Bulletin Board December 22, 2006

Janet’s Corner - Not Too Seriously!

One Liners - Part 1
Two blondes were driving to Disney Land. As they approached the park, they

saw a sign saying “Disney Land Left.” Disappointed, they turned around and

went home.
Q: What did the Martian say when he went into the library?

A: “Take me to your reader.”
Q: What do you call it when you have a pimple on each cheek?

A: Oppozits.
Q: What do diapers and politicians have in common?

A: They both need to be changed regularly... and for the same reason.
Q: Did you hear about the broken hearted tractor salesman?

A: He got a John Deere letter.
Q: Why did the landlord take his unattractive tenant to a local bar?

A: To scotch an ugly roomer.
Q: What did the Fish say when he ran into a rock wall?

A: Dam!
Is it bad luck to be superstitious?
A,E,I,O, and U were found dead on a local street. It was determinied that

they were victims of vowel play.
Q: What do you call a multi-colored snake?

A: A pied viper!
Just between you and me, I think that gardeners are just a bunch of bed-

wetters !
Please note: articles for Janet’s Corner are not original, and come from various

sources. Author’s credits are supplied when available.

Gossip
Research finds soils lacking sulphur increase

carcinogens in crop

2006-12-05

According to new research by British scientists, soils lacking sulphur may

increase carcinogens in crops and not enough sulphur in the wheat can spell

“probable carcinogen” in the bun. The study was conducted by researchers

at the University of Reading, UK, and investigated how acrylamide, a

chemical linked to cancer and other possible ill effects, is produced. The

discovered that wheat grown in fields deficient in sulphur have much higher

concentrations of asparagines - an amino acid that, along with sugars, forms

acrylamide during cooking. Lead researcher Donald Mottram, professor of

food biosciences at the University, said that making sure that crops have

plenty of sulphur might go some way towards reducing acrylamide in foods,

without changing the flavor. “The manufacturers of biscuits and cakes and

breads and crisps - they have modified their processes wherever possible.

But if we can get the levels of asparagine lower in plants, there won’t be as

much acrylamide there to start with,” Mottram said. During the study, wheat

plants were grown in pots with identical conditions and bar the sulphur

content. The researchers observed that those with a sulphur deficiency

made wheat that, when milled and cooked, had 4.7 times the amount of

acrylamide as the plants that could gorge on the element. According to the

researchers, wheat in field trials showed an even more dramatic response

and the sulphur-starved wheat made cooked products with 6.3 times as

much acrylamide. Co-lead researcher Nigel Halford, a crop scientist at

Rothamsted Research in Harpenden, UK, hypothesized that this is due to

the production of seed storage proteins decreases when a plant is stressed

by sulphur deprivation. The nitrogen taken up by the plant then accumulates

as asparagine instead. Halford said other stresses on the plant, such as

heat or nitrogen deficiency, may have a similar effect, which they are keen

to study to find out.

English People’s Daily News, 24 November 2006

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/
Backyard boilers pose major health risks

2006-12-05

According to the results of a study conducted by Connecticut researchers,

smoke from increasingly popular backyard wood-burning boilers significantly

increases the risks of cancer, heart attack and heart disease among neighbors

forced to breathe the brew of toxic chemicals and ash. The boilers were

designed to save on fuel oil and natural gas. They look like metal sheds with

stovepipe stacks, and are not equipped with any pollution controls. These

boilers are also not regulated under the U.S. clean air laws. Since burning

is often done at night, neighbors may not be fully aware of the units. Unlike

wood stoves, outdoor boilers are not certified. The Environmental Protection

Agency received a grant from the state Department of Environmental

Protection to study exactly what is emitted from the stacks and in what

amounts. Tracy Babbidge, director of air planning at the state DEP said

that they had not expected the impact of burning wood to be significant.

The study indicated that at normal levels and concentrations, the smoke

increases the risk of lung cancer and of cardiopulmonary disease by 37

percent. Exposure to the smoke for more than two hours increases the risk

of heart attack by 48 percent. More than one day of exposure heightens

the risk by 69 percent. Overall, people breathing the smoke have a lifetime

cancer risk of 1 in 1,000, which is roughly equal to the odds faced by a

cigarette smoker.

David R. Brown the lead author of the study said, “Outdoor wood-burning

boilers were developed in the Midwest in the 1980s and 1990s. They save

money on fossil fuels. Nobody identified how bad they were,” Brown said.”

The emissions are dirtier than cigarette smoke. Next to this thing, a wood

stove and a roaring fireplace are good,” he said. The boilers emit ultra-fine

particulates close to breathing level. The accompanying risk represents

at a minimum a seven-fold increase in acceptable cancer risk, Brown and

colleagues concluded, based on computer modeling. A diesel truck emits

around 1 gram of emissions in its wake every hour. A typical outdoor wood-

burning boiler produces 160 grams of ash, benzene, dioxins, polycyclic

aromatic hydrocarbons and other chemicals in the same period, according

to estimates by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

Homeowners burn wood and other materials to heat water jackets or coils.

Hot water is then pumped through underground pipes into the house, where

it can be used directly or to assist heating systems. When water reaches a

certain temperature, a damper closes, causing the contents of the boiler to

cool and smolder. This leads to incomplete combustion, and creosote and

other chemicals condense on the walls and in the stack.

