During my travel to those countries like Bangadesh.. Sri lanka, Africa, Indonesia, China.. rural area.. my observation is that the drinking water problem seem to be more serious than what when I am escorted around.
So 4,000 Children died per day due to un-save drinking water is believed to be under stated!!
It need the authorities in respective countries to work hand in hand with WHO to enforce the safety water standard.
As well as the public awareness & education program.
Safe & Clean Drinking Water for Great Health for All.
Dirty water, sanitation kill thousands daily-experts
25 Feb 2005 00:01:00 GMT Source: Reuters
By Karin Strohecker
LONDON (Reuters) - Unsafe drinking water and poor sanitation kill 4,000 children every day, global health experts said on Friday.
They described the deaths as a "silent humanitarian crisis" and called for immediate action.
"There should be an outcry, from the health community above all, for immediate, concerted efforts to confront the reality that sanitation coverage rates in the developing world barely keep pace with population growth," said Dr Jamie Bartram, of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Four out of 10 people around the globe do not have access to a simple pit latrine and one-fifth have no source of safe drinking water.
"Far more people endure the largely preventable effects of poor sanitation and water supply than are affected by war, terrorism and weapons of mass destruction," Bartram said in an article in The Lancet medical journal.
The report was published as part of a review of the Millennium Development Goals, a number of pledges set out in 1990 to improve living conditions in developing nations by 2015.
But the researchers said realising the goals of eradicating extreme poverty, creating primary school education and reducing child mortality would be difficult without solving the water problem.
Half of all hospital beds in the world are filled with people suffering from water-related diseases such as malaria, diarrhoea and trachoma, an eye disorder, according to the report.
Tackling the problem means addressing it from all sides.
Bartram pointed to the fragile balance between development and safety when creating reservoirs and irrigation schemes. Crop watering systems can improve nutrition but they also provide a fertile breeding ground for diseases.
"Improving irrigation to avoid standing or slow-moving water and improving disposal of household wastewater can reduce mosquito breeding and transmission of malaria," he said.
Reuters AlertNet - Dirty water, sanitation kill thousands daily-experts
Saturday, February 26, 2005
Friday, February 25, 2005
Calcium in the Trash, Not the Glass -- Beware of R.O. Filter System
This report subject is relevant here.
It made me think about the R.O. Filter System for the Home Drinking Water.
I used to have the R.O. System installed in my home, then later I found that the R.O. system actually filter off 6-8 Gallon of water to get one gallon of drinking water.
Also, the R.O. Filter system filtered off most of the trace minerals. including calcium.
So, my advise is that if possible don't use the R.O. filter for your Drinking Water system.
Otherwise you need to select the right supplements to replenish it for your Great Health.
Calcium in the Trash, Not the Glass
Thursday February 24, 12:00 pm ET
- Study Finds Fortified Drinks Don't Deliver What's Promised -
BERKELEY, Calif., Feb. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Everything from soy to orange juice is fortified with calcium these days. But a new study recently published in Nutrition Today* finds that up to 75% of calcium added to popular beverages, like soy drinks and orange juice, gets left at the bottom of the carton. Researchers concluded that existing nutritional labels of these fortified drinks are likely to mislead consumers promising more calcium than they actually deliver.
"This study is really important for people who rely on these beverages to get their calcium every day," states Dr. Celia Brown, MD/Family Practitioner, Woodland Hills, CA. "These findings suggest that in doing so they may be throwing away more calcium than they actually drink."
The three-person medical panel at Creighton University who conducted the study found that -- despite vigorous shaking - -the calcium added to fortified soy and rice beverages settled to the bottom of the container. They concluded that regular hand shaking -- per label instructions -- was not enough to adequately suspend the bone-building nutrient so that it could be consumed. A hardware store paint shaker would be needed for that the researchers found.
Conducted by Creighton's Osteoporosis Research Center, the study compared 14 calcium-fortified beverages (soy, rice, orange juice, etc.) to unfortified, fat-free milk. Of all beverages studied, the research concludes that milk is the most reliable source of calcium.
"This study sheds light on an issue of great public concern as many Americans -- especially kids -- aren't developing adequate bone mass," says Brown.
