Fw: GARDEN STATE ENVIRONEWS 020301 (Lead Exposure Linked with Antisocial Behavior)

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020301

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: GARDEN STATE ENVIRONEWS

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: LEAD DANGER DETECTED IN ROXBURY

:

: Date: 020301

: From: http://www.dailyrecord.com

:

: LEAD DANGER DETECTED IN ROXBURY

: HOMEOWNERS ALERTED TO PROBLEM WITH THEIR WATER

:

: By Rob Jennings, rjenning@... or (973) 989-0652

: Daily Record, March 1, 2002

:

: Roxbury - Several homes in the Skyview Estates water system on Mooney

: Mountain have too much lead in their water, according to a legal

: notice from the township's water department.

:

: The homeowners were notified of the findings in a letter,

: Councilwoman Sandy Urgo said Thursday. Township Manager

: Raths could not be reached Thursday, and the exact number of homes

: involved could not be determined.

:

: Urgo said the " likelihood is that the problem is in the homes, "

: possibly in the piping.

:

: According to the water department's legal notice, most homes in the

: community did not test above the Environmental Protection Agency's

: " action level " of 0.015 milligrams of lead per liter of water.

:

: Lead in the home or in drinking water poses significant health risks

: to children and pregnant women. The Centers for Disease Control in

: Atlanta estimates that 890,00 U.S. children from age 1 to 5 have

: elevated blood lead levels. More than 80 percent of homes in the

: United States built before 1978 used lead-based paint, the CDC said.

:

: According to the water department, lead enters drinking water

: primarily through corrosion of lead-containing materials in the water

: distribution system and household plumbing.

:

: Materials most often at fault are lead-based solder used to connect

: copper pipe, brass and chrome-plated brass faucets, and lead pipes

: that connect a house to a water main, the legal notice indicated.

:

: Urgo noted that residents could take the precaution of running their

: water first thing in the morning, or in the evening after work or

: school, to clear the pipes of stagnant water. The longer water is in

: the piping, the higher its lead levels tend to be.

:

: Residents with questions may call the water department at

: (973) 398-2818.

:

: * * *

:

: Copyright 2002 Daily Record

:

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:

: LEAD EXPOSURE LINKED TO ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR

:

: Date: 020301

: From: http://ens.lycos.com/

:

: Environment News Service, March 1, 2002

:

: Cincinnati, Ohio - Exposure to lead in childhood could lead to

: antisocial or even criminal behavior in adults, a new study suggests.

: The first comprehensive lead study to track children over a period of

: time found that both prenatal and postnatal exposure to lead were

: associated with antisocial behavior in children and adolescents.

:

: " It appears that the neurodevelopmental effects of this avoidable

: environmental diseases of childhood may not be limited to declines in

: IQ or academic abilities, " said Dr. Kim Dietrich, associate director

: of Cincinnati Children's Environmental Health Center and the lead

: author of the study.

:

: Researchers at the Environmental Health Center at Cincinnati

: Children's Hospital Medical Center, in collaboration with University

: of Cincinnati researchers, followed inner city adolescents recruited

: into the study before birth between 1979 and 1985. Mothers known to be

: addicted to drugs or alcohol, diabetic, or those with proven

: neurological disorders, psychoses or mental retardation were excluded

: from the study.

:

: Between 1997 and 1999, 195 of these adolescents received follow up

: exams. Ninety-two percent were African American and 53 percent were

: male.

:

: Blood lead levels were taken from mothers during pregnancy and from

: children every three months between birth and age six, covering the

: time period when most developmental growth involving the brain occurs.

:

: Researchers asked the adolescents and their parents or legal

: guardians to document antisocial or delinquent behavior. This method

: of self reporting has been proved to be more valid than official

: records, which reflect only a small portion of antisocial acts

: actually committed, the researchers explained.

:

: " Self reported acts of delinquent behavior were common, " said

: Dietrich. " Adolescents with the highest blood lead concentrations when

: they were first graders reported, on average, 4.5 more delinquent acts

: in the previous 12 months compared to children with the lowest blood

: lead concentrations as first graders. "

:

: Delinquency was defined as behaviors in violation of legal statutes

: involving some risk of arrest, including offenses against property or

: persons, or other illegal activities such as driving without a license

: and disorderly conduct.

:

: The researchers found that exposure to lead was associated with

: antisocial behavior, even after adjusting for other factors that could

: lead to similar behavior. These included quality of home environment,

: low birth weight, parental intelligence and social class.

:

: To their surprise, the researchers found no gender differences in

: antisocial behavior. Girls were just as likely as boys to be violent

: and to be institutionalized for their behavior.

