Friday, April 13, 2012
"It was not done out of any maliciousness. But that doesn't in any way alleviate the responsibility that we have to the future generations that are going to suffer from this exposure." - Jack McManus
Jack McManus of Vietnam Veterans of America was part of Operation Ranch Hand during his military service in the Vietnam War. His mission was to spray the herbicide Agent Orange across Vietnam via aircraft. He now works to inform other veterans, their children, and the general public about what Agent Orange was and why the companies that manufactured it need to release more information about how it was made, where it was used and what was in it.
http://youtu.be/lDHClxfT2lI
Thursday, April 12, 2012
EPA approves 'Agent Orange' pesticide
http://rt.com/usa/news/epa-pesticide-24-d-petition-831/
The Environmental Protection Agency has refused a petition that aimed to ban the sale of a powerful pesticide linked with cancer — and while already available, a surge in sales is expected as scientists ready a new crop resistant to the chemical.
Not only has the EPA rejected a petition that sought to prohibit the domestic sale of the dangerous 2,4-D pesticide — a key ingredient in Agent Orange — but the main manufacturer of the chemical predicts that sales will skyrocket in the coming months. The reason, it would seem, is that Dow Chemicals is awaiting federal approval of a genetically engineered crop they’ve created that will be resistant to 2,4-D.
If approved, farmers will be able to plant the frankencrop corn variant and douse their fields with the pesticide to eliminate unwanted weeds with greater success. Although 2,4-D isn’t currently used to a large degree on corn fields, all that could soon change for the country’s most successful crop. Opponents argue, though, that the potential side effects of the pesticide are enough to push for a ban on 2,4-D altogether.
The Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental watch group, has argued that expose to 2,4-D has caused in some cases cancer, hormone disruption, genetic mutations and neurotoxicity, reports the New York Times. In voting not to hear the petition against the pesticide, however, the EPA says that they believe there to be a lack of evidence that would be significant enough to raise suspicion.
“After considering public comment received on the petition and all the available studies, EPA is denying the request to revoke all tolerances and the request to cancel all registrations,” the agency says in their explanation this week.
According to the National Resources Defense Council, the truth behind the toxicity of the chemical is quite the contrary.
“This dangerous pesticide is lurking all over the place – from ball fields and golf courses, to front lawns and farms – exposing an enormous amount of the American public to cancer and other serious health risks,” NRDC senior scientist Dr. Gina Solomon wrote earlier this year. “There’s no reason to continue allowing a toxic Agent Orange-ingredient in the places our children play, our families live and our farmers work. EPA must step up and finally put a stop to it.”
READ MORE: http://rt.com/usa/news/epa-pesticide-24-d-petition-831/
The Environmental Protection Agency has refused a petition that aimed to ban the sale of a powerful pesticide linked with cancer — and while already available, a surge in sales is expected as scientists ready a new crop resistant to the chemical.
Not only has the EPA rejected a petition that sought to prohibit the domestic sale of the dangerous 2,4-D pesticide — a key ingredient in Agent Orange — but the main manufacturer of the chemical predicts that sales will skyrocket in the coming months. The reason, it would seem, is that Dow Chemicals is awaiting federal approval of a genetically engineered crop they’ve created that will be resistant to 2,4-D.
If approved, farmers will be able to plant the frankencrop corn variant and douse their fields with the pesticide to eliminate unwanted weeds with greater success. Although 2,4-D isn’t currently used to a large degree on corn fields, all that could soon change for the country’s most successful crop. Opponents argue, though, that the potential side effects of the pesticide are enough to push for a ban on 2,4-D altogether.
The Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental watch group, has argued that expose to 2,4-D has caused in some cases cancer, hormone disruption, genetic mutations and neurotoxicity, reports the New York Times. In voting not to hear the petition against the pesticide, however, the EPA says that they believe there to be a lack of evidence that would be significant enough to raise suspicion.
“After considering public comment received on the petition and all the available studies, EPA is denying the request to revoke all tolerances and the request to cancel all registrations,” the agency says in their explanation this week.
According to the National Resources Defense Council, the truth behind the toxicity of the chemical is quite the contrary.
“This dangerous pesticide is lurking all over the place – from ball fields and golf courses, to front lawns and farms – exposing an enormous amount of the American public to cancer and other serious health risks,” NRDC senior scientist Dr. Gina Solomon wrote earlier this year. “There’s no reason to continue allowing a toxic Agent Orange-ingredient in the places our children play, our families live and our farmers work. EPA must step up and finally put a stop to it.”