Over the last 20 to 30 years, there's been a shift away from milk as the standard drink at meals. Government studies show an alarming 86% of teen girls and 64% of teen boys aren't getting enough calcium daily - lacking the equivalent of four glasses of milk per day.**
Research Highlights
- The quality of calcium-fortification in soy/rice beverages and orange
juice is uneven, and may confuse consumers as to the actual calcium
content and benefits.
- Milk scored higher than eight of the 10 orange juice brands and all
four of the soy and rice beverages.
- The study found that milk was the most reliable calcium source and
delivers what the label promises.***
About Dr. Celia Brown, M.D.
Dr. Celia Brown is a graduate of Cornell University, and UCLA Medical School. She is Board Certified in Family Medicine. She currently practices in Woodland Hills, California where she does general Family Medicine. Dr. Brown teaches on the UCLA clinical faculty. She is author of a book of general medical tips for the public, entitled, Doctor's Little Book of Answers.
For more information or a copy of the study contact:
Molly Ireland at 310-226-8600 or 310-455-1160
or e-mail at: molly.ireland@rlpublicrelations.com
* Heaney, RP et al. Not all calcium fortified beverages are equal.
Nutrition Today. 2005; 40(1): pp-pp.
** www.nichd.nih.gov/new/releases/calcium_crisis.cfm?from=milk
*** Scores compare calcium suspension in liquids.
Calcium in the Trash, Not the Glass
It made me think about the R.O. Filter System for the Home Drinking Water.
I used to have the R.O. System installed in my home, then later I found that the R.O. system actually filter off 6-8 Gallon of water to get one gallon of drinking water.
Also, the R.O. Filter system filtered off most of the trace minerals. including calcium.
So, my advise is that if possible don't use the R.O. filter for your Drinking Water system.
Otherwise you need to select the right supplements to replenish it for your Great Health.
Calcium in the Trash, Not the Glass
Thursday February 24, 12:00 pm ET
- Study Finds Fortified Drinks Don't Deliver What's Promised -
BERKELEY, Calif., Feb. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Everything from soy to orange juice is fortified with calcium these days. But a new study recently published in Nutrition Today* finds that up to 75% of calcium added to popular beverages, like soy drinks and orange juice, gets left at the bottom of the carton. Researchers concluded that existing nutritional labels of these fortified drinks are likely to mislead consumers promising more calcium than they actually deliver.
"This study is really important for people who rely on these beverages to get their calcium every day," states Dr. Celia Brown, MD/Family Practitioner, Woodland Hills, CA. "These findings suggest that in doing so they may be throwing away more calcium than they actually drink."
The three-person medical panel at Creighton University who conducted the study found that -- despite vigorous shaking - -the calcium added to fortified soy and rice beverages settled to the bottom of the container. They concluded that regular hand shaking -- per label instructions -- was not enough to adequately suspend the bone-building nutrient so that it could be consumed. A hardware store paint shaker would be needed for that the researchers found.
Conducted by Creighton's Osteoporosis Research Center, the study compared 14 calcium-fortified beverages (soy, rice, orange juice, etc.) to unfortified, fat-free milk. Of all beverages studied, the research concludes that milk is the most reliable source of calcium.
"This study sheds light on an issue of great public concern as many Americans -- especially kids -- aren't developing adequate bone mass," says Brown.
Over the last 20 to 30 years, there's been a shift away from milk as the standard drink at meals. Government studies show an alarming 86% of teen girls and 64% of teen boys aren't getting enough calcium daily - lacking the equivalent of four glasses of milk per day.**
Research Highlights
- The quality of calcium-fortification in soy/rice beverages and orange
juice is uneven, and may confuse consumers as to the actual calcium
content and benefits.
- Milk scored higher than eight of the 10 orange juice brands and all
four of the soy and rice beverages.
- The study found that milk was the most reliable calcium source and
delivers what the label promises.***
About Dr. Celia Brown, M.D.
Dr. Celia Brown is a graduate of Cornell University, and UCLA Medical School. She is Board Certified in Family Medicine. She currently practices in Woodland Hills, California where she does general Family Medicine. Dr. Brown teaches on the UCLA clinical faculty. She is author of a book of general medical tips for the public, entitled, Doctor's Little Book of Answers.
For more information or a copy of the study contact:
Molly Ireland at 310-226-8600 or 310-455-1160
or e-mail at: molly.ireland@rlpublicrelations.com
* Heaney, RP et al. Not all calcium fortified beverages are equal.
