatrics (Michigan Chapter) • Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS) • Association for Children's Mental Health • Autism Society of Michigan • Citizens for Alternatives to Chemical Contamination • Clean Water Fund • Clinton County Family Resource Center • Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice • East Michigan Environmental Action Council • Ecology Center • Healthy Homes Coalition of West Michigan • Learning Disabilities Association (LDA) of Michigan • LocalMotionGreen • Michigan Chapter of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners • Michigan Coalition for Children and Families • Michigan Environmental Council • Michigan League of Conservation Voters Education Fund • Michigan Nurses Association • Science and Environmental Health Network • Sierra Club Michigan Chapter • Voices for Earth Justice
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