20 MayDespite health warnings, some who fish undeterred about eating their catch.To scientists, routinely eating one?s catch is the health equivalent of smoking and sunbathing ? an anachronistic practice to be discouraged. Yet on waterways around Philadelphia, the practice persists due to skepticism, generational and cultural differences, and, for poorer families, the lure of virtually free food.Philadelphia Inquirer.
20 MayWhy are doctors not warning about the 'new Thalidomide?'After the scandal of the devastating birth defects caused by the morning-sickness drug Thalidomide in the 1950s, it seems inconceivable that the same situation could occur again. But for thousands of families in the UK, the word "Epilim" has the same sinister connotations.London Daily Mail.
20 MayDelhi traffic cops to get anti-pollution masks.Traffic police are among the most vulnerable to several diseases. Braving extreme weather conditions and inhaling all kinds of pollutants, thousands of traffic policemen manage traffic on the roads all day. Result - many of them suffer from a volley of diseases such as respiratory problems, heart diseases, cancer, musculoskeletal and neurological disorders.New Delhi Hindustan Times.
20 MayWe need a war on lead poisoning.CDC's revised guidelines on the risks to children from exposure to lead show the need for greater public investment in remediation of older homes. A war on childhood lead poisoning is one we can win. We know how. All that is required is the will.Baltimore Sun.
19 MayNew lead poisoning guidelines: What parents should know.The CDC's decision to redefine the "action level" for lead exposure in kids has renewed some parents' concerns about the best ways to protect their children.USA Today.
Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative Working Group (LDDI)
LDDI is an international partnership fostering collaboration among learning and developmental disability organizations, researchers, health professionals and environmental health groups to address concerns about the impact environmental pollutants may have on neurological health. LDDI currently has over 400 organizational and individual participants engaged in educational and policy efforts.
If you are interested in joining this group, please sign on as a CHE Partner, and indicate your interest in your application. If you are already a CHE Partner and would like to join the listserv for this group send an email request to LDDI's listserv.
LDDI WORKING GROUP NEWS
11/22/11: New Article on Neurodevelopment and Toxicants
Nancy Hepp, CHE's Research and Communications Specialist, published "Protecting Children from Toxicants" in the ASHA Leader, a journal of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
Read the article
9/13/11: CHE LDDI/ASA Workshops
Two workshops in November 2011 and one in January 2012 will feature national experts from diverse sectors highlighting the latest research on associations between environmental exposures and early neurodevelopment as well as the implications for prevention-based public health policy. Visit the workshops page
5/10/11: PAH Column Published
A new Practice Prevention column on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has been published in English and Spanish. See our webpage with columns and fact sheets.
3/28/11: Practice Prevention Column Updates and Translations
With the assistance of intern Kelly Quinn, several of LDDI's Practice Prevention columns have been updated and translated into Spanish.
2/9/11: LDAA Forum
On January 24th, the Learning Disabilities Association of America, with support from the John Merck Fund, Kaiser Family Foundation and the Ceres Foundation, convened a forum to present the state-of-the-science on toxic chemicals and health as well as related policy updates and training. Read more »
11/17/10: AAIDD Environmental Health Initiative Aging, Environmental Health, and IDD Teleconference Series
The American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD)'s Environmental Health Initiative (EHI) organized a distinguished panel of guest speakers to present a groundbreaking series of webinars on aging and environmental health with a focus on disability. This series was sponsored by the John Merck Fund and organized in conjunction with the Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) of Greater Boston, and supported by LDDI and the new Healthy Aging and the Environment Initiative and of the Collaborative on Health and the Environment (CHE).
The series included five webinars that approached aging from an ecological health perspective and addressed the food, chemical, built, and psychosocial environments. An audio and visual archive of the seminars is now available. We encourage you to access these free resources on the AAIDD web site, share this information with your colleagues, and disseminate through your networks. For more information, please visit the EHI Teleconference webpage
The Collaborative on Health and the Environment
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