Nutrition Today. 2005; 40(1): pp-pp.
** www.nichd.nih.gov/new/releases/calcium_crisis.cfm?from=milk
*** Scores compare calcium suspension in liquids.
Calcium in the Trash, Not the Glass
Thursday, February 24, 2005
Water For All News
I am putting these Newsletter for All To share.
You can see & feel yourself the important of the concern the Water issues.
Do care to download PDF documents for additional info.
News from Water for All
Stockton gets a failing grade
At the City Council meeting on Dec. 7, the Concerned Citizens Coalition
of Stockton released to the public the first Annual Service Contract
Compliance Review covering the first phase of OMI-Thames 20-year, $600
million water privatization contract in Stockton, California.
The Review details changes to the contract that benefit OMI-Thames: water
rates for Stockton residents have risen two years in a row due to the
contract; customer service requirements have been unfulfilled; a number
of staffing positions are filled with temporary or interim employees;
unaccounted for water has risen from around 3.5% under municipal
operation to nearly 7.5% under private operation; maintenance tasks are
backlogged and finally, OMI made an unauthorized dump of chlorinated
water into an irrigation canal that resulted in a $125,000 fine from
the State Water Resources Control Board. Perhaps this is why the champion
of this privatization, former mayor of Stockton Gary Podesto, failed in
his bid to win a state Senate seat.
The Concerned Citizens' lawsuit challenging the privatization deal is
still pending before the state appeals court. California Attorney
General Bill Lockyer recently filed an amicus brief in support of the
Citizens claims that the City of Stockton violated the California
Environmental Quality Act by not conducting the environmental review
required by state law. For more information see www.cccos.org
Water report from the World Social Forum
The issue of water, defending and protecting this vital natural
resource for humankind and the planet, was a key topic at the World
Social Forum (WSF) in Porto Alegre, Brazil in late January. More than
32 workshops were organized including large open sessions at the
beginning and end of the WSF where a draft global water action platform
was debated.
Public Citizen,along with many other organizations in the
inter-American water activist network (Red VIDA -Vigilancia
Interamericana para el Derecho y Desarrollo del Agua) and from Europe
organized workshops focusing on the role of the World Bank in promoting
water privatization, a speak-out on formulating a UN Treaty on water, a
special workshop to build solidarity for the struggle in El Alto,
Bolivia, a strategy session to plan for the World Water Forum in Mexico
City and much more.
There were many opportunities for networking and
learning about water struggles around the world. The Red VIDA held its
first Hemispheric Assembly prior to the WSF and developed a collective
workplan with three broad planks:
(1) challenging privatization through campaigns focused on the
transnationals, especially Suez, the international financial institutions,
and their national and localaccomplices;
(2) defending our public water systems and developing new
models of democratic water governance and management with social
responsibility and citizen oversight; and
(3) expanding our membership and building alliances with networks and
organizations across the globe. Learning about the strength and diversity
of social movements around the world made it a truly inspiring experience.
Small town residents fight Nestle Water bottling plant
Residents of McCloud, California, a small community near Mount Shasta,
have taken legal action to stop Nestle Waters North America from
building a bottled water plant in their township.
The group filed a lawsuit in March asking a Siskiyou County judge to set
aside an agreement that would allow Nestle to purchase up to 1,600
acre feet of water per year from springs that feed Squaw Valley Creek
and the McCloud River.
The group brought to the judge's attention that Nestle and the
Service District failed to file an environmental impact review before
agreeing on the contract, an extremely important report given the
potentially serious impacts the deal could have on the area's water
supply. The judge's decision on the case is expected in March or April.
The Nestle deal has spurred residents to action.
A new group, the McCloud Watershed Council, a project of the Mount
Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center (MSBEC), hopes to harness the
community's growing concern about the environmental impact of the
bottling plant and the lack of community input in the Nestle deal.
Donations earmarked for McCloud Watershed Council can be mailed to
MSBEC at PO Box 1143, 211 East Alma
St, Mount Shasta, CA 96067.
Don't Believe the Hype
On Feb. 9, Public Citizen released a new report on the largest water
company in the world, Veolia Environnement. The report focuses on the
French-owned multinational company, which operates in 84 countries and
had a 2004 net income of $2.58 billion.