READ MORE: http://rt.com/usa/news/epa-pesticide-24-d-petition-831/
America’s Debt to Vietnam
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/comment/2012/04/vietnam-da-nang-dioxin-and-the-post-colonial-style.html
The Marines came ashore at Da Nang, on the central coast of Vietnam, on March 8, 1965. By the next year, the beachfront and the air base alongside had become a vast, ugly sprawl of tents, trucks, half-tracks, spare parts, fuel drums, helicopters, and airplanes. Old photographs depict a plain of expeditionary military engineering; the gravel-bedded, metal-roofed, fenced-in look anticipated eerily the American bases that today dot Afghanistan.
Earlier this year, the Da Nang airport opened a new international terminal. The building has soaring glass walls, digital clocks, a Burger King, and a Tommy Hilfiger store. When I visited the area last week, hammers clanked and machines roared along the nearby ocean, at construction sites for luxury hotels and tile-roofed golf villas facing what American soldiers once knew as China Beach. Hyatt is one of the recently arrived chains.
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/comment/2012/04/vietnam-da-nang-dioxin-and-the-post-colonial-style.html#ixzz1rrT9R6YA
The Marines came ashore at Da Nang, on the central coast of Vietnam, on March 8, 1965. By the next year, the beachfront and the air base alongside had become a vast, ugly sprawl of tents, trucks, half-tracks, spare parts, fuel drums, helicopters, and airplanes. Old photographs depict a plain of expeditionary military engineering; the gravel-bedded, metal-roofed, fenced-in look anticipated eerily the American bases that today dot Afghanistan.
Earlier this year, the Da Nang airport opened a new international terminal. The building has soaring glass walls, digital clocks, a Burger King, and a Tommy Hilfiger store. When I visited the area last week, hammers clanked and machines roared along the nearby ocean, at construction sites for luxury hotels and tile-roofed golf villas facing what American soldiers once knew as China Beach. Hyatt is one of the recently arrived chains.Read more http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/comment/2012/04/vietnam-da-nang-dioxin-and-the-post-colonial-style.html#ixzz1rrT9R6YA
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
EPA Paves Way for "Agent Orange" GM Corn
http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/312-16/10893-epa-paves-way-for-qagent-orangeq-gm-corn
By Common Dreams Staff
10 April 12
The Environmental Protection Agency rejected a petition to ban the sale of the 2,4-D pesticide, a major ingredient in the Vietnam-era defoliant 'Agent Orange'. Despite its current widespread availability, use of 2,4-D could skyrocket soon because its main manufacturer, Dow Chemical, is hoping to receive approval to sell genetically modified corn seeds that are resistant to 2,4-D.
"Dow's 'Agent Orange' corn will trigger a large increase in 2,4-D use - and our exposure to this toxic herbicide - yet USDA has not assessed how much, nor analyzed the serious harm to human health, the environment or neighboring farms," said Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of the Center for Food Safety. The decision from the EPA came in response to a lawsuit from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) in January of this year, who filed the suit after the EPA refused to respond to a petition the environmental group first submitted in 2008.
"This dangerous pesticide is lurking all over the place - from ball fields and golf courses, to front lawns and farms - exposing an enormous amount of the American public to cancer and other serious health risks," NRDC senior scientist Dr. Gina Solomon said, during the announcement of the move in January. "There's no reason to continue allowing a toxic Agent Orange-ingredient in the places our children play, our families live and our farmers work. EPA must step up and finally put a stop to it."
The EPA's decision on Monday, however, rejected the idea that 2,4-D was a health or "safety" threat, and even pointed to a Dow Chemical conducted study to support their decision.
The Center for Food Safety, who worked alongside NRDC to push the ban, expressed deep concern for the increased use of 2,4-D if Dow's new corn seeds are approved. "Dow's 'Agent Orange' corn will trigger a large increase in 2,4-D use - and our exposure to this toxic herbicide - yet USDA has not assessed how much, nor analyzed the serious harm to human health, the environment or neighboring farms," said Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of the Center for Food Safety. "This novel corn will foster resistant weeds that require more toxic pesticides to kill, followed by more resistance and more pesticides - a chemical arms race in which the only winners are pesticide/biotechnology firms."
