It’s Child Passenger Safety Week!

Child safety seats and booster seats save lives. They offer the best protection for children in the event of a crash.

Find out more about ways to protect your child:

Click here for facts about child passenger safety and related web-based resources

Click here to hear a Podcast: Dr. Arlene Greenspan discusses correct methods of securing children in child safety seats

Beware of Herbal Supplements

According to the article “Ancient, but How SAFE?” published September 18th in the New York Times, the health industry has questions about metals like lead, mercury or arsenic being found in ayurvedic supplements.  To read the full article click here.

Lead Recall

Lucky Country Inc. Recalls All Natural Black Licorice Products
Contact:
Donald C. McLearn
904 287-9383

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — September 5, 2008 — Lucky Country Inc. of Lincolnton, NC is recalling all of its natural black licorice products from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, and Washington State due to elevated levels of lead.

Recent tests performed by the California Department of Public Health and the Food and Drug Administration showed that Lucky Country Aussie Style Soft Gourmet Licorice Black (All Natural) in 1.5 lb bags contained a lead level exceeding the level permitted in candy. Because of this finding, Lucky Country is voluntarily recalling all of its Lucky Country Aussie Style Soft Gourmet Licorice Black (All Natural) from the market. In addition to the 1.5 lb bags, Lucky Country also manufactures this natural black licorice product in 6 oz and 3 lb bags, and in a 1 lb tub. Consumers are advised to check to see if they have this product in their possession and should either dispose of it or return it to their retail outlet for a full refund.

Lucky Country is cooperating with the California Department of Public Health and the Food and Drug Administration to conduct the recall. Consumers with questions may contact the company at customerservice@lucky-country.com, or 828 428-8313 during business hours.

Smoking Prevalence Among Women of Reproductive Age-USA, 2006

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cigarette smoking continues to be the leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in the United States.  Women of reproductive age (18-44) who smoke risk adverse pregnancy outcomes and adverse health consequences for themselves.   MMWR Weekly, August 8, 2008, reports on a study that analysized state-specific prevalence of smoking and attempts to quit among women of reproductive age, using 2006 data from Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).

Healthy Homes Alliance Alert Newsletter

The Healthy Homes Alliance Newsletter (September 2008) is now available on line.

A Call for Chemical Policy Reform, Education, Regulation, and More

The Collaborative on Health and the Environment’s Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative published its Policy Implications Based on the Scientific Consensus Statement on Environmental Agents Associated with Neurodevelopmental Disorders.

This statement, signed by almost 100 scientists, health professionals and advocates nationally and internationally, provides policy recommendations based on the latest science regarding environmental contaminants associated with neurodevelopmental disorders, such as learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), intellectual disabilities and developmental delays. The statement draws from the group’s scientific consensus statement that was published in February 2008. That statement, signed by more than 50 leading scientists and health professionals in the field of neurological disorders and environmental health, summarized research findings from diverse disciplines concerning environmental contaminants and the biological basis of compromised learning and development.The policy statement recommends chemical policy reform, education, regulation, remediation, further research and testing to address unnecessary exposures to substances implicated as contributing to the various neurodevelopmental disorders.Chemicals and substances of concern in the statement include metals such as lead, arsenic and mercury; additives or byproducts from consumer products such as plastic toys and food; manufactured chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and flame retardants (PBDEs); and hormone-mimicking endocrine disruptors.

“All children have a right from conception through adolescence to an environment in which they can reach and maintain their full potential,” said lead author, Steve Gilbert, PhD, DABT, “We know that exposure to the contaminants addressed in this statement can rob children of their potential. It is time to make significant policy reforms to eliminate or drastically reduce exposures to these agents. We have the knowledge; it is time for action.” Gilbert directs the Institute of Neurotoxicology & Neurological Disorders.

This document is designed for health professionals, health-affected groups, health advocates, children’s advocates, environmental health and justice organizations, policymakers and journalists to use as a resource for promoting policies to reduce unnecessary exposures that can lead to neurodevelopmental disorders. A call to action, the statement is a summary of steps that can be taken to protect the health of all children across the country.

“If we reduce environmental exposures that may contribute to learning and developmental disabilities, we reduce the emotional and financial hardships that tens of thousands of kids, their families, teachers and communities face every day,” Elise Miller, MEd, national coordinator of LDDI and executive director of the Institute for Children’s Environmental Health. “In turn, we will have a more productive, robust and resilient society.”

Click here to access the report.

