Verkaufs-Stopp gefordert: Bayer-Pestizid soll sieben Menschen in Bolivien vergiftet haben (17.03.05)

Nach Darstellung der "Coordination gegen Bayer-Gefahren" sollen sieben Menschen in der bolivianischen Stadt Achacachi an einer Vergiftung durch das Pestizid "Asuntol Fuerte" gestorben sein. Die Substanz werde von der deutsche Firma Bayer CropScience hergestellt wird. Der in "Asuntol Fuerte" enthaltene Wirkstoff "Coumaphos" werde von der Weltgesundheitsorganisation als "hoch gefährlich" eingestuft. Der Chemiekonzern Bayer habe bereits 1995 versprochen, alle hoch giftigen Wirkstoffe vom Markt zu nehmen, sagte Philipp Mimkes von der "Coordination". Diese Ankündigung sei bis heute jedoch nicht umgesetzt worden.

Die ganze Nachricht im Internet:
http://www.ngo-online.de/ganze_nachricht.php4?Nr=10678

http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20050207&s=wiener


Source: http://www.wanttoknow.info/050213newssummary

I find it unusual to have pollution alerts this time of year. In SW Ohio we are accustomed to these types of alerts in the heat of July and August, but in Winter it's unusual. This would indicate that the atmosphere isn't moving - that the fine particulates and pollution is "trapped".

It's been announced on the Weather Channel over the past 3 days, but there are no articles or detailed information that I can find on a search engine.

Peace - Anna

http://www.knoxstudio.com/shns/story.cfm?pk=GREENVSGREEN-01-17-05&cat=AN


Informant: Anna Webb

You may already be aware of the risk to public health that is caused by mercury contamination in the environment. Mercury contamination can cause a variety of toxic effects in adults, and even more severe consequences in still-developing children.

How do we become exposed to mercury? The greatest single source of human contamination, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), is the fish we eat. Fish contaminated by mercury can be found today in every ocean in the world -- and at our seafood counters. The US Food and Drug Administration and the EPA have advised women of child-bearing age and children against eating certain types of fish -- including albacore tuna.

But how do the fish get contaminated in the first place?

There are several sources of mercury pollution that contaminates the fish we eat. Probably the best known are coal-fired power plants. But there is another major contributor to this contamination problem -- one that you probably have never even heard of.

Today, Oceana is releasing a groundbreaking new report: "Poison Plants: Chlorine Factories Are a Major Global Source of Mercury." In it, we detail how one tiny subset of industry -- chlorine factories using an outdated production method known as "mercury-cell" chlorine production -- could be nearly as big a cause of mercury contamination as all the power plants in the United States put together.

* Read "Poison Plants": http://www.oceana.org/mercury/report.html

90% of American chlorine production is mercury-free; only 9 mercury-cell chlorine plants remain in operation in the U.S. today. But these nine plants, on average, each released five times as much mercury into the atmosphere in 2002 as did the average power plant -- and when you factor in so-called "lost mercury" and "fugitive emissions", which go unmonitored, releases from these nine plants may be as high as those from all power plants across the U.S.

In seven of the eight states where they operate, these plants are the number one source of mercury in that state!

If the U.S. government followed the existing laws instead of weakening existing regulations, mercury-cell chlorine production could be a thing of the past. However, they're not doing that -- so we have decided to step up to the plate.

We've set up a section of our Web site at http://www.oceana.org/mercury to host this important report, give you ways to take action on this issue, and help you learn more. And we've set up a post on our blog, the Oceana Network, where you can discuss "Poison Plants" with Oceana staff and other Wavemakers around the world.

* Discuss "Poison Plants" on the Oceana Network:
http://community.oceana.org/displaystory/2005/1/26/105938/024

We're mobilizing for safe seafood and healthy families. Read the report and stop by the Web site to learn what you can do to help!

Thanks for your time -- remember, if you have questions I'm always at wavemaker@oceana.org

For the oceans,

Jason Lefkowitz
Manager, E-Activism
Oceana

Sunday, December 26, 2004

Pollution alters body chemistry
Substances in environment upset hormonal balance

By Brian H. Jensen
For the Poughkeepsie Journal
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/today/localnews/stories/lo122604s6.shtml

Scientists have begun to recognize that chemical contaminants in the environment have far-reaching effects on the endocrine systems in living creatures. The effects are most striking in animals that live in the water, but there may be implications for human health.