READ MORE: http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/312-16/10893-epa-paves-way-for-qagent-orangeq-gm-corn
Veterans-unite-support-platoon-member
http://www.app.com/article/20120407/NJNEWS/304070040/Veterans-unite-support-platoon-member?odyssey=nav|head
STAFFORD — It has been more than 40 years but the memories of war are still vivid for Mike Capozzoli, a decorated U.S. Army combat medic who served in Vietnam in 1969.
While in Vietnam, the 64-year-old Capozzoli was surprised to meet up with childhood friend Joe Frady, 63, of Toms River, who he had worked with at a golf course in Neptune when they were teenagers.
“When I saw Joe, I said: ‘What the hell are you doing here?’ It was a real surprise,’’ Capozzoli said.
Capozzoli, Frady, and Frank Cannon, 62, of New Brunswick spent hours reminiscing recently at Capozzoli’s residence. The men served in the same platoon in Army Alpha Company, First Battalion, 18th Infantry, First Infantry Division.
The impulse to reconnect with old war buddies came from Capozzoli. It was 2005, and he was sick. It was an illness linked to his days in Vietnam and exposure to Agent Orange, and it cost him one of his lungs.
READ MORE: http://www.app.com/article/20120407/NJNEWS/304070040/Veterans-unite-support-platoon-member?odyssey=nav|head
NOTE: AOZ served in Bravo Company, 1/18, 1st Infantry Division during the same time period
STAFFORD — It has been more than 40 years but the memories of war are still vivid for Mike Capozzoli, a decorated U.S. Army combat medic who served in Vietnam in 1969.
While in Vietnam, the 64-year-old Capozzoli was surprised to meet up with childhood friend Joe Frady, 63, of Toms River, who he had worked with at a golf course in Neptune when they were teenagers.
“When I saw Joe, I said: ‘What the hell are you doing here?’ It was a real surprise,’’ Capozzoli said.Capozzoli, Frady, and Frank Cannon, 62, of New Brunswick spent hours reminiscing recently at Capozzoli’s residence. The men served in the same platoon in Army Alpha Company, First Battalion, 18th Infantry, First Infantry Division.
The impulse to reconnect with old war buddies came from Capozzoli. It was 2005, and he was sick. It was an illness linked to his days in Vietnam and exposure to Agent Orange, and it cost him one of his lungs.
READ MORE: http://www.app.com/article/20120407/NJNEWS/304070040/Veterans-unite-support-platoon-member?odyssey=nav|head
NOTE: AOZ served in Bravo Company, 1/18, 1st Infantry Division during the same time period
EPA to discuss plans for Mississippi cleanup site
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/04/09/3870215/epa-to-discuss-plans-for-miss.html
The Associated Press
FLOWOOD, Miss. -- The Environmental Protection Agency will hold a public meeting Thursday in Flowood to discuss the initial plans for cleaning up an industrial site.
The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at Flowood Pavillion.
The EPA put the former Sonford Products site in Rankin County on the Superfund list in 2007.
The EPA says the site has soil contaminated with pentachlorophenol (PCP), lindane, dioxin, arsenic, lead and dibenzofuran compounds.
The site is 200 feet from a residential area in Flowood, an eastern suburb of Jackson.
The federal Superfund program cleans up the most complex uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites in the country.
Sonford operated two chemical plants at the site from 1972-1985, the EPA said.
One plant produced sodium pentachlorophenate and also broke down 2,000-pound blocks of PCP that were used for wood treatment after processing. The plant was closed in 1980 after an employee died from poisoning because of exposure to high levels of PCP.
Sonford Products also broke down PCP for use in wood treatment and produced pest- and mold-control products.
Besides contaminated soil, wetlands on the site are contaminated.
Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/2012/04/09/3870215/epa-to-discuss-plans-for-miss.html#storylink=cpy
The Associated Press
FLOWOOD, Miss. -- The Environmental Protection Agency will hold a public meeting Thursday in Flowood to discuss the initial plans for cleaning up an industrial site.
The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at Flowood Pavillion.
The EPA put the former Sonford Products site in Rankin County on the Superfund list in 2007.
The EPA says the site has soil contaminated with pentachlorophenol (PCP), lindane, dioxin, arsenic, lead and dibenzofuran compounds.
The site is 200 feet from a residential area in Flowood, an eastern suburb of Jackson.