When the damper re-opens, flame burns the deposits and the combustion

products billow out of the stack, Brown said. A Connecticut law enacted in

2005 requires that the outdoor wood furnaces be located at least 200 feet

from the closest neighbor, or set back 200 feet. Some stacks must be no

higher than any roof within 500 feet. However, although Connecticut has

issued about 15 notices of violations, none has resulted in a penalty, removal

of an outdoor wood-burning boiler or a consent order to fix a problem, the

New England States for Coordinated Air Use Management found in an

assessment of outdoor wood-fired boilers.” The presence of an outdoor

wood boiler near residences and other buildings and other populations

constitutes both a cancer and non-cancer health risk that is substantially in

excess of the risk from the use of indoor wood stoves certified under current

EPA guidelines,” Brown and colleagues write. “Based on the wood stove

studies, the magnitude of the exposure will induce serious health effects,”

the researchers said.

New Haven Register News, 27 November 2006

http://www.nhregister.com
Toxin, cancer link may lead to cost spiral

2006-12-05

Speaking at the launch of a Co-operative Research Centre (CRC) for toxic

clean up in Adelaide, Federal Finance Minister Nick Minchin has warned

of spiraling health costs if the link between toxins in the environment and

cancer and chronic illness is ignored. Minchin said a link between toxins

and cancer and chronic illnesses was “common sense” and its impact on the

health budget “keeps you awake at night”. “We have rising living standards

and general welfare while at the same time we have rises in cancer and

chronic diseases,” he said. “Experts are postulating that chemicals in our

environment, chemicals in our soils, the extent to which we have used

fertilisers to grow food and all the rest of it, is associated with the increasing

incidences of cancer and other disease,” he said. Health Minister Tony

Abbott has quoted figures showing that health spending has doubled to 10

per cent of Australia’s gross domestic product since 1960. And spending

was projected to grow to 15 per cent of GDP by 2040. The health bill to the

taxpayer for dealing with cancer and its consequences is about $2.9 billion

each year - about 5.8 per cent of the $50.1 billion spent on disease and

injury costs overall. A spokeswoman for Abbott said that in return for the

investment the death rate for cancer had dropped 14 per cent in the past 20

years. But the incidence of cancer has risen to make it the leading cause of

death among Australians aged from 45 to 64, Australian Institute of Health

and Welfare figures show.

A spokesman for the Cancer Council Australia said there were about eight

other disease groups that cost the health system more, but none caused

as many fatalities as cancer, unless heart and stroke were combined into

a single cardiovascular category. Minchin said the research at the CRC -

which was partly funded by $30 million from the federal Government - would

help contain future health budgets. “To the extent that it begins to emerge

that things like toxic contamination are a feature of increasing incidences of

disease and cancer then, as part of a preventative approach to medicine and

health, the work of this CRC and other research can play a big part in helping

us manage the growing cost of health,” he said. The CRC for Contamination

Assessment and Remediation of the Environment (CARE), was opened at its

headquarters at the University of South Australia’s high technology Mawson

Lakes campus in northern Adelaide. CRC CARE chairman Paul Perkins said

the group would lead the world on toxic contamination research, spinning

off commercial products and expertise that would earn “immeasurable”

export revenue for its shareholders, which include petroleum and energy

companies, Australian universities and the federal Government. Among

current research was examining the link between cadmium in food and

diabetes - a chronic illness commonly associated with a sedentary lifestyle.

The Australian News, 25 November 2006

http://www.theaustralian.com.au
Study puts bacon on bad-news list

2006-12-05

According to a new study, too much bacon is bad for you, and taking the

skin off your chicken may not be so good either. A research team headed

Dr Dominique Michaud of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston

found that people who ate bacon five times a week or more were more than

60 per cent more likely than non-bacon eaters to develop bladder cancer.

Those who ate skinless chicken five times a week lifted their bladder cancer

chances by 52 per cent. The study found that some meat products contain

nitrosamines, which cause bladder cancer, Dr Michaud and her team says

in their report. However, at this stage the studies into the meat-bladder

cancer link have been small and most have not investigated the effects of

different types of meat. In order to better understand this relationship, the

researchers analysed the data for 47,422 American men and 88,471 women

whose health had been tracked in two larger studies for up to 22 years.

During the time of the studies, 808 subjects developed bladder cancer. It

was observed that those people who ate bacon and other processed meats

often were also more likely to smoke and to have diets heavy in fat and

light in vitamins, the researchers found. These results were not found to be

statistically significant, but those who ate bacon five or more times a week

were 59 per cent more likely to develop bladder cancer than those who

never did. In addition, those people who ate skinless chicken this often were

52 per cent more likely to develop bladder cancer than those who always

left the skin on. Chicken cooked with the skin on contains a smaller amount

of heterocyclic amines - carcinogenic compounds formed when meat

is cooked at high temperatures - than skinless chicken. The researchers

cautioned that further researcher is required to confirm these results before

any conclusions can be made.

New Zealand Herald News, 29 November 2006

http://www.nzherald.co.nz
Cancer Link: Gene regulates progesterone effect on

breast cells

2006-12-05

In 1994, scientist discovered the BRCA1 gene and found that it kept cancer

at bay. Women carrying a mutation in the gene face an extremely high risk

of breast and ovarian cancer. Researchers have struggled to understand

how the protein encoded by a normal BRCA1 gene works. A new study in

mice suggests one possibility: The BRCA1 protein moderates the hormone

progesterone’s effect in breast cells. The protein appears to calm those

cells when progesterone urges them to divide and grow. Previous research

found that BRCA1 protein orchestrates the repair of damaged DNA. But

since that process occurs continuously in every cell throughout the body, the

finding failed to explain how a mutated BRCA1 would predispose a woman

specifically to cancers of the breasts or ovaries. During the study, the

researchers genetically engineered mice so that they didn’t make BRCA1

protein. Breast tissue in these animals grew abnormally, creating many

branching mammary ducts of a type usually seen only in pregnant mice,

says Eva Y.-H.P. Lee, a molecular biologist at the University of California,

Irvine. Compared with normal breast cells, the breast cells in the genetically

altered mice were also three times as likely to have progesterone receptors-

proteins on the cell surface that serve as docks for the hormone. When

progesterone binds to the receptor, it sends a signal that’s transferred to the

cell nucleus. Progesterone typically instructs a cell to proliferate. Normally,

after a progesterone receptor transmits a growth signal, the cell destroys the

receptor, Lee says. However, animals lacking BRCA1 failed to complete this

routine cleanup process.