The endocrine system is the group of organs, including the thyroid and pituitary glands, that produce hormones that regulate mood, growth and development, tissue function, and metabolism, as well as sexual function and reproductive processes.

Chemicals that may disrupt the endocrine system are present in the Hudson Valley -- and around the world. As open space is replaced by suburbia, we are more and more likely to be exposed to these chemicals, as are the animals that live in the environment around us. That's because the sources for chemicals that disrupt the endocrine system can enter water from many dispersed sources.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals are any chemicals that interfere with the normal function of endocrine glands. These chemicals can affect any gland, but most research has been done on chemicals that act as estrogen, known as environmental estrogens.

There are many known environmental estrogens, some of which are quite common. Some of the most common environmental estrogens are:

- PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls) are a cocktail of many different chemicals that studies show can affect the thyroid and reproductive functions. PCBs were once used widely in industry as a fire suppressant, but were banned in the United States in 1977 and worldwide this year.

- PAHs (Polyaromatic hydrocarbons) form as a result of the degradation of petroleum products like gasoline and motor oil. Some of the effects that have been attributed to these chemicals include increased risk of cancer in mammals and inhibition of ovulation in fish.

- Some pesticides are also known to act as environmental estrogens. For example, the pesticide atrazine has been shown to have estrogenic effects in fish, and a byproduct of the banned pesticide DDT, DDE is know to be a potent environmental estrogen. Some of the effects that have been attributed to these chemicals include behavioral changes, feminization and malformation of the phallus in male reptiles.

- Pharmaceutical drugs like the birth control pill and estrogen replacement pills have been found not only in wastewater, but also in trace amounts in drinking water. Scientists have only identified trace amounts of these chemicals in recent years, and there have not been studies to determine what, if any, effect they have. Plastics contain chemicals that slowly leach out of the plastic and, some studies show, these chemicals in their pure form have biological effects very similar to estrogen.

These chemicals can enter the environment in a variety of ways. PCBs in the Hudson River are there largely because of General Electric Co.'s manufacturing plants north of Albany. Now-banned pesticides were used widely on farms. PAHs enter the environment whenever petroleum is burned. Plastics slowly degrade, leaching out chemicals. Pharmaceuticals originate in homes, and enter the environment through septic and sewage systems.

There have been some who suggest environmental estrogens are responsible for low sperm counts in men and earlier onset of puberty in females.

However, it is very difficult to say exactly what effect endocrine disrupting chemicals have on humans and there have not been any conclusive studies.

Although the effects of endocrine disruptors have not been demonstrated, there are some very clear examples of endocrine-disrupting chemicals having profound effects on other animals.

The most striking, but not only, of these examples is Lake Apopka in central Florida. In 1980 there was a chemical spill near the lake that included the pesticide DDT. The chemicals from the spill have been seeping into the lake and have had severe effects on the alligators living there. Male alligators in Lake Apopka are very frequently born with small malformed penises. In addition to the problems with their phalluses, they also have testes that are feminized and do not function properly.

Although less dramatic, but more relevant to the animals in the Hudson Valley, there have been several studies done that found that male trout caged in polluted streams produced a protein called vitellogenin that is normally only produced by female fish as part of the egg-making process. Laboratory studies have also shown a broad range of effects of low levels of environmental estrogens, including deformation of testes and behavioral changes.

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals cannot be classified based upon their chemical structure because there is so much variability between different chemicals. Therefore, scientists have been working to develop tests to determine if a chemical has an endocrine effect.

For environmental estrogens, one of the most popular techniques involves exposing male fish to the chemical in question and then determining if the males fish produce a female specific protein called vitellogenin. If they produce vitellogenin, it can be concluded that the chemical is having an estrogenic effect.

Other scientists are using model systems that only used cells grown in the lab, or single-celled organisms to try and identify endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Currently, however, animal models appear to show the most promise because the complexity of the endocrine system and the chemicals acting on it.

