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Children's Health News
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August 2008 News
SAVE THE DATE for “Children’s Health and the Environment”, a Children's Environmental Health (CEH) workshop which is being organized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 8, the Rocky Mountain Region Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (RMR PEHSU), the Wyoming Department of Health, and the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality. The workshop will be held the afternoon of September 29th to the morning of September 30, 2008, at the the Hilton Garden Inn, located at 1150 N. Poplar Street in Casper, Wyoming. For additional information call Dr. Timothy P. Ryan, Environmental Public Health Section Chief, Wyoming Department of Health at (307)777-2931; or Alicia Aalto, Regional Children's Environmental Health Coordinator, US Environmental Protection Agency, Region 8 at (303)312-6967.
The 8th National Tribal Conference on Environmental Management was held on June 23-27, 2008 in Billings, Montana. This year's conference included a Track titled Health and Traditional Lifeways: Walking a Good Path; which included several presentations on children's environmental health topics. View copies of the presentations and additional Conference information.
America’s Children and the Environment Updated The America’s Children and the Environment web site has been updated with the most current data available for measures of contaminants, body burdens and illnesses important for children’s environmental health. Updated information includes: percentage of children living in counties in which air quality standards were exceeded (1993-2006), concentrations of cotinine (marker for environmental tobacco smoke exposure) in blood of children (1988-2006), and percentage of children with asthma (1980 – 2006). Overall, updated data are presented for 18 different measures of children’s environmental health, including measures for drinking water contaminants, blood lead levels, and childhood cancer. For each of these measures, data is available through 2004, and the majority of measures now have data through 2006. Please consider filling out the web site Visitor Survey, accessible from the web site.
Observational Studies to Characterize the Determinants of Exposure to Chemicals in the Environment for Early-Lifestage Age Groups The U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking applications proposing an observational exposure measurement study to identify and characterize the determinants of exposure for early lifestages (i.e., very young children <3 years of age) to chemicals in their environment. Applications must be received by September 3, 2008. More information on the application process.
Annie E. Casey Foundation's 2008 KIDS COUNT The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2008 KIDS COUNT Data Book Online provides national and state-by-state information and statistical trends on the conditions of America's children and families.
Nominations sought for the Board of Scientific Counselors The National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (NCEH/ATSDR) of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is soliciting nominations for possible membership to its Board of Scientific Counselors. This Board provides advice and guidance to the Secretary, HHS; the Director, CDC; and the Director, NCEH/ATSDR, regarding program goals, objectives, strategies, and priorities in fulfillment of the agencies' mission to protect and promote people's health. The Board provides advice and guidance to help NCEH/ATSDR work more efficiently and effectively with its various constituents and to fulfill its mission in protecting America's health. Nominations are being sought for individuals who have expertise and qualifications necessary to contribute to the accomplishments of the Board's objectives. Nominees will be selected from experts having experience in preventing human diseases and disabilities caused by environmental conditions. Experts in the disciplines of toxicology, epidemiology, environmental or occupational medicine, behavioral science, risk assessment, exposure assessment, and experts in public health and other related disciplines will be considered. Consideration is given to representation from diverse geographic areas, gender, ethnic and minority groups, and the disabled. Members may be invited to serve up to four-year terms. Nominees must be U.S. citizens. The following information must be submitted for each candidate: Name, affiliation, address, telephone number, and current curriculum vitae. E-mail addresses are requested if available. Nominations should be sent, in writing, and postmarked by October 31, 2008 to Sandra Malcom, Committee Management Specialist, NCEH/ ATSDR, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Highway (MS-F61), Chamblee, Georgia 30341. Telephone and facsimile submissions cannot be accepted.
Vote for the winner of the Rachel Carson Sense of Wonder Contest The U.S. EPA Aging Initiative, in partnership with Generations United and the Rachel Carson Council Inc., invites the public to vote for their favorite submissions for the Second Annual Rachel Carson Sense of Wonder Intergenerational Poetry, Essay and Photography Contest. A panel of judges selected finalists in four categories: photography, essay, poetry, or mixed media (photography and a poem or essay). Finalists were selected based on originality, creativity, use of an intergenerational team, and ability to capture a sense of wonder. The contest's intergenerational approach reflects Rachel Carson's efforts through her writing to have adults share with children a sense of wonder about nature and help them discover its joys. The deadline for voting is Sept. 15 and the winners will be announced in October. For more information and to cast your vote, please visit Sense of Wonder Contest.
New Continuing Education modules from ATSDR The United States Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has issued four new continuing education modules to increase the primary care provider's knowledge of hazardous substances in the environment and to aid in the evaluation of potentially exposed patients. Continuing medical education (CME) for physicians, continuing nursing education (CNE) for nurses, continuing education units (CEU) for other professionals, and continuing education contact hours (CECH) for certified health education specialists (CHES) are offered in support of this series. The four new topics are: (1) Beryllium Toxicity, (2) Cadmium Toxicity, (3) Tetrachloroethylene Toxicity, and (4) Taking an Exposure History and can be accessed here.
NSTA Partners with Discovery Communications and Siemens Foundation for K–12 Sustainability Competition The National Science Teachers Association, the Siemens Foundation, and Discovery Communications announced today the launch of a new sustainability education competition that will allow students to develop innovative green solutions for their schools, homes and communities. The Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge will launch later this fall with a national middle school competition where teams of students will identify, research and recommend a solution to an environmental problem in their community. The competition will expand to kindergarten and elementary students in 2009 and to high school students in 2010. For more information visit the NTSA Pressroom and the We Can Change the World Challenge official web site
New Fish Kids web site EPA's National Fish Advisory Program released a Fish Kids web site that uses interactive stories and games to teach kids from 8 to12 years of age about contaminants in fish and fish advisories.
