Our Children’s Future, Dr Warren Porter- Commissioner Frank Avila Speaks

Chicago Commissioner Frank Avila

Monday, June 23, 2008

Commissioner Frank Avila talks with Dr Warren Porter, Professor of Zoology at the University if Wisconsin about toxic materials in our environment and how they can harm children. Subtle Biological Effects of Environmental Contaminants: We have serious concerns about children exposed to low level pesticide mixtures from lawns and in the food, water, and air that passes through their bodies. Children do not have defensive enzymes at levels present in sexually mature adults. Our 2002 paper showed that a common lawn chemical pesticide mixture can induce abortions and resorptions of fetuses at very low parts per billion concentrations. The greatest effect was at the lowest dose. Thanks to Richard Dwelle and Dr. James Jaeger, we have an extraordinarily sensitive new means of measuring mouse learning abilities at many levels. We are currently conducting long term studies to explore the effects of subtle low level pesticide mixture exposures on learning abilities, immune function, hormone levels, and developmental disorders. Early detection of infectious disease: We have new state-of-the-art technologies that can detect isotopic ratio changes in breath due to catabolic events on a continuous, noninvasive flow-through basis. We have been able to confirm all of our prior data using mass spectrometry and are now observing in 24 hour a day experiments the process of infection in real-time. Our early data indicate that we can detect such changes within approximately two hours of the time of administration of an infection. This would have immense benefits in intensive care units and many other applications. We have one patent and three new applications pending or in process covering our research discoveries. We have founded an off-campus company, Isomark, LLC, that may license and develop commercial applications as it sees fit. However, all fundamental research will be done exclusively through our research group and patented through WARF.