:

: While lead could be interfering with the usual gender differences

: seen in behavior, it is more likely that gender is becoming less a

: predictor of behavior in inner city populations, said Dr. Dietrich,

: professor of Environmental Health and Pediatrics at the University of

: Cincinnati.

:

: The study, which appears in the journal " Neurotoxicology and

: Teratology, " supports previous work at the University of Pittsburgh

: that suggested that children exposed to lead have significantly

: greater odds of developing delinquent behavior.

:

: University of Pittsburgh researcher Dr. Herbert Needleman, professor

: of child psychiatry and pediatrics, examined the bone lead levels of

: 216 youths convicted in a juvenile court and 201 non- delinquent

: controls from high schools in Pittsburgh.

:

: " Of all the causes of juvenile delinquency, lead exposure is perhaps

: the most preventable, " said Needleman. " These results should be a call

: to action for legislators to protect our children by requiring

: landlords to not simply disclose known instances of lead paint in

: their properties, but to remove it. "

:

: These reports join a growing body of evidence linking lead to health,

: cognitive and behavioral problems in children. In the U.S., almost a

: million children under the age of six suffer from lead poisoning.

:

: Lead exposure can cause permanent damage to the brain and other

: organs. Research shows that children with elevated blood lead levels

: are seven times more likely to drop out of school and twice as likely

: to lose a few years in language acquisition.

:

: Prior studies by Needleman linking lead exposure to lower IQ scores,

: short attention spans and poor language skills helped prompt

: nationwide government bans on lead from paint, gasoline and food and

: beverage cans.

:

: But there are still a number of ways in which children, and adults,

: may be exposed to lead. Most children who suffer from lead poisoning

: are exposed to invisible lead dust that is released when older paint

: is peeling, damaged or disturbed, or by eating chips of lead paint.

:

: Drinking water that comes from lead pipes or lead soldered fittings

: can expose children to lead, as can breathing air contaminated by the

: lead smelting, refining and manufacturing industries.

:

: Tobacco smoke contains some lead, and hobbies that use lead, such as

: leaded glass ceramics, can cause environmental exposures. Eating

: contaminated food grown on soil containing lead or food covered with

: lead containing dust is another source of exposure.

:

: Problems from lead exposure are not limited to children. A study by

: researchers at s Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health,

: found that lead exposure on the job can cause progressive declines in

: memory and learning abilities nearly two decades later.

:

: Another study, from Case Western Reserve University and University

: Hospitals of Cleveland, Ohio, demonstrated that people who have worked

: in jobs with high levels of lead exposure are up to 3.4 times more

: likely to develop Alzheimer's disease

:

: " Although lead has long been known to be toxic - and is believed to

: have affected the brains of some of the rulers of the Roman Empire,

: thereby causing its downfall - its long term damages are difficult to

: measure, " said beth Koss, PhD, lead author of the study. " The

: extent of its negative effects have been largely overlooked. "

:

: * * *

:

: © Environment News Service (ENS) 2001. .

: © Copyright 2001, Lycos, Inc. .

:

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:

: BELVIDERE: PPL TRIES TO EASE RESIDENTS' POLLUTION CONCERNS

:

: Date: 020301

: From: http://www.nj.com

:

: PPL TRIES TO EASE RESIDENTS'POLLUTION CONCERNS

: BUT SOME STILL SKEPTICAL OF UTILITY'S MOTIVES

:

: By Blok, The Express-Times, March 1, 2002

:

: Belvidere - PPL Corp. officials brought cookies, soda, charts and

: graphs to sweeten the medicine the utility company offered Warren

: County residents on Thursday regarding air pollution from the s

: Creek electric generation plant.

:

: During an open meeting at Belvidere High School, PPL representatives

: answered questions from residents who received the information with

: mixed opinions.

:

: The s Creek plant is just across the Delaware River from White

: Township and Belvidere. Its smokestacks and cooling towers are clearly

: visible from the farm-lined Route 519.

:

: Some residents claim emissions from the utility and from Belvidere-

: based Roche Vitamins and other industries are responsible for

: abnormally high rates of cancer and asthma. PPL has dedicated $100,000

: to help fund air-monitoring stations in the county, though company

: officials say sulfur dioxide emissions are less than what is allowed

: by both the Environmental Protection Agency and the New Jersey

: Department of Environmental Protection.

:

: Roche, as part of the conditions of a DEP ruling that led to a $3.1

: million fine for violations going back to 1995, is contributing

: $450,000 for the air monitoring stations. A $10,000 allotment in the

: state budget for the monitors was cut in mid-February.

