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Nonprofit Sector Favors Kerry Over Bush SAN DIEGO, California, October 5, 2004 (ENS) - The managers of nonprofit organizations favor Senator John Kerry over President George W. Bush by a wide margin in the 2004 race for the White House, a new survey reveals.Seventy percent of the nonprofit respondents support Kerry, 27 percent support Bush, while two percent support Nader Kintera Inc., a software provider to nonprofit organizations, conducted the Vote 2004 survey jointly with "The NonProfit Times," a publication that addresses current news, events, management issues, legislation and other topics affecting the operation of nonprofit organizations. "The NonProfit Times" sent emails to readers known to be senior managers, directing them to a link on a web page where they could vote and share their opinions. There were 2,121 responses. Kerry was the overwhelming victor. Environmental and animal welfare executives voted for Kerry by a ratio of more than 7 to 1. "But," write Paul Clolery and Ephraim Feig, who analyzed the survey results in "The NonProfit Times," Kerry's support in the so-called "swing states" is "softer than expected. That softness could push swing states to President George W. Bush, again giving him an electoral win, despite a potential popular majority for the challenger." The number one issue motivating votes for Kerry supporters is the war in Iraq; for Bush supporters, it is terrorism, the poll shows. Bush leads Kerry among faith-based charities - 56 percent to 41 percent. Kerry's strongest support comes from the human services, health and education sectors. Bush leads Kerry in just two states, Nebraska and Mississippi. To view the complete results of the Vote 2004 survey, please visit www.nptimes.com/enews/Sep04/news/news-0904_4.html.
West Nile Suspected Bird on Maui a False Alarm KAHULUI, Maui, Hawaii, October 5, 2004 (ENS) - Lab results from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta have confirmed that a wild sparrow, suspected of carrying West Nile virus, has tested negative for the antibodies. The bird was caught on September 20 on a runway at the Kahului Airport on the island of Maui.“We are very pleased that the test result is negative,” said Hawaii State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Effler. “While these results are reassuring, we will remain vigilant in our coordinated efforts to minimize the chances of West Nile virus reaching Hawaii. West Nile virus is still a potential threat to Hawaii, as the disease continues to spread throughout the mainland and particularly on the West Coast.” There have been over 14,000 human cases of West Nile virus, and over 500 deaths, in the U.S. in the last three years. Alaska and Hawaii remain the only states in the U.S. without any West Nile virus activity. "We breathed a sigh of relief when we learned the CDC's findings," says Dr. Mary Pearl, president of Wildlife Trust, the international organization dedicated to innovative conservation science and conservation medicine. "However, we view this latest incident as another wake-up call to take seriously the more stringent protective measures we've identified and address the risk of introduction of West Nile virus via airplanes." In January 2004, a team of researchers from Wildlife Trust's Consortium for Conversation Medicine (CCM) predicted the likelihood that West Nile virus would be introduced into Hawaii via air travel, and produced guidelines on how to prevent it. Their paper published recently in the journal "EcoHealth," demonstrates that human transportation of mosquitoes or vertebrate hosts is the most likely pathway of introduction of West Nile virus into Hawaii. An estimated seven to 70 mosquitoes infected with West Nile virus would reach Hawaii via airplane each year once West Nile virus reached all the western states - as it did in 2004, predicted . The CCM recommends simple measures to reduce the risk of West Nile virus introduction, such as the use of insecticide in cargo holds where 82 percent of live mosquitoes are transported. Bird quarantine measures should be strengthened, the organization says. Currently, six species are exempt from quarantine and are possible carriers of West Nile virus. Dr. Effler said last week’s mosquito spraying and larvaciding at Kahului and Honolulu Airports enhanced the state’s continuing preventative measures to eliminate mosquitoes at potential entry points for West Nile Virus. Residents, businesses, schools and landowners are also asked to eliminate standing water from their property and work sites to get rid of places mosquito can breed. CCM Executive Director Dr. Peter Daszak says, "We need a new approach to public health that deals with emerging diseases proactively, before they appear. Until policy-makers take this predictive approach seriously, we'll continue to see viruses spreading rapidly across the globe."