In some cases, other progesterone molecules bind to the already used

receptor, generating more proliferation signals. All the mice in a group that

were BRCA1 protein deficient, developed tumors within 5 to 9 months, the

researchers found. But when similar mice received the antiprogesterone

drug mifepristone, they showed no cancer during the 12 months of

observation. The study “places the progesterone receptor right in the middle

of the physiology” of BRCA1-related breast cancers, says physician Steven

Narod of the University of Toronto. However, Narod notes that mice aren’t a

perfect model for the human disease because healthy women with BRCA1

mutations don’t exhibit the abnormal duct branching seen in the animals in

this study. Antiprogesterone drugs might control abnormal signaling, thereby

preventing or treating cancers in some women with the BRCA1 mutation,

says oncologist Eliot M. Rosen of Georgetown University in Washington,

D.C. At present, “the most effective protection [against breast cancer for

women with a BRCA1 mutation] is drastic surgery to remove the ovaries

and both breasts,” he says. An antiprogesterone “might be a nonsurgical

approach,” he adds. Narod cautions that determining the preventive effects

of an antiprogesterone drug would require a massive clinical trial of healthy

women. A test of an antiprogesterone as a treatment for breast cancer might

come first, he says.

Science News, 2 December 2006

http://sciencenews.org/
‘A bad memory may be a sign of heart trouble’

2006-12-05

According to researchers, being forgetful could be bad for your heart. Those

who have poor memories and slower reaction times are more likely to die

from a heart attack, according to a 21-year study. Psychologist Dr Beverly

Shipley, who carried out the research, said the next step was to discover

exactly why there was a link. The researcher suggested that one possible

explanation was that reaction time is an indicator of a body with better

‘system integrity’ - how well it is wired together. She also said that one of

the surprising outcomes of the study was that both younger and older adults

exhibited the same link between cognition and heart disease mortality. Even

in the case of young people, memory problems could be used to identify

those not normally thought to be at risk of heart disease for treatment. Dr

Shipley, from Edinburgh University’s psychology department, studied more

than 6,400 individuals. During the study, Shipley observed that those people

with slower reaction times, poorer memory and poor visual-spatial awareness

had a higher chance of dying from cardiovascular or respiratory disease.

This link remained after allowing for other factors normally associated with

heart disease, such as physical activity, blood pressure, being overweight

and smoking. Those taking part were aged between 18 and 99 and were

first tested in 1984/85. Altogether 1,550 members of the group died from

various causes by the time the study was completed in 2005. Lower levels

of mental agility led to at least a 10 per cent greater chance of developing

heart disease. In addition, the researchers found that a higher death rate

from heart problems among those with poorer mental agility. Dr Shipley,

said explaining the link between cognition and mortality was ‘the next step

of my work’. A further reason for the link may be poor blood flow through the

arteries, a symptom of heart disease, which would also affect the flow of

oxygen to the brain.

Daily Mirror News, 25 November 2006

http://www.dailymail.co.uk
Swimming Pools Linked to Hay Fever

2006-12-05

According to a new study by German researchers, children who go to

swimming pools on a regular basis may be at risk for developing hay fever in

adulthood. Dr. Y. Kohlhammer, from the GSF-National Research Center for

Environment and Health in Neuherberg, and colleagues hypothesized that

the chlorination by-products at swimming pools may damage the lining of the

lungs, allowing closer contact to allergens and increasing the risk of hay fever.

During the study, the researchers surveyed 2,606 adults between 35 and 74

years of age. Personal interviews and questionnaires were used to gather

detailed information about medical history and swimming pool attendance.

The results indicated that those people who attended a chlorinated swimming

pool 3 to 11 times each year at school age were 74 percent more likely to

develop hay fever than those who never attended a pool at school age.

Recent exposure to a chlorinated swimming pool also increased the risk of

hay fever. Subjects who reported exposure to a pool more than once a week

for the last 12 months were 32 percent more likely to have hay fever than

non-exposed individuals. In addition, the researchers found that subjects

who reported any lifetime exposure to chlorinated swimming pools were 65

percent more likely to have hay fever than individuals with no exposure. The

associations with both recent and school-age pool attendance appeared

to be dose-related, the authors point out. The results support the findings

of previous studies that have linked exposure to chlorinated swimming

pools with lung “hyperpermeability,” as well as exercise-induced cough and

higher asthma rates, the team notes. “Hay fever is a disease with numerous

potential influencing aspects, including lifestyle changes, environmental

factors, allergen exposure and immunology. Contact with chlorination by-

products might not be the leading reason for higher frequencies of hay fever,

especially in adults, but might make up an important contribution to this

multifactorial disease,” the authors conclude.

ABC News, 24 November 2006

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/living/dailynews
Chinese pollution a rising health threat

2006-12-05

Air and water pollution are causing a health crisis in poverty-stricken

Southwest China. Lack of access to safe drinking water and high levels of

air pollution and mercury contamination from excessive coal burning are

causing chronic illness and death, especially in the rural areas of China.

