Inches

UPDATE no 23 June 2002 INCHES

2002 - The International Network on Children's Health, Environment and Safety

Dear member of INCHES,

In this update :
News items
Conferences
INCHES funding

News items

INCHES has new members:
Environment and Development Foundation; contact person Ning Yu Ning Yu (ningyu@edf.org.tw)

Website: www.edf.org.tw

Thanal Conservation Action and Information Network; contact person: Jayan Jayakumar C.( thanal@vsnl.com)

Our Children's Earth Fundation; contact person Tiffany Schauer (tiffany@ocefoundation.org) website: www.ocefoundation.org

EU project
INCHES has been initiating a Thematic Network on Policy Interpretation. It looks like the EU is going to fund this proposal for the coming three years. As soon as the contract negotiations have been done you will be informed about this project.

Budapest 2004
The International Society of Doctors for the Environment (ISDE) is playing an active role in the preparation of the next Ministerial conference on Health and the Environment. The European Environment and Health Committee EEHC met on 13/14 June 2002 in Sofia, Bulgaria for its 6th session. Based on the discussions of the informal meeting of all WHO Euro member states in April in Lucca, Italy the EEHC had to decide on a proposal for the provisional agenda of the Budapest conference. The overall theme of the conference will be: The future for our children.

Children’s environment and health should be a clear focus in all conference topics, but not dealt with exclusively (e.g. indicators will be on general environment and health with a special focus on children)

Overall expected outcome: “A Budapest Ministerial Declaration”. There is also mentioning of a Children’s environment and health action plan. The expected policy outcome of this will be a negotiated soft law instrument focusing on concrete actions in children’s environment and health. If any INCHES members have good idea for items in Children’s Environment and Health Action Plan they are asked to forward ideas and suggestions to INCHES. Any concrete idea for elements of the Children's Environment and Health Action Plan are most welcome and have a good chance of being taken on board since governments are really looking for ideas.

INCHES website
The website has been updated recently. We are trying to get the updates uploaded to the website regularly. If anyone has suggestions for additional items let us know.

CEC meeting
The ministers of CEC ( environment ministers of Canada, Mexico and the United States, members of the Council of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation) have produced a communiqué with a whole (3rd) chapter on what they decided on Children's environment and health. It seems they are also looking for a common set of indicators for North America. Here is what they focus on an below the full text:
* Selecting and publishing a core set of children's environmental health indicators for North America;
* Advancing understanding of risk assessment approaches with a view to increasing collaboration on addressing potential risks posed by toxic substances; and
* Enhancing the understanding of the economic impacts of children's environment-related illnesses in partnership with other international organizations.

More news on www.cec.org

RIO +10 summit
A joint group of INCHES, ISDE and PSR are collaborating with WHO, UNEP, UNICEF and EPA on putting a brochure together on children’s environmental health indicators. This document should form the basis for some additional activities at the summit in Johannesburg on Sustainable Development in August 2002. There are preparations on its way for organizing a side event at this very large summit. Our aim is to get children’s environmental health on the agenda of multiple stakeholders.

Congress in Italy
Thursday 20 June, Roberto Romizi, from Italian Association of Doctors for the Environment participated in Florence at the Congress “Environmental pollution and children’s health problems”. Communications were on subjects as children’s life environment and environmental risks, cancer, respiratory problems, noise pollution, monitoring children’s health in Tuscany, paediatricians’ role in defending children’s health. During his presentation on “An integrated model for children’s health and environment” he presented INCHES as well. Contact: isde@ats.it

Conferences

INCHES conference in 2003
As mentioned before Paul Saoke is organising the next International Conference in 2003. He announced the first call for abstracts will be mailed soon. The date for the conference has been fixed for 18-21 November 2003, in Nairobi, Kenya. Please mark your agendas. Co-participation of the organisation of the conference by WHO and UNEP is expected. If you know of any international development agency that is willing to provide some seed money to start with organising this meeting, your suggestions would be most welcome. Please contact Paul Saoke at: psaoke3@yahoo.co.uk

Book
The UNEP-UNICEF-WHO book presented at the Children’s Summit in May in New York called ‘Children in the New Millenium’ will be distributed to all INCHES members that have endorsed the position paper of INCHES and which are on the official list of members. If you dont receive a copy please contact in a couple of weeks with Kinga Polanska at our General Secretariat (kinga@imp.lodz.pl). Either your organisation can become a member of the network or we forward your request for a copy to the publisher.

Conference report 1
XI International Conference“ Environment and children’s health”
Legnica, Poland, 24-25 May 2002, E-mail: office@fundacja.pl
The conference was organized by Foundation for Children from Copper Basin, Legnica, Poland with cooperation of EURO - INCHES

The main subjects of the sessions:

1. Heavy metals burden in child hood – epidemiology , bio-monitoring, influence on health, diagnostic and treatment, prophylactics.

