Environmental Health Issues

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a final order banning most uses of methylene chloride, a chemical found in some industrial and consumer paint-removing products.

The EPA said it took the action because the chemical is “known to cause liver cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, brain cancer, cancer of the blood, and cancer of the central nervous system, as well as neurotoxicity, liver harm and even death.”

The rule does allow some uses of the chemical but only with a newly developed worker protection program.

“Exposure to methylene chloride has devastated families across this country for too long, including some who saw loved ones go to work and never come home,” said EPA Administrator Michael Regan.

“EPA’s final action brings an end to unsafe methylene chloride practices and implements the strongest worker protections possible for the few remaining industrial uses, ensuring no one in this country is put in harm’s way by this dangerous chemical.”

Consumer uses

Methylene chloride is used by consumers for aerosol degreasing and paint and coating brush cleaners, in commercial applications such as adhesives and sealants, and in industrial settings for making other chemicals. For example, methylene chloride is used in the production of more climate-friendly refrigerant chemicals.

The chemical has primarily been used in industrial settings, stripping paint from metal. The United Steel Workers Union issued a statement praising the ban, saying it would promote the health of steelworkers.

David McCall, international president of the union, says more than 100,000 workers die from occupational disease each year, including those sickened by harmful chemical exposures. 

How many different things do people take to improve their memory? Well, there are more than 1,000 such products on Amazon, alone.

For example, there are brain-boosting mushrooms, neuro health heroes, lion’s mane, DMAE and a chemical that comes from Chinese club moss, Huperzine A.

Now, a new study from the King’s Centre for Aging Resilience in a Changing Environment (CARICE) at King’s College of London suggests that your answer may actually be a “gut feeling.” That, quite possibly, messing with the bacteria in your gut and improving the “brain-gut axis” can help your memory as you age.

Cheap, easy, and quick

The deal is simple, the scientists say. As we age, we get weaker and more forgetful. Duh. But, they say that when they studied 72 identical twins over age 60, they found something simple waiting for them as an answer.

The group that had the real success? It was the one that did resistance exercises (sit ups, squats, push-ups, leg raises and planks) and took two cheap, over-the-counter plant fiber supplements (prebiotics) containing inulin and FOS [Fructooligosaccharides]. 

It was that combination that provided the magic: that a healthy gut microbiome is linked to better cognitive function. And not only in this study, but in others, as well. 

The fiber supplement led to significant changes in the participants' gut microbiome composition, particularly an increase in the numbers of healthy bacteria such as Bifidobacterium that’s found in your intestines and assists in digesting fiber, preventing infections, and producing important compounds such as healthy fatty acids and B vitamins. 

The impact from the exercises? Well, there wasn’t any discernible difference in muscle strength between the study groups, but the group receiving the fiber supplement did do better in tests assessing brain function, reaction time, and processing speed.

“These measures are important for daily living – for example reacting to traffic or stopping a simple trip-up turning into a fall,” the researchers said.

And fast-acting, too!

“We are excited to see these changes in just 12 weeks. This holds huge promise for enhancing brain health and memory in our aging population. Unlocking the secrets of the gut-brain axis could offer new approaches for living more healthily for longer,” first author Dr Mary Ni Lochlainn, from the Department of Twin Research, said.

When you look up at wires between utility poles you might not see a danger. But if those lines are old and contain lead, they might pose a hazard.

An investigation by the Wall Street Journal reported that AT&T, Verizon and other telecom companies have left more than 2,000 toxic lead cables – on poles, under waterways and in the soil – around the country. The Journal reported that testing revealed dozens of places registering lead levels that exceed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) safety guidelines. 

The report got the attention of three environmental groups – the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), Clean Water Action and Below the Blue, which are now trying to get the EPA’s attention. Officials of the three groups signed a letter to the agency asking it to investigate.

“EPA must prioritize the immediate removal of lead-sheathed cables accessible to children or strung overhead between telephone poles,” said Tom Neltner, senior director for safer chemicals at EDF. “These cables pose the greatest exposure risk to lead, and they can be easily fixed. For the underwater cables, EPA should assess the risk, prioritizing those in sources of water protected for drinking.”

Some cables date to the 1880s

The cables are very old, dating as far back as the 1880s and to as recently as the 1960s. They consist of lead pipes with copper wires inside and asphalt coating on the outside. 

Many were abandoned in place when they failed or became unnecessary, but when deserted, the open ends of those bundles were exposed—leaving the lead open to soil and water, researchers say. Without EPA intervention, the groups said they expect that the risk posed by the cables will increase as they deteriorate further and release lead into the environment.

The Journal investigation conducted tests of soil and water samples that varied from no detectable lead to the highest lead level of 38,000 parts per billion from a single sample of water from Lake Tahoe. 

The risks are unclear

What is the risk to Americans? The groups say the risk is unclear. That’s why they are calling on the EPA to determine the potential risk to public health that the cables may pose.

"We have personally visited over 300 sites with lead-sheathed cables in communities across America,” said Seth Jones, co-founder of Below the Blue and president of Marine Taxonomic Services, Ltd. (MTS). “Research suggests that there are potentially thousands of other abandoned cables across the country. Given the number of cables identified across nine states, this is not a situation that can be addressed locally.”

Lead is not healthy for anyone but is particularly harmful to children, with exposure to the metal potentially resulting in permanent neurological damage. In recent days the EPA made clear that “there is no safe level of lead” and “even low levels are detrimental to children’s health.”