Date: 10/13/2008 11:28 AM
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) _ Attorneys general from three states are asking 11 companies that make baby bottles and baby formula containers to stop using the toxic chemical bisphenol A.
Letters signed by attorneys general from Connecticut, New Jersey and Delaware call the chemical, known as BPA, potentially harmful to infants.
The letters are being sent to baby bottle manufacturers Avent America Inc., Disney First Years, Gerber, Handicraft Co., Playtex Products Inc. and Evenflo Co., and formula makers Abbott, Mead Johnson, PBM Products, Nature’s One and Wyeth.
BPA is used in lightweight, durable plastics. Products include some baby bottles, sippy cups and reusable food and drink containers.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
Child Safety: Facts about drowning
In 2004, of all children 1-4 years old who died, 26% died from drowning (CDC 2006). Fatal drowning remains the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children ages 1 to 14 years (CDC 2005) – U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
It is estimated that for each drowning death, there are 1 to 4 nonfatal submersions serious enough to result in hospitalization. Children who still require cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) at the time they arrive at the emergency department have a poor prognosis, with at least half of survivors suffering significant neurologic impairment. – American Academy of Pediatrics
19% of drowning deaths involving children occur in public pools with certified lifeguards present. – Drowning Prevention Foundation
A swimming pool is 14 times more likely than a motor vehicle to be involved in the death of a child age 4 and under. – Orange County California Fire Authority
Children under five and adolescents between the ages of 15-24 have the highest drowning rates. – U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
An estimated 5,000 children ages 14 and under are hospitalized due to unintentional drowning-related incidents each year; 15 percent die in the hospital and as many as 20 percent suffer severe, permanent neurological disability. – National Safety Council
Of all preschoolers who drown, 70 percent are in the care of one or both parents at the time of the drowning and 75 percent are missing from sight for five minutes or less. – Orange County, CA, Fire Authority
The majority of children who survive (92 percent) are discovered within two minutes following submersion, and most children who die (86 percent) are found after 10 minutes. Nearly all who require cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) die or are left with severe brain injury. – National Safe Kids Campaign
For information on how you can prevent infant drowning, visit http://www.infantswim.com/
To find out how infants and toddlers can learn to survive in potentially deadly drowning situations, there is an excellent video at: http://www.childdrowningprevention.com/index.html
It is estimated that for each drowning death, there are 1 to 4 nonfatal submersions serious enough to result in hospitalization. Children who still require cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) at the time they arrive at the emergency department have a poor prognosis, with at least half of survivors suffering significant neurologic impairment. – American Academy of Pediatrics
19% of drowning deaths involving children occur in public pools with certified lifeguards present. – Drowning Prevention Foundation
A swimming pool is 14 times more likely than a motor vehicle to be involved in the death of a child age 4 and under. – Orange County California Fire Authority
Children under five and adolescents between the ages of 15-24 have the highest drowning rates. – U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
An estimated 5,000 children ages 14 and under are hospitalized due to unintentional drowning-related incidents each year; 15 percent die in the hospital and as many as 20 percent suffer severe, permanent neurological disability. – National Safety Council
Of all preschoolers who drown, 70 percent are in the care of one or both parents at the time of the drowning and 75 percent are missing from sight for five minutes or less. – Orange County, CA, Fire Authority
The majority of children who survive (92 percent) are discovered within two minutes following submersion, and most children who die (86 percent) are found after 10 minutes. Nearly all who require cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) die or are left with severe brain injury. – National Safe Kids Campaign
For information on how you can prevent infant drowning, visit http://www.infantswim.com/
To find out how infants and toddlers can learn to survive in potentially deadly drowning situations, there is an excellent video at: http://www.childdrowningprevention.com/index.html
Drug companies: No cold medicines for kids under 4
Date: 10/7/2008 12:03 PM
By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) _ Children under 4 should not be given over-the-counter cough and cold remedies, drug companies said Tuesday in a concession to pediatricians who doubt the drugs do much good and worry about risks.