NJ FASD Diagnostic Center Featured: Small Syndrome, Big Costs

Advance for Nurses published an article in its most recent magazine about ways nurses can fight fetal alcohol syndrome through education and spreading the word of its devastating effectsMore babies were born in the U.S. last year than ever before. According to preliminary data released in July by the National Center for Health Statistics, about 4,315,000 were born in 2007.That’s 15,000 more births than the peak time of the baby boom in 1957.

It is estimated that less than 1 percent of babies born last year were born with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). From a purely statistical point of view, it doesn’t look like FAS is that big a medical issue — of those 4 million babies, only about 40,000 were born with this syndrome.

However, parents of children with FAS and the children themselves quickly learn just how medically devastating FAS is, said Cathleen Cahill, MSN, APN-C, RN. Cahill is a pediatric nurse practitioner and part of a cross-functional team at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, Newark, NJ, that focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of FAS.

“These kids have significant learning and behavioral problems. There is no cure. It is life-long. It is devastating,” she told ADVANCE.

Cahill works in the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Diagnostic Center, which is part of a larger program called Children’s Hospital Assessment and Treatment Team (CHATT). It is one of 11 such centers operating in New Jersey, whose primary focus is the evaluation and diagnosis of children with FAS.

What Is Too Much?

FAS results when pregnant women drink alcohol which is highly toxic to the brain. Despite warning labels that abound on liquor, wine and beer bottles and in bars and restaurants, these women continue to drink. One reason, said Saidi Clemente, MD, is “…there is no consensus as to how much alcohol is too much. It is possible one drink won’t do anything, but you can’t say that for certain.”

Clemente, who is a developmental pediatrician with CHATT, said there is an easy way to prevent FAS: “To make it safe, no drinks — not even one. You don’t know how you will metabolize alcohol. There is no test for that, so the safest approach is no drinking.”

There is no evidence to indicate that even one drink won’t damage an unborn child’s development, Clemente continued. And there is no way to reverse the damage once it is done. The damage can be extensive, including microcephaly, craniofacial anomalies and neurobehavioral manifestations.

“These children may have normal IQs, but they may have problems in judgment, are not good at planning or organizing and not good with impulse control,” said Barbara Caspi, PhD, licensed psychologist and certified school psychologist.

Caspi, who has been coordinator of the CHATT program for 10 years, added secondary effects are just as devastating.

“Secondary problems include cognitive disorders, mental health problems, getting in trouble with the law, dropping out of high school and unwanted pregnancy.”

High Price Tag

FAS comes with a high price tag for the families it touches. It cascades into every aspect of their lives and follows the children throughout their lives. It also comes with a high price tag for the treatment and lifelong care of these patients.

A comprehensive review of data available on the cost of FAS was conducted by the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder Center for Excellence and published in 2003 by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

The study revealed the cost of providing treatment for babies born with FAS came in at more than $4 billion a year, every year. The lifetime cost of caring for every child born with FAS is $2 million or more.

Educational Difference

FAS is a medical tragedy made even worse by one simple fact.

“Unlike other syndromes you see in clinics, this is 100 percent preventable. And all of the effects are 100 percent preventable,” Clemente said. But, she emphasized, nurses can make a difference starting with education.

“[Education] is the key. Spread the word,” Clemente stressed. “It may take a little time to educate yourself and then to educate your patients. The word has to get out that a pregnant woman should never consume alcohol.”

Cahill agreed education is important, saying, “Nurses need to be aware of the problem themselves. They need to increase their own awareness and the awareness of anyone they work with.”

Cahill also thinks nurses need to “push for increased awareness throughout the community and more treatment options, too, whether it be through the schools, early intervention, community outreach programs, community health services or counseling.”

Nurses Play Pivotal Role

For Caspi, the nurse plays a pivotal role in both diagnosis and treatment. “Our nurse does outreach and is there with the physician. She talks to the families at the time the diagnosis is suspected. She talks to the patients about their lifestyle so they can understand the risks when they are pregnant, or just thinking about getting pregnant,” she said.

CHATT team members also advocate for programs that will identify women at risk and offer intervention and treatment, as well. But they can see and help only so many children every year. That’s where nurses everywhere can help, Caspi noted.

“Nurses have a role in preventing FAS from happening. Identify. Spread the word. And remember, it is preventable,” she said.

The number of children affected by FAS is small, but the damage alcohol does is devastating, Caspi reiterated. Nurses are uniquely positioned to make a difference. As the largest number of healthcare professionals in the U.S., they have a unique opportunity to help prevent FAS, mitigate the secondary effects of the syndrome and save children and families from the devastation it causes.

Pat Muccigrosso is a frequent contributor to ADVANCE.

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