Petition Asks Federal Protection of Black-Footed Albatross SAN FRANCISCO, California, October 5, 2004 (ENS) - Conservationists have asked the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the black-footed albatross under the Endangered Species Act.The groups say the recent reopening of the Hawaiian longline swordfish fishery will likely result in the drowning deaths of several thousand black-footed albatross each year. Longlining is a practice in which ships cast up to 60 miles of fishing line with up to 8,000 hooks, many of which unintentionally capture and kill an array of marine species along with their intended targets. “Unless we act now, longlining will cause the extinction of the black-footed albatross,” said Paul Achitoff, Earthjustice attorney representing the Center for Biological Diversity and Turtle Island Restoration Network, the two petitioning organizations. Protecting the seabird under the Endangered Species Act will “protect the species far better than relying on the good will of the fishing industry,” Achitoff said. The black-footed albatross nests almost exclusively in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and spends much of its life on the wing, scooping flying fish eggs, squid and fish from the ocean surface. The petition notes that BirdLife International and the IUCN-World Conservation Union have recently concluded that the black-footed albatross should be classified as endangered. Scientists estimate that only about 60,000 nesting pairs survive today, and that unless actions are taken to reduce the current level of deaths caused by humans, the species will likely go extinct within decades. As many as 14,000 black-footed albatross are estimated killed by longline fishing each year. Globally, 19 of the 21 recognized albatross species are considered threatened with extinction. In each case, a primary threat is longline fishing. "The international longline industry is setting nearly 10 billion baited hooks a year, killing over 300,000 seabirds each year," said Brendan Cummings of the Center for Biological Diversity. "Albatross populations simply cannot withstand these levels of mortality." "Solutions exist to help keep significant numbers of albatross off the deadly hooks, but the longline fishery has been, at best, slow to adopt them,” Cummings said. Environmentalists and native Hawaiians also filed suit last month in federal court in Honolulu to reverse the federal government’s decision to reopen the Hawaiian longline swordfish fishery.
Land Trust Protects Oregon Coastal Fish Habitat PORTLAND, Oregon, October 5, 2004 (ENS) – The Trust for Public Land (TPL) announced Monday that it has permanently protected another 49 acres along Tenmile Creek on the Oregon coast.The national conservation group has bought the property and transferred the land to the U.S. Forest Service, where it will become part of the Siuslaw National Forest. "This is more land which will be protected for fish in the Tenmile Creek basin," said Geoff Roach, TPL's Oregon director. "This area includes some of Oregon's best coastal habitat and is part of the program we have been working on for years to protect the waters of the Tenmile basin for the trout and salmon who need it." The Tenmile Creek basin, located seven miles south of Yachats on the state's scenic coastline, is part of one of the largest temperate coastal forests still left in the Pacific Northwest. Both the state of Oregon and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have concluded the basin is one of the key places to help protect endangered fish species, such as salmon. "These six parcels will help preserve a unique ecosystem," said Jose Linares, supervisor of the Siuslaw National Forest. "This is a good example of how nonprofit groups can work with federal agencies to help protect threatened species." The 630,000-acre Siuslaw National Forest runs from Tillamook to Coos Bay and is one of only two national forests in the continental 48 states to front on an ocean. It stretches 135 miles along the central coast and includes four major rivers that flow into the Pacific - the Nestucca, Alsea, Siuslaw, and Umpqua. The $800,000 cost of the project was provided from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, with the support of Oregon Senators Ron Wyden, a Democrat, and Gordon Smith, a Republican, as well as Congressman Peter DeFazio, a Democrat. "These parcels … are only the latest in a long effort we have undertaken in the Tenmile basin," Roach said. "For example, beginning in the 1980s, TPL bought 1,700 acres in the Tenmile watershed and conveyed it to the Forest Service to be added to the Siuslaw National Forest. Last year, we bought another 401 acres along Upper Deadwood Creek for the Siuslaw." The group is also trying to acquire an additional 93 acres of forest as well as a mile of Fawn Creek, Roach said, and is trying to protect another 80 acres on Deadwood Creek by setting up a conservation easement.