There is action being taken to limit the amount and number of endocrine disruptors in the environment.

DDT, PCBs banned

There have been some great successes in dealing with endocrine-disrupting chemicals such as DDT and PCBs, both of which are now banned, but there is still much to be done.

For chemicals that have been identified as endocrine disruptors, government intervention is needed. Maybe more importantly, scientists need to continue their work to identify potential endocrine-disrupting chemicals and better understand how they act.

Thankfully, local professionals, led by Pace University, have organized the Environmental Consortium of Hudson Valley Colleges to begin working together to find solutions to our many environmental problems.

Brian Jensen is an assistant professor of biology at the College of Saint Rose in Albany.

Endocrine system in humans

The endocrine system regulates a variety of bodily functions by secreting hormones into the blood stream.

Pituitary

The pituitary gland controls many functions of the other endocrine glands.

Parathyroids

Parathyroid glands regulate the body's calcium and phosphate.

Thyroid

The thyroid regulates metabolism and the body's calcium.

Thymus

The thymus produces white blood cells that fight infections and destroy abnormal cells.

Adrenal

Adrenal glands help the body to deal with stress, regulate metabolism, produce sex hormones, and regulate sodium and potassium.

Pancreas

The pancreas plays a role in digestion, as well as hormone production.

Ovaries (female)

The ovaries produce estrogen and progesterone.

Sources: World Book Encyclopedia; http://www.umm.edu ; http://arbl.cvmbs.colostate.edu ; Journal research

Effects of environmental estrogens on male trout

Scientists have identified several ways certain chemicals affect the endocrine systems of aquatic animals, like fish and amphibians. Effects, if any, on the human endocrine system have not been proven.

- Brain: the trout's behavior changes and "sex drive" is reduced.

- Testes: become reduced in size, produce egg-like structures and sperm count decreases.

- Liver: the female specific protein vitellogenin is produced.

Sources: Brian H. Jensen; Journal research


Informant: Teresa Binstock

"Children are affected in the most critical points of their development"

Jane George janeg@nunatsiaq.com
http://www.nunatsiaq.com/news/nunavut/41203_10.html

Dr. Larisa Abrutina is a Yupik physician who works with the Russian
Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North. (PHOTO BY JANE GEORGE)

REYKJAVIK - If you eat seal or walrus, boil the meat and avoid eating
the liver or fat. Better yet, eat arctic char or caribou.

That's the advice from a new report on persistent organic pollutants,
toxic substances which are in the northern food chain and, at high
levels, can cause severe damage to human health.

The report tabled last week at the Arctic Council meeting in Iceland is called Persistent Toxic Substances, Food Security and Indigenous Peoples of the Russian North. It shows Russia's Arctic regions are heavily toxic and high levels of persistent organic pollutants or POPs threaten human health.

"Children are affected in the most critical points of their development - as a fetus and while breastfeeding," said Vitaly Kimstach, one of the authors of the report.

In many cases these dangerously high levels of POPs present in the blood of Inuit in Chukotka are the same as have been found in Inuit in Nunavik and other coastal regions of the Arctic, the report says.

The situation in coastal Chukotka is said several times to be "comparable" or "similar" to Nunavik, with many levels for POPs about the same.

The POPs examined in the report include polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs, flame retardants, pesticides like DDT, combustion products and heavy metals. The POPs come from Europe, Russia, North America and South East Asia, carried by the wind, water or other forms of contact.

From the Kola Peninsula in western Siberia to Chukotka in the East, the report's results showed all Russian indigenous communities had moderate - or much higher - exposure to the major groups of global environmental pollutants.

The levels of POPs are so high in Chukotka that, even after factoring out smoking and alcohol, researchers found there was a relationship between high levels of POPs and a low birth weight, prematurity, miscarriages and chronic diseases in older women.

The levels of PCBs also affected the number of males or females born in Chukotka, with more female babies born to women with higher levels of PCBs. These female children are also subject to more negative health impacts.

Chukotka was by far the worst of four regions the report looked at. The region's death rate for indigenous peoples is more than twice the Russian average.

In Chukotka's capital city of Providenya, there is no treatment of sewage or waste water and industry spews out airborne pollutants.