Its U.S. arm is now called Veolia Water North America, formerly known
as USFilter, which operates and manages water and/or wastewater
facilities and systems in 38 states. "Despite repeated public failures in the
United States, these water companies continue to push their unwanted
vision on us," said Wenonah Hauter, director of Public Citizen's Water for
All Campaign.
"Veolia leads this industry, and it's time that the public learned more about
how this corporation operates, particularly its shoddy
environmental record. As Veolia attempts to expand its control of the world's
water resources on every continent, in nations rich and poor, citizens,
communities and countries need to understand Veolia's purpose,
practices and track record." To read the report, please go to
http://www.citizen.org/documents/Vivendi-USFilter.pdf.
Also, in its Fall/Winter 2004 magazine, Veolia published a critical
piece about Public Citizen titled "PPPs vs. PC," where it defended its
practices and attempted to discredit the Water for All Campaign. (To
read the article, please go to
http://www.citizen.org/documents/Veolia_PPPvsPC.pdf.) In response,
Public Citizen issued a statement (To read the response, please go to
http://www.citizen.org/documents/Veolia%20vs%20Veracity.pdf.)
Read This!
There's a new book out titled Reclaiming Public Water (co-published by
Transnational Institute and Corporate Europe Observatory), available
online:http://www.tni.org/books/publicwater.htm.
Written by public water utility managers, trade unionists and civil society activists
from more than 20 countries, Reclaiming Public Water gives examples from
around the world of how urban public water delivery can be improved
through democratic reforms, such as citizens' participation. It also
draws on the experiences of anti-privatization coalitions and their
visions on making public water work.
For more information, see
www.waterjustice.org.
"Reality Tour" in Bolivia
Global Exchange, an international human rights organization, is
sponsoring a reality tour in Bolivia this month, part of a program that
was created to help people understand first-hand contemporary
political, economic, environmental, and cultural issues around the world.
The Bolivian people have been protesting privatization since they succeeded
in keeping their public water rights in 2000. But President Carlos
Mesa has been working to open up the country for international investment,
so grassroots organizations are uniting to protest the sale of their
country to multinational corporations.
Global Exchange's tour will explore Bolivia's fight to stop privatization, along
with other issues igniting the people's zeal including the drug war, with increasing
conflict over the coca trade, and workers' rights. While it's too late
to sign up for the February tour, Global Exchange is already planning
for a similar tour June 18-27, 2005.
For more information, please go to
http://www.globalexchange.org/tours/616.html or
call (800) 497-1994 ext.226.
TAKE ACTION
Plan an event in your community to celebrate World Water Day.
For ideas, visit our webpage from last year's events:
http://www.citizen.org/cmep/Water/us/articles.cfm?ID=11100.
Or, call the Water for All Campaign at (202) 454-5178.
Juliette Beck
California Campaign Director
Water for All
Public Citizen
510-663-0888 ext. 101
SBC Yahoo! Mail - tanch89@pacbell.net
You can see & feel yourself the important of the concern the Water issues.
Do care to download PDF documents for additional info.
News from Water for All
Stockton gets a failing grade
At the City Council meeting on Dec. 7, the Concerned Citizens Coalition
of Stockton released to the public the first Annual Service Contract
Compliance Review covering the first phase of OMI-Thames 20-year, $600
million water privatization contract in Stockton, California.
The Review details changes to the contract that benefit OMI-Thames: water
rates for Stockton residents have risen two years in a row due to the
contract; customer service requirements have been unfulfilled; a number
of staffing positions are filled with temporary or interim employees;
unaccounted for water has risen from around 3.5% under municipal
operation to nearly 7.5% under private operation; maintenance tasks are
backlogged and finally, OMI made an unauthorized dump of chlorinated
water into an irrigation canal that resulted in a $125,000 fine from
the State Water Resources Control Board. Perhaps this is why the champion
of this privatization, former mayor of Stockton Gary Podesto, failed in
his bid to win a state Senate seat.
The Concerned Citizens' lawsuit challenging the privatization deal is
still pending before the state appeals court. California Attorney
General Bill Lockyer recently filed an amicus brief in support of the
Citizens claims that the City of Stockton violated the California
Environmental Quality Act by not conducting the environmental review
required by state law. For more information see www.cccos.org
Water report from the World Social Forum
The issue of water, defending and protecting this vital natural
resource for humankind and the planet, was a key topic at the World
Social Forum (WSF) in Porto Alegre, Brazil in late January. More than
32 workshops were organized including large open sessions at the
beginning and end of the WSF where a draft global water action platform
was debated.
