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Healthy World Watch June 5th, 2009
Janelle Sorensen
Friday, June 05, 2009
Top Tips
- Swimming Au Naturale: Ways to Green Your Pool from Green Upgrader. Although days spent around the pool are a summer standby, many have neglected to stop and think about the incredibly potent chemical stew they’re marinating in when enjoying a traditional pool, especially a public or community pool. But pools, especially the high traffic kind, need chemicals to keep them sanitary, right? Not anymore.
- Have Your Own Well? The American Academy of Pediatrics wants you to test it yearly for possible contamination. The new recommendation, part of a policy statement crafted with help from the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, aims to protect children whose immature immune systems are more vulnerable to water-borne contaminants such as pesticides, fertilizers and sewage.
Recent Research
- Kids at Risk From Ground-Up Tires in Playgrounds? The federal government is reconsidering whether sports fields and playgrounds made from ground-up tires could harm children's health after some Environmental Protection Agency scientists raised concerns, documents show.
- Phthalates may soften and weaken bones. Phthalates used in plastics and beauty products can trigger bone cell death, finds a new animal study. Phthalates provoke DNA damage that can lead to bone cell death, according to new research on mouse cells. According to the researchers, "chronic exposure to phthalates at low concentrations could probably affect new bone formation and matrix deposition with clinical implications on bone homeostasis and mineral density.'
- While cases of childhood lead poisoning have fallen dramatically in recent decades, some of the poorest and most vulnerable populations in Southern California are disproportionately affected, according to the UCLA Institute of the Environment. This is largely due to their housing, which often still contains lead paint. There are also several "new sources" of lead exposure reported in recent years, including contaminated candies (many imported from Mexico), contaminated toys (principally from China) and drinking water in Los Angeles Unified School District schools. Lawmakers and public agencies responded quickly with new laws, product recalls and testing procedures designed to limit exposure.