Rules Governing Hexavalent Chromium Exposure Proposed WASHINGTON, DC, October 5, 2004 (ENS) - The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Monday published in the Federal Register three proposed rules designed to reduce worker exposure to hexavalent chromium, the carcinogenic chemical featured in the film "Erin Brockovich."OSHA is proposing three separate standards that cover exposure to hexavalent chromium in general industry, construction, and shipyards. The agency is accepting public comments on the proposed standards until January 3, 2005. "The risks involved in the occupational use of hexavalent chromium can be serious and potentially life threatening," said OSHA Administrator John Henshaw. "This proposed rule is both economically and technologically feasible, and will substantially reduce the risk to workers potentially exposed to hexavalent chromium." The proposed new permissible exposure limit is 50 times lower than the existing standard, but is still four times higher than requested in 1993 in a petition by Public Citizen. OSHA’s years of delay in tightening its standard led to a lawsuit by Public Citizen and the Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers International Union (PACE), which resulted in a court order requiring OSHA to move forward with a new rule. “Hundreds of thousands of workers have been exposed to inordinately high levels of hexavalent chromium while the agency continued on its path of reckless inaction,” said Peter Lurie, deputy director of Public Citizen’s Health Research Group. “Even the new proposal will not adequately protect American workers from lung cancer and the other health risks of this toxic chemical.” OSHA estimates that one million workers are exposed to hexavalent chromium, which is used in the chemical industry in pigments, metal plating, and chemical synthesis as ingredients and catalysts. CrVI can also be produced when welding on stainless steel or CrVI-painted surfaces. Lung cancer, asthma, nasal septum ulcerations and perforations, skin ulcerations, known as chrome holes, and allergic and irritant contact dermatitis, can result from exposure. In 1994, OSHA acknowledged that hexavalent chromium causes lung cancer and promised to begin rulemaking to reduce exposure in 1995. The agency did not keep that promise, so Public Citizen and PACE sued OSHA in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia in 1997 but lost when the agency promised to issue a proposed rule by 1999. By 1999, the agency still did not begin rulemaking, so the two organizations sued again in 2002, seeking to compel the agency to act. In December 2002, the court, criticizing OSHA’s “indefinite delay and recalcitrance in the face of an admittedly grave risk to public health,” held that the agency's "delay in promulgating a lower permissible exposure limit for hexavalent chromium has exceeded the bounds of reasonableness.” The court set a schedule for OSHA to come up with a new standard, and Monday’s proposed rules are the result. OSHA is proposing to lower its permissible exposure limit for hexavalent chromium (CrVI) and for all of its compounds in construction, shipyards, and general industry from 52 to one microgram of CrVI per cubic meter of air as an 8-hour time weighted average. In general industry, OSHA makes an exception for CrVI used as a pesticide, to treat wood, for example. In construction, the agency makes an exception for Portland Cement. The agency would require exposure monitoring only in its proposed general industry standard for hexavalent chromium, but not in its shipyard or construction standards. The proposed rule also includes provisions for employee protection such as preferred methods for controlling exposure, respiratory protection, protective work clothing and equipment, hygiene areas and practices, medical surveillance, hazard communication, and recordkeeping. “These proposed rules would neverhave seen the light of day if we hadn’t sued OSHA,” said Scott Nelson, an attorney with Public Citizen, which will file comments on the proposed rules. “Now the agency’s job is to modify its proposal to protect workers more comprehensively.” Three copies of written comments must be sent to the Docket Office, Docket H054A, Room N-2625, OSHA, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, D.C., 20210. Comments of 10 pages or fewer can be faxed to the OSHA Docket Office at 202-693-1648. Comments can be submitted electronically at http://ecomments.osha.gov. OSHA plans to hold an informal public hearing in Washington, DC, beginning on February 1, 2005.