The voluntary change in advice to parents comes less than a week after federal health officials said they also saw little evidence that the drugs work. But government officials were afraid that taking the medicines off store shelves might prompt parents to give their children adult medicines.
The drug makers said they will also add a warning that parents should not give antihistamines to children to make them sleepy. These are allergy-relief medications often found in medicines that combine several ingredients to treat a variety of symptoms.
The new measures “reflect industry’s overall commitment to the continued safe and appropriate use of children’s oral OTC cough and cold medicines,” Linda Suydam, president of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, said in announcing the changes on behalf of the companies.
“We are doing this voluntarily out of an abundance of caution,” she added. The new instructions will appear on products distributed for the coming cold season. Last year, the companies pulled medicines for babies and tots under 2 from the market.
Pediatricians, who have been calling for a ban on OTC cough and cold remedies for children under 6, welcomed the industry’s latest shift.
“It’s a huge step forward,” said Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, Baltimore’s health commissioner. “There is no evidence that these products work in kids, and there is definitely evidence of serious side effects.”
Problems with OTC cough and cold medicines send some 7,000 children to hospital emergency rooms each year, with symptoms including hives, drowsiness and unsteady walking. Many kids overdose by taking medicines when their parents aren’t looking.
Since a majority of the problems involve 2- to 3-year-olds, the industry’s new instructions, if followed by parents, should help.
“The 2- and 3-year-olds are definitely the highest risk,” said Sharfstein. “More than 50 percent of the problem is with these kids. “If they don’t have this stuff around the home, they’re less likely to grab it and ingest it.”
Pediatricians still support recalling the medicines for children under 6, and the Food and Drug Administration is studying their effectiveness for children under 12. But federal health officials said at a public hearing last week that it could take them a year or more to make a final decision and order changes.
Leading cough and cold brands include Dimetapp, Pediacare, Robitussin, Triaminic, Little Colds and versions of Tylenol that have ingredients to treat cold symptoms. U.S. families spend at least $287 million a year on cold remedies for kids, according to Nielsen Co. statistics that do not include Wal-Mart sales.
The industry also said it is expanding an educational campaign aimed at getting parents to be more careful about giving their kids cough and cold medicines.
Parents should never:
—Give adult medicines to a child.
—Give two or more medicines with the same ingredients at the same time.
—Give antihistamines to make a child sleepy.
Parents should:
—Give the exact recommended dose, using the measuring device that comes with the medicine.
—Keep OTC medicines out of sight and out of reach.
—Consult their doctor if they have any questions.
Colds usually clear up by themselves after a few days, and many doctors say rest and drinking plenty of fluids are all that’s needed.
___
On the Net:
Consumer Healthcare Products Association statement: http://tinyurl.com/4bzj2f
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) _ Children under 4 should not be given over-the-counter cough and cold remedies, drug companies said Tuesday in a concession to pediatricians who doubt the drugs do much good and worry about risks.
The voluntary change in advice to parents comes less than a week after federal health officials said they also saw little evidence that the drugs work. But government officials were afraid that taking the medicines off store shelves might prompt parents to give their children adult medicines.
The drug makers said they will also add a warning that parents should not give antihistamines to children to make them sleepy. These are allergy-relief medications often found in medicines that combine several ingredients to treat a variety of symptoms.
The new measures “reflect industry’s overall commitment to the continued safe and appropriate use of children’s oral OTC cough and cold medicines,” Linda Suydam, president of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, said in announcing the changes on behalf of the companies.
“We are doing this voluntarily out of an abundance of caution,” she added. The new instructions will appear on products distributed for the coming cold season. Last year, the companies pulled medicines for babies and tots under 2 from the market.
Pediatricians, who have been calling for a ban on OTC cough and cold remedies for children under 6, welcomed the industry’s latest shift.
“It’s a huge step forward,” said Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, Baltimore’s health commissioner. “There is no evidence that these products work in kids, and there is definitely evidence of serious side effects.”
