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Seminal Review of Research on Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals Published

3/14/12: A new review of research on EDCs has just been released. From the abstract: "For decades, studies of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) have challenged traditional concepts in toxicology, in particular the dogma of “the dose makes the poison,” because EDCs can have effects at low doses that are not predicted by effects at higher doses. Here, we review two major concepts in EDC studies: low dose and nonmonotonicity...We conclude that when nonmonotonic dose-response curves occur, the effects of low doses cannot be predicted by the effects observed at high doses. Thus, fundamental changes in chemical testing and safety determination are needed to protect human health."
Read the full review

Also see Nicolas Kristof's piece in the New York Times: How Chemicals Change Us
Read the column

Submit creative expressions to Unpaving Our Way to the Future

2/15/12: Submit your Creative Expressions for viewing at the “Healthy Environments Across Generations" conference. What would it take to create communities that are no longer paved with concrete and asphalt, but instead are designed to nurture our health and well-being and that of our communities for generations to come? We welcome creative artists of all ages and levels of experience to imagine how parking lots and other paved areas that cover so much of our landscapes, urban and rural, could be transformed into healthy, sustainable environments. Artistic submissions can include photography, poetry, essay, dance, music, painting, drama, puppet show, etc. Deadline for submissions is May 15th.

Download the flyer for complete submission details from the conference webpage.

CHE regularly highlights the work of our Partners here in our Partner Spotlight.

Building for Health: A Talk with Richard Jackson, MD, MPH
Interview by Steve Heilig, MPH
January 2012
 
How does where we live impact our health? It’s a big and complex question, but Richard Jackson, MD, MPH is leading the way towards answers--and interventions.

Jackson is a longtime leading figure in public health. Trained in pediatrics at UCSF and public health at UC Berkeley, he is currently Professor and Chairman of Environmental Health Sciences at UCLA’s School of Public Health. Prior to that he has been California’s State Health Officer and Director of the CDC National Center for Environmental Health. He is a founding CHE partner who has participated in many of CHE's conference calls, meetings, and initiatives.

Over the past decade much of Jackson’s focus has been on the "built environment"—our homes, cities, streets, institutions—affect our health. He has served on the Board of Directors of the American Institute of Architects and has written and spoken extensively in this arena. He has both recent books and a new television series titled “Designing Health Communities”, which premieres on PBS in February and is available on DVD. Episodes in the 4-part series include “Retrofitting Suburbia”, “Rebuilding Places of the Heart,” “Social Policy in Concrete,”  and “Searching for Shangri-La.” Such titles might lead one to suspect Dr. Jackson is a man with his head in the clouds, but he remains a pragmatist who is able to retain lofty goals in terms of healthy futures.

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Read past interviews.