The 6TH Annual Conference on Children’s Health and the Environment September 18-19, 2008 The Mid-Atlantic Center for Children's Health and the Environment (MACCHE) is announcing for the 6th Annual Conference on Children's Health and the Environment. The conference will be held at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman Quad, Philadelphia, PA. The conference is organized by the Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (PESHU) of Region 3. This two day event is targeted to health care providers, public health professionals and the interested public. Discussions will explore the intersection between the environment and child health issues and will be centered on the following tracks: Climate Change, Healthy Homes, Children in Nature, Exposure to toxicants and outcomes in children, Emerging Issues in Children’s Environmental Health. Continuing education credits will be available. For details, visit the MACCHE Conference web site.
New funding opportunity from EPA's Global Change Research Program The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Global Change Research Program is seeking applications proposing research to better understand the interactions of climate change, air pollution regulatory programs, greenhouse gas mitigation policies, and efforts to adapt to a changing climate, and how these interactions affect air quality. The solicitation can be found here.
Other News
View all of the presentations from the 2007 Tribal Nations Children's Environmental Health Summit that was held August 22-23, 2007 in Denver, CO.
Call for Presentations and Tribal Specific Interventions - “Nurturing Mother Earth: Our People’s Destiny” is the title of the 8th National Tribal Conference on Environmental Management scheduled for June 23-27, 2008 in Billings, Montana. This conference is cosponsored by EPA and the Montana/Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council. It is designed to assist Tribal Environmental Professionals, Tribal Administrators, Tribal Health Professionals, and EPA representatives in developing, implementing and evaluating Tribal environmental programs to meet Tribal environmental needs and improve Tribal environmental management capacity.
The National Children's Study (NCS) announced that it awarded contracts in late September to 22 new study centers to manage participant recruitment and data collection in 26 additional communities across the United States, bringing the study a step closer to full operation. The National Children's Study Program Office had awarded contracts in 2005 to seven Vanguard Centers, or Study Centers, to begin implementing the Study in select communities across the country. Teams from the Vanguard Centers will be the first to work within their communities to recruit participants, collect and process data, and pilot new research methods for incorporation into the full Study. Two out of the original seven Centers are located in Region 8. These are South Dakota State University with Children's Medical Center of Cincinnati and the University of Cincinnati for Brookings County, South Dakota, and Lincoln, Pipestone, and Yellow Medicine Counties, Minnesota and the University of Utah for Salt Lake County, Utah. With the recent addition of Utah State University and Cache County, UT, Region 8 now has 3 Study Centers. Visit The NCS Web site for additional information.
Version 2 of HealthySEAT Released - EPA has just released Version 2 of a unique software tool it developed to help school districts evaluate and manage their school facilities for key environmental, safety and health issues. This version incorporates a number of enhancements that users have requested. Information already input into a HealthySEAT Version 1 will work seamlessly with Version 2. The Healthy School Environments Assessment Tool (HealthySEATv2) is designed to be customized and used by district-level staff to conduct completely voluntary self-assessments of their school (and other) facilities and to track and manage information on environmental conditions school by school. In addition to powerful software that can be used by districts to track any facility issues it chooses, EPA has also included critical elements of all of its regulatory and voluntary programs for schools, as well as web links to more detailed information. Districts and others can download HealthySEATv2 at no cost from the EPA web site. There are no reporting requirements and no obligation to use the checklist EPA has provided. For much more information, visit EPA's Healthy School Environments Web site.
Request For Proposals (RFP) for the U.S. EPA Region 8’s Fiscal Year 2008 Regional Priorities Grant Program is posted on the Region 8 Grants web site at http://www.epa.gov/region8/grants. The purpose of this RFP is to announce the availability of funding from five Region 8 grant programs for projects that are to be conducted within the boundaries of Region 8. The five funding programs are:
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1) Regional Geographic Initiatives
2) Indoor Environments
3) Source Reduction Assistance (Pollution Prevention)
4) Strategic Agriculture Initiative
5) Resource Conservation Challenge (RCC) Grant Initiative
Region 8 is competitively seeking project proposals that will achieve measurable environmental and public health results within the following priority areas:
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1) Energy and Climate Change
2) Agriculture
3) Mercury
4) Enhancing State or Tribal Capacity to Provide Public Health and Environmental Protection in Region 8
Apply now for an Environmental Education Grant. EPA's environmental education grants program supports environmental education projects that enhance the public's awareness, knowledge, and skills to help people make informed decisions that affect environmental quality. The deadline for submitting an application is December 20, 2007. For additional information visit http://www.epa.gov/enviroed/grants.html.
EPA Region 8 Environmental Education web site: a on- stop shop for all your Regional EE needs. Updated weekly, the site contains news, events and the latest regional information including:
- Rocky Mountain and Plains Environmental Education Resources
- Rocky Mountain and Plains Regional Climate Science Education Collaborative
- Teaching Water
- Teaching Stewardship and Sustainability
- Tribal EE and Community EE
- EE In the News
Mercury In Schools - Clancy, the mercury-detecting dog, wants everyone to “keep their paws off mercury”! Clancy, who was trained to sniff out mercury in schools and other buildings, teamed up with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to help teach kids about mercury’s harmful effects. EPA recently distributed the video, which shows kids what to do if there is a mercury spill, to more than 17,000 public school district across the country. Schools can just pop in the DVD, teach from the information on the inside cover, and follow the safety tips included in the video. The information will help keep school staff, students, and the environment safer from mercury spills. For more information on mercury and to order additional copies of the video, please visit http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/mercury/videos.htm. EPA also developed a Keep Your Paws Off Mercury poster, which can also be downloaded and ordered from the same site.