Coastal residents of Chukotka are worse off than city dwellers because they consume a diet heavy in the fat and fermented meats of marine mammals. The fat of walrus and seal, as well as the organ meats, are loaded with contaminants.

To make matters worse, Yupik Inuit in Chukotka often use plastic pails that have stored pesticides to ferment meat or else they bury it outside in contaminated soil. The popular home-made alcoholic mash called "braga" is also a POP-laden soup.

The report looked at 1576 adults and 255 mother-child couples.

All of those with high levels of POPs in their blood were also found to live in houses full of PCB contamination, possibly from the tonnes of
PCBs Russia used to produce in the form of paints and varnishes that end up in the food and bodies of people who live there.

The surprise, said Kimstach, one of the reports authors, is that the levels of mercury were fairly low in Chukotka.

The good news is that pregnant women, who are often sent away from their communities to deliver, similar to expectant mothers in Nunavik, have lower levels of POPs because they eat less country foods when they're away from their home communities.

The report also found Chukotkans with higher incomes and more education have lower levels of POPs in their systems - possibly because they are able to afford store-bought food.

Dr. Larisa Abrutina is a Yupik physician who works with the Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North and also contributed to the report. Despite the report's findings, she said it's still important for Inuit to eat country foods because of their cultural and nutritional value.

Abrutina suggests boiling traditional foods instead of fermenting them and avoiding organ meats and fat to reduce the load of contaminants.

The problem of stopping the flow of POPs to the Arctic regions is complex, she admits, because pesticides like DDT are still used in Africa to prevent malaria and the death of millions of people.

At the same time, Russia has not ratified the Stockholm Convention to reduce the production of POPs globally.

Russia's ratification of this deal will be a priority for the Russian Chairmanship of the Arctic Council.

The report, a joint project of RAIPON, the Global Environment Facility, the United Nations Environment Program and the Arctic Council's Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program also received support from the Inuit Circumpolar Conference.

The entire report, which is well-written and illustrated, can be consulted at the AMAP site at
http://www.amap.no


Informant: Teresa Binstock

Even after 60 years of use in the U.S, the Food and Drug Administration still considers fluoride an “unapproved new drug,” and the Environmental Protection Agency considers it “a contaminant.”

A joint committee of the Arkansas General Assembly is considering a proposal which would mandate fluoridation of all public water systems in the state. A hearing on Interim Study Proposal 2003-157 was held in September by the Joint Committee on Public Health, Welfare and Labor. Currently, the option of water fluoridation is left to localities. Eureka Springs has rejected the idea of adding fluoride to the city’s water supply at least twice in recent years, once by a vote in a 1989 special election, and again in 2001 after city council polled water customers with the question on their water bills. Other cities in the state, including Ft. Smith, Hot Springs and Texarkana have also rejected fluoridation, though some city directors in Hot Springs have raised the issue again in recent months. Fluoridation is also banned in most of Europe, China, Japan and India. In 2002, Belgium took fluoride supplements off the market because they purportedly are poisonous and pose a great risk to physical and psychological health. Even after 60 years of use in the U.S, the Food and Drug Administration still considers fluoride an “unapproved new drug,” and the Environmental Protection Agency considers it “a contaminant.” Opponents note that the fluoride compounds commonly added to water are toxic waste products of industry, and that industry had a hand in the fluoridation movement as a way to dispose of the waste and make a profit.

While it is estimated that 60 percent of Americans drink fluoridated water, critics point to mounting evidence that fluoride in drinking water does little, if anything, to prevent tooth decay, but instead threatens public health. Studies link fluoride to brittle bones, kidney problems, cancer, cardio-vascular disease and brain disorders such as hyperactivity, autism and Alzheimer’s.

The American Dental Association, which is lobbying the legislature to mandate fluoridation, considers such studies to be “ junk science.” From its fluoridation handbook: “From time to time, opponents of fluoridation have questioned its safety and effectiveness. None of these charges has ever been substantiated by generally accepted science. It is important to review information about fluoridation with a critical eye.

http://www.fluoridealert.org/news/2110.html


From:
Aftermath News
Top Stories - November 15th, 2004