A possible link between mercury content in fish consumed in the United

States and Chinese coal burning is also being examined. The United States

Agency for International Development is sponsoring the China Environmental

Health Project, which involves scientists from Western Kentucky University

and Southwest University of China studying the pollution of underground

streams, pollution caused by coal burning and the health effects on the

people. Initial findings has suggested that the water and air pollution has led

to chronic health problems - gastric disorders, diarrhea, asthma, bronchitis,

conjunctivitis - as well as acute poisoning and death, said Chris Groves,

Western Kentucky University scientist. The people in the areas most

affected are living below the poverty level of $85 a year. The area is called a

karst region, meaning it is created by the slow dissolution of bedrock. “Karst

is the most vulnerable ground water system to contamination,” he said.

Underground springs exist in karst areas, most commonly in limestone.

These landscapes also occur in the United States in Florida and Kentucky,

but in China approximately one-third of the land is karst region, Groves said.

The karst landscape, along with monsoon seasons alternating with drought,

make accessibility to any water at all difficult. The water that can be found

is often contaminated.

In China, rice-field farmers who use fertilizer and pesticides are polluting their

own water. Toxins from steel mills also contaminate the underground water.

Acid rain has also become an issue; in the village of Fantang the effects

are especially severe. “No one from the village is healthy enough to join the

army,” said Yuan Daoxian, professor at Southwest University of China. There

are also roads that run above the underground water system. “Pollution from

roadsides recharge drinking water tanks,” Daoxian said. He added that a

lot of time is spent by people in China, climbing down into caves to retrieve

buckets of water, especially during the dry season. “If they’re spending time

carrying water, then they’re not making money,” Daoxian said. People also

dry their food inside during the wet season, and it can be poisoned with

arsenic from the coal-burning fire emissions, he said. Even though the

technology exists to treat contaminated water making it safe to drink, it is not

available in these poor regions. “Their treatment means boiling water, and

probably over a coal-fired stove. They don’t know any better,” Groves said.

The high rates of coal burning combined with unpublished reports on exactly

how much particle pollution is getting into the air - are cause for alarm, said

Wei-ping Pan, a Western Kentucky University scientist. Data on emissions

from large coal-consuming regions, like Huainan, are the focus of the coal

portion of the study.

Previous studies conducted by U.S. researchers have shown that when

mercury is ingested it accumulates in the brain and attacks the nervous

system, Pan said. It can also cause symptoms including hair loss, fatigue,

depression, difficulty concentrating and headache. The Environmental

Protection Agency said that tiny particles of mercury travel through

smokestacks into the air and fall onto soil or water. One of the most common

sources of mercury contamination is coal-burning power plants. Up until

now little research has been done to draw connections between the coal

burning in China and illness both in China and on the West Coast of the

United States, Pan said. “It’s possible that Huainan mercury ends up in the

fish people in California eat,” Pan said. Trends of high miscarriage rates

and lower IQ rates have also been appearing, but there’s still a lack of data.

“Just because there’s no data doesn’t mean there’s not a problem,” Groves

said. The answer lies in the sharing of knowledge and technology, Pan said.

By bringing the clean-burning advances from the United States to China, air

pollution could be greatly reduced, hopefully cutting cases of asthma and

bronchitis as well.

United Press International News, 24 November 2006

http://www.upi.com/
Debate bubbling over health impact of chemicals

2006-12-05

Industry is stepping up research amid scientists’ concerns that the EU’s draft

REACH regulation is not doing enough to protect humans against endocrine

disrupters and other toxic chemicals. The EU’s draft REACH law on chemical

safety enters Parliament for a crucial second reading on 12 December 2006.

It will then need approval by the Council of Ministers before it becomes

law. REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals)

proposes that manufacturers and importers produce health and safety tests

for around 30,000 of the 100,000 substances currently on the EU market.

The screening process would be spread over an 11-year period, starting

with the most toxic chemicals as well as those marketed in higher volumes.

A group of 38 scientists signed a letter on 20 November calling for the EU to

tighten scrutiny of hormone disrupting chemicals and other toxic substances

under REACH. The scientists expressed concern that the REACH draft as

supported by the Council of Ministers requires a too-high burden of proof

before hormone-disrupting chemicals can enter the REACH evaluation

process. “Authorities would have to wait until the damage is done before

they can take any action,” said conservation group WWF, which publicised

the scientist’s call as part of its DetoX campaign. According to the scientists,

the precautionary action against hormone disrupters is justified because

they “can act in an additive manner” when combined together “even though,

in isolation such substances may be judged unlikely to cause serious effects

at current exposure levels”.

The actual health risk posed by these chemicals remains the topic of fierce

debate. “There are still a lot of uncertainties on the direct and indirect link

between chemicals and certain diseases as prestigious scientists still

contradict other prestigious scientists,” said the European Chemical Industry

Council (CEFIC). In a related move, the European Chemicals Industry

Council (CEFIC) on 15 November opened the third phase of its Long-

Range Research Initiative (LRI) programme to increase the understanding

of the potential impact of chemicals on health and the environment. The

latest LRI initiative focuses on three priority themes facing the chemicals

industry: Tools for effective risk assessment; dealing with environment and

health complexity, and; new science relating to individual susceptibility and

trans-generational effects. Recently, Thomas Jostmann of CEFIC said that

research had proven that “It doesn’t pose an immediate risk if a substance

is in your body” and that the levels of concentration were “in the magnitude

of background detection rather then having a real serious contamination

profile which could cause a risk”. However, Ninja Reineke for the WWF said

that while there may be not be an immediate risk, for some chemicals it is

timing and not amounts that matters. Illnesses such as cancer and infertility

are known to develop over a long period and where chemicals were involved

in low amounts, she said.

