Live Blog: Women's Health and Enviro Conference

This diary is Part II of today's live blog on a major conference in Pittsburgh, PA on Women's Health and The Environment: New Science, New Solutions. Some of the leading scientists in the field are here to share the latest knowledge in the field, including Mr. Herbert Needleman, the world's leading expert on the effects of low exposures of lead, Tyrone Hayes, who works on amphibians and pesticides, Pete Myers, a co-author of Our Stolen Future, etc.

To read morning Live Blog, go to

http://www.dailykos.com/...

•  Thanks for continuing tip jar. nt

  nt

  by AllDemsOnBoard on Fri Apr 20, 2007 at 10:32:03 AM PDT

•  Biologist Tyrone Hayes

  Dr. Hayes is making an excellent presentation about the herbicide atrazine, an endocrine disruptor that chemically castrates and feminizes male amphibians. It's after lunch and he's keeping the audience engaged with humor and excellent graphics illustrating the harmful affects of these chemicals. He received a stand ovation.  

  by AllDemsOnBoard on Fri Apr 20, 2007 at 10:42:19 AM PDT

  •  Go here

    http://atrazinelovers.com/

    You will be as distressed and angry as we all are.

    by karendc on Fri Apr 20, 2007 at 10:43:36 AM PDT

•  Tyrone Hayes

  Why is a frog man speaking at a conference on Women's Health and the Environment?
  Shows frog egg, from four cells to 8 ...forming many of the same organs we have.
  Frogs do something humans don't do: they metamorphose. Every aspect of the animal change, blood proteins, every gene it takes to make a tadpole gets turned off, and genes to make a frog get turned on, turned on and off by hormones. Same estrogen, same testosterone.
  Also fascinated as a child by Africa. Went as an adult, the males and females are different colors.

  All the frogs start out green, females change color when they reach puberty, but with estrogen in the water, you can turn turn any frog into the colors like a female.

  Exposing frogs to estradiol, ethynyl-ED, DES, and DDT, little color changing frogs, test pharmaceuticals, because all of these substances also promoted breast cancer.

  Novartis asked to test Atrazine (biggest selling pesticide at the time)has been used for over 48 years, 80 million pounds used annually, one-quarter pound for every America. Used in 80 countries, but outlawed in all of Europe.

  Novartis is based in Switzerland, 80 M pounds of chemical outlawed in home country. Also banned in Angola, longest civil war in Africa, but they know they don't want Atrazine.

  African claw flog. If you inject a pregnant woman's urine into this frog, it will lay eggs. Exposed to Atrazine, 0.1 ppb, a true hermaphrodite

  The company tries to make it seem like normal variation. Frogs do not normally have mixed sex gonads.

  Leopard frogs, had testes, but also eggs bursting through the testes.

  EPA now agrees this is a statistically significant affect, but can't agree whether it's dangerous.

  Low doses: 0.1 ppb, very small.
  Atrazine, 2.9-29 million ppb  recommended.
  Enough atrazine in rainwater to alter frogs.
  EPA drinking water standard is 30X amount that causes hermaphroditic frogs.

  Now surveying frogs all over the U.S. to study frequency. There is no clean site. Most common contaminant in the country.

  Testosterone--exposed to atrazine, turns on a gene that converts testosterone into estrogen

  Chemically castrates flogs.

  Silent Spring to Silent Night, the frog in the coalmine.

  Adult rats gets prostate and manny cancer, immune failure, and neural.
  Some abort. 2 generations down the road, we see

  EPA denies any connection.

  How crazy is it that 60% of all Americans are exposed to a chemical that suppresses aromatase makes Letrozole, produces atrazine that increases aromatase.

  Even if we ban atrazine today, my granddaughter's granddaughter will be affected by atrazine.

  EHe has a website, atrazinelovers.com, with all the papers on atrazine. Please write to EPA, write to Congressman, and write to Syngenta, solution is in our hands.

  €EPA has had nonpublic, nondisclosed meeeting with Syngenta, NRDC is suing.

  Atrazine is a pre-emergent, applied to soil before anything is planted.

  What is the funding? EPA will not pay you to study an individual grant. NSF presented his first study to Congress as most important work of year, next year cut my funding.  

  Daily basis: Brita water filters will take it out, but people most epxosed can't afford it. But in the field, people get it through the skin.

  EPA has comment period open until May 4th on atazine.

  Corn has a natural defense against atazine. But corn has been modified to

  Fumes from burning ethanol. Atrazine only increase corn yield by 1.2%.

  by richardbelldc on Fri Apr 20, 2007 at 10:48:01 AM PDT

•  thank you for continueing the live-blog.

  by Silence is Complicity on Fri Apr 20, 2007 at 11:15:48 AM PDT

•  Laurie Valeriano

  She is an advocate against pollution, pulp mills, incinerator and toxic waste issue.  She spoke about Washington becoming the first state in nation to ban toxic flame retardants.

  by AllDemsOnBoard on Fri Apr 20, 2007 at 11:17:40 AM PDT

•  Bye Bye Hair Dye

  Jane Houlihan from the Environmental Working Group suggests getting rid of your hair dyes and nailpolish if you want to make the most dramatic cuts in your exposure to chemicals.

