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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'>Pardon any
cross-postings <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'>Laurie<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div>
</div></div></DIV>
<DIV><BR><BR></DIV>
<DIV STYLE="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Courier New"><EM><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE="2">The Department of Environmental
Protection values your feedback as a customer. DEP Secretary Michael W. Sole is committed to continuously assessing and
improving the level and quality of services provided to you. Please take a few minutes to comment on the quality of
service you received. <eXclaimer:HTML_ONLY>Simply click on <A TARGET="_blank" HREF="http://survey.dep.state.fl.us/?refemail=Laurie.Tenace@dep.state.fl.us">this link to the DEP Customer
Survey</A>.</eXclaimer:HTML_ONLY> Thank you in advance for completing the survey.</FONT></EM></DIV>
<DIV STYLE="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Courier New"><EM><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE="2">
</FONT></EM> </DIV>
<DIV STYLE="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Courier New"><div class=Section1><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> Peter Diamond [mailto:pdiamond@igc.org] <br>
<b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, April 15, 2009 6:39 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> hcwh<br>
<b>Subject:</b> [hcwh] EPA to test pesticides<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'>(hcwh@lists.hcwh.org)<o:p></o:p></p>
<h1 style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif"'>THE
WASHINGTON POST<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<h1 style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif"'>EPA
Will Test Pesticides' Effect on Endocrine System<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif"'><a
href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/15/AR2009041501960.html?hpid=topnews">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/15/AR2009041501960.html?hpid=topnews</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif"'>By <a
href="http://projects.washingtonpost.com/staff/email/juliet+eilperin/"
title="Send an e-mail to Juliet Eilperin">Juliet Eilperin</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif"'>Washington Post Staff Writer <br>
Wednesday, April 15, 2009; 1:47 PM </span><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif"'>The
Environmental Protection Agency announced today it will order pesticide
manufacturers for the first time to test 67 chemicals contained in their
products to determine if they disrupt the endocrine system, which regulates
both animals' and humans' growth, metabolism and reproduction. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif"'>Researchers
have raised concerns that chemicals released into the environment are
interfering with animals' hormone systems, citing problems such as male fish in
the Potomac River that are growing eggs. The chemicals, known as endocrine
disruptors, may interfere with the hormones that humans and animals produce or
secrete. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif"'>"Endocrine
disruptors can cause lifelong health problems, especially for children,"
said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson in a statement. "Gathering this
information will help us work with communities and industry to protect
Americans from harmful exposure." <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif"'>The
testing will begin this summer and focus on whether these chemicals affect the
body's estrogen, androgen and thyroid systems, EPA officials said. It will
eventually encompass all pesticide chemicals. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif"'>Pesticide
industry officials said they had anticipated the move, which was prompted
initially by the 1996 passage of the Food Quality Protection Act, and they
planned to cooperate on the matter. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif"'>"It's
been a long time coming," said Jay Vroom, president and chief executive of
CropLife America, a major trade association. "For pesticides, we think the
likelihood is extremely low we'll have any concerns come to the surface." <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif"'>Just
this month EPA rejected a petition from CropLife America that would have
changed aspects of the agency's Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program in an
effort to reduce the costs and time requirements associated with the new
testing regime. But Vroom said EPA indicated in its April 3 letter that it
would take several of the industry's concerns into account, including leaving
open the possibility in the future of using computer modeling in some instances
rather than relying exclusively on laboratory animal testing. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif"'>"That's
an encouraging sign," he said, adding it appeared the agency would be
willing to lower the number of lab animals required for testing. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif"'>Linda
Birnbaum, who directs the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
and the National Toxicology Program, said the program represents "a more
organized way to look at" how human exposure to pesticide chemicals could
affect everything from bone growth to brain development. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif"'>"This
is a good beginning," Birnbaum said, adding that scientists need to
examine how different hormone disruptors might interact or accumulate in the
human body. "It's very important to know, can certain chemicals,
especially chemicals that are out there that people are exposed to, impact our
hormone system." <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif"'>While
researchers have observed the most visible effects of these chemicals in
animals, Birnbaum said it was likely some humans, depending on their
particularly sensitivity, could experience similar problems. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif"'>"I
think it's unrealistic that humans are going to be immune," she said,
adding that the studies need to determine "what are doses, how much of
these chemicals do you need for cause and effect?" <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif"'>Linda
Phillips, who manages EPA's Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program, said it will
take about two years to obtain data from the two-tiered screening program, and
then it could take the agency another year to make a final determination about
the chemicals' effect on hormone disruption. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif"'>Vroom
said pesticide manufacturers are "very confident our products will come
through with flying colors. If we do learn something about our products that
raises a cause for concern, our industry will be at the table, ready and
willing to step forward and take action to mitigate risk." <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Palatino Linotype","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"'>Peter
Diamond<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"'>Associate
Director<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif";
color:#003300'>Environmental Health Fund<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"'>41
Oakview Terrace, Suite 1<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"'>Jamaica
Plain, MA 02130<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"'>617.524.6018<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"'>617.524.7021
fax<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"'>617.571.4601
cell<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'>---<br>
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