Organized By:The Institute for Children's Environmental Health (ICEH).
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2007 Lectures: Seeking SolutionsRegistrationOpen the Advance Registration Form to purchase admission (PDF document). View the lecture flyer: low-resolution version (906 KB) or high-resolution version (7.2 MB) Wednesday, January 24, 2007, 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.Green ChemistryGrowing awareness about the health implications of hazardous chemicals in our everyday lives has prompted some scientists to design less toxic alternatives. This exciting new field of research is known as green chemistry, and Terry Collins, PhD, MSc, is one of the major leaders and drivers of this field. He serves as the Thomas Lord Professor of Chemistry at Carnegie Mellon University where he directs the Institute for Green Oxidation Chemistry. Dr. Collins has also written and lectured widely on the opportunity for chemists to be significant players in developing vibrant new economies to promote sustainability. He will speak about his research program which focuses on greening oxidation technologies by designing nontoxic catalysts as well as public policy opportunities to encourage the development of products using green chemistry. Dr. Collins will be joined by Lauren Heine, PhD, Director of Applied Science at the Green Blue Institute, for the question and answer period. As director of Applied Science at GreenBlue, Dr. Heine guides the development of technical tools and approaches that help organizations integrate Green Chemistry and Engineering into their product and process design and development activities – eliminating toxics and the concept of waste, and moving toward economic, environmental and community sustainability. Dr. Heine is currently directing the development of CleanGredients and the Sustainable Textile Metrics standard. CleanGredients is an information platform that promotes green chemistry by providing human and environmental health, safety and sustainability information on cleaning product ingredients to support environmentally preferable product formulation. The Sustainable Textiles Metrics are being developed as a standard for contract textiles in collaboration with the Association for Contract Textiles and NSF International. Dr. Heine consults and publishes on issues related to green chemistry, alternatives assessment and sustainable material flows. She was previously director of green chemistry and engineering at the Portland, Oregon-based Zero Waste Alliance (ZWA) and a fellow with the American Association for the Advancement of Science in the Green Chemistry Program of the Industrial Chemicals Branch of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, DC. Prior to that, Dr. Heine taught organic chemistry labs at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, where she helped to develop the Microscale Organic Lab program. Open a Green Chemistry summary sheet. Wednesday, February 7, 2007, 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.Nanotech & PrecautionNanotechnology has fast become an arena of great technological promise. By manipulating the structure of matter at the level of small numbers of atoms, engineers are producing novel materials and devices. However, nanotech also carries a number of potential and concerning health risks. Given the scientific uncertainty of this technology, some researchers and environmental health advocates are using this debate to call for a thoughtful application of the precautionary principle. Joel Tickner, ScD, director of the Chemical Science and Policy Program and assistant professor in the Department of Community Health and Sustainability at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, has written and lectured widely on implementing precaution in public health and policy settings. He will describe how using precaution can lead to more prudent public health choices when considering emerging technologies such as nanotech. Elaine M. Faustman, PhD, will join the presentation to add a local perspective. Dr. Faustman is a professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health and director of the Institute for Risk Analysis and Risk Communication at the School of Public Health and Community Medicine at the University of Washington, as well as an affiliate professor in the Department of Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie-Mellon University. Dr. Faustman is director of the NIEHS- and NSF-funded Pacific Northwest Center for Human Health and Ocean Studies, and she also directs the NIEHS and EPA funded Center for Child Environmental Health Risks Research. She is an elected fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Society for Risk Analysis. She has served on numerous boards and committees relating to toxicology, including chairing the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Developmental Toxicology. Her research interests include understanding mechanisms that put children and the public at risk from environmental agents, in particular the molecular and cellular mechanisms of developmental and reproductive toxicants. Dr. Faustman’s research expertise also includes development of decision-analytic tools for communicating and translating new scientific findings into risk assessment and risk management decisions. Open a Nanotechnology summary sheet. Open a related article by Andrew Maynard and others. Wednesday, March 21, 2007, 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.BiofuelsResidents of Washington State currently use five billion gallons of gasoline and one billion gallons of diesel and other petroleum distillates every year. In this coming year, biodiesel production in Washington is expected to leap from 10 million gallons to between 150 and 200 million gallons, and ethanol use will grow from 40 million gallons to 300 million gallons. To help us understand the science of biofuels and the potential health, environmental and policy implications for using more biofuels, we will have three outstanding local experts speak: David Kircher, manager of the Air Resources Department at the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, on environmental health; Peter Moulton, coordinator of the Northwest's Harvesting Clean Energy Program, on agriculture; and Tim Stearns, senior energy policy specialist with the Washington Department of Community, Trade & Economic Development, on public policy. Open handouts from these speakers' presentations:
Open a Biofuels summary sheet. Open a Biodiesel fact sheet from Puget Sound Clean Air Agency. Open a related article from the BioScience journal website: Green Plants, Fossil Fuels, and Now Biofuels by David Pimentel and Tad Patzek. Wednesday, April 18, 2007, 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.Sustainable SystemsSustainability has been a "buzz word" for decades now, but people have often found it hard to grasp or utilize in practical ways. What does it mean on the ground to create a sustainable future given the complexity of the systems that influence our lives? John Robinson, PhD, former director of the Sustainable Development Research Institute and current professor in both the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability and the Department of Geography at the University of British Columbia, has been steeped in these issues and questions for years. Dr. Robinson, who also serves as a member of the Advisory Council of the David Suzuki Foundation and has three times been a coordinating lead author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, will discuss how we can effectively apply sustainability theory in "real world" terms. Dr. Viki Sonntag will serve as our local expert on this topic. She is a researcher, practitioner, and activist in alternative economics and developing healthy community economies. She joined Sustainable Seattle in June 2005 to head up a participatory action research project on the local food economy looking at local money flows as a measure of community sustainability. Currently her work there focuses on developing a networked information system based on community indicators that will provide a flow of information for making sustainable choices. She also works with small businesses and community-based organizations in implementing change practices based on sustainable resource use. Dr. Sonntag previously worked on sustainability initiatives in the Netherlands, conducted research on the impact of advanced manufacturing technologies on over-consumption in the highly industrialized countries, and led the planning and start-up of two extension centers. Open a Sustainability summary sheet. 2006 Lectures
January 25, 2006, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.Urban Lifestyles and the Built Environment: Healthier by DesignThe amount of time we spend in traffic, background noise, water, air and food quality, access to open spaces or sidewalks – all of these factors affect our health. Lawrence Frank, PhD, is the J. Armand Bombardier Chair in Sustainable Transportation at the University of British Columbia and author of Health and Community Design, The Impacts of the Built Environment on Physical Activity, and most recently, co-author of Urban Sprawl and Public Health: Designing, Planning, Building for Healthy Communities. His articles on health, community design and transportation have appeared in Time magazine, CNN, ABC news and other media outlets. An alumnus of University of Washington, Dr. Frank has also had a long-standing local presence, working with King County and the Puget Sound Clear Air Agency to conduct research and initiate public health programs. His lecture will focus on urban sprawl and public health, with information about the research he is currently conducting in King County. Read Dr. Frank's article: Obesity Relationships with Community Design, Physical Activity, and Time Spent in Cars (2.9 MB). Order Dr. Frank's book: Urban Sprawl and Public Health: Designing, Planning, and Building for Healthy Communities at Island Press. February 15, 2006, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.Plastic Promises: Better Living or Bodily Harm?Plastics permeate our lives – from CDs and cell phone casings to baby bottles and incubators for premature infants. Mounting evidence suggests that exposures to certain chemicals found in hard plastics may contribute to a variety of lifelong human health problems. Frederick vom Saal, PhD, is a professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Missouri-Columbia and has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals such as Neurotoxicology and Teratology and Environmental Health Perspectives. Dr. vom Saal will present his seminal research on the health effects of low-dose exposures to endocrine-disrupting chemicals, specifically bisphenol A. Bisphenol A, found in many household, medical and baby products, is now associated with compromised uterine function, thwarted fetal development, decreased sperm production, neurological problems, prostate and other cancers, aggressive behaviors, and more. He will also discuss how this research may catalyze the plastics industry to develop less toxic materials. Documents related to Dr. vom Saal's presentation:
March 9, 2006, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.Climate Change: Is Our Health at Stake?While global warming has captured a great deal of media attention, reports have often been framed in abstract or theoretical terms that do not explain, in practical terms, its effects on human health. Jonathan Patz, MD, MPH, is associate professor of Environmental Studies and Population Health Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he directs a university-wide initiative on Global Environmental Health. He is also the founder of the Program on Health Effects of Global Environmental Change at Johns Hopkins University and serves as an affiliate scientist with the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Dr. Patz will lecture on the relationships between land use, climate change and infectious disease. See Dr. Patz's slides (15.7 MB). Documents related to Dr. Patz's presentation:
Media follow-up regarding Dr. Patz's presentation:
TicketsLectures are $15 each at the door. Discounts for advance sales are available: $25 for the three-lecture series if purchased by January 15th or $10 for each lecture if purchased at least a week before the lecture date. A further discount is available for students and those with limited incomes. Please contact ICEH at 360-331-7904 or iceh@iceh.org for more information. Open the Registration Form (PDF document, 191 KB). LocationThese lectures will be presented at Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Avenue (at Seneca Street), Seattle. ParkingTown Hall's location offers easy access to and from the I-5 freeway. The best parking option is the Washington State Convention and Trade Center Main Garage, just 2 blocks north of Town Hall on 8th Avenue. This garage is available both daytime ($6 all day) and evenings ($4 after 5pm) with a special voucher you can get through Town Hall. Please note: vouchers are only available for use while attending events at Town Hall. The Virginia Mason Garage on the corner of 9th and Seneca is also an option. This garage is open for events on evenings and most weekends and is just $5. There is a large pay lot immediately adjacent to Town Hall; enter the parking lot from Seventh Avenue, Spring or Seneca Streets. Additionally, several commercial parking lots are located within 1.5 blocks of Town Hall's front door. Landmarks are Washington State Convention and Trade Center, two blocks north; Freeway Park, just to the northwest; I-5 freeway, 1.5 blocks west, Virginia Mason Medical Center, one block east; and First Presbyterian Church, one block south. ReceptionAll attendees are invited to a reception following the lecture, with a chance to meet the speaker. Series PartnersAmerican Lung Association of Washington Other NotesPlease note that these lectures are fragrance-free events. We ask all participants to refrain from wearing perfume, cologne, aftershave, or other scented products in consideration of our attendees who experience adverse reactions to these products.
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2005 LecturesJanuary 19, 2005, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.Enduring Legacies: How Pollutants Shape Brain DevelopmentLearning and developmental disabilities (LDD) appear to be on the rise, with one child in six now estimated to have some kind of LDD. Lead, a known neurotoxicant that can lower I.Q. and increase behavioral problems, has recently been found in the drinking water in Seattle schools. Research on lead and other heavy metals, pesticides, industrial by-products and even food additives suggests that these may contribute to the apparent increase in learning and developmental disabilities. Bernard Weiss, PhD, a nationally renowned researcher who has been exploring the neurobehavioral toxicology of lead and other contaminants for over 30 years, discussed the current science. Dr. Weiss is Professor of Environmental Medicine and Pediatrics at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, editor or coeditor of seven books and monographs and author of over 200 articles. Related Articles by Dr. Weiss
February 8, 2005, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.Herbicides and Human Health: Are Frogs Our Canaries in the Coal Mine?Provocative new studies from the laboratory and the field are showing that very low levels of the herbicide atrazine are having profound effects on the sexual development of frogs, resulting in retarded gonadal development and hermaphroditism. What does this mean for humans, given that atrazine is the most widely used herbicide in the US and is found not only in our air and food, but in our groundwater as well? How might it impact both our reproductive and neurological systems? Tyrone Hayes, PhD, Professor of Developmental Endocrinology at the University of California, Berkeley, discussed his groundbreaking work on atrazine's effects on frogs and the implications for human health. Materials from Dr. Hayes' Presentation
Related Articles by or about Dr. Hayes
March 16, 2005, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.Air Pollution and Children: Not Breathing EasyPick up almost any newspaper or magazine these days, and you'll see reports about the hazards of air pollution. Increasingly, children are breathing a "chemical soup" with effects on a variety of developing systems. Catherine Karr, MD, PhD, will discuss the mounting evidence demonstrating the need to take further action to prevent children's exposure to indoor and outdoor air pollution. Catherine Karr, MD, PhD, a board-certified pediatrician with a doctorate degree in epidemiology, discussed her research involving a large study of the impact of ambient air pollution on infant respiratory health. She is now an acting assistant professor with the University of Washington Department of Pediatrics and sees patients at the UW Pediatric Clinic at Roosevelt. She is also the director of the Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (one of only 12 in the U.S., Canada and Mexico), setting the direction of the Unit and responding to queries from health care providers, government officials and families regarding health risks associated with environmental exposures. Materials from Dr. Karr's Presentation
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2004 LecturesThe inaugural lecture series in Seattle underscored the fundamental relationship between human and ecological health. The Series intended to bring together a diverse cross section of professionals and the public – including health professionals, scientists, environmental health and justice advocates, teachers and parents – to deepen our understanding of the emerging links between environmental challenges that affect our region and our health. Lecturers are nationally recognized leaders who shared their expertise on different aspects of this complex field and discussed ways to translate cutting-edge science into actions we can take to create a healthier world for current and future generations.
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