2. Civilization hazards for children in town and country.

3. Drug abuse and prophylactic action in children and adolescents

4. Organization of prophylactic activities an impact in improvement of children health.

5. Problems of handicapped children.

6. Poster session.

General Secretary Kinga Polanska represented INCHES.

Conference report 2
Simposio "Factores Ambientales en Problemas del Neurodesarrollo" 19th April at the XVIII Congreso Argentino de Psiquiatría de la Asociación de Psiquiatras Argentinos, APSA in Mar del Plata, Argentina - 18-21 abril 2002.

According to the programme( in Spanish): * Jornada Especial sobre Salud Ambiental Infantil para Pediatras.

"Introducción a la Salud Ambiental Infantil."; "Cuando los niños necesitan protección especial" ; "Los niños y su ambiente: vulnerables, valiosos y en riesgo" . Lilian Corra, Peter van den Hazel and Susana Garcia were presenting these topics. This workshop opened good discussions with the psychiatric world about the importance of children’s environmental health.

Another workshop on the 23rd of April co-organized with “Sociedad Argentina de Pediatria, SAP” showed another set of presentations on the topic. For example a title of one of presentations was: " Chemical exposure and impact on neurodevelopment: Magnitud of the problem, Precautionary principle and regulatory framework (the experience in EU). What to expect? how to react?".

There are possibilities for additional workshops in Argentina later this year that will go into more detail on the aspects of children’s environmental health. Also there will be workshops organized in collaboration of the Uruquayan Pediatric Association in the near future.

Request from Georgia
Subject: Scientific collaboration with Georgia

Dear Colleague,

I am Karaman Pagava, MD, PhD, Chief & Professor of the Department of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, Tbilisi State Medical University (Georgia, former republic of the USSR). I participated in the Global Forum concerning Pediatric Environmental Health – Washington DC, September 2002. I let myself apply to you with a request.

It is a matter of scientific grant application: Recently there was established the U.S. Civilian Research and Development Foundation for the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union (CRDF) - public-private partnership to support cooperative research between U.S. scientists and engineers and their counterparts in the former Soviet Union (FSU). The mission of the CRDF is to fund civilian basic and applied research conducted in the countries of the FSU and to promote defense conversion and development of market economies in the region. http://www.crdf.org/.

CRDF and Georgian Research and Development Foundation have announced the special Georgian-U.S. Bilateral Grants Program (www.crdf.org/News/grdfbgp02.html). The average amount of money is about 35000 USD per project. Approximately 20 % of the total sum is intended for USA team.

Here in Georgia I am collaborating with the Center of Medical Biophysics and Medical Technologies. We are studying cell bioenergetics in children facing different environmental hazards.

From our side the chief of the above-mentioned center will be the co-ordinator from Georgian side. Her name is Galina Sukoian. She has received her PhD degree only two years ago and meets the necessary requirements.

As usually the time is very short, the deadline is July 1.

Our problem is to find the USA co-coordinator. Maybe you will find it possible and desirable for you to take these responsibilities.

Please let me know your decision ASAP. Thank you in advance. Yours sincerely

Karaman Pagava; Address for correspondence:72 Kostava Street, App. 10;380071,Tbilisi; Georgia

Phone: + 995 99 575285; Fax: + 995 32 001368; E-mail: kpagava@yahoo.com; kpagava@excite.com

Article
Mount Sinai Study Finds Americans' Pay More Than $54 Billion Annually for Pediatric Diseases Linked to Environmental Toxins

Researchers Estimate Health Costs for Lead Poisoning, Asthma, Childhood Cancer and Developmental Disabilities in American Children.

Childhood diseases of environmental origin cost Americans $54.9 billion annually, according to a new study by scientists at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, released today in Environmental Health Perspectives (www.ehponline.org), the journal of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

The total, 2.8 percent of all U.S. healthcare costs, is more than Americans spend on military research, veterans' benefits and health care costs of stroke.

The Mount Sinai study, the first to assess the costs of pediatric disease of toxic environmental origin, measured the contribution of environmental pollutants to the incidence, prevalence, mortality and costs of pediatric disease in American children.

"The findings confirm our view that disease of environmental origin cause not only great misery but pose large costs on American children and their families," said Dr. Philip Landrigan, a leading researcher in children's health and head of the Center for Children's Health and the Environment at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

The study, supported by a grant from the W. Alton Jones Foundation, defines environmental pollutants as chemical substances of human origin in environmental media -- air, food, water, soil, the home and the community. Using data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies, researchers separated the total cost of childhood environmental disease into four categories: $43.4 billion for lead poisoning, $2.0 billion for asthma, $0.3 billion for childhood cancer, and $9.2 billion for neurobehavioral disorders. Costs evaluated included direct medical costs as well as costs related to special schooling, long term care, and diminished lifetime earning capacity. The best estimate of the total costs of disease in American children of toxic environmental origin is $54.9 billion annually, with a range of $48.8 to $64.8 billion.