The federal Superfund program cleans up the most complex uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites in the country.
Sonford operated two chemical plants at the site from 1972-1985, the EPA said.
One plant produced sodium pentachlorophenate and also broke down 2,000-pound blocks of PCP that were used for wood treatment after processing. The plant was closed in 1980 after an employee died from poisoning because of exposure to high levels of PCP.
Sonford Products also broke down PCP for use in wood treatment and produced pest- and mold-control products.
Besides contaminated soil, wetlands on the site are contaminated.
Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/2012/04/09/3870215/epa-to-discuss-plans-for-miss.html#storylink=cpy
Help stop the poisoning of Oregon’s paradise Guest viewpoint
http://special.registerguard.com/web/opinion/27872830-47/oregon-pesticides-health-oregonians-spray.html.csp
By Amy Pincus Merwin
Appeared in print: Tuesday, April 10, 2012, page A9
I am a survivor of Oregon’s Agent Orange war. I was never in Vietnam, but in 1980 I moved to Deadwood valley and was exposed to Agent Orange (2,4-D and 2,4,5-T) and its mutagenic byproduct, TCDD dioxin. I live with all the health issues of a Vietnam vet.
Agent Orange was used in Oregon’s national forests because Oregon State University professor Mike Newton, the godfather of forestry pesticides, changed the forestry model from clear-cut and slash-burn to clear-cut and spray, spray, spray. Oregon’s forests are no longer slash-burned, yet clear-cuts and intensive, repeated use of poison pesticides is standard practice.
In Lane County from Jan. 1 to March 31 more than 338 spray notices covering thousands of acres were sent to citizen subscribers. This pattern is repeated on corporate forests in every Oregon timber-producing county.
I attended the March 21 meeting of Oregon’s Pesticide Analytical and Response Center because the members, representing different Oregon agencies, were discussing the suspension of the Oregon Health Authority’s Highway 36/Triangle Lake investigation. I learned that after 33 years, PARC has no protocol for investigating Oregonians’ long-term, low-dose exposure to pesticides; has a backlog of many years of complaints about pesticide exposure that never seem to be addressed or resolved, and has never filled a required citizen-at-large position.
READ MORE: http://special.registerguard.com/web/opinion/27872830-47/oregon-pesticides-health-oregonians-spray.html.csp
By Amy Pincus Merwin
Appeared in print: Tuesday, April 10, 2012, page A9
I am a survivor of Oregon’s Agent Orange war. I was never in Vietnam, but in 1980 I moved to Deadwood valley and was exposed to Agent Orange (2,4-D and 2,4,5-T) and its mutagenic byproduct, TCDD dioxin. I live with all the health issues of a Vietnam vet.
Agent Orange was used in Oregon’s national forests because Oregon State University professor Mike Newton, the godfather of forestry pesticides, changed the forestry model from clear-cut and slash-burn to clear-cut and spray, spray, spray. Oregon’s forests are no longer slash-burned, yet clear-cuts and intensive, repeated use of poison pesticides is standard practice.
In Lane County from Jan. 1 to March 31 more than 338 spray notices covering thousands of acres were sent to citizen subscribers. This pattern is repeated on corporate forests in every Oregon timber-producing county.
I attended the March 21 meeting of Oregon’s Pesticide Analytical and Response Center because the members, representing different Oregon agencies, were discussing the suspension of the Oregon Health Authority’s Highway 36/Triangle Lake investigation. I learned that after 33 years, PARC has no protocol for investigating Oregonians’ long-term, low-dose exposure to pesticides; has a backlog of many years of complaints about pesticide exposure that never seem to be addressed or resolved, and has never filled a required citizen-at-large position.
READ MORE: http://special.registerguard.com/web/opinion/27872830-47/oregon-pesticides-health-oregonians-spray.html.csp
Monsanto Threatens To Sue Entire State Of Vermont Over Food Labeling Bill
http://wonkette.com/469418/monsanto-threatens-to-sue-entire-state-of-vermont-over-food-labeling-bill
Monsanto, that sickening institution behind Agent Orange and strawberries made out of fish and sugar made out of Axe Body Spray,* has claimed and will probably claim until the end of time that you don’t really need to know that your “all-natural” cereal is actually created in a lab. DON’T YOU LIKE IT? Don’t you feel yourself turning into a Transformer? But the state of Vermont is particularly not thrilled about Monsanto’s coquettish behavior, and is trying to pass H. 722, which would require food labels to tell you whether a product is genetically modified, and would prevent that “all-natural” designation from appearing on the packaging of a GMO food, BECAUSE IT ISN’T. The corporation has so much disgusting dirty cash on hand, however, that it has decided to intimidate the people of Vermont — not a timid bunch, mind you — out of proceeding with the bill. The sad thing? It looks like it’s working. Fish strawberries WILL RISE AGAIN.