USA Retains Pesticide Lindane at NAFTA Meeting MONTREAL, Canada, October 5, 2004 (ENS) - The U.S. representatives to a tri-national taskforce meeting last week in Montreal announced plans to allow continued use of the pesticide lindane in the United States.By contrast, Canada plans to eliminate agricultural uses by the end of 2004 and Mexico has declared as a goal a full phase out of agricultural, veterinary and pharmaceutical uses of the pesticide. Representatives from the three countries met in Montreal, Canada through September 28 to 30 to draft a North American Regional Action Plan for lindane through the Commission for Environmental Cooperation of North America established under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Public health, indigenous and environmental groups say the Bush administration policy disregards their objections to lindane, a neurotoxic chemical that is banned in 17 countries. “The U.S. position allowing continued use of lindane is downright shameful,” said Pam Miller, the official nongovernmental organization representative on the task force and executive director of Alaska Community Action on Toxics, who was in the meeting last week. “The U.S. should take a lead role in getting rid of this old and dangerous chemical, not lag behind the rest of the world.” Lindane is a neurotoxin that causes seizures, damages the nervous system, and weakens the immune system. Exposure may cause cancer and disrupt the an and animal hormone systems. Because lindane is persistent and travels globally via air and water, its continued use in agriculture poses an exposure risk to people far from the source. Lindane is now one of the most abundant pesticides in Arctic air and water, and northern indigenous peoples are exposed through their traditional diets. Lindane residues have been reported in a variety of common foods in the United States. Fifty-eight public health, indigenous and environmental organizations have sent a joint letter to U.S. agency officials and task force members urging the elimination of lindane. More than 400 U.S. health care professionals sent a similar letter. Environmental NGOs have submitted a request to Bayer CropScience asking for a voluntary withdrawal of lindane products from the North American market. Bayer recently acquired Gustafson LLC, the primary distributor in the U.S. of lindane seed treatment products. Internationally, lindane is included the Prior Informed Consent list of the Rotterdam Convention. “This old, bioaccumulative pesticide damages human nervous and immune systems and is linked to cancer,” said Kristin Schafer, program coordinator for Pesticide Action Network North America. “The U.S. must reconsider its position and eliminate both pharmaceutical and agricultural uses of lindane to protect public health.” Pharmaceutical use of lindane also contaminates drinking water sources. The Los Angeles County Sanitation District estimates that one dose of a lindane treatment for head lice can pollute six million gallons of water to levels exceeding drinking water standards. This threat to clean drinking water, and the enormous costs of clean up, prompted California to ban lindane shampoos and lotions in 2002. “As a pediatrician in California where pharmaceutical lindane use has already been banned, I know that more effective and less toxic treatments exist for headlice," said Mark Miller, MD, director of the University of California at San Francisco Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit, an academic representative to the task force who attended the meeting. "Children are particularly vulnerable to this chemical that presents a danger to the young nervous system," said Miller. The 2002 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Re-registration Eligibility Decision allows lindane to be used as seed treatment for six grain crops - corn, wheat, barley, oats, rye, and sorghum. These seed treatments account for 99 percent of lindane use in the United States. The North American Regional Action Plan for lindane is scheduled to be open for public comment in January 2005.