Euractive News, 20 November 2006

http://www.euractiv.com/en
New fuel ‘has no health impact’

2006-12-06

According to the Environment Agency, an 18-month trial of a new fuel at Drax

power station near Selby has had no adverse impact on local health. The

plant burned a mixture of coal and up to 15% petroleum coke (petcoke), an

oil-based fuel that is a by-product of the petroleum industry. Drax said they

would now apply to burn the fuel in all their six boiler units. The Environment

Agency said they were satisfied with the data, which covered burning the

fuel mixture in one boiler. It has also been reported by the company that

there has been no noticeable effect on the quality of water discharged after

use in the cooling process and treatment of by-products. Dr Nigel Burdett,

head of environment at Drax, said: “No operational problems have arisen

when burning a blend of coal and petroleum coke, and monitoring of our

handling, transport and fuel transfer arrangements confirm this. “Overall the

findings show that burning a coal and petroleum coke blend is similar to

that for a coal-only operation and, therefore, there has been no change in

environmental impact on the local environment as a result of the trial. “The

trial data reinforce the predictions we made before the trial in 2002 and we

are able to conclude that, in this test, burning a coal and petroleum coke

blend has presented no threat to public health.”

BBC News, 25 November 2006

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health
Silver in Clothing Keeps Odors Away

2006-12-06

New technology by a Scranton-based company believes they have discovered

a way from preventing your clothes from smelling. Noble Biomaterials,

embeds silver in clothing worn by U.S. soldiers, elite athletes and weekend

warriors alike - thus capitalizing on the precious metal’s increasing popularity

as a way to keep clothes smelling fresh, even after multiple wears without

a wash. Noble biomaterial is one of a few companies that are producing

the silver-coated textiles for use in high-tech performance clothing. Silver

works by killing the odor-causing bacteria; it also redistributes body heat,

keeping the wearer warm in cold weather and cool in hot weather. “I think

it’s a great concept for workout clothes and athletic gear, things you don’t

necessarily wash every single time,” said Marlene Bourne, president of

Bourne Research in Scottsdale, Ariz. Bourne studies emerging technologies

- and has worn a pullover threaded with Noble’s silver-coated fiber, called

X-Static. The technology has been licensed to more than 300 companies,

including Adidas, Umbro, Puma, Polartec and other apparel makers. While

most of Noble’s growth has been concentrated in Europe and Asia, X-Static

is gaining ground domestically. “The U.S. is always slower to pick up on

technology advancements in the apparel market, but it’s really starting to

catch up,” said Joel Furey, who heads Noble’s consumer division. U.S.

soldiers and Marines already wear X-Static socks and T-shirts, which provide

“olfactory camouflage” as well as a first line of defense against shrapnel

wounds, because any of the silver fabric that becomes embedded in the

wound “actually starts treating the wound,” according to Bill McNally, the

company founder.

“You spend enough time in the jungle like I did, with clothes rotting off you

and all sorts of skin infections, and I knew there had to be a better way,” said

McNally, 45, a Marine veteran. Though a pair of X-Static socks contains only

about one-hundredth of an ounce of silver, Noble cajoles wearers to take the

“Double Dog Dare”: Put one foot in an X-Static sock and the other in a regular

sock for a week straight without washing - and “smell the difference.” It has

been known for thousands of years that silver has germ-killing properties and

was previously used to purify water. More recently, silver nitrate was dropped

in newborns’ eyes to ward off bacterial infections from the mother, but has

largely been replaced with antibiotics. Many manufacturers are now adding

the metal to a wide variety of consumer products. Samsung Electronics Ltd.

has launched a line of washing machines and refrigerators that use silver

to kill germs. Sharper Image Corp. offers food-storage containers lined

with tiny silver particles. Curad sells silver bandages. And Motorola Inc.’s

i870 phone includes an anti-bacterial silver coating. This trend has drawn

concern from environmentalists that silver could be entering the environment

and kill helpful bacteria and aquatic organisms or even harm humans. The

Environmental Protection Agency has announced that they will require all

manufacturers using the metal to provide scientific evidence that their use

won’t harm waterways or public health.

LA Times News, 23 November 2006

http://www.latimes.com
Gulf War may be linked to Gehrig’s disease

2006-12-06

According to a study conducted by the Institute of Medicine, military service

may be associated with the development of Lou Gehrig’s disease. Currently,

the institute says that the evidence of this link is inconsistent and limited. Lou

Gehrig’s disease, formally known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), is

a neurodegenerative disease that gradually destroys the ability to control

movement. Patients lose their ability to move or speak, but their minds

remain unaffected. Most victims die of respiratory failure within a few years.

Five indicating a higher rate of ALS among veterans of the 1990-91 Gulf

War. One of the studies found a link to veterans who served prior to that war

and one found no link at all. Richard T. Johnson, chair of the committee that

wrote the report said, “The evidence base to answer the question of whether

military service increases a person’s chances of developing ALS later in life

is rather sparse, so we could not reach more definitive conclusions at this

time.” “Because ALS occurs so rarely, any individual veteran’s chances of

developing the disease are still low,” he added. Johnson is a professor of

neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of medicine in Baltimore.

The latest report releases by the Institute of Medicine was aimed at providing

an overview of what was found in the previous studies for the Department of

Veteran Affairs. The Institute of Medicine is an arm of the National Academy

of Sciences, an independent research organization chartered by Congress

to provide scientific advice to the government. “The secretary will convene

senior VA medical experts to study this report and make recommendations

to the department,” VA spokeswoman Lisette Mondello said.