:

: PPL spokesman Andy Hallmark said the stations will be installed in

: July at five locations, including Belvidere High School and the

: Country View Village retirement community in White Township. The

: stations will measure sulfur dioxide, particles suspended in the air,

: volatile organic compounds and mercury, said Al Ferullo, a PPL

: atmospheric scientist.

:

: " We're hoping to help (residents) feel better about the air in their

: neighborhood, " Hallmark said. " Data can't be manipulated. "

:

: That company view seemed to be embraced by at least some of those

: attending the meeting.

:

: " I've been following this situation since it was brought up. I've

: been hearing all kinds of statements - everybody accusing everybody

: else, " said Tony , a resident of the Brookfield retirement

: community in White Township. " I came here to find out what the answer

: is...They're not hiding anything. "

:

: said he'll feel more comfortable with the s Creek plant

: and the under-construction Lower Mount Bethel Energy plant once data

: from the air monitoring stations becomes available.

:

: " I've been very impressed with the decrease in emissions " at s

: Creek and Roche, added Betty Merring, a member of Roche's

: citizens'advisory panel and the Belvidere Environmental Commission.

: " We need to know how much pollution there is in the air. We're going

: to find out. We're a lot better off knowing the facts than

: speculating. "

:

: Genevieve Romanczuk, also a Brookfield resident, said she thought she

: was moving to an area with relatively clean air when she came to

: Warren County. PPL's willingness to answer questions makes her more

: confident about the company's environmental efforts, she said.

:

: Romanczuk and said they would like to see s Creek shut

: down once the new gas-burning plant is on line because the older coal-

: burning generator creates more pollution. They noted that s

: Creek also does not have scrubbers - machinery that removes sulfur

: dioxide from plant emissions.

:

: Hallmark said there is no reason to install scrubbers because the

: plant's emissions are below EPA standards.

:

: " I said put in scrubbers. They said it costs too much. But how much

: will it cost you in a lawsuit? " said Belvidere resident

: Kavanaugh. " Do it before it gets worse. "

:

: Kavanaugh said he never believes corporations anymore because

: " they're meant to lie. " He said PPL representatives are sent to public

: meetings to " obfuscate. "

:

: Caldara also thinks PPL is lying. As a member of the

: environmental group CEASE, Citizens Elect Alternative Safe Energy,

: Caldara said the air in Warren County does not meet federal standards

: for ozone and sulfur dioxide.

:

: " That to me is shameful. We're one of the few remaining rural

: counties in the state, " said Caldara, who works in Warren County and

: lives in Pennsylvania. " All this impacts the food we eat, the air we

: breathe and our children. We should be shutting down polluting

: facilities that burn fossil fuels and turning to renewable

: technologies. "

:

: Caldara also said she believes the PPL public meetings - Thursday

: night's event and an earlier presentation in Pennsylvania - are meant

: to satisfy public curiosity so people won't complain to the

: Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection at a March 6

: hearing on the company's new power plant.

:

: The presentations " are not telling the truth about what's happening, "

: Caldara said.

:

: * * *

:

: © 2002 New Jersey Online.

:

: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

:

: NJ ENVIRONMENTAL LAW NEWSLETTER - 2002 - NOW ONLINE

:

: Date: 27 Feb 2002

: From: LGoldshore@...

:

: WELCOME!

:

: Over the past 35 years, the field of environmental law has proven to

: be both fast paced and continually evolving. Each branch of government

: - judicial, legislative and executive - has contributed to the

: development of environmental law. In the computer age, environmental

: professionals can no longer rely solely on print media to provide news

: of the changes that are affecting the environmental protection field.

:

: As a result, we decided that it was timely to launch the New Jersey

: Environmental Newsletter to provide news of recent developments in the

: environmental field. The 2001 Edition of the Newsletter is available.

: This is the 2002 Edition of the Newsletter. We will be updating the

: 2002 Edition throughout the year.

:

: http://www.szaferman.com/environment/

:

: - - -

:

: IN THIS ISSUE

:

: Spotlights

: New Jersey Case Law Developments

: New Laws

: Journal Articles

: Recently Adopted Regulations

: Continuing Education Programs

:

: - - -

:

: ABOUT THE AUTHORS

: LEWIS GOLDSHORE, ESQ.

: MARSHA WOLF, ESQ.

:

: Goldshore is a partner with the Lawrenceville firm of

: Szaferman, Lakind, Blumstein, Watter, Blader, Lehmann & Goldshore,

: P.C. He has been an environmental lawyer since 1968.