COMMENT FROM GEORGE CLAXTON-The food labeling proposed legislation in Vermont is quite interesting becase it is a step in the right direction. However, how about extending the proposed legislation to include all BYPRODUCTS in any food. For example, although 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D does not contain dioxin (TCDD), it does contain other less toxic dioxins. 2,4-D was half of the poison known as Agent Orange.
Why shouldn't the manufacturers of food products be forced to tell the truth on all foods that contain chemicals that can be hazardous to human health?
Faithfully submitted
George Claxton
glclaxton@yahoo.com
READ MORE: http://wonkette.com/469418/monsanto-threatens-to-sue-entire-state-of-vermont-over-food-labeling-bill
Friday, April 6, 2012
New Data on Autism Spectrum Disorders
CDC estimates 1 in 88 children has been identified with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Track your child's development and act early if you have a concern.
More children than ever before are being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Like the many families living with ASDs, CDC considers ASDs an important public health concern. CDC is committed to continuing to provide essential data on ASDs, search for risk factors and causes, and develop resources that help identify children with ASDs as early as possible.
CDC's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities has been tracking ASDs for over a decade through the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network. The newest estimates from the ADDM Network are based on data collected in 14 areas of the United States during 2008. These 14 communities comprised over eight percent of the United States population of 8-year-olds in 2008. Information was collected on children who were 8 years old because previous work has shown that, by this age, most children with ASDs have been identified for services.
READ MORE: http://www.cdc.gov/Features/CountingAutism/
More children than ever before are being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Like the many families living with ASDs, CDC considers ASDs an important public health concern. CDC is committed to continuing to provide essential data on ASDs, search for risk factors and causes, and develop resources that help identify children with ASDs as early as possible.
CDC's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities has been tracking ASDs for over a decade through the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network. The newest estimates from the ADDM Network are based on data collected in 14 areas of the United States during 2008. These 14 communities comprised over eight percent of the United States population of 8-year-olds in 2008. Information was collected on children who were 8 years old because previous work has shown that, by this age, most children with ASDs have been identified for services.
READ MORE: http://www.cdc.gov/Features/CountingAutism/
Spontaneous gene glitches linked to autism risk with older dads
from National Institutes of health NIH
Non-inherited mutations spotlight role of environment – NIH-supported study, consortium
Researchers have turned up a new clue to the workings of a possible environmental factor in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs): fathers were four times more likely than mothers to transmit tiny, spontaneous mutations to their children with the disorders. Moreover, the number of such transmitted genetic glitches increased with paternal age. The discovery may help to explain earlier evidence linking autism risk to older fathers.
The results are among several from a trio of new studies, supported in part by the National Institutes of Health, finding that such sequence changes in parts of genes that code for proteins play a significant role in ASDs. One of the studies determined that having such glitches boosts a child’s risk of developing autism five to 20 fold.
Taken together, the three studies represent the largest effort of its kind, drawing upon samples from 549 families to maximize statistical power. They reveal sporadic mutations widely distributed across the genome, sometimes conferring risk and sometimes not. While the changes identified don’t account for most cases of illness, they are providing clues to the biology of what are likely multiple syndromes along the autism spectrum.
"These results confirm that it’s not necessarily the size of a genetic anomaly that confers risk, but its location – specifically in biochemical pathways involved in brain development and neural connections. Ultimately, it’s this kind of knowledge that will yield potential targets for new treatments," explained Thomas, R. Insel, M.D., director of the NIH’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), which funded one of the studies and fostered development of the Autism Sequencing Consortium, of which all three groups are members.
The mission of the NIMH is to transform the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses through basic and clinical research, paving the way for prevention, recovery and cure. For more information, visit www.nimh.nih.gov.
