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21,000 Americans die from radon related lung cancer each year

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is encouraging Americans this January, as part of National Radon Action Month, to take simple and affordable steps to test their homes for harmful levels of radon gas. Radon, a colorless odorless gas, is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. Radon can seep into a home from underground and if left to accumulate, high levels of radon can cause lung cancer. Improving indoor air quality by increasing awareness of environmental health risks, such as radon gas, supports healthier homes and communities.

“Testing for radon is an easy and important step in protecting the health of your family,” said Gina McCarthy, EPA Assistant Administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation. “Radon can be found in every single state. Nationally, elevated radon levels are in as many as one in 15 homes – a statistic that is even higher in some communities.”

Approximately 21,000 people die from radon related lung cancer each year in the United States, yet elevated levels of this health hazard can be prevented through these simple steps:

• Test: EPA and the U.S. Surgeon General recommend that all homes, both with and without basements, be tested for radon. Affordable Do-It-Yourself radon test kits are available at home improvement and hardware stores and online or a qualified radon tester can be hired.
• Fix: EPA recommends taking action to fix radon levels above 4 Picocuries per Liter (pCi/L). Addressing high radon levels often costs the same as other minor home repairs.
• Save a Life: By testing and fixing for elevated levels of radon in your home, you can help prevent lung cancer while creating a healthier home and community.

Radon is a natural, radioactive gas that comes from the breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water. It can enter homes through cracks in the foundation or other openings such as holes or pipes. In addition to testing for radon, there now are safer and healthier radon-resistant construction techniques that home buyers can discuss with builders to prevent this health hazard.

In 2011, EPA announced the Federal Radon Action Plan, along with General Services Administration and the Departments of Agriculture; Defense; Energy; Health and Human Services; Housing and Urban Development; Interior; and Veterans Affairs.This action plan will demonstrate the importance of radon risk reduction, address finance and incentive issues to drive testing and mitigation, and build demand for services from industry professionals.

More information on how to Test, Fix, Save a Life, obtain a text kit, or contact your state radon office: http://www.epa.gov/radon or call 1-800-SOS-RADON

More information on the Federal Radon Action Plan: http://www.epa.gov/radon/action_plan.html

Waste Not

Quick tips for reducing holiday waste this weekend

Between Thanksgiving and the end of the year, Americans create 25% more trash than normal. That’s a lot of packaging, wrapping paper, food, and ugly sweaters going to landfills. So, as you prepare for your holiday get-togethers this weekend, be mindful of how much waste you’re making.

To keep things simple:

• Recycle as much wrapping paper, packaging, and boxes as possible. Better yet, do like Grandma used to and save wrapping paper or bows that you can make use of next year.
• Don’t throw away perfectly good food. Follow these 10 tips from Mother Nature Network, the best of which is to make the right amount of food to begin with.
• Donate what you don’t want or will never use. There’s no sense in something winding up in the trash if someone else can use it.

And: let us know in the comments what your family is doing to cut back on the amount of waste it creates during December.

from Cool People Care

Make your holiday travel as green as can be.

If you’re one of the millions of Americans traveling this week or next, make sure that you get from A to B in the greenest way possible. Over 43 million of you will be getting on planes, but if that’s not your style, be sure to follow some simple tips when you load the car. For starters:

• Check your tire pressure.
• Don’t idle if caught in a traffic jam.
• Use your cruise control at the posted speeds when possible.

These simple practices will save you gas and money while you head off to the relatives’ place for your holiday celebration.

And, if you’re taking a well-deserved vacay soon, browse our green vacation tips for ways to make your break as sustainable as possible.

A study in the Czech Republic has found a link between exposure to certain air pollutants and an increase in DNA damage for people exposed to high levels of the pollution.

They found that breathing small quantities of a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), called benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), caused an increase in the number of certain ‘biomarkers’ in DNA associated with a higher risk of diseases, including cancer.

Air pollution is a major problem around the world, particularly in urban areas. In attempt to control regional air pollution levels, the EU has introduced legal limits for exposure to a variety of different airborne pollutants. For B[a]P , the EU air quality standard is 1 nanogram per metre3 (ng/m3) as an annual average that has to be attained where possible throughout the EU.

To measure the risk of DNA damage and risk to health caused by exposure to chemicals, such as PAHs, researchers sometimes use ‘biomarkers’ – these are biological features that can provide an indicative picture of risk and disease.

Previous studies have suggested that ‘DNA adducts’ can be used as biomarkers to measure exposure to PAHs. These are, in effect, small molecules, such as PAHs, bound to the DNA. Similarly, ‘chromosomal aberrations’ – structural changes to a stretch of DNA – can be used as biomarkers to demonstrate the effect of some pollutants on DNA.

To test whether there was a possible link between exposure to PAHs and the frequency of DNA adducts and chromosomal aberrations, the researchers, supported by the EU EnviRisk and INTARESE projects, examined DNA from 950 police officers and bus drivers in Prague.