:

: Goldshore and Marsha Wolf, are co-authors of New Jersey

: Environmental Law, a 2-volume set which provides a comprehensive

: discussion of the State's environmental laws and court decisions,

: published by the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education

: (ICLE). The New Jersey Environmental Law Citator, a computer-assisted

: research tool that enables the user to quickly locate updated

: information concerning New Jersey environmental law, is also published

: by ICLE. Both of these publications are updated on an annual basis.

: The Citator is available in print form and on CD-ROM.

:

: Goldshore originated and serves as the moderator for ICLE's

: Annual Review of New Jersey Environmental Law. He has also moderated

: and participated in other environmental and land use law programs

: sponsored by ICLE, as well as by other continuing education providers.

:

: Mr. Goldshore and Ms. Wolf frequently co-author articles concerning

: environmental and land use law that are published in the New Jersey

: Law Journal, the League of Municipalities Magazine and other

: professional journals. Mr. Goldshore is also co-author of New Jersey

: Brownfields Law, published by New Jersey Law Journal Books.

:

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:

: TOP DEP APPOINTMENTS WIN PRAISE FROM ENVIRONMENTALISTS

:

: Date: 020301

: From: http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com

:

: By Jack Kaskey, (609) 272-7213

: Press of Atlantic City, March 1, 2002

:

: The state's new environmental chief is hiring people from inside and

: outside New Jersey to lead the state Department of Environmental

: Protection, selections that won praise Thursday from environmental and

: industry groups.

:

: Acting DEP Commissioner Bradley announced his appointments

: for his deputy, as well as his chiefs of enforcement, regulation,

: natural resources and communications in an internal memo.

:

: " This agency has historically attracted top-rate talent, and these

: new appointees continue that proud tradition, " told DEP

: employees in the memo. " Our agency is only as good as its people, and

: we will draw upon a wealth of experienced and knowledgeable

: employees - new and old - to make this department a model agency for

: aggressive and effective environmental management. "

:

: appointed Kominsky as deputy commissioner, second in

: command at DEP. Kominsky, a licensed planner, will be especially

: valuable helping to realize the governor's smart growth goals,

: wrote.

:

: Kominsky started her career in DEP, working in the Division of

: Coastal Resources from 1981 to 1986. She also has worked at the state

: Council on Affordable Housing.

:

: Jim Sinclair, first vice president of the New Jersey Business and

: Industry Association, said Kominsky's knowledge of New Jersey will

: complement , who knows federal regulations. The acting DEP

: commissioner formerly headed the U.S. Environmental Protection

: Agency's Philadelphia regional office.

:

: New Jersey has made good environmental progress since the Florio

: administration, Sinclair said, and that should continue under

: .

:

: " I think these are really good picks, " Sinclair said. " I'm fairly

: optimistic about the whole thing. "

:

: 's other appointments include:

:

: - Sam Wolfe as assistant commissioner for environmental regulation.

: Wolfe is a former DEP lawyer who has been practicing environmental

: law in private practice.

:

: - as assistant commissioner of compliance and

: enforcement. has worked for the U.S. EPA since 1987, most

: recently serving as acting director of enforcement in the New York

: regional office that covers New Jersey.

:

: - Marc Matsil as assistant commissioner of natural and historic

: resources, an office that oversees fish and wildlife, coastal

: engineering, historic preservation, parks, forestry and open space

: preservation. Matsil has been chief of natural resources for the

: New York City Parks and Recreation department, and he worked for

: the National Park Service.

:

: - Helen Cervantes as assistant commissioner for communications

: and legislation. Cervantes is coming from the EPA, where she has

: been chief of public outreach at the New York regional office.

:

: The appointments also won praise from Jeff Tittel, director of the

: Sierra Club's New Jersey chapter.

:

: " Brad has put together a very strong team that can make

: major changes to improve the environment in New Jersey, " Tittel said.

: " Based on the skills and competence of the people, this is a quantum

: leap over the previous administration. "

:

: He said he expects to see 's DEP enforce environmental rules

: more vigorously.

:

: " The days of a free ride for people who break the law or who don't

: follow their permits are over, " Tittel said. " The air and water in New

: Jersey will get cleaner because of it. "

:

: Sinclair said it is a smart move to hire to lead enforcement

: efforts, since environmentalists will respect her EPA credentials, at

: least initially.

:

: " Going to EPA for an enforcement person will buy them some time with

: the enviros, before they start eating them alive, " Sinclair said.

:

: He said the new administration will soon learn that they'll make more

: environmental progress by working with industry to meet environmental

: rules, rather than fighting in court.

:

: A DEP spokeswoman declined to comment on the appointments, saying

: they have not been publicly announced.

:

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: Back issues of the Garden State EnviroNews are available at

: http://www.gsenet.org/library/11gsn/11gsn.htm

:

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