Public Citizen,along with many other organizations in the
inter-American water activist network (Red VIDA -Vigilancia
Interamericana para el Derecho y Desarrollo del Agua) and from Europe
organized workshops focusing on the role of the World Bank in promoting
water privatization, a speak-out on formulating a UN Treaty on water, a
special workshop to build solidarity for the struggle in El Alto,
Bolivia, a strategy session to plan for the World Water Forum in Mexico
City and much more.
There were many opportunities for networking and
learning about water struggles around the world. The Red VIDA held its
first Hemispheric Assembly prior to the WSF and developed a collective
workplan with three broad planks:
(1) challenging privatization through campaigns focused on the
transnationals, especially Suez, the international financial institutions,
and their national and localaccomplices;
(2) defending our public water systems and developing new
models of democratic water governance and management with social
responsibility and citizen oversight; and
(3) expanding our membership and building alliances with networks and
organizations across the globe. Learning about the strength and diversity
of social movements around the world made it a truly inspiring experience.
Small town residents fight Nestle Water bottling plant
Residents of McCloud, California, a small community near Mount Shasta,
have taken legal action to stop Nestle Waters North America from
building a bottled water plant in their township.
The group filed a lawsuit in March asking a Siskiyou County judge to set
aside an agreement that would allow Nestle to purchase up to 1,600
acre feet of water per year from springs that feed Squaw Valley Creek
and the McCloud River.
The group brought to the judge's attention that Nestle and the
Service District failed to file an environmental impact review before
agreeing on the contract, an extremely important report given the
potentially serious impacts the deal could have on the area's water
supply. The judge's decision on the case is expected in March or April.
The Nestle deal has spurred residents to action.
A new group, the McCloud Watershed Council, a project of the Mount
Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center (MSBEC), hopes to harness the
community's growing concern about the environmental impact of the
bottling plant and the lack of community input in the Nestle deal.
Donations earmarked for McCloud Watershed Council can be mailed to
MSBEC at PO Box 1143, 211 East Alma
St, Mount Shasta, CA 96067.
Don't Believe the Hype
On Feb. 9, Public Citizen released a new report on the largest water
company in the world, Veolia Environnement. The report focuses on the
French-owned multinational company, which operates in 84 countries and
had a 2004 net income of $2.58 billion.
Its U.S. arm is now called Veolia Water North America, formerly known
as USFilter, which operates and manages water and/or wastewater
facilities and systems in 38 states. "Despite repeated public failures in the
United States, these water companies continue to push their unwanted
vision on us," said Wenonah Hauter, director of Public Citizen's Water for
All Campaign.
"Veolia leads this industry, and it's time that the public learned more about
how this corporation operates, particularly its shoddy
environmental record. As Veolia attempts to expand its control of the world's
water resources on every continent, in nations rich and poor, citizens,
communities and countries need to understand Veolia's purpose,
practices and track record." To read the report, please go to
http://www.citizen.org/documents/Vivendi-USFilter.pdf.
Also, in its Fall/Winter 2004 magazine, Veolia published a critical
piece about Public Citizen titled "PPPs vs. PC," where it defended its
practices and attempted to discredit the Water for All Campaign. (To
read the article, please go to
http://www.citizen.org/documents/Veolia_PPPvsPC.pdf.) In response,
Public Citizen issued a statement (To read the response, please go to
http://www.citizen.org/documents/Veolia%20vs%20Veracity.pdf.)
Read This!
There's a new book out titled Reclaiming Public Water (co-published by
Transnational Institute and Corporate Europe Observatory), available
online:http://www.tni.org/books/publicwater.htm.
Written by public water utility managers, trade unionists and civil society activists
from more than 20 countries, Reclaiming Public Water gives examples from
around the world of how urban public water delivery can be improved
through democratic reforms, such as citizens' participation. It also
draws on the experiences of anti-privatization coalitions and their
visions on making public water work.
For more information, see
www.waterjustice.org.
"Reality Tour" in Bolivia
Global Exchange, an international human rights organization, is
sponsoring a reality tour in Bolivia this month, part of a program that
was created to help people understand first-hand contemporary
political, economic, environmental, and cultural issues around the world.