Houston Chronicle News, 11 November 2006

http://www.chron.com
Health fears raised over M5 tunnel haze flush

2006-12-05

A report released by the NSW Health Department has issued a warning

that a plan by the Government to reduce the pollution in Sydney’s M5

East tunnel will damage the quality of air outside the tunnel and exposure

nearby residents to unhealthy levels of pollution. The authority is planning

to blow exhaust fumes through the M5’s entrances, or portals, as well as

the stack from early morning until evening to reduce haze in the smoggy

tunnel. It is applying for a change in planning laws to do it. But a report

written less than a month ago by NSW Health’s Population Health Division

said venting tunnel emissions through the portals would expose residents

to concentrated pollutants. In the report a CSIRO consultant was quoted,

who said that blowing emissions through the tunnel’s entrances increased

public exposure to pollutants by a factor of up to 50 compared with the stack.

Stacks effectively dispersed emissions so residents were not exposed to

high concentrations, but portals did not. “[It] would tend to expose residents

around the tunnel portals to high concentrations of pollutants.” In addition,

the report cautioned that the improvement in the quality of the in-tunnel air

would come at the expense of external air quality. “While in-tunnel exposure

to air pollutants is a health concern, this is considered a lower health risk.”

The report said that long-term exposure to increased air pollution was

associated with premature mortality and exacerbation of cardiorespiratory

diseases. “We are concerned that the proposal will significantly increase

pollution exposure,” it said.

Sydney Morning Herald New, 10 November 2006

http://www.smh.com.au/
Teflon Is Great for Politicians, but Is It Safe for Regular

People?

2006-12-06

Hanging from the pot rack in our kitchen are a variety of skillets and pans,

some with nonstick coatings and some the kind you really have to scrub to

get clean. Every once in a while when I reach up to grab a frying pan and

my hand touches the nonstick one, I hesitate. Is Teflon coating bad? Should

I not use it? These thoughts go through my mind, and then I usually just

take down the pan that is closest to the size I need. Concerns regarding

the use of Teflon have been around for years. Teflon is a patented product

of DuPont, but most people use the term generically to refer to nonstick

pans. The coating was discovered in 1938 and approved by the Food and

Drug Administration for cookware in 1960. Nonstick pans allow cooking with

less or no fat and make cleanup easier and faster. Last year, lawyers for

consumers in numerous states, including New York, filed separate class-

action lawsuits based on state consumer laws on behalf of millions of Teflon

cookware users. These lawsuits have been merged into one class action,

which is now pending in Federal District Court in Des Moines. One issue

that can be confusing is the potential environmental and health dangers

posed by chemicals used in manufacturing versus the risk possibly created

when Teflon cookware is heated and fumes might be emitted. Of particular

concern is perfluorooctanoic acid, PFOA, also known as C-8, which is a

crucial ingredient in the making of Teflon.

In another class action lawsuit in 2004, DuPont agreed to pay more than

$100 million to Ohio and West Virginia residents who contended that

releases of PFOA from a plant in West Virginia contaminated supplies of

drinking water. A similar lawsuit was filed this year on behalf of additional

West Virginia residents who were not included in the original lawsuit, but

whose drinking water was later found to be contaminated. This year, DuPont

along with the EPA and seven other manufacturers have announced a

voluntary program, which will see the PFOA eliminated from release into the

environment by 2015. Last years lawsuit focus on the cookware itself rather

than the chemicals from the manufacturing process and claimed that for

decades DuPont failed to warn consumers of hazards from using its nonstick

cookware. The suit contended that the pots and pans, when heated to very

high temperatures, release toxic particles, including PFOA. The goal is to

have DuPont stop making and selling Teflon cookware. A statement from

DuPont said the allegations were without merit, noting that the Food and

Drug Administration had said the cookware was acceptable for conventional

kitchen use. On the DuPont website, they argue that the PFOA is burned

off in the manufacturing process of the Teflon coating and not present in the

finished cookware.

DuPont and the Cookware Manufacturers Association, a trade organization,

maintain that Teflon is completely safe and actually helps people by lowering

the amount of oil needed for cooking and reducing the risk of fire because

there is less fat that might burst into flames. The EPA state on there website

that “routine use” of nonstick cookware does not pose a concern and there

is no reason for consumers to stop using it. That means do not leave a

Teflon pan burning empty over high heat - a pretty sensible instruction for a

number of reasons. However, the Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.

org) refers to research that shows that Teflon cookware can harm birds and

cause flu-like symptoms in humans by emitting toxic fumes when heated at

high temperatures. PFOA is found at a very low level in the blood of most

Americans, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, and studies

have shown it can cause health problems in laboratory animals. Currently, it

is unknown as to the exact number of people that are exposed to the chemical

or how dangerous it is to the human body. In addition, the Environmental

Working Group is concerned about other ways material containing PFOA is

used and released into the environment: to make clothes and carpets stain-

resistant, for example, or to ensure that food packaging like fast-food bags

or the lining of some microwave popcorn bags is grease-resistant.

Robert L. Wolke, a professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of

Pittsburgh and author of “What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science

Explained” (W. W. Norton & Company, 2002), said he did not believe that

nonstick coating posed a hazard, but recommended that in general, it

was a good idea to use a ventilation hood to disperse fumes. It is also

recommended that sharp utensils are never used with Teflon coating, and

throw out the pan if it is peeling. Flaking of the nonstick coating used to

be a problem in the early days of Teflon, said Hugh J. Rushing, executive

vice president of the Cookware Manufacturers Association, but that is now

rare. Improvements in the way the coating is manufactured and applied

improved markedly about 15 years ago, he said, adding years to the life of

a Teflon pan. The Teflon worries have apparently not hurt sales of aluminum

cookware, 90 percent of which is nonstick. Sales of both stainless steel

cookware, which is more expensive, and aluminum cookware dropped in

2004 from the previous year, but rebounded in 2005.