  88% of the chemicals used in women's cosmetics have NEVER been tested!!

  EWG has a web-based database on ingredients in 25,000 products, so you can check for yourself in their Skin Deep database at www.ewg.org.

  by richardbelldc on Fri Apr 20, 2007 at 11:22:03 AM PDT

•  Chemists don't get training in toxicity

  or ecotoxicity??

  Terrence J. Collins, PhD, Carnegie Mellon University, stating that this is so. One of the many reasons new products do not make the grade. Or rather, make the grade of crossing into our systems and having their way with us.

  by karendc on Fri Apr 20, 2007 at 11:22:09 AM PDT

•  Taking Chemistry Green

  Terrence Collins, a PHD in chemistry, says that "green chemists" are confident they can come up with all kinds of solutions to get rid of these toxic chemicals with products that don't have all these threats.

  Steve Curwood, panel moderator, asks about envirionmental racism and justice.

  Peggy Shepard, a Harlen-based activist, talks about community-based findings that lets people know what's happening right in their own neighborhood. Doesn't think health groups are addressing occupational health and safety issues, we just ignore them. She's been talking to subway workers, exposed to diesel exhaust, silica dust, when they expire, they don't live very long.

  Curwood: what would regulatory regime look like if it was truly protecting uS.
  Laurie Valaeriano from Washington State. Companies need to provide full data on the chemicals they use.

  2. Phase out chemicals building up in our bodies.

  Houlihan--EPA approves chemicals in about 3 weeks, with no real requirements for testing. CA has passed full disclosure. The KIds Safe Chemicals Act at the federal act, requiring chemicals tested before going on the market, and proven safe for kids.

  Curwood: People have seen their careers jeopardized by raising these questions. What's wrong here. The chemical companies don't have to be responsible: they're externalizing their costs.

  Terry Collins, green chemist: One of the most destructive things that's happened to America is spin. Did you know that lead was banned in household paint in Austria in 1909. Even Turkey had a ban in the mid-1930s. U.S. got a near-ban in 1977. Happened because of lobbyists.

  Joseph Albert at Harvard, Keohane, at Harvard, gave cover to lead for paint and gasoline.

  Laurie Valeriano says manufacturers of flame retardants spent hundreds of thousands on PVDEs. Where are the dead bodies, the sick children? If we act, it will be like watching lead levels drop.

  Peggy Shepard--we need broad-based state coalitions, it's very challenging, but if we pull the right poeple and interests together.

  by richardbelldc on Fri Apr 20, 2007 at 11:37:00 AM PDT

•  Campaign for Safet Cosmetics

  Jane Houlihan mentions the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, which they helped found. We've been asking companies to sign a pledge to make safer products. Over last 3 years, a lot of companies have signed on, but none of the big companies. 538 companies have signed this pledge.
  Website: http://www.safecosmetics.org/

  by richardbelldc on Fri Apr 20, 2007 at 11:41:43 AM PDT

•  Solar-powered Sterling engines.

  Terry Collins says that we can close coal and oil fields, and go to solar. Sites use of sterling engines, with solar mirrors providing heat to run them.
  10-square mile farm is a Hoover dam, 10,000 square miles is the entire U.S. grid. He's feeling very optimistic about these non-toxic developments to replace coal and oil.

  by richardbelldc on Fri Apr 20, 2007 at 11:46:39 AM PDT

•  Debra Davis on sugar substitute

  Next week in New York, they have found cancer when they let the animals live for 3 years. Typical toxical studies end with 2 years of an animals life, which corresponds to 80 or 90 in humans.
  Aspertame is a massive uncontrolled experiment on humans, no evidence that it helps lose weight.

  by richardbelldc on Fri Apr 20, 2007 at 11:51:16 AM PDT

•  Safe for Kids logo

  Jane Houlihan thinks we should have a "Safe for Kids" sticker.

  Terry Collins: Europeans are taking a much harder stance than the U.S., making companies prove chemicals are safe. We've got a long way to go to catch up with the Europeans.

  Steve Curwood: why are some cosmetics banned in Europe, but not here.
  Terry: phthalates, 10 billion pounds a year, put into PVCs, there is absolutely undenialbe evidence in animals, and strong in humans, that phthalates mess us males. Europeans have been phthalates from vinyl that's in toys. Have to get them away from pregnant women and kids. New car smell, new plastic curtain smell. We don't need them, we have replacements for them.

  by richardbelldc on Fri Apr 20, 2007 at 11:54:52 AM PDT

•  This is largely new information for me

  And I find it horrific in the extreme.  I have sent an email list of friends and family links to the conference website and these liveblogs, but I really wish there were a way to get something like this onto C-Span or some other TV venue!!!  People need to know more about this.

