PA-BCERF News
November 2000
| Special Focus - Pesticides | Nutrition and Lifestyle News |
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As the school year begins, parents turn their attention to their child’s second home, the classroom. Moms and dads wonder if their kids will be safe on the bus and the playground, but what about while sitting at their desks? Children are among those who are at the highest risk from pesticide exposure. Yet, most school systems regularly use pesticides in classrooms. To address and reduce this practice, some suggest Integrated Pest Management, or IPM. IPM’s goals are: 1) Prevention of pest populations 2) Application of pesticides only "as needed" 3) Selecting the least hazardous pesticides effective for control of targeted pests. Precision targeting of pesticides to areas not contacted or accessible to the children, faculty, or staff. 5) Education 6) Notification of pesticide treatment According the PA IPM News, IPM for Pennsylvania’s schools is on its way with the help of some recently-acquired federal funds. Currently, IPM is adopted by schools on a voluntary basis, and is used by a growing number of school districts. To find out more about IPM in schools, contact the PA IPM program at (814) 865-2839 or web site at http://paipm.cas.psu.edu.
New York States Signs Bill Mandating Notification of Pesticide Use (Adapted from the New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/regional/082200ny-pesticide.html) On August 21, New York state enacted what has been called the nation's strictest notification policy for the use of pesticides by schools, companies, and individuals. The increasing popularity of integrated pest management to fight the insects that invade our homes, schools, and gardens, prompted the passage of the New York Neighbor Notification Law. Under the new law, counties can require pesticide users to give written notice to properties within 150 feet of an area being treated with a pesticide 48 hours prior to treatment. Counties can also require homeowners to post notices whenever a pesticide had been applied to their property. Although some feel the law will not be completely binding, the state believes it is a step in the right direction concerning the reduction of pesticide use. Others believe that increasing community awareness of pesticides can increase community activism about certain health issues, like cancer, by reiterating the connection of the environment to human health.
Other Websites of Interest:
For information on all types of IPM, see The National IPM Network: http://www.reeusda.gov/nipmn/. From Pa IPM, a collaboration of Penn State and the Pa. Department of
Agriculture. The University of Connecticut offers a free online homeschool certificate course on IPM. It’s open to anyone. To register, go to: http://www.canr.uconn.edu/ces/ipm/homecourse/coursinfo.htm |
Early Diet May Play Important Role in Breast Cancer Risk Georgetown University’s
Dr. Leena Hilakivi-Clarke suggests that what one eats as a child may
affect lifetime breast cancer risk more than adult diet. Although previous
research has linked diets that raise estrogen levels in with an increased
risk of breast cancer, Dr. Hilakivi-Clarke contends that the link between
estrogen and cancer risk is more complex. She believes that one’s diet
at certain stages of life seems to be critical when determining breast
cancer risk. Dr. Hilakivi-Clarke found that a high estrogen levels during
childhood lowered breast cancer rates, even though at all other ages,
high estrogen levels resulted in high and cancer rates. Nonetheless,
the researcher stressed that more investigation into this important
finding is needed. Read the full article at: http://www.aicr.org/r083100d.htm
Practicing Safe Soy Some herald soy as a modern-day cure-all, causing many new soy supplements to crowd store shelves. But the claims that soy reduces the risk of heart disease, osteoporosis, certain types of cancer while quelling hot flashes have little scientific evidence to back them up. In addition, new studies report that soy may actually increase the risk of breast cancer by causing the proliferation of epithelial breast cells in premenopausal women. The bottom-line? Although soy may lower cholesterol and postmenopausal symptoms, the questions about its connection to breast cancer remain. Therefore, it is best to limit consumption to of soy to soy foods, and leave the supplements at the health food store. See the full articles at: http://www.cspinet.org/nah/soy/soy.html http://www.cspinet.org/nah/soy/phytoestrogen.html
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In-Service
Updates
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"Living Downstream: A Scientist Looks at Cancer and the Environment" was held October 23. Sandra Steingraber, Ph.D. 's presentation focused on environmental links to cancer. Individuals participated via PicTel teleconferencing in Allegheny, Clearfield, Crawford, Elk and Indiana Counties. For more information about the Dr. Steingraber, visit http://www.steingraber.com
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Other
Conferences
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November
14, 2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
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