The participants, drawn from three separate studies conducted over a five-year period, all worked outdoors for more than eight hours a day. Each carried a device to measure their personal exposure to PAHs and DNA was extracted from the participants’ white blood cells.

The researchers also tested a new technique for identifying chromosomal aberrations called ‘fluorescence in-situ hybridisation’, or FISH, which is much more sensitive than previous techniques.

The results revealed, for the first time, a significant relationship between exposure to PAHs, the number of DNA adducts and the number of chromosomal aberrations detected using FISH. In particular, PAH levels and the occurrence of the two biomarkers were higher in winter than in summer.

In one of the studies, average personal exposure to B[a]P and PAHs in January was measured as 1.58 ng/m3 and 9.07 ng/m3, respectively. In June, this dropped to 0.18 ng/m3 and 1.92 ng/m3.

The number of B[a]P-like DNA adducts and chromosomal aberrations were correspondingly much higher in January than in June. In fact, the number of DNA adducts strongly mirrored exposure to PAHs in the past 30 days.

These findings are of concern because exposure to more than 1 ng/m3 of B[a]P has been found to put people at higher risk of developing cancer later in life.

Previous studies have shown that DNA adducts can be an indicator for cancer several years after exposure and the findings of this study indicate that DNA adduct biomarkers and chromosomal aberrations measured using FISH could help health authorities identify individuals at higher risk of disease.

Originally posted here.

Urban air pollution from automobile traffic contains low levels of carcinogens in the form of ultrafine particles. Since large population numbers are exposed to this type of pollution, even a small increase in cancer risk can produce a significant number of cancer cases.

Ole Raaschou-Nielsen and colleagues in Denmark performed a study of 54,304 people exposed to different levels of air pollution over the time period 1971 to 2006.

“The airways are the primary target organs, but accumulating evidence from experiments in animals shows that ultrafine particles can translocate to other organs,” Raaschou-Nielsen explained. The research team collected records of 21 types of cancer over a period of 10 years. People who lived in areas with the highest air pollution numbers had elevated rates of cervical, brain, and lung cancers.

The participants were enrolled in the Danish Diet, Cancer, and Health cohort study. Air pollution was quantified by the concentrations of NO(x) molecules calculated from the Danish AirGIS modeling system. The researchers performed separate studies for lung cancer and for cancers of all other sites.

Lung cancer rates were 30 percent higher in participants who lived in the highest air pollution areas, compared with the lowest pollution areas. “The results indicated stronger associations among nonsmokers, among participant[s] with longer school attendance, and among those with relatively low dietary intake of fruit”, Raaschou-Nielsen reported.

Inhaled carcinogens can reach any part of the body through the bloodstream. In addition, Raaschou-Nielsen reported that ultrafine particles can reach the brain through the olfactory nerves that serve the nose. An inflammatory response may be one step in the development of brain cancer, which showed significantly increased rates in people exposed to the highest levels of air pollution.

The association between high automobile traffic and increased rates of cervical cancer was not explained by any known mechanism. Raaschou-Nielsen pointed out that the researchers had no information on rates of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, which is recognized as a cause of cervical cancer.

“It is possible that HPV infection is more prevalent among women living in areas with heavy traffic and air pollution,” he noted. Further research is needed to determine whether it was the air pollution itself or some related factor that caused higher rates of cervical cancer.

References:

1. Raaschou-Nielson O et al, “Air pollution from traffic and cancer incidence: a Danish cohort study”, Environmental Health 2011; 10: 67.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21771295

2. Raaschou-Nielson O et al, “Lung cancer incidence and long-term exposure to air pollution from traffic”, Environ Health Prespect 2011; 199: 860-865.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21227886

3. National Environmental Research Institute. AirGIS. Web. Dec. 6, 2011.
http://www.dmu.dk/en/air/models/airgis

Reviewed December 12, 2011
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith

Some 2012 models will be displaying a new fuel economy and environment label that provides consumers with more comprehensive fuel efficiency information, including five-year fuel costs or savings compared to the average vehicle, as well as new greenhouse gas and smog ratings. These labels are actually required in model year 2013, but automakers may voluntarily adopt the new labels in model year 2012.

Each vehicle listing in the guide provides an estimated annual fuel cost. The estimate is calculated based on the vehicle’s miles per gallon (mpg) rating and national estimates for annual mileage and fuel prices. The online version of the guide allows consumers to input their local gasoline prices and typical driving habits to receive a personalized fuel cost estimate.

Printed editions of the guide are coming to dealer showrooms. EPA and DOE will provide online updates of fuel economy information as more 2012 vehicles become available.

More information and a complete version of the guide: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/ and atfueleconomy.gov/m for mobile devices.

View the 2012 fuel economy leaders within each class and the lowest fuel economy models:http://www.epa.gov/fueleconomy/basicinformation.htm

More information about the new label: http://www.epa.gov/carlabel/

Next phase in national program for light-duty vehicles will save consumers thousands of dollars at the pump while saving billions of barrels of oil, curbing pollution, enabling long-term planning for automakers

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) formally unveiled their joint proposal to set stronger fuel economy and greenhouse gas pollution standards for model year 2017-2025 passenger cars and light trucks. Cars, SUVs, minivans, and pickup trucks are currently responsible for nearly 60 percent of U.S. transportation-related petroleum use and greenhouse gas emissions.