  I'm so grateful to Teresa Heinz Kerry for publicizing this conference and to John Kerry and THK for their book.  It is doing a great deal to spread the word about these connections between environment and health.  It's certainly gotten through to me!

  by Luftmensch on Fri Apr 20, 2007 at 11:55:56 AM PDT

  •  p.s.

    The liveblogging here has been extraordinarily complete.  Thank you for helping us to be there with you today!

    by Luftmensch on Fri Apr 20, 2007 at 11:57:20 AM PDT

  •  I agree it's horrific

    But we are also getting some GOOD ideas. Labels are important--flexible teething rings can be chemically toxic or chemically free of toxins. It is going to take a lot of EDUCATION. But then, WE are the media, right??

    by karendc on Fri Apr 20, 2007 at 11:59:17 AM PDT

  •  Lead paint on toys

    That's the one that has just floored me.  How much more stuff is lead paint on??  We spent millions getting rid of it, only to let it come in the back door all in the name of cheap products.  Just crazy.  I agree, there is so much new information and it is horrific.

    by sandnsea on Fri Apr 20, 2007 at 03:04:02 PM PDT

•  Avoiding phthlates

  Product that makes plastics flexible is phthlates in the plasticizer.

  Jane Houlihan: nail polish has phthlates. Also perfumes; not so bad in animals, but stronger in effects on humans.

  Laurie Valeriano: tested for toxic chemicals recently, had very low levels of phthlates, because I had worked to lower them.

  Jane Houlihan--found in almost 100% of all people tested, but even though it's not persistent, there's so much of it, we're getting fresh exposure.

  Terry Collins--premature babies often get big exposure from PVC tubes.

  Jane Houlihan: antibiotic soaps has a pesticide which ends up in our bodies, which can degrade into dioxin, and methyl.....Finding this chemical in bodies, streams, rivers, and now in wildlife.

  by richardbelldc on Fri Apr 20, 2007 at 12:01:47 PM PDT

•  Phthalates

  This chemical is used to soften plastic. Everything from baby teething toys to shower curtains include these chemicals. Stay away for soft teething toy unless they are labeled phthalates free.

  by AllDemsOnBoard on Fri Apr 20, 2007 at 12:03:14 PM PDT

•  Pete Myers on asthma

  Asthma; 1. agent that provokes the attack 2. something has been ratching up the sensitivity of our immune system.

  The system that's driving (2) because we're starting to focus on chemicals that ratchet up sensitivity. Kids if they grow up ina bedroom that has higher levels of phthlate in the dust, than kids that don't. Comes from lining on backs of carpets, PVCs.

  by richardbelldc on Fri Apr 20, 2007 at 12:05:21 PM PDT

•  The focus needs to be

  be on better chemistry to develop safer products. A lot of the harmful chemicals still used in American products have been banned in Europe.

  by AllDemsOnBoard on Fri Apr 20, 2007 at 12:05:59 PM PDT

•  Bisphenyl A--bad news for men

  Terry Collins--precaution as a term has been hijacked and knocked around, like nonsense out of Office of Management and Budget.

  We have to be more honest with ourselves. The most cautionary thing we can do is vote.

  Curwood: women's health and environment toolkit.

  Laurie Valeriano: use glass containers and drinkng glass

  Jane Houlihan--chemical that leaks from hard-colored water bottles, very active at very low levels. Can leach from food can linings. A quarter of all women are exposed to within a level of 10. -- bisphenyl A. They just fired the investigator of a federal study who turned out to be employed by the company making bisphenyl A.

  Bisphenyl A, most of science on kids in womb, adults are much better able to resist exposure to many of these contaminants, but there is one health effect identifed over last 3 years, used to make hard sports b ottles, Nalgene, at environmentally relevant levels, interferes with standard treatment of prostate cancer. "those levels are too high to be relevant to people." These studies were run at levels that 95% of Americans are exposed to.

  by richardbelldc on Fri Apr 20, 2007 at 12:14:11 PM PDT

•  Coming UP -- Stay tuned!

  Fran Drescher and Teresa Heinz wrap it up. I hope to god we come away from here with more solutions, because the problems are enormous.

  I hope we get to laugh too.