New York Times News, 14 October 2006

http://www.nytimes.com/
Agent Orange Exposure Tied to Ills in Vietnam Vets

2006-12-06

A new study has shown that Vietnam veterans who sprayed the herbicides

like Agent Orange decades ago in Vietnam are at an increased risk of

developing heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and chronic

breathing problems. Agent Orange, a weed killer containing dioxin, was

widely used during the Vietnam War. Dr. Han K. Kang of the Department of

Veterans Affairs in Washington, DC and colleagues conducted the study. The

researchers found that overall, two thirds of the herbicides used contained

dioxin. In an effort to understand the long-term health effects caused by

exposure to the chemicals, Kang and his team analysed data from 1,499

members of the US Army Chemical Corps and compared it to 1,428 vets

who had worked in chemical operations jobs but did not serve in Vietnam.

The Chemical Corps members had been responsible for spraying herbicide

around base camp perimeters, as well as aerial spraying of the chemicals

from helicopters. Subjects completed a telephone survey in 1999-2000 and

tests of a subset of the study participants, including 795 Vietnam vets and

102 non-Vietnam vets, showed the Vietnam vets had higher levels of dioxin

in their blood. The effects of Vietnam service and herbicide exposure were

separately analysed and the results demonstrated that hepatitis was the

only health problem linked to serving in Vietnam per se. However, exposure

to herbicides among Vietnam veterans conferred a 50 percent increased

risk of diabetes, a 52 percent greater heart disease risk, a 32 percent

increased risk of hypertension and a 60 percent greater likelihood of having

a chronic respiratory problem such as emphysema or asthma. In addition,

an increased risk of cancer was also observed among the Chemical Corps

members, however this association was not found to be significant. “Almost

three decades after Vietnam service,” the researchers conclude, “US

Army veterans who were occupationally exposed to phenoxyherbicide in

Vietnam experienced significantly higher risks of diabetes, heart disease,

hypertension, and non-malignant lung diseases than other veterans who

were not exposed to herbicides.”

Planet Ark New, 10 November 2006

http://www.planetark.org
Children of Bhopal gas victims suffer from deformity

2006-12-06

Medical research is desperately needed, especially into the possible genetic

and reproductive after effects, of the lethal gas leak in Bhopal exactly 22

years ago that killed more than 3,000 people instantly and thousannds more

in subsequent years. Despite the neurological, hormonal and mental health

problems that the survivors are facing besides the genetic damage to the

children born to survivors, these crucial areas have been severely under-

studied, allege rights activists, who say, ‘This has lead to unsystematic

treatment of gas victims.’ ‘Lack of research into the possible genetic

and reproductive ramifications of gas exposure, and now of exposure to

contaminated water, have seriously marred efforts to respond to the effects

of poisonous gases on the next generation in those affected by the gas

leak,’ said activist Rashida Bi who is a gas victim herself and associated

with the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal (ICJB). On the night of

December 2, 1984, 40 tonnes of lethal Methyl-Iso-Cyanate gas spewed out

of the Union Carbide Corporation’s pesticide plant. Thousands were effected

for life from inhaling the poisonous gas. Women who were pregnant during

or following the disaster had extremely high rates of spontaneous abortion.

A 1985 study by Medico Friends Circle (MFC) found that in addition to

spontaneous abortion and stillbirths, pregnant women exhibited diminished

foetal movements and menstrual disturbances.

Foetuses that survived the gas disaster suffered from severe malformations.

Birth defects continue to occur among families affected by the gas leak

and contamination of water at a higher-than-average rate even now. Union

Carbide allegedly constructed the factory knowing that the storage and

treatment methods for waste were likely to fail and contaminate ground

water. According to local groups monitoring the water quality, contamination

from the factory has now spread to 16 wards and affects an estimated

16,000-20,000 people. A previous study conducted by Sambhavna Trust

Clinic showed that children conceived and born after the disaster to

affected parents were differed significantly from children of the same age

born to unexposed parents. The children were shorter, thinner, lighter, and

had smaller heads, said activist Satinath Sarangi, who runs Sambhavna

Clinic that treats the affected in the gas-hit areas. In addition, children of

exposed parents showed abnormal growth in their upper bodies that were

disproportionately smaller than their lower bodies. The Indian Council of

Medical Research (ICMR) initiated 18 studies in the aftermath of the Bhopal

disaster. However, despite findings of long-term damage, these studies

were all prematurely ended within 10 years just as conclusive evidence of

damage was beginning to show on the offspring of survivors.

‘Most studies done by ICMR were terminated as early as 1989 and the rest

by 1994 without reviewing the collected data and pleas for continuing the

studies were ignored. The ICMR’s full report on Bhopal too has not been

released till date,’ said Sarangi. ‘Research done in the past is insufficient and

key aspects of the disaster and its aftermath have been ignored in research

projects. Now, new issues have arisen necessitating fresh research. This

includes exposure to water contamination among those living in the vicinity

of the factory site,’ Sarangi added. The Fact Finding Mission on Bhopal

found high levels of chemicals in the breast milk of women affected by water

contamination. Studies conducted by the Sambhavna Trust Clinic indicated

that about half of the people living in the contaminated area were suffering

from multiple symptoms. ICMR studies, although prematurely terminated,

did show that children of exposed mothers had delayed physical and mental

development and lower values for anthropometric parameters such as height

and mid-arm circumference.

