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Risk Network Newsletter-02 - August 2006
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Progress meeting Risk Network
Friday  July  28th 2006, Hotel Dorint, Munchen
Review of year one deliverables and milestones for the Work Packages: management, workshops, case studies, films, internet resources.All those invited / present are requested to have a look at the current Risk Network website:
[http://risk.eusem.com/main/home]

Impulsive preschoolers may be at risk for teen drinking
In a long-term study, children who had less control over their behavior and impulses between 3 and 5 years of age and those who gained behavioral control more slowly were more likely to drink alcohol at age 14. They were also more likely to develop an alcohol problem and try illicit drugs.
[http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/07/20/teen.drinking.reut/index.html?section=cnn_health]

Earth Faces 'Catastrophic Loss of Species'
Biodiversity is much more than counting species. It's crucial to the functioning of the planet and the loss of species is extremely serious. Everywhere we look, we are losing the fabric of life. It's a major crisis. This is the view of 19 of the world's most eminent biodiversity specialists, who have called on governments to establish a political framework to save the planet. Biodiversity is still consistently undervalued and given inadequate weight in both private and public decisions. There is an urgent need to bridge the gap between science and policy by creating an international body of biodiversity experts.
[http://www.sci-tech-today.com/story.xhtml?story_id=11100681IJ33]

Study establishes safety of spinal cord stem cell transplantation
Transplanting human embryonic stem cells does not cause harm and can be used as a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of acute spinal cord injury, according to a recent study by UC Irvine researchers. In this study, as in the original one, when the rats suffering from severe spinal cord injury were injected with the oligodendrocytes seven days after injury, the cells migrated to the appropriate sites within the spinal cord and wrapped around the damaged neurons, forming new myelin tissue.
[http://www.ucnewswire.org/news_viewer.cfm?story_PK=6058&]

Deaf to warnings of mp3 player risk
Vivienne Michael, Chief Executive of Deafness Research UK, says: ‘Many young people are regularly using MP3 players for long periods of time and are frighteningly unaware of the fact that loud noise can permanently damage your hearing. A UK survey, carried out to mark the launch of a partnership between Specsavers Hearcare and Deafness Research UK, found that 14% of people spend up to a staggering 28 hours a week listening to their personal music player. More than a third of people who have experienced ringing in their ears after listening to loud music, listen to their MP3 player every day. Ringing in the ears, or tinnitus, is a sign of damage to their hearing.
[http://www.deafnessresearch.org.uk/Youth+of+today+risk+going+deaf+early+warns+new+charity+partnership+3145.twl]

Gene May be Key to Age-Linked Vision Loss
A specific gene variant has a major impact on the risk for age-related macular degeneration. AMD is a growing medical issue. Researchers have estimated that a third of Americans will develop some form of the condition by age 75. Ophthalmologists currently often have no treatment to offer an aging individual as his or her central vision loses its sharpness. The study also assessed other risk factors, such as smoking and blood levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation.
[http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20060718/hl_hsn/genemaybekeytoagelinkedvisionloss]

Obese Teenage Girls Have High Risk Of Middle Age Death
In much of the developed world, and some parts of the developing world, teenage obesity is growing at an alarming rate. Obese teenagers at 18 were three times as likely to die at middle age compared to those who were of normal weight at 18. In the USA 15.5% of teenagers are overweight. The link between childhood obesity and premature death is an important public-health issue. Prevention at early ages is an important strategy to combat this problem.
[http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/healthnews.php?newsid=47581&nfid=crss]

Pollution threatens coral health
Coral tissue damage that normally heals on its own will not mend when the colonies are near pollution sources on land that release industrial chemicals, fuel oils and other contaminants. Coral's inability to repair tissue damage contributes to decline of reefs, it can harm tourism economy and increase hurricane risks. If researchers can determine the specific causes of pollution that are harming coral, it then will be up to governments, organizations and residents to decide whether it's worth the cost of solving whatever problems are discovered.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-07/uocf-ptc071806.php