The Bolivian people have been protesting privatization since they succeeded
in keeping their public water rights in 2000. But President Carlos
Mesa has been working to open up the country for international investment,
so grassroots organizations are uniting to protest the sale of their
country to multinational corporations.
Global Exchange's tour will explore Bolivia's fight to stop privatization, along
with other issues igniting the people's zeal including the drug war, with increasing
conflict over the coca trade, and workers' rights. While it's too late
to sign up for the February tour, Global Exchange is already planning
for a similar tour June 18-27, 2005.
For more information, please go to
http://www.globalexchange.org/tours/616.html or
call (800) 497-1994 ext.226.
TAKE ACTION
Plan an event in your community to celebrate World Water Day.
For ideas, visit our webpage from last year's events:
http://www.citizen.org/cmep/Water/us/articles.cfm?ID=11100.
Or, call the Water for All Campaign at (202) 454-5178.
Juliette Beck
California Campaign Director
Water for All
Public Citizen
510-663-0888 ext. 101
SBC Yahoo! Mail - tanch89@pacbell.net
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Rocket-Fuel Chemical Found in Breast Milk
I am highlighting the major concern of both baby & mother who are going to do breast feeding.
36 women in 18 states sampled milk is with Perchlorate!!
Perchlorate would cause the Baby to have brain damage & also Thyroid-imparing effects..
The findings concern health experts because infants and fetuses are the most vulnerable to the thyroid-impairing effects of the chemical.
Breast milk from 36 women in 18 states, including California, was sampled, and all contained traces of perchlorate.
Perchlorate blocks the nutrient iodide and inhibits thyroid hormones, which are necessary for brain development and cellular growth of a fetus or infant. A baby with impaired thyroid development may have neurological defects that result in lower IQ or learning disabilities.
The researchers recommended that pregnant and nursing women block the effects of perchlorate by taking iodine supplements as a precaution.
Besides taking iodine, I strongly feel that, the authority shall be responsible to uphold the standard than lower the standard to 6 part per Billions in the drinking water. Wrting a report for infants is not going to help for the short term.
It must be quickly move in to 100% check on the drinking water source in all water district to gether the sample & ensure that it meet the minimum safety requirement.
So that to assure the residents on the Safety & Great Health.
Rocket-Fuel Chemical Found in Breast Milk
February 23, 2005
Scientists on Tuesday reported that perchlorate, a toxic component of rocket fuel, was contaminating virtually all samples of women's breast milk and its levels were found to be, on average, five times greater than in cow's milk.
The contaminant, which originates mostly at defense industry plants, previously had been detected in various food and water supplies around the country. But the study by Texas Tech University's Institute of Environmental and Human Health was the first to investigate breast milk.
The findings concern health experts because infants and fetuses are the most vulnerable to the thyroid-impairing effects of the chemical.
Breast milk from 36 women in 18 states, including California, was sampled, and all contained traces of perchlorate.
Perchlorate blocks the nutrient iodide and inhibits thyroid hormones, which are necessary for brain development and cellular growth of a fetus or infant. A baby with impaired thyroid development may have neurological defects that result in lower IQ or learning disabilities.
The researchers recommended that pregnant and nursing women block the effects of perchlorate by taking iodine supplements as a precaution.
At the levels they found in breast milk, the scientists reported that 1-month-old infants would take in enough perchlorate to exceed a safe level, called a reference dose, that was established last month by a panel of the National Academy of Sciences.
"It is obvious that the NAS safe dose … will be exceeded for the majority of infants," the report published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology says. Some infants would ingest so much that they would exceed levels that altered the brain structure of animals in laboratory tests.
The findings come as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is developing an enforceable limit on the amount of perchlorate in drinking water based on the recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences panel. Currently there is no national standard.
"This is not just another study," said Renee Sharp, a senior analyst at the Environmental Working Group, which advocated a strict national standard. "It ends the questions about whether women are passing along perchlorate to their kids through breast milk, and the sky-high levels the scientists found put more than half the kids over the safe levels the NAS now recommends."
Environmentalists have urged the EPA to set its standard based on the body weight and perchlorate intake of an infant rather than an adult. Toxicologists said that would probably mean a standard of a few parts per billion. Pentagon officials have said that would shut down many water systems across the country and cost the military and its contractors billions of dollars in cleanup costs. They have instead lobbied for a standard of about 200 parts per billion based on thyroid studies of adults.