Daily India.com, 2 December 2006

http://www.dailyindia.com/>
Nanotubes persist in natural environments

2006-12-06

The explosion in the creation of better and more complicated nanomaterials

is moving far ahead of research on such materials’ environmental safety,

leaving many to wonder about their potential effects on human health and the

environment. A new study highlights that these anthropogenic nanomaterials

readily interact with natural materials. This study is the first to show how

multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) might behave in natural aquatic

environments. Researchers say that because organic material stabilizes the

nanotubes, their potential for dispersal increases dramatically, but the toxicity

of the new materials in natural environments remains relatively unknown.

Manufacturers have created many different nanomaterials for use in a broad

range of products. In addition to “buckyballs”-the C60 molecules that are

also called fullerenes-nanotubes can be tiny straw-shaped structures made

with single or multiple layers of carbon atoms. Both the particles and the

tubes tend to clump together, but surfactants and added polymers can keep

them from cohering in laboratory settings. Even so, previous experiments

demonstrate that C60 aggregates in natural settings. In the study, a team

led by Jae-Hong Kim of the Georgia Institute of Technology, examined how

MWNTs interact with Suwannee River natural organic matter suspended

in a 1% solution of sodium dodecyl sulfate (a surfactant known to keep

nanotubes and nanoparticles discrete).

Electron microscopy, measurements of opacity and turbidity, and other

analyses were used to determine the behavior of the MWNTs in various

mixtures left to settle over hours and days. The results demonstrated that in

clean water, the nanotubes settled to the bottom within an hour. In contrast,

the surfactant-only solution kept the tubes suspended for a day or more.

But the water containing organic matter remained cloudy for more than 4

days, and a month later the mixture retained a grayish background color

from suspended nanotubes. Natural organic matter “suspends [MWNTs] in

water and becomes a vehicle for transport,” says a coauthor of the paper,

Joseph Hughes of the Georgia Institute of Technology. The team’s finding

“clearly demonstrates the fact that as we produce these anthropogenic

nanomaterials, they’re going to interact with natural materials,” he says.

Using electron microscopy, the researchers found that natural organic matter

not only acts to stabilize individual nanotubes in solution but also sometimes

even creates bridges between two tubes. “The fact that natural organic

matter stabilized the model carbon nanotube (MWNT) in the aqueous phase

more efficiently than surfactant was pretty surprising to us,” Kim said, “since

similar behavior was not observed with another widely investigated carbon

nanomaterial-C60.”

Environmental Science & Technology News, 28 November 2006

http://pubs.acs.org/journals/esthag/index.html
Using mice to study disease

2006-12-06

A study by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences could

reveal key information about why some people are more susceptible to

environmental contaminants than others. New data from 15 mouse strains

used for biomedical research have been announced by the National

Institute of Environmental Health Sciences as a novel tool to tease out the

link between genetics and the impacts of environmental contaminants in

disease. In the two-year project to sequence the mouse DNA, 8.3 million

single nucleotide polymorphisms (known as SNPs) were found. These basic

genetic variations could lead to different levels of susceptibility to varying

conditions and diseases in the 15 types of mice studied, which are the

common strains used in biomedical research. The patterns in mice could

lead to breakthroughs in understanding human “counterpart” genes and

the varying pathways that make people susceptible to disease agents,

said David Christiani, a professor at Harvard Medical School and School

of Public Health. “The data will also be a great resource for pharmaceutical

companies that are developing new treatments for disease,” he added.

Environmental Science & Technology News, 29 November 2006

http://pubs.acs.org/journals/esthag/index.html
Dioxin may decrease testosterone

2006-12-06

According to the results from a new study, high blood levels of a certain

dioxin commonly found in the general male population are associated with

decreased testosterone levels and a not necessarily beneficial inhibition

of prostate growth. Dioxins are a toxic byproduct of various industrial

processes that are ingested in the fat of meats and dairy products. In the

study, the researchers from University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

measured levels of the dioxin TCDD in 964 U.S. veterans of Operation Ranch

Hand, the Vietnam War project to spray the herbicide Agent Orange. They

compared them over a 20-year period ending in 2002 to 1,259 veterans who

were not involved in the spraying program. “In the comparison group it’s very

clear,” said Dr. Amit Gupta, the study’s lead author and a resident in urology

at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. “Each increase in

dioxin decreases the rate of benign prostate enlargement and decreases

serum levels of testosterone.” It might seem that a reduction in the risk of

prostate enlargement would be beneficial, but Gupta warns that this is not

so. “Dioxins are toxic chemicals,” he said, “and will cause harmful effects in

many other areas of the body.”

Another study conducted by New Zealand researchers has found that men

who are circumcised may have a significantly reduced risk of acquiring a

sexually transmitted disease compared with those who are not. This study

involved the analysis of 510 boys born in 1977, who were frequently given

medical examinations until they were 25. The results showed that thirty

percent of them had been circumcised by age 15. A little less than 3 percent

reported a medically diagnosed sexually transmitted disease at age 21,

and an additional 6.6 percent reported one at 25. After allowing for family

education, socioeconomic status, number of partners and self-reported

unprotected sex, the researchers concluded that the odds of acquiring a

subsequent STD were 3.19 times higher for men who were uncircumcised.

David Fergusson, the lead author of the study and a professor of medical

psychology at Christchurch School of Medicine, warned that the results

were not conclusive.

International Herald Tribune News, 29 November 2006

http://www.iht.com/articles/