Shuttle risks persist, even with perfect landing
Space shuttle Discovery's smooth landing on Monday is no cause for complacency, according to NASA chief Michael Griffin, who warned of challenges ahead even as he praised his team for "as good a mission as we've ever flown. I certainly do not feel that a weight has been lifted, I think the words 'routine human space flight' don't go in the same sentence. Every one of these (missions) is experimental."
[http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=scienceNews&storyID=12867898&src=rss/scienceNews]

Leading Insurance Services Firm Raises Awareness of Global Environmental Risk
Marsh, the world’s leading risk and insurance services firm, recognizes climate change to be one of the most significant emerging risks affecting businesses worldwide, and has urged its clients and other companies to take action to address the issue. Climate change is a complex global issue at the intersection of science, risk, and public policy. The collaboration with the Pew Center, and the leading companies that work with it, is an important step in our long-term commitment to addressing this issue. (The Pew Center was established in May 1998 by The Pew Charitable Trusts, one of the United States’ largest philanthropies and an influential voice in efforts to improve the quality of the environment)
[http://www.pewclimate.org/press_room/sub_press_room/2006_releases/pr_0713_marsh.cfm]

FDA : Online sexual enhancement products risky
Erectile dysfunction products contain undeclared chemicals that are similar or identical to sildenafil or to vardenafil (active ingredients of Viagra and Levitra). The products can cause a deadly interaction with many heart drugs, notably those containing nitrates. Consumers with diabetes, High Blood Pressure, High cholesterol, or heart disease often take nitrates,” the FDA said.
[http://www.health.am/ab/more/online-sexual-enhancement-products/]

Report Warns About Carbon Dioxide Threats To Marine Life
The report, "Impacts of Ocean Acidification on Coral Reefs and Other Marine Calcifiers," warns that oceans worldwide absorbed approximately 118 billion metric tons of carbon between 1800 and 1994. Oceans are naturally alkaline, and they are expected to remain so, but the interaction with carbon dioxide is making them less alkaline and more acidic. The increased acidity lowers the concentration of carbonate ion, a building block of the calcium carbonate that many marine organisms use to grow their skeletons and create coral reef structures.
[http://www.ucar.edu/news/releases/2006/acidification.shtml]

EPA Dioxin Risk Assessment Reviewed: National Academies Advisory
Dioxin and dioxin-like compounds, released into the environment by industrial processes and present in the food chain, have been a concern since they were found in the herbicide Agent Orange. The new report examines the scientific soundness of the data, assumptions, and methods used in a draft reassessment of the health risks of dioxin issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2003.
[http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=46851]

Defining a common set of indicators to monitor road accidents in the European Union
Currently road accidents are mostly monitored through mortality and injury rates. This paper reports the methodology and the results of a project set forth by the European Union (EU) and coordinated by the WHO aimed at identifying and evaluating a core set of indicators to monitor the causal chain of road accident health effects. The project is part of the ECOEHIS (Development of Environment and Health Indicators for European Union Countries).
[http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1471-2458-6-183.pdf]

Fish Oil and not smoking reduces risk of developing macular degeneration.
The study found that those who ate the most fish - at least two weekly servings - reduced their risk of AMD by 45 percent over those who had less than one weekly serving and current smokers had a 1.9-fold greater risk of developing AMD.
[http://www.NewsTarget.com/019605.html]

Science and security in the 21st century
The 2006 special issue of EMBO reports on Science & Security covers the social, economic and ethical impact of dual-use research in the life sciences on society and vice versa. It also reflects on the science and technology of identifying individuals using biometrics and DNA profiles and their implications on citizens' privacy. The special issue is based on a joint EMBO/EMBL conference, which took place in October 2005.
[http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-07/embl-sas071106.php]

Guide on allergy labelling published
The UK Food Standards Agency has issued guidance to help food producers and retailers improve their labelling advice for people with allergies.
[http://www.foodstandards.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2006/jul/allergenguide]

Ovarian Cancer Risk Could Be Cut By A Third By Regular Paracetamol Use
A research team from Athens University found that the risk fell by up to 30 per cent when they analysed the results of major studies carried out on more than 746,000 women over a six-year period. "The risks of long-term paracetamol use (1/day) - including liver and chronic kidney failure - may outweigh the potential benefits of preventing ovarian cancer in low-risk cases" concludes Dr Bonovas.
[http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=46752]