The new findings "will practically force EPA officials to write a drinking water standard that protects infants — not just healthy adults," Sharp said.
California has set its own public health goal of 6 parts per billion but it is not an enforceable limit.
The Texas Tech researchers, led by Andrea Kirk, reported that the perchlorate in breast milk was not linked to the water the mothers drank. Instead, the main source was probably food, which apparently was tainted by irrigation water.
The finding that perchlorate is pervasive in breast milk and reaches high levels is somewhat of a surprise to toxicologists, because, unlike many other industrial chemicals, it does not build up in tissues over time.
Instead, it appears that the amount passed on to the infant in breast milk is determined by what the mother has just eaten.
Perchlorate levels are particularly high in the lower Colorado River, which supplies irrigation water to almost 2 million acres of cropland. The river, government officials believe, has been tainted by leaks from a Kerr-McGee plant near Lake Mead.
The highest perchlorate levels, one reaching 92 parts per billion, were found in the breast milk of two women from New Jersey. The average was 10.5 parts per billion, compared to 2 parts per billion in cow's milk. Forty-six of 47 samples of dairy milk purchased in 11 states, including California, contained perchlorate.
Sujatha Jahagirdar, clean-water advocate at Environment California, an advocacy group, said it was "absolutely appalling" that a component of rocket fuel was found in mother's milk.
Los Angeles Times: Rocket-Fuel Chemical Found in Breast Milk
36 women in 18 states sampled milk is with Perchlorate!!
Perchlorate would cause the Baby to have brain damage & also Thyroid-imparing effects..
The findings concern health experts because infants and fetuses are the most vulnerable to the thyroid-impairing effects of the chemical.
Breast milk from 36 women in 18 states, including California, was sampled, and all contained traces of perchlorate.
Perchlorate blocks the nutrient iodide and inhibits thyroid hormones, which are necessary for brain development and cellular growth of a fetus or infant. A baby with impaired thyroid development may have neurological defects that result in lower IQ or learning disabilities.
The researchers recommended that pregnant and nursing women block the effects of perchlorate by taking iodine supplements as a precaution.
Besides taking iodine, I strongly feel that, the authority shall be responsible to uphold the standard than lower the standard to 6 part per Billions in the drinking water. Wrting a report for infants is not going to help for the short term.
It must be quickly move in to 100% check on the drinking water source in all water district to gether the sample & ensure that it meet the minimum safety requirement.
So that to assure the residents on the Safety & Great Health.
Rocket-Fuel Chemical Found in Breast Milk
February 23, 2005
Scientists on Tuesday reported that perchlorate, a toxic component of rocket fuel, was contaminating virtually all samples of women's breast milk and its levels were found to be, on average, five times greater than in cow's milk.
The contaminant, which originates mostly at defense industry plants, previously had been detected in various food and water supplies around the country. But the study by Texas Tech University's Institute of Environmental and Human Health was the first to investigate breast milk.
The findings concern health experts because infants and fetuses are the most vulnerable to the thyroid-impairing effects of the chemical.
Breast milk from 36 women in 18 states, including California, was sampled, and all contained traces of perchlorate.
Perchlorate blocks the nutrient iodide and inhibits thyroid hormones, which are necessary for brain development and cellular growth of a fetus or infant. A baby with impaired thyroid development may have neurological defects that result in lower IQ or learning disabilities.
The researchers recommended that pregnant and nursing women block the effects of perchlorate by taking iodine supplements as a precaution.
At the levels they found in breast milk, the scientists reported that 1-month-old infants would take in enough perchlorate to exceed a safe level, called a reference dose, that was established last month by a panel of the National Academy of Sciences.
"It is obvious that the NAS safe dose … will be exceeded for the majority of infants," the report published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology says. Some infants would ingest so much that they would exceed levels that altered the brain structure of animals in laboratory tests.
The findings come as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is developing an enforceable limit on the amount of perchlorate in drinking water based on the recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences panel. Currently there is no national standard.
"This is not just another study," said Renee Sharp, a senior analyst at the Environmental Working Group, which advocated a strict national standard. "It ends the questions about whether women are passing along perchlorate to their kids through breast milk, and the sky-high levels the scientists found put more than half the kids over the safe levels the NAS now recommends."