Problems with OTC cough and cold medicines send some 7,000 children to hospital emergency rooms each year, with symptoms including hives, drowsiness and unsteady walking. Many kids overdose by taking medicines when their parents aren’t looking.
Since a majority of the problems involve 2- to 3-year-olds, the industry’s new instructions, if followed by parents, should help.
“The 2- and 3-year-olds are definitely the highest risk,” said Sharfstein. “More than 50 percent of the problem is with these kids. “If they don’t have this stuff around the home, they’re less likely to grab it and ingest it.”
Pediatricians still support recalling the medicines for children under 6, and the Food and Drug Administration is studying their effectiveness for children under 12. But federal health officials said at a public hearing last week that it could take them a year or more to make a final decision and order changes.
Leading cough and cold brands include Dimetapp, Pediacare, Robitussin, Triaminic, Little Colds and versions of Tylenol that have ingredients to treat cold symptoms. U.S. families spend at least $287 million a year on cold remedies for kids, according to Nielsen Co. statistics that do not include Wal-Mart sales.
The industry also said it is expanding an educational campaign aimed at getting parents to be more careful about giving their kids cough and cold medicines.
Parents should never:
—Give adult medicines to a child.
—Give two or more medicines with the same ingredients at the same time.
—Give antihistamines to make a child sleepy.
Parents should:
—Give the exact recommended dose, using the measuring device that comes with the medicine.
—Keep OTC medicines out of sight and out of reach.
—Consult their doctor if they have any questions.
Colds usually clear up by themselves after a few days, and many doctors say rest and drinking plenty of fluids are all that’s needed.
___
On the Net:
Consumer Healthcare Products Association statement: http://tinyurl.com/4bzj2f
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
Fan use linked to lower risk of sudden baby death
Date: 10/6/2008 4:01 PM
By CARLA K. JOHNSON
Associated Press Writer
CHICAGO (AP) _ Using a fan to circulate air seemed to lower the risk of sudden infant death syndrome in a study of nearly 500 babies, researchers reported Monday.
Placing babies on their backs to sleep is the best advice for preventing SIDS, a still mysterious cause of death. Experts also recommend a firm mattress, removing toys and pillows from cribs, and keeping infants from getting too warm.
Such practices helped slash U.S. SIDS deaths by more than half over a decade to about 2,100 in 2003. But SIDS remains the leading cause of death in infants ages 1 month to 1 year.
“The baby’s sleeping environment really matters,” said study senior author Dr. De-Kun Li of the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, Calif. “This seems to suggest that by improving room ventilation we can further reduce risk.”
SIDS is the sudden death of an otherwise healthy infant that can’t be attributed to any other cause. These babies may have brain abnormalities that prevent them from gasping and waking when they don’t get enough oxygen.
The new study, published in October’s Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, offers another way to make sure babies get enough air.
More research is needed, said Dr. Fern Hauck of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, but she said that because fan use is in line with theories, it may be worth considering.
“This is the first study that we know of that has looked at this issue,” said Hauck, a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics SIDS task force.
Researchers interviewed mothers of 185 infants who died from SIDS and mothers of 312 infants of similar race and age. Moms answered dozens of questions about their baby’s sleeping environment.
Researchers took into account other risk factors and found that fan use was associated with a 72 percent lower risk of SIDS. Only 3 percent of the babies who died had a fan on in the room during their last sleep, the mothers reported. That compared to 12 percent of the babies who lived.
Using a fan reduced risk most for babies in poor sleeping environments.
The study involved infants in 11 California counties. It was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health.
___
On the Net:
Archives: http://www.archpediatrics.com
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
By CARLA K. JOHNSON
Associated Press Writer
CHICAGO (AP) _ Using a fan to circulate air seemed to lower the risk of sudden infant death syndrome in a study of nearly 500 babies, researchers reported Monday.
Placing babies on their backs to sleep is the best advice for preventing SIDS, a still mysterious cause of death. Experts also recommend a firm mattress, removing toys and pillows from cribs, and keeping infants from getting too warm.
