New England Currents|Online, Summer 2009 - Update

Providence may be the second largest city in New England, but it can trade asthma and pollution stories with the best of the major cities. Rhode Island has the 5th highest child asthma rate in the country, and metropolitan Providence is ranked in the worst 6% of all U.S. counties for cancer risks posed by diesel pollution. Diesel is a menacing public health threat and a potential lynchpin in the fight against global warming. Black carbon soot is now considered the second largest source of global warming pollution after carbon dioxide. It is 2,000 more potent as a global warming agent than an equal volume of CO2.

Cue Providence: this summer will surely be remembered, not least by Clean Water Action members, for precedent-setting local government action and a highly practical approach to diesel pollution reduction measures in the capitol city.

New England Currents|Online, Summer 2009 - Update

BPA Banned In Connecticut

State Legislators, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, and other supporters rally outside the Legislative Office Building in support of the Bisphenol-A legislation.

Thanks to the commitment of our members, Connecticut Clean Water Action is celebrating a banner year marked by recent legislative victories that will reduce toxins in consumer products.

New England Currents|Online, Summer 2009 - Update

Clean Water Calls for BPA-Free Children's Products

If you were at the beach or on vacation mid-summer, you may have missed this announcement but... after months of determined prodding from Clean Water Action and the Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) issued a consumer warning on bisphenol-A (BPA) in August. Why is this important? BPA is a toxic chemical that leaches from polycarbonate plastics and the linings of food and beverage cans such as baby bottles, sippy cups, infant formula, and canned sodas and soups. It mimics the hormone estrogen and disrupts the body's endocrine system, leading to potential health damage including breast cancer, obesity, diabetes, and early onset of puberty, among others. And BPA has been found in the bodies of 93% of Americans tested.

The DPH warning states that children under the age of two, pregnant women, and chemotherapy patients should, where possible, avoid products that contain BPA.

In this issue of New England Currents|Online:

More Shocking News on BPA
Last year it was lead, this year Bisphenol A (BPA) is the toxic chemical making news headlines and worrying parents. BPA is the building block of polycarbonate plastic and has been found to leach from many baby bottles and other products. BPA has been linked to obesity, early onset puberty, low sperm count, hyperactivity, depression and other health effects. Recently, two new studies have been released showing some more shocking exposure pathways and effects of BPA.

New England Currents|Online, Summer 2009

In one of the most exciting election seasons in recent history, Clean Water Action's membership grew dramatically in New Hampshire as part of our drive to elect strong environmental leaders in the Granite State. To keep this great momentum going forward, we've launched the Civic Engagement Project with a goal to educate, engage and mobilize our 15,000 members in New Hampshire on key federal and state issues.

New England Clean Water Currents, Summer 2009

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The June, 2008 issue discusses the upcoming conversion to all-digital television, legislative victories in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, and our expanding presence in New Hampshire. There is also a story on the EPA Merit Award received by Clean Water Action'sRhode Island State Director, Sheila Dormody.

The January 2008 issue looks at New England States grades on Climate Action Plans, how we can put a lid on the bottled water habit, reveals one Massachusetts Senator's fight to reduce diesel pollution and gives an update on the increasingly active toxics campaigns.

Our July-September 2007 newsletter contains articles on reducing diesel pollution in Massachusetts, New Hampshire's passage of the mercury ban and energy bills, cleaning up school buses and taking action on climate in Rhode Island, energy victories in Connecticut, and more.

Our May/June 2007 newsletter focuses on our global warming efforts across New England, a Connecticut school bus pollution art exhibit, and progress on the mercury ban in New Hampshire.

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