Environmentalists have urged the EPA to set its standard based on the body weight and perchlorate intake of an infant rather than an adult. Toxicologists said that would probably mean a standard of a few parts per billion. Pentagon officials have said that would shut down many water systems across the country and cost the military and its contractors billions of dollars in cleanup costs. They have instead lobbied for a standard of about 200 parts per billion based on thyroid studies of adults.
The new findings "will practically force EPA officials to write a drinking water standard that protects infants — not just healthy adults," Sharp said.
California has set its own public health goal of 6 parts per billion but it is not an enforceable limit.
The Texas Tech researchers, led by Andrea Kirk, reported that the perchlorate in breast milk was not linked to the water the mothers drank. Instead, the main source was probably food, which apparently was tainted by irrigation water.
The finding that perchlorate is pervasive in breast milk and reaches high levels is somewhat of a surprise to toxicologists, because, unlike many other industrial chemicals, it does not build up in tissues over time.
Instead, it appears that the amount passed on to the infant in breast milk is determined by what the mother has just eaten.
Perchlorate levels are particularly high in the lower Colorado River, which supplies irrigation water to almost 2 million acres of cropland. The river, government officials believe, has been tainted by leaks from a Kerr-McGee plant near Lake Mead.
The highest perchlorate levels, one reaching 92 parts per billion, were found in the breast milk of two women from New Jersey. The average was 10.5 parts per billion, compared to 2 parts per billion in cow's milk. Forty-six of 47 samples of dairy milk purchased in 11 states, including California, contained perchlorate.
Sujatha Jahagirdar, clean-water advocate at Environment California, an advocacy group, said it was "absolutely appalling" that a component of rocket fuel was found in mother's milk.
Los Angeles Times: Rocket-Fuel Chemical Found in Breast Milk
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Cattle die from drinking contaminated lake water
New Zeland have been known for their diary farm products in the world.
Now, with the contaminations of their water, it is going to affects their earning for the Nations.
Algae is the earlier plants in the world, in the "I-Medicine Sutra" Algae & sea weeds have the applications of detoxin of our body.
The toxin of these blue green algae certainly from the contaminated water. So if the cattle can die off these contamination, so do human being!!
Cattle die from drinking contaminated lake water
22 February 2005
Nine cattle have died after drinking algae-contaminated water from Lake Rotongaro, in Raglan, Environment Waikato said today.
The seven cattle and two calves, which were found last Thursday, had access to the lakeshore and had been drinking the water.
Environment Waikato staff found high levels of the blue-green algae Microcystis and the algal toxin microcystin.
They discovered algae levels in the lake were 40 times higher than stock water standards, and toxin levels were 760 times higher.
Environment Waikato water scientist Bill Vant said algae occurred naturally in rivers, lakes and streams, and flourished in hot conditions.
Most algae was harmless, but high levels of blue-green algae were toxic to both people and animals, he said in a statement.
Mr Vant said parents should ensure that they and their children were not exposed to the toxins as they risked skin infections and serious intestinal illness.
STUFF : RURAL - STORY : New Zealand's leading news and information website
Now, with the contaminations of their water, it is going to affects their earning for the Nations.
Algae is the earlier plants in the world, in the "I-Medicine Sutra" Algae & sea weeds have the applications of detoxin of our body.
The toxin of these blue green algae certainly from the contaminated water. So if the cattle can die off these contamination, so do human being!!
Cattle die from drinking contaminated lake water
22 February 2005
Nine cattle have died after drinking algae-contaminated water from Lake Rotongaro, in Raglan, Environment Waikato said today.
The seven cattle and two calves, which were found last Thursday, had access to the lakeshore and had been drinking the water.
Environment Waikato staff found high levels of the blue-green algae Microcystis and the algal toxin microcystin.
They discovered algae levels in the lake were 40 times higher than stock water standards, and toxin levels were 760 times higher.
Environment Waikato water scientist Bill Vant said algae occurred naturally in rivers, lakes and streams, and flourished in hot conditions.
Most algae was harmless, but high levels of blue-green algae were toxic to both people and animals, he said in a statement.
Mr Vant said parents should ensure that they and their children were not exposed to the toxins as they risked skin infections and serious intestinal illness.
STUFF : RURAL - STORY : New Zealand's leading news and information website
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