The activities described in this release are being funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). More information about NIH’s ARRA grant funding opportunities can be found at http://grants.nih.gov/recovery/. To track the progress of HHS activities funded through the ARRA, visit www.hhs.gov/recovery. To track all federal funds provided through the ARRA, visit www.recovery.gov.
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
READ MORE: www.nimh.nih.gov
Non-inherited mutations spotlight role of environment – NIH-supported study, consortium
Researchers have turned up a new clue to the workings of a possible environmental factor in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs): fathers were four times more likely than mothers to transmit tiny, spontaneous mutations to their children with the disorders. Moreover, the number of such transmitted genetic glitches increased with paternal age. The discovery may help to explain earlier evidence linking autism risk to older fathers.
The results are among several from a trio of new studies, supported in part by the National Institutes of Health, finding that such sequence changes in parts of genes that code for proteins play a significant role in ASDs. One of the studies determined that having such glitches boosts a child’s risk of developing autism five to 20 fold.
Taken together, the three studies represent the largest effort of its kind, drawing upon samples from 549 families to maximize statistical power. They reveal sporadic mutations widely distributed across the genome, sometimes conferring risk and sometimes not. While the changes identified don’t account for most cases of illness, they are providing clues to the biology of what are likely multiple syndromes along the autism spectrum.
"These results confirm that it’s not necessarily the size of a genetic anomaly that confers risk, but its location – specifically in biochemical pathways involved in brain development and neural connections. Ultimately, it’s this kind of knowledge that will yield potential targets for new treatments," explained Thomas, R. Insel, M.D., director of the NIH’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), which funded one of the studies and fostered development of the Autism Sequencing Consortium, of which all three groups are members.
The mission of the NIMH is to transform the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses through basic and clinical research, paving the way for prevention, recovery and cure. For more information, visit www.nimh.nih.gov.
The activities described in this release are being funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). More information about NIH’s ARRA grant funding opportunities can be found at http://grants.nih.gov/recovery/. To track the progress of HHS activities funded through the ARRA, visit www.hhs.gov/recovery. To track all federal funds provided through the ARRA, visit www.recovery.gov.
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
READ MORE: www.nimh.nih.gov
Friday, March 30, 2012
Transgenerational actions of environmental compounds on reproductive disease and identification of epigenetic biomarkers of ancestral exposures.
Manikkam M, Guerrero-Bosagna C, Tracey R, Haque MM, Skinner MK.
Source
Center for Reproductive Biology, School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, United States of America.
Abstract
Environmental factors during fetal development can induce a permanent epigenetic change in the germ line (sperm) that then transmits epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of adult-onset disease in the absence of any subsequent exposure. The epigenetic transgenerational actions of various environmental compounds and relevant mixtures were investigated with the use of a pesticide mixture (permethrin and insect repellant DEET), a plastic mixture (bisphenol A and phthalates), dioxin (TCDD) and a hydrocarbon mixture (jet fuel, JP8). After transient exposure of F0 gestating female rats during the period of embryonic gonadal sex determination, the subsequent F1-F3 generations were obtained in the absence of any environmental exposure. The effects on the F1, F2 and F3 generations pubertal onset and gonadal function were assessed. The plastics, dioxin and jet fuel were found to promote early-onset female puberty transgenerationally (F3 generation). Spermatogenic cell apoptosis was affected transgenerationally. Ovarian primordial follicle pool size was significantly decreased with all treatments transgenerationally. Differential DNA methylation of the F3 generation sperm promoter epigenome was examined. Differential DNA methylation regions (DMR) were identified in the sperm of all exposure lineage males and found to be consistent within a specific exposure lineage, but different between the exposures. Several genomic features of the DMR, such as low density CpG content, were identified. Exposure-specific epigenetic biomarkers were identified that may allow for the assessment of ancestral environmental exposures associated with adult onset disease.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Does Paternal Exposure to Agent Orange Cause Birth Defects? YOU BET IT DOES!!!
The COMMENTARY from F. Clarke Fraser, Molson Professor Emeritus of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, PQ, Canada was posted in error...his own statement at the conclusion of his article, "The fact that I am a consultant for Dow and Monsanto has had no influence on the content of this article" is just a little disingenuous...AOZ thinks perhaps Mr. Fraser is under the influence of too much Molson, putting his claim that his work for Dow and Monsanto does not influence his opinion into the realm of nonsense.
AOZ regrets the error.
AOZ regrets the error.
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