  I feel knowledgeable, overwhelmed, and furious.  Someone just asked (at the table) if we can offer the death penalty for environmental crimes...

  by karendc on Fri Apr 20, 2007 at 12:19:54 PM PDT

  •  Wistful memory of a recent JK comment

    Can't remember which interview it was -- Tavis Smiley? -- where he said that he was planning to use the Department of Justice in his administration to enforce environmental law.

    by Luftmensch on Fri Apr 20, 2007 at 12:26:44 PM PDT

    •  I haven't seen that episode of TS yet

      (I know, bad fangirl) but JK did mention having wanted to create the Department of Environmental Justice within the DoJ at the San Francisco appearance - http://blog.johnkerry.com/...

      by democrafty on Fri Apr 20, 2007 at 12:56:01 PM PDT

•  What makes you smile today

  Steve Curwood asks?

  Jane: We've come so far in the past ten years. So many pesticides have come off the market. We are seeing movement.

  Laurie: We just had a huge victory in Washington State and it shows we can win these battles.  Not only did so many come out for this effort, but the marketplace is ready as well. They know they need to phase out chemicals that damage their markets.

  Peggy: New models of collaboration work, esp. around public health and sustainable communities. Different types come together: officials, firefighters, regualr folks.

  Terry: Teaches at Carnegie-Mellon. His students give him hope.

  Steve:  The tremendous energy and the power of the people who have dedicated their lives to this. Rachel Carson grew up along these rivers and today he sees hundreds of Rachel Carsons, no longer contented to live in this toxic soup. We are finding voices here.

  There will be some among us who will make a huge difference and we will all support that.

  We WILL win.

  by karendc on Fri Apr 20, 2007 at 12:26:57 PM PDT

•  Fran Drescher really hitting

  early diagnosis. No woman should have a late diagnosis.  She is sharing her journey to recovery.

  Her DIAGNOSIS took two years!  

  by karendc on Fri Apr 20, 2007 at 12:46:11 PM PDT

•  Fran Drescher

  addressing the tragedy of last-stage and misdiagnosis. Relaying the story of her two-year, eight doctor odyssey to leading to her being diagnosed with uterine cancer.

  by AllDemsOnBoard on Fri Apr 20, 2007 at 12:49:57 PM PDT

•  This is nonpartisan

  "I don't care who you vote for. Just make sure whoever you vote for, is voting for YOU." Fran Drescher

  by karendc on Fri Apr 20, 2007 at 12:52:25 PM PDT

  •  Rally wise.

    It's so intuitive, yet look how many people don't do it.

    by democrafty on Fri Apr 20, 2007 at 12:58:01 PM PDT

•  We must march

  we must change from being patients to being medical consumers.

  We all began in a womb so it behooves us to keep them healthy. Women are at the center of the home and society.

  www.cancerschmancer.org

  Login, join arms, and become a movement.

  by karendc on Fri Apr 20, 2007 at 12:57:28 PM PDT

•  Teresa

  OPI, a nail polish brand, has formaldehyde in it.

  Spa Ritual, from LA, is a good product line.

  We must demand choices.

  What we put on our skin goes into our body, remember.

  Demand hybrid cars.

  by karendc on Fri Apr 20, 2007 at 01:04:32 PM PDT

  •  Sigh, no more OPI for me.

    Thanks for the info, though!

    by democrafty on Fri Apr 20, 2007 at 01:06:24 PM PDT

•  thank you for the live blogging!

  Incredible how many products we use in our daily lives are pure poison. We need more people to be aware of this!

  by KLev613 on Fri Apr 20, 2007 at 01:26:06 PM PDT

•  Thanks you guys

  Great to be able to read back over all of it, lots of excellent info in here!

  by sandnsea on Fri Apr 20, 2007 at 03:08:06 PM PDT

•  We are about to pass out

  but I wanted to share some thoughts about today and tonight. (Richard and I just collapsed in a motel room, after a full day of liveblogging, meeting amazing activists and scientists, hanging with our blog homeys, and attending a reception where The Indigo Girls did a set.)

  I am really hoping that globalvillage's video camera picked up sound--we did some wonderful on-the-spot interviews, including one from Teresa herself. Almost everyone we interviewed or spoke with focused on two themes/insights:

  1. The sense of hope and personal empowerment came through loud and clear. Think about this: over 2000 people (mostly women) sat in a huge room and listened to horror stories all day long, and finished up feeling like they could make a difference, personally and communally. I think this is a testament to those 2,000 women as well as to Fran Drescher and Teresa Heinz, who finished the day with calls to direct action.

  2. This was a day in which scientists and activists came together, It was clear that the scientists were enthused by the activism. It was equally clear that the activists were grateful to the scientists for their hard work and commitment, as well as for their sense of hope.

  Over the past four years, I have been privileged to have hope rarely, but it always happens around large inspirational gatherings, where once again it is clear that no one can succeed in changing the world, but a small group can.

  It is beholden on all of us to continue to fight for the truth, to share the hope, and to do the work.

  After the nap!

  by karendc on Fri Apr 20, 2007 at 05:17:43 PM PDT