Such practices helped slash U.S. SIDS deaths by more than half over a decade to about 2,100 in 2003. But SIDS remains the leading cause of death in infants ages 1 month to 1 year.
“The baby’s sleeping environment really matters,” said study senior author Dr. De-Kun Li of the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, Calif. “This seems to suggest that by improving room ventilation we can further reduce risk.”
SIDS is the sudden death of an otherwise healthy infant that can’t be attributed to any other cause. These babies may have brain abnormalities that prevent them from gasping and waking when they don’t get enough oxygen.
The new study, published in October’s Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, offers another way to make sure babies get enough air.
More research is needed, said Dr. Fern Hauck of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, but she said that because fan use is in line with theories, it may be worth considering.
“This is the first study that we know of that has looked at this issue,” said Hauck, a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics SIDS task force.
Researchers interviewed mothers of 185 infants who died from SIDS and mothers of 312 infants of similar race and age. Moms answered dozens of questions about their baby’s sleeping environment.
Researchers took into account other risk factors and found that fan use was associated with a 72 percent lower risk of SIDS. Only 3 percent of the babies who died had a fan on in the room during their last sleep, the mothers reported. That compared to 12 percent of the babies who lived.
Using a fan reduced risk most for babies in poor sleeping environments.
The study involved infants in 11 California counties. It was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health.
___
On the Net:
Archives: http://www.archpediatrics.com
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
Jump seen in staph-linked flu deaths in kids
Date: 10/6/2008 12:08 AM
By LINDSEY TANNER
AP Medical Writer
CHICAGO (AP) _ More children have died from flu because they also had staph infections, according to a new government report that urges parents to have their kids get the flu shot.
The number of deaths wasn’t high — 73 during the 2006-07 flu season — but there was more than a fivefold increase in hard-to-treat complications. And preliminary figures indicate deaths rose again during this past winter’s flu season.
Public health officials say the numbers underscore the importance of a brand new recommendation that all children, from 6 months through 18 years, get routine flu shots. Before this year, shots were recommended for kids under 5 years.
More than half the children who died were between ages 5 and 17 and had been healthy until they got the flu.
Parents shouldn’t panic, “but it’s an important message to say even healthy children develop complications and die almost before anything much can be done for them,” said Dr. Gregory Poland, a Mayo Clinic infectious disease specialist. He was not involved in the federal study, but has worked with a federal vaccine advisory committee and has consulted for vaccine makers.
Flu season is just beginning, and this year’s vaccine should be widely available this month.
While few children die from the flu virus, it puts about 20,000 U.S. kids in the hospital each year.
Only 6 percent of the children studied who died had been fully vaccinated against the flu. Two doses are recommended each flu season for children ages 6 months to 8 years who have not been vaccinated previously; for older kids, just one dose a year is needed.
The study, appearing in the October edition of Pediatrics for release Monday, is based on an analysis of reported flu deaths from the 2004-05 through 2006-07 seasons. Flu deaths in children during those seasons totaled 47, 46 and 73, respectively.
The percentage of those who also had bacterial infections jumped from 6 percent to almost 36 percent. Most had staph infections, and 60 percent of those involved the dangerous MRSA bug, which is resistant to antibiotics.
More recent data suggest flu deaths among children have continued to rise, with 86 tallied for the 2007-08 season in a preliminary report last month, said Lyn Finelli, the study’s lead author, who is a researcher for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Preliminary information also suggests there has been no drop in fatal flu-staph cases in children, and those could still be on the rise too, she said.
Staph germs commonly live in the nose or skin without causing illness; more than one-fourth of U.S. children and adults carry them.
These bugs can become deadly when they get into the bloodstream, sometimes through wounds. The flu is thought to make people more susceptible to bacterial infections like staph, Finelli said.
Details on how children in the study died were not available, but some developed bacterial pneumonia, seizures and shock.
Finelli said parents should take children to the doctor when they have flu symptoms and signs of other complications. These could include extreme fatigue, no thirst, or in older children complaints about feeling very ill.