Northwest Women Contaminated with Toxic Flame Retardants SAN FRANCISCO, California, October 4, 2004 (ENS) - SEATTLE, Washington, October 5, 2004 (ENS) - A new study of breastfeeding mothers from Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and Montana found brominated flame retardants in the breastmilk of all of the 40 women tested.Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are toxic chemicals widely used as flame retardants in furniture foams, industrial textiles, and consumer electronics. Studies on laboratory animals have shown that PBDEs can impair memory and learning, alter behavior, delay sexual development, and disturb thyroid hormone levels. “The women in the study have some of the highest PBDE levels on record,” said Clark Williams-Derry, research director for Northwest Environment Watch, the Seattle research and communication center that conducted the study. “It’s more evidence that we need to phase these chemicals out.” The study confirms other research that PBDEs are building up rapidly in people and the environment, with levels in many countries doubling every two to five years. Oregon women had the highest median level of the four regions, with a median of 99 parts per billion; Montana and Washington women had median levels of 55 and 53 ppb, respectively. British Columbia women generally had the lowest levels, with a median of 32 ppb. Researchers said more testing is needed to clarify whether these differences are representative of each region’s population. Overall, the levels of PBDEs in the study were 20 to 40 times higher than levels found in European and Japanese women. Northwesterners may be exposed to the compounds by inhaling dust, by handling consumer products, or through food, particularly fish. Recent studies have detected PBDEs in a wide range of supermarket foods; as well as in orcas, other marine mammals, osprey, and salmon. The fact that every woman tested contained PBDEs - regardless of their diet, age, or locale - suggests that the most effective way to reduce contamination is to stop pollution at the source and use alternatives. The report emphasized that mothers should continue breastfeeding. Research shows that despite the presence of contaminants, breastfeeding is the healthiest choice for infants. Benefits include reducing the risk of many illnesses in infants, as well as the incidence of anemia and some cancers in women. Breastmilk was chosen as a measure because it is the most convenient body fluid to obtain and study, and because it provides a good proxy for contamination levels experienced by the developing fetus. The report also recommends requiring more rigorous scrutiny before new chemicals are used in industry. Roughly 80,000 different synthetic compounds have been introduced since the 1940s, yet only a few have been tested for their potential health effects in humans. “I’m an average person who leads a relatively healthy lifestyle, so there’s no reason for these chemicals to end up in my body,” said Andrea Riseden-Perry, a Seattle mother who participated in the study. “Studies on chemicals should be done up front. And if there’s a risk, the chemical shouldn’t be used.” Sweden was the first country to phase out some of the most toxic forms of PBDEs in the 1990s, followed by the European Union and the California legislature. After Sweden removed PBDEs from the marketplace, contamination levels in breastmilk began to decline. The report notes that economically viable alternatives to PBDEs do exist and companies such as Ikea and Volvo have already eliminated PBDEs from their products. More information on the study and methodology is found at: www.northwestwatch.org/toxics.
Researcher Turns Wastewater into Power, Wins $100,000 ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, October 5, 2004 (ENS) - Bruce Logan and his research team have discovered that electricity can be produced from wastewater using bacteria in a microbial fuel cell, while simultaneously treating the wastewater without the use of additional chemicals.Logan is the Stan and Flora Kappe professor of environmental engineering at Pennsylvania State University, and director of Penn State’s H2E (Hydrogen Energy) Center and the College of Engineering’s Environmental Institute. Logan's microbial fuel cell research has attracted a $100,000 research grant. The Paul L. Busch Award was presented to Logan today by the WERF Endowment for Innovation in Applied Water Quality Research at its annual subscriber luncheon at WEFTEC 2004, the Water Environment Federation’s technical exhibition and conference. WERF subscribers are wastewater utilities representing more than 70 percent of the U.S. sewered population and corporations sharing concerns for water quality issues. Logan attracted the interest of WERF with his new hybrid technology to treat wastewater anaerobically using a bacterial biofilm growing on one electrode of the fuel cell. This technology could lead to a process that reduces operating costs for wastewater treatment and creates excess electricity production at treatment plants. “It’s a remarkable discovery with the potential to significantly impact conventional wastewater treatment,” says Glenn Reinhardt, executive director for the Water Environment Research Foundation. “By creating a treatment process that generates a product with market value, such as electricity, the substantial costs of building, operating, and maintaining wastewater facilities may be offset," he said. Logan’s research has the potential to create viable, self-sustaining wastewater treatment facilities for developing countries. Although industrialized nations can afford to operate conventional wastewater treatment facilities, more than a billion people in the world lack adequate sanitation and cannot afford to build or operate traditional wastewater treatment plants. In order to make wastewater treatment more affordable for all nations, new processes and approaches to treatment such as these must be developed. For more information on the award, visit http://www.werf.org/funding/endowment.cfm
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