NOVEMBER 2002 | Volume 1, Number 2

Promoting the Environmental Justice & Health Union mission, Catalyst identifies training, research, policies, events, and funding opportunities that foster partnerships to eliminate environmental disease in poor minority communities within the United States. To do that, Catalyst depends on information submitted by an advisory board of environmental health professionals and environmental justice activists as well as our readers.

TOOLBOX

Community group management
The Washington State University Center for Social and Environmental Justice provides support for developing and sustaining community groups.

DISPARITIES

Multiple dimensions of childhood asthma
A National Center for Health Statistics study "found no significant racial or income disparities in asthma prevalence among children in the United States. However, black children and poor children are at higher risk for activity limitation, more severe activity limitation, and relative underuse of ambulatory health care. Black children living in poverty are at highest risk."

Ambulatory Pediatrics, Vol. 2, #5, 2002 pp. 382 - 387

OTHER REPORTS OF INTEREST

Health in the Americas
The Pan American Health Organization finds health conditions are better in countries where wealth is more equitably distributed.

ADVISORY BOARD

Lynn Battle
Executive Director, Citizen's Lead Education & Poisoning Prevention (Birmingham, AL)

Michael Green
Executive Director, Center for Environmental Health (Oakland, CA)

Swati Prakash
Environmental Health Director, West Harlem Environmental Action (New York, NY)

Alejandra Tres
Executive Director, Association of Environmental Health Academic Programs (Portland, OR)

The Next Step...

The last issue of Catalyst reported the shift of an environmental health federal advisory committee toward industry representation. Recent reports have identified similar shifts away from science and advocacy on other committees authorized under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) to provide guidance on environmental health issues. Such actions further undermine the intent of FACA to support public participation. Catalyst has learned a new committee directly impacting environmental health and environmental justice is being proposed and will soon be selected. The EPA announced the National Pollution Prevention and Toxics Advisory Committee (NPPTAC) in the Federal Register on September 5, 2002. The NPPTAC will provide advice, information, and recommendations on the overall policy and operations of programs undertaken by the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics which manages risks related to lead, mercury, asbestos, PCBs, and dioxin, and identifies ways to communicate such risks to the public. Balanced representation on NPPTAC will be vital. For more information on NPPTAC and applying to be a committee member, contact Mary Hanley of EPA at (202) 564-0316.

Agencies often seek advice from advisory committees composed of individuals from outside the federal government. Congress enacted FACA in 1972 to require agencies to follow specific procedures when creating advisory committees. For example, advisory committees must provide advance public notice of meetings, hold open meetings, and select committee members that represent diverse views. Committee members receive travel fare, room, and board for their participation. The public can access the FACA Database by year and agency to identify current advisory committees. The charter for each committee identifies the agency office in charge of the committee and member selection. Greater environmental justice and environmental health representation is needed on many committees (and especially those overseen by the EPA and the National Institutes of Health). Information about committee meeting dates and membership are available from the agency office.

PARTNERSHIPS

Identifying sources of PCB contamination in San Jose
The Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition and the City of San Jose Environmental Services Department, with the assistance of high school students, are monitoring levels of PCBs in clams as a first step to locating unsafe PCB contamination. Once such sources are identified, steps will be taken to eliminate them.

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

Youth principles of environmental justice
More than 300 youth recently came together at the Environmental Justice Youth Summit in Roxbury, MA and drafted the Youth Principles of Environmental Justice as part of the preparation for the People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit.

Environmental risk among Asian Americans
Asian Americans are exposed to more, though not more toxic, Toxic Release Inventory emissions at the county level than other ethnic groups. That finding is not apparent at the tract level, suggesting the geographic unit of analysis is important.

State environmental justice information
Information is available from the states of Indiana and New Jersey.

FUNDING CALENDAR

November 1;
Appalachian Community Fund - General fund (Central Appalachia)
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November 1;
The Bullitt Foundation (Northwest)
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November 1;
Liberty Fund Environmental Justice Grant (Los Angeles)
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November 6;
Beldon Fund
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November 15;
Impact Fund
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November 20;
Progressive Technology Project
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December 2;
Norman Foundation
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December 18;
Environmental Justice Grants

EVENTS CALENDAR

November 3 - 6, Tucson, AZ;
Technology transfer and outreach for environmental health
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November 5, Washington DC;
Engaging the public in clinical research
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November 8 - 9, Philadelphia PA;
Society for Public Health Education
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November 8 - 10, Sacramento CA;
Student Action with Farmworkers
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November 9 - 13, Philadelphia PA;
American Public Health Association
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November 14-16, Houston TX;
Health and Social Justice Conference
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November 15, Harrisburg PA;
Pennsylvania Environmental Justice Advisory Board
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November 16 - 20, Salt Lake City UT;
Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
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November 18, Berkeley CA;
Environmental Justice and the Law
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November 19 - 21, San Francisco CA;
Tobacco or Health
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SUBSCRIBE and PROVIDE

The Catalyst is an online newsletter sent monthly to Environmental Justice & Health Union members. Groups with annual budgets of less than $200,000 receive free EJHU membership. The EJHU website (www.ejhu.org) includes information for activists and professionals about training, research, and policies, EJHU membership, and past issues of Catalyst.

If you want to provide information to be considered for inclusion in Catalyst, include a contact name, website, and e-mail address. Please forward the information to ejhu@ejhu.org or the following address: Max Weintraub, Executive Director Environmental Justice & Health Union 528 61st Street, Suite A Oakland, CA 94609