When combined with other steps the administration has taken to increase energy efficiency, this proposal is said to save Americans over $1.7 trillion at the pump, nearly $8,000 per vehicle by 2025. These combined actions also will reduce America’s dependence on oil by an estimated 12 billion barrels, and, by 2025, reduce oil consumption by 2.2 million barrels per day – enough to offset almost a quarter of the current level of our foreign oil imports. Taken together, these actions will also slash 6 billion metric tons in greenhouse gas emissions over the life of the programs.

According to the administration, the  proposed standards alone will slash oil consumption by 4 billion barrels and cut 2 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas pollution over the lifetimes of the vehicles sold in those years.

“These unprecedented standards are a remarkable leap forward in improving fuel efficiency, strengthening national security by reducing our dependence on oil, and protecting our climate for generations to come. We expect this program will not only save consumers money, it will ensure automakers have the regulatory certainty they need to make key decisions that create jobs and invest in the future,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “We are pleased that we’ve been able to work with the auto industry, the states, and leaders in the environmental and labor communities to move toward even tougher standards for the second phase of the president’s national program to improve fuel economy and reduce pollution.”

“By setting a course for steady improvements in fuel economy over the long term, the Obama Administration is ensuring that American car buyers have their choice of the most efficient vehicles ever produced in our country. That will save them money, reduce our nation’s oil consumption and cut harmful emissions in the air we breathe,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “This is an important addition to the landmark clean cars program that President Obama initiated to establish fuel economy standards more than two years ago. The progress we made with the help of the auto industry, the environmental community, consumer groups and others will be expanded upon in the years to come — benefitting the health, the environment and the economy for the American people.”

The proposed program for model year 2017-2025 passenger cars and trucks is expected to require increases in fuel efficiency equivalent to 54.5 mpg if all reductions were made through fuel economy improvements. These improvements would save consumers an average of up to $6,600 in fuel costs over the lifetime of a model year 2025 vehicle for a net lifetime savings of $4,400 after factoring in related increases in vehicle cost. Overall, the net benefit to society from this rule would total more than $420 billion over the lifetime of the vehicles sold in model year 2017-2025.

This action builds on the first phase of the Obama Administration’s national program (2012-2016), which will raise fuel efficiency equivalent to 35.5 mpg by 2016 and result in an average light vehicle tailpipe CO2 level of 250 grams per mile. These standards are already in effect and saving consumers money at the pump now. Combined with 2011 fuel economy standards and the standards in effect for 2012-2016, today’s proposal represents the most significant federal action ever taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve fuel economy.   Taken together, these actions would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by half and result in model year 2025 light-duty vehicles with nearly double the fuel economy of model year 2010 vehicles.

The national policy on fuel economy standards and greenhouse gas emissions created by DOT and EPA provides regulatory certainty and flexibility that reduces the cost of compliance for auto manufacturers while reducing oil consumption and harmful air pollution. By continuing the national program developed for model year 2012-2016 vehicles, EPA and DOT have designed a proposal that allows manufacturers to keep producing a single, national fleet of passenger cars and light trucks that satisfies all federal and California standards. It also ensures that consumers will continue to enjoy a full range of vehicle choices with performance, utility and safety features that meet their individual needs.

The standards will rely on innovative technologies that are expected to spur economic growth and create high-quality jobs across the country. Major auto manufacturers are already heavily invested in developing advanced technologies that can significantly reduce fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions beyond the existing model year 2012-2016 standards. In addition, a wide range of technologies are currently available for automakers to meet the new standards, including advanced gasoline engines and transmissions, vehicle weight reduction, lower tire rolling resistance, improvements in aerodynamics, diesel engines, more efficient accessories, and improvements in air conditioning systems. The standards should also spur manufacturers to increasingly explore electric technologies such as start/stop, hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and electric vehicles. The model year 2017-2025 proposal includes a number of incentive programs to encourage early adoption and introduction of “game changing” advanced technologies, such as hybridization for pickup trucks.

The proposal follows President Obama’s announcement in July that the administration and 13 major automakers representing more than 90 percent of all vehicles sold in the U.S. have agreed to build on the first phase of the national vehicle program. EPA and DOT worked closely with a broad range of stakeholders to develop the proposal—including manufacturers, the United Auto Workers, the State of California, and consumer and environmental groups.

There will be an opportunity for the public to comment on the proposal for 60 days after it is published in the Federal Register. In addition, DOT and EPA plan to hold several public hearings around the country to allow further public input. California plans to issue its proposal for model year 2017-2025 vehicle greenhouse gas standards on December 7 and will finalize its standards in January.

More on the NHTSA and EPA’s notice of proposed rulemaking: http://www.nhtsa.gov/fuel-economy

More information: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/climate/regulations.htm