___
On the Net:
American Academy of Pediatrics: http://www.aap.org
CDC: http://www.cdc.gov
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
By LINDSEY TANNER
AP Medical Writer
CHICAGO (AP) _ More children have died from flu because they also had staph infections, according to a new government report that urges parents to have their kids get the flu shot.
The number of deaths wasn’t high — 73 during the 2006-07 flu season — but there was more than a fivefold increase in hard-to-treat complications. And preliminary figures indicate deaths rose again during this past winter’s flu season.
Public health officials say the numbers underscore the importance of a brand new recommendation that all children, from 6 months through 18 years, get routine flu shots. Before this year, shots were recommended for kids under 5 years.
More than half the children who died were between ages 5 and 17 and had been healthy until they got the flu.
Parents shouldn’t panic, “but it’s an important message to say even healthy children develop complications and die almost before anything much can be done for them,” said Dr. Gregory Poland, a Mayo Clinic infectious disease specialist. He was not involved in the federal study, but has worked with a federal vaccine advisory committee and has consulted for vaccine makers.
Flu season is just beginning, and this year’s vaccine should be widely available this month.
While few children die from the flu virus, it puts about 20,000 U.S. kids in the hospital each year.
Only 6 percent of the children studied who died had been fully vaccinated against the flu. Two doses are recommended each flu season for children ages 6 months to 8 years who have not been vaccinated previously; for older kids, just one dose a year is needed.
The study, appearing in the October edition of Pediatrics for release Monday, is based on an analysis of reported flu deaths from the 2004-05 through 2006-07 seasons. Flu deaths in children during those seasons totaled 47, 46 and 73, respectively.
The percentage of those who also had bacterial infections jumped from 6 percent to almost 36 percent. Most had staph infections, and 60 percent of those involved the dangerous MRSA bug, which is resistant to antibiotics.
More recent data suggest flu deaths among children have continued to rise, with 86 tallied for the 2007-08 season in a preliminary report last month, said Lyn Finelli, the study’s lead author, who is a researcher for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Preliminary information also suggests there has been no drop in fatal flu-staph cases in children, and those could still be on the rise too, she said.
Staph germs commonly live in the nose or skin without causing illness; more than one-fourth of U.S. children and adults carry them.
These bugs can become deadly when they get into the bloodstream, sometimes through wounds. The flu is thought to make people more susceptible to bacterial infections like staph, Finelli said.
Details on how children in the study died were not available, but some developed bacterial pneumonia, seizures and shock.
Finelli said parents should take children to the doctor when they have flu symptoms and signs of other complications. These could include extreme fatigue, no thirst, or in older children complaints about feeling very ill.
___
On the Net:
American Academy of Pediatrics: http://www.aap.org
CDC: http://www.cdc.gov
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
Doctors: No hamsters or exotic pets for young kids
Date: 10/6/2008 12:06 AM
By LINDSEY TANNER
AP Medical Writer
CHICAGO (AP) _ Warning: young children should not keep hedgehogs as pets — or hamsters, baby chicks, lizards and turtles, for that matter — because of risks for disease.
That’s according to the nation’s leading pediatricians’ group in a new report about dangers from exotic animals.
Besides evidence that they can carry dangerous and sometimes potentially deadly germs, exotic pets may be more prone than cats and dogs to bite, scratch or claw — putting children younger than 5 particularly at risk, the report says.
Young children are vulnerable because of developing immune systems plus they often put their hands in their mouths.
That means families with children younger than 5 should avoid owning “nontraditional” pets. Also, kids that young should avoid contact with these animals in petting zoos or other public places, according to the report from the American Academy of Pediatrics. The report appears in the October edition of the group’s medical journal, Pediatrics.
“Many parents clearly don’t understand the risks from various infections” these animals often carry, said Dr. Larry Pickering, the report’s lead author and an infectious disease specialist at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For example, about 11 percent of salmonella illnesses in children are thought to stem from contact with lizards, turtles and other reptiles, Pickering said. Hamsters also can carry this germ, which can cause severe diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps.
