1.7 million children die every year due to polluted environment: WHO

1.7 million children die every year due to polluted environment: WHO

Two World Health Organization (WHO) reports highlighted that children are exposed to harmful chemicals through food, water, air and products around them. Photo.

Imagine what could be accomplished if a fraction of the 20 million of us in the global chemical enterprise (according to the International Labour Organization) and our networks mobilized ourselves collectively to make a difference. What solutions might we devise and implement? What influence might we have on those who are already tasked with addressing this tragedy? Think globally; act locally.

National Research Council Estimates Impact of Human-Caused Global Warming

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The NRC issued a report on July 16, 2010, entitled, "Near-Term Emissions Choices Could Lock in Climate Changes for Centuries to Millenia: Report Estimates Impacts from Various Levels of Warming." These data will inform policy decision-makers. Here are some of the main points, quoted directly:

Increased Confidence About Future Impacts

Although some important future effects of climate change are difficult to quantify, there is now increased confidence in how global warming of various levels would relate to several key impacts, says the report. It lists some of these impacts per degree Celsius (or per 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) of global warming, for example (these apply for 1 C to 4 C of warming):

· 5 percent to 10 percent less total rain in southwest North America, the Mediterranean, and southern Africa per degree Celsius of warming.
· 5 percent to 10 percent less streamflow in some river basins, including the Arkansas and Rio Grande, per degree Celsius of warming.
· 5 percent to 15 percent lower yields of some crops, including U.S. and African corn and Indian wheat, per degree Celsius of warming.

What then must we do?

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A new study shows 77 million Bangladeshis are being exposed to water containing arsenic. CNN's Dan Rivers reports. Jun 21, 2010

Here's a short update on the arsenic problem in Bangladesh, and how the SONO filter alleviates the problem (click the title above to view the 2:51 minute video). With over 300,000 SONO filters already in place, that leaves some 75 million people in Bangladesh still in need of its benefits. Of course, there are many other countries (including developed countries) which need the same protection. Chemists Without Borders seeks contributions of people's time and money to expand manufacturing and distribution of this highly effective solution both within Bangladesh and elsewhere, so please share this need with your friends and colleagues and encourage their participation. Thanks for reading. [Pictures courtesy of Dr AKM Munir, Kushtia, Bangladesh.]

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Martin Fisher (KickStart) Fighting Poverty in Kenya by Selling Water Pumps to Poor Farmers

PBS's Spencer Michels reports on the story of how a California social entrepreneur sees the chance to increase access to clean water in Kenya through the use of foot-pumps. In this segment, there are many lessons for us on how to achieve our goals in the field. I recommend you watch this report:

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Irreversible Catastrophic Climate Destabilization

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Last Friday's edition of NOW on PBS asks, "Is a coastal catastrophe approaching, and what should we be doing about it?" It specifically addresses the issue of flooding in Bangladesh, currently the 7th most populous country on the planet and one of the most densely populated (1063 per sq km). (The next most populous country is Russia with a mere 8.4 per sq km!) Featured is Dr A. Atiq Rahman, the Executive Director of the Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS) and a Lead Author of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) Chapter-19 on “Assessing Key Vulnerabilities and the Risk from Climate Change”, co-winner of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. Dr Rahman says terms like Global Warming and Climate Change are deceptively euphemistic, and says Irreversible Catastrophic Climate Destabilization is much more accurate and impactful. Where I come from, people might say, "It's time to get the finger out!"

You can watch the segment below. I recommend you view the NOW page also, as the comments are enlightening. For instance, commenter Forrest M. Mims III says,"... land subsidence alone may account for an elevation change of -30 cm over the past several decades," which for me is in the category of "things you never thought of".

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11th Annual Workshop on Brominated Flame Retardants

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Dr. Arlene Blum (Executive Director, Green Science Policy Institute) provided this report from the 11^th Annual Workshop on Brominated Flame Retardants. This is a topic that that deserves more of our attention than it currently gets.

Dear All,

I am just back from an informative and fun Brominated Flame Retardant meeting in Ottawa where I presented my talk, Do Flame Retardants Save Lives? How Peer-Reviewed Science Can Impact Regulatory Decision-Making.