"The findings from this study show clearly that the nation needs to invest more resources in understanding and preventing disease in children of toxic environmental origin. We need to realign our priorities to protect our nation's future," said Landrigan.

The study cites children's exposure to inadequately tested chemicals as part of the cause of the high cost of pediatric disease. The costs are anticipated to increase without increased investment in tracking and surveillance.

The study team was led by Dr. Philip Landrigan with Dr. Clyde B. Schechter of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Dr. Jeffrey M. Lipton of the Long Island Jewish Medical Center, Dr. Marianne C. Fahs of The New School University and Dr. Joel Schwartz of Harvard University School of Public Health. The study was guided by an advisory committee chaired by Professor Kenneth J. Arrow, Professor of Economics (Emeritus) at Stanford University and recipient of the 1972 Nobel Prize in Economics.

"For the future, we need to invest more resources in research, disease tracking, testing of chemicals, and training the next generation of pediatricians to recognize disease in children of toxic causation," Dr. Landrigan said .Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Located in Manhattan, Mount Sinai School of Medicine is internationally recognized for ground-breaking clinical and basic-science research, and innovative approaches to medical education. One indication of Mount Sinai's leadership in scientific investigation is its receipt during FY00 of $168 million in public and private research funding, including over $112 million in NIH grants, placing it 22nd among the nation's 125 medical schools. Mount Sinai School of Medicine is also known for unique educational programs that not only prepare students to be highly skilled care givers, but help them to reach their maximum potential as caring, well-rounded people. Long dedicated to serving its community, the School extends its boundaries to improve health care delivery, educational opportunities and quality of life for residents of East Harlem and surrounding communities. CONTACT: Lucia Lee, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, 212/241-9200

Upcoming Conferences 1
Healthy Children Conference will take place on October 10-11, 2002 in Chernivtsy (Ukraine) at the Bucovinian Medical Academy Conference Center. The Conference Program Committee invites you to submit abstracts. Conference will provide several opportunities for presentations by participants: oral presentations (10-30 minute presentations with discussion) and attended poster sessions.

Working languages: Ukrainian, Russian, English and French.

Topics of paper: Children health, growth and development, 2) Problems of standard and normative in pediatrics, 3) Problems of healthy newborns 4) Developmental nutrition guidelines, 5) Environmental impact on healthy children,

Abstracts must be written in English or French and submitted by e-mail in attachment not later than 01 September 2002 ; Contact person: Sophy Fokina pediatr2@msa.cv.ua

Conference secretariat: Department of Developmental Pediatrics Bukovinian State Medical Academy; Post Box # 601 58010, vul. Grushevskogo, 1, Chernivtsi-10, Ukraine

E-mail - chernivtsi2002@yandex.ru, pediatr2@msa.cv.ua

www.chernivtsi2002.narod.ru

Upcoming Conferences 2
ASSOCIATION OF PHYSICIANS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT OF TURKEY organizes

INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM OF CHILDREN’S HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT
OCTOBER 18th – 20th, 2002, ISTANBUL, TURKEY

PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS: International Society of Doctors for the Environment (ISDE); Turkish Medical Association; Turkish Pediatrics Society; Cerrahpasa Medical School Public Health Department

MAIN TOPICS:

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP’s) and children’s health
Heavy metals and children’s health
Electromagnetic fields and risk on children
Effects of indoor air pollution
Application of precautionary principle to the children’s health
Respiratory diseases due to environmental pollutants in children
Children age cancers and environmental exposure
Environmental education of parents and children
Relevant presentations will be peer reviewed. Only poster presentations will be available. There will be poster discussions on the third day. Deadline is August 1st, 2002. Presentations could be sent by regular mail or e-mail. It will be written by MS Word and saved in doc. and rtf. formats. Languages of the symposium will be English and Turkish.. WEB SITE: www.cevrehekim.org.tr ; CONTACT: Dr. Günay Can: 90-212- 586 15 49 alpincan@yahoo.fr ; Dr. Ümit Sahin: 90-212- 244 56 68 umitsa@turk.net

CORRESPONDING ADDRESS: Çevre Için Hekimler Dernegi – Türkocagi caddesi No:17 Kat:1 34440 Cagaloglu, Istanbul – Turkey

INCHES funding

Did you locate a possible sponsor? Do you a private sponsor? Can we mail some information on INCHES to one of your friends? Any donations (or suggestions of possible donors) are welcome at bank account nr.: 526292490 ABN AMRO (swiftcode ABNANL 2A), Dieren, Netherlands.

Last updated 19 August 2002

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