Salmonella also has been found in baby chicks, and young children can get it by kissing or touching the animals and then putting their hands in their mouths, he said.
Study co-author Dr. Joseph Bocchini said he recently treated an infant who got salmonella from the family’s pet iguana, which was allowed to roam freely in the home. The child was hospitalized for four weeks but has recovered, said Bocchini, head of the academy’s infectious diseases committee and pediatrics chairman at Louisiana State University in Shreveport.
Hedgehogs can be dangerous because their quills can penetrate skin and have been known to spread a bacteria germ that can cause fever, stomach pain and a rash, the report said.
With supervision and precautions like hand-washing, contact between children and animals “is a good thing,” Bocchini said. But families should wait until children are older before bringing home an exotic pet, he said.
Those who already have these pets should contact their veterinarians about specific risks and possible new homes for the animals, he said.
Data cited in the study indicate that about 4 million U.S. households have pet reptiles. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, all kinds of exotic pets are on the rise, although generally fewer than 2 percent of households own them.
The veterinarian group’s Mike Dutton, a Weare, N.H., exotic animal specialist, said the recommendations send an important message to parents who sometimes buy exotic pets on an impulse, “then they ask questions, sometimes many months later.”
But a spokesman for the International Hedgehog Association said there’s no reason to single out hedgehogs or other exotic pets.
“Our recommendation is that no animal should be a pet for kids 5 and under,” said Z.G. Standing Bear. He runs a rescue operation near Pikes Peak, Colo., for abandoned hedgehogs, which became fad pets about 10 years ago.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
By LINDSEY TANNER
AP Medical Writer
CHICAGO (AP) _ Warning: young children should not keep hedgehogs as pets — or hamsters, baby chicks, lizards and turtles, for that matter — because of risks for disease.
That’s according to the nation’s leading pediatricians’ group in a new report about dangers from exotic animals.
Besides evidence that they can carry dangerous and sometimes potentially deadly germs, exotic pets may be more prone than cats and dogs to bite, scratch or claw — putting children younger than 5 particularly at risk, the report says.
Young children are vulnerable because of developing immune systems plus they often put their hands in their mouths.
That means families with children younger than 5 should avoid owning “nontraditional” pets. Also, kids that young should avoid contact with these animals in petting zoos or other public places, according to the report from the American Academy of Pediatrics. The report appears in the October edition of the group’s medical journal, Pediatrics.
“Many parents clearly don’t understand the risks from various infections” these animals often carry, said Dr. Larry Pickering, the report’s lead author and an infectious disease specialist at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For example, about 11 percent of salmonella illnesses in children are thought to stem from contact with lizards, turtles and other reptiles, Pickering said. Hamsters also can carry this germ, which can cause severe diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps.
Salmonella also has been found in baby chicks, and young children can get it by kissing or touching the animals and then putting their hands in their mouths, he said.
Study co-author Dr. Joseph Bocchini said he recently treated an infant who got salmonella from the family’s pet iguana, which was allowed to roam freely in the home. The child was hospitalized for four weeks but has recovered, said Bocchini, head of the academy’s infectious diseases committee and pediatrics chairman at Louisiana State University in Shreveport.
Hedgehogs can be dangerous because their quills can penetrate skin and have been known to spread a bacteria germ that can cause fever, stomach pain and a rash, the report said.
With supervision and precautions like hand-washing, contact between children and animals “is a good thing,” Bocchini said. But families should wait until children are older before bringing home an exotic pet, he said.
Those who already have these pets should contact their veterinarians about specific risks and possible new homes for the animals, he said.
Data cited in the study indicate that about 4 million U.S. households have pet reptiles. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, all kinds of exotic pets are on the rise, although generally fewer than 2 percent of households own them.
The veterinarian group’s Mike Dutton, a Weare, N.H., exotic animal specialist, said the recommendations send an important message to parents who sometimes buy exotic pets on an impulse, “then they ask questions, sometimes many months later.”