Upcoming Fire Retardant Dilemma symposia hosted by GSP will be held in August in Beijing and the next will be on September 25th at U.C. Berkeley.

I’m attaching the abstracts from the BFR meeting. There were presentations showing levels of fire retardant chemicals in albatross, kestrals, belugas, stellar sea lions, snapping turtles, great blue herons, and a variety of other animals and birds.

Scientists reported on connections between exposure to fire retardant chemicals and indicators of reproductive success such as smaller broods, thinner egg shells, changes to courtship behavior, decrease copulation rates, fewer pairs laying eggs, decrease in parental care, smaller reproductive organs, delays in puberty, and others in a variety of species. Although some of the species are in decline, it is difficult to make a causal connection between chemical exposure and health impacts.

Some connections between PBDE levels and hormonal changes in humans were documented as well as higher PBDE levels in beef, pork, chicken, and turkey from California compared to other states. Also levels in sediments, biosolids, lake water and sewage sludge were reported.

All this information is motivational for our work to bring science into regulatory processes to reduce the use of toxic chemicals.

The next BFR meeting will be in Kyoto Japan in April, and I’m planning to attend. More information at http://www.bfr2010.com/

On another note, Obama has nominated Paul Anastas to be EPA Asst Administrator for Research and Development. Paul Anastas is an outstanding green chemist. This should help toxics be included in the national environmental agenda.

More at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/President-Obama-Announces-More-Key-Administration-Posts-5-21-09/

Arlene


Arlene Blum PhD
Arlene@arleneblum.com
Visiting Scholar, Chemistry
University of California, Berkeley
Executive Director, Green Science Policy Institute
Telephone: 510 644-3164 Mobile: 510 919-6363
Web: www .greensciencepolicy.org, www.arleneblum.com
---

Elana Fishman

Green Science Policy Institute

Phone: 510-644-3164

Mobile: 818-468-5931

elana@greensciencepolicy.org

www.greensciencepolicy.org

The Green Science Policy Institute provides unbiased scientific information to government, industry, and non-governmental organizations to facilitate more informed decision-making about chemicals used in consumer products in order to protect health and environment world-wide.

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Cash Flows from China's Water

Jean-Francois Tremblay, C&EN Hong Kong (Chemical & Engineering News Digital Edition - May 11, 2009) writes:

"In this highly populated, rapidly industrializing country, water purification is becoming big business. ....... Between 200 million and 300 million people throughout the Chinese Countryside do not have access to a safe source of water."

In this picture, do-it-yourself farmers without access to safe water in central China set up their own water filtration unit. K. C. Wang, Chemists Without Borders' amazing COO, is leading a new initiative to improve water quality in China.

Click the title to read the full article.

Look Inside >> May 11, 2009

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Taxing Carbon - Part 4 | Mother Jones

There's an interesting dialog on taxing carbon between Kevin Drum at Mother Jones and Jeffrey Sachs (Sachs is, among other things, Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and author of The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time). You can read the latest episode here:

Taxing Carbon - Part 4 | Mother Jones: Taxing Carbon - Part 4
— By Kevin Drum | Mon May 11, 2009 8:44 AM PST

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Substantial work ahead for water issues, say scientists at ACS’ Final Report briefing

WASHINGTON, Jan. 27, 2009 — Scientists and engineers will face a host of obstacles over the next decade in providing clean water to millions of people caught up in a water shortage crisis, a panel of scientists and engineers said today at a briefing at the Broadcast Center of the National Press Building on the Final Report on the American Chemical Society’s Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions.

For the full press release and related links, click here.

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e2 | PBS: Environment and Energy

e² | PBS

A new series of half-hour programs about sustainable energy innovations, e² energy, releases on PBS stations October 19. And the second season of e² design releases on November 30. Check it out - very informative.

Green Chemistry R&D Bill S.2669 Introduced

US Senate measure aims to prevent pollution by encouraging cleaner and safer chemicals

The purpose of the Green Chemistry Research & Development Act of 2008 is to advance research into environmentally friendly chemicals. Check it out and please contact your Senators and Representatives to express your opinions.