But a spokesman for the International Hedgehog Association said there’s no reason to single out hedgehogs or other exotic pets.
“Our recommendation is that no animal should be a pet for kids 5 and under,” said Z.G. Standing Bear. He runs a rescue operation near Pikes Peak, Colo., for abandoned hedgehogs, which became fad pets about 10 years ago.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
EPA won’t limit toxic chemical in drinking water
Date: 10/3/2008 5:28 PM
By ERICA WERNER
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) _ Federal regulators said Friday they don’t plan to try to rid drinking water supplies of a toxic rocket fuel ingredient that’s been found in 35 states.
The Environmental Protection Agency will take public comment for 30 days before finalizing its decision not to regulate the contaminant, perchlorate, in drinking water. The Associated Press and other news outlets reported the agency’s plans last month based on internal EPA documents.
The announcement Friday provoked outrage from Democratic lawmakers and a lawsuit threat from environmental groups. Particularly widespread in California and Texas, perchlorate has been found to interfere with thyroid function and pose developmental health risks, particularly for babies and fetuses.
“EPA’s decision has industry’s fingerprints all over it. Weapons makers will benefit at the expense of millions of Americans,” said Earthjustice attorney George Torgun. He said Earthjustice would argue in court that perchlorate does qualify for regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
The decision on perchlorate has been pending for years as the Pentagon tussled with EPA over the issue.
The Defense Department used perchlorate for decades in testing missiles and rockets, and most perchlorate contamination is the result of defense and aerospace activities, congressional investigators said last year.
The Pentagon could face liability if EPA set a national drinking water standard that forced water agencies around the country to undertake costly clean-up efforts. But Pentagon officials have insisted they did not seek to influence EPA’s decision.
States have already moved ahead with their own drinking water standards, with California setting a limit of 6 parts per billion and Massachusetts setting it at 2 parts per billion.
EPA said in a press release Friday that it had determined that in more than 99 percent of public drinking water systems, perchlorate was not at levels of public health concern. Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, “the agency determined there is not a ‘meaningful opportunity for health risk reduction’ through a national drinking water regulation.”
___
On the Net:
Government Accountability Report with map of 35 states found to have perchlorate:
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05462.pdf
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
By ERICA WERNER
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) _ Federal regulators said Friday they don’t plan to try to rid drinking water supplies of a toxic rocket fuel ingredient that’s been found in 35 states.
The Environmental Protection Agency will take public comment for 30 days before finalizing its decision not to regulate the contaminant, perchlorate, in drinking water. The Associated Press and other news outlets reported the agency’s plans last month based on internal EPA documents.
The announcement Friday provoked outrage from Democratic lawmakers and a lawsuit threat from environmental groups. Particularly widespread in California and Texas, perchlorate has been found to interfere with thyroid function and pose developmental health risks, particularly for babies and fetuses.
“EPA’s decision has industry’s fingerprints all over it. Weapons makers will benefit at the expense of millions of Americans,” said Earthjustice attorney George Torgun. He said Earthjustice would argue in court that perchlorate does qualify for regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
The decision on perchlorate has been pending for years as the Pentagon tussled with EPA over the issue.
The Defense Department used perchlorate for decades in testing missiles and rockets, and most perchlorate contamination is the result of defense and aerospace activities, congressional investigators said last year.
The Pentagon could face liability if EPA set a national drinking water standard that forced water agencies around the country to undertake costly clean-up efforts. But Pentagon officials have insisted they did not seek to influence EPA’s decision.
States have already moved ahead with their own drinking water standards, with California setting a limit of 6 parts per billion and Massachusetts setting it at 2 parts per billion.
EPA said in a press release Friday that it had determined that in more than 99 percent of public drinking water systems, perchlorate was not at levels of public health concern. Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, “the agency determined there is not a ‘meaningful opportunity for health risk reduction’ through a national drinking water regulation.”
___
On the Net:
Government Accountability Report with map of 35 states found to have perchlorate:
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05462.pdf
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
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