[Summit] Summit Digest, Vol 60, Issue 22
mdelgado
mona_delgado at brown.edu
Wed Mar 17 18:46:21 UTC 2010
Ditto.
Mona
On 3/17/10 2:26 PM, "Hope for Health" <libertyliterary at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Am I the only one who thinks that neighbors helping
> neighbors with advice and discussion about some of
> the concerns of daily life is a good thing?
>
> If we revert to nothing more than kvetching about
> potholes and recording break-ins, I'll just leave
> the list.
>
> Blessings,
>
> Liberty G
>
> --- On Wed, 3/17/10, Ben Rackliffe <benrackliffe at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> From: Ben Rackliffe <benrackliffe at gmail.com>
>> Subject: Re: [Summit] Summit Digest, Vol 60, Issue 22
>> To: "summit at sna.providence.ri.us" <summit at sna.providence.ri.us>
>> Cc: "summit at sna.providence.ri.us" <summit at sna.providence.ri.us>
>> Date: Wednesday, March 17, 2010, 10:37 AM
>> I agree. There have been too many
>> emails that don't concern the
>> neighborhood or greater city. They are adversly effecting
>> the
>> functionality of this mailing list. A different forum is
>> appropriate.
>>
>> Ben Rackliffe
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> On Mar 17, 2010, at 10:26 AM, summit-request at sna.providence.ri.us
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Send Summit mailing list submissions to
>>> summit at sna.providence.ri.us
>>>
>>> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web,
>> visit
>>>
>>>
http://mail.sna.providence.ri.us/mailman/listinfo/summit_sna.providence.ri.u>>>
s
>>>
>>> or, via email, send a message with subject or body
>> 'help' to
>>> summit-request at sna.providence.ri.us
>>>
>>> You can reach the person managing the list at
>>> summit-owner at sna.providence.ri.us
>>>
>>> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is
>> more specific
>>> than "Re: Contents of Summit digest..."
>>>
>>>
>>> Today's Topics:
>>>
>>> 1. Banana lectin identified as HIV
>> inhibitor by U-M scientists
>>> UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN (marco
>> pereira)
>>> 2. suggestion for non-local postings
>> on the Summit list (John
>>> Landry)
>>> 3. Local Posts (John Bazik)
>>> 4. Re: more water chemistry (Hope for
>> Health)
>>>
>>>
>>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>> Message: 1
>>> Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2010 04:11:33 -0700 (PDT)
>>> From: marco pereira <markenid2004 at yahoo.com>
>>> Subject: [Summit] Banana lectin identified as HIV
>> inhibitor by U-M
>>> scientists UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
>>> To: Summit Neighborhood <Summit at sna.providence.ri.us>
>>> Message-ID: <333966.7348.qm at web56405.mail.re3.yahoo.com>
>>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>>>
>>> Discovery of how Ban-Lec binds to a key HIV-1 protein
>> opens
>>> door to developing microbicides that can prevent
>> sexual transmission
>>> of
>>> HIV
>>>
>>>
>>> ANN ARBOR, Mich.?
>>> A potent new HIV inhibitor derived from bananas may
>> open the door to
>>> new treatments to prevent sexual transmission of HIV,
>> according to a
>>> University of Michigan Medical School study published
>> this week.
>>> Scientists have an emerging interest in lectins,
>> naturally
>>> occurring chemicals in plants, because of their
>> ability to halt the
>>> chain of reaction that leads to a variety of
>> infections.
>>> In laboratory tests, BanLec, the lectin found in
>> bananas, was as
>>> potent as two current anti-HIV drugs. Based on the
>> findings published
>>> March 19 in the Journal of Biological Chemistry,
>> BanLec may become a
>>> less expensive new component of applied vaginal
>> microbicides,
>>> researchers say.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> http://www2.med.umich.edu/prmc/media/newsroom/details.cfm?ID=1521
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>>
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>>>
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>>> info at jaymarcowindows.com
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> -------------- next part --------------
>>> An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
>>> URL:
>>> <http://mail.sna.providence.ri.us/pipermail/summit_sna.providence.ri.us/atta
>>> chments/20100317/cae5692f/attachment-0001.html
>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> ------------------------------
>>>
>>> Message: 2
>>> Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2010 09:11:29 -0400
>>> From: John Landry <jtlandry at verizon.net>
>>> Subject: [Summit] suggestion for non-local postings on
>> the Summit list
>>> To: Summit Neighborhood <summit at sna.providence.ri.us>
>>> Message-ID: <F5FD819E-9ADF-436F-ADFE-2E82FA618DED at verizon.net>
>>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII;
>> format=flowed; delsp=yes
>>>
>>> There have been a lot of postings lately on health
>> concerns. I'm
>>> quite interested in the ones about local matters, such
>> as our water
>>> quality. I'm not interested in the ones that
>> could have appeared on
>>> any neighborhood list in the country. Since this
>> is a neighborhood
>>> list, could we set up a special subgroup about
>> non-local matters,
>>> which people would have to opt-in to read? -John
>> Landry
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ------------------------------
>>>
>>> Message: 3
>>> Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2010 09:52:16 -0400
>>> From: John Bazik <jsb at cs.brown.edu>
>>> Subject: [Summit] Local Posts
>>> To: summit at sna.providence.ri.us
>>> Message-ID: <20100317135216.GA26070 at cs.brown.edu>
>>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>>>
>>> Please remember that this is the Summit list - for
>> issues concerning
>>> our neighborhood and our city. If your post does
>> not have a
>>> neighborhood
>>> connection, please find a different forum for it.
>>>
>>> Also a reminder to Summit readers that the Market list
>> is a separate,
>>> very-low-volume venue for buying and selling with your
>> neighbors, and
>>> for learning about sales and events at local
>> businesses. Most of you
>>> already read it, but I think new people sometimes miss
>> it when they
>>> sign up.
>>>
>>> To subscribe, visit the "Mailing List" link on SNA's
>> home page:
>>>
>>> http://sna.providence.ri.us/
>>>
>>> John
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ------------------------------
>>>
>>> Message: 4
>>> Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2010 07:26:12 -0700 (PDT)
>>> From: Hope for Health <libertyliterary at yahoo.com>
>>> Subject: Re: [Summit] more water chemistry
>>> To: Summit Neighborhood <Summit at sna.providence.ri.us>,
>> Breslers
>>> <breslerfamily at gmail.com>
>>> Message-ID: <688872.70624.qm at web50805.mail.re2.yahoo.com>
>>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>>>
>>> It is truly sad that we have contaminated our water
>>> and changed our water containers to toxic plastic,
>>> so that you appear to be stuck with the choice
>>> between possible mold or drinking unhealthy
>>> chemicals!? So sorry!? I wish I had a better
>>> answer for you.
>>>
>>> Blessings,
>>>
>>> Liberty G
>>>
>>> --- On Tue, 3/16/10, Breslers <breslerfamily at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>>
>>> From: Breslers <breslerfamily at gmail.com>
>>> Subject: Re: [Summit] more water chemistry
>>> To: "Summit Neighborhood" <Summit at sna.providence.ri.us>
>>> Date: Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 8:59 PM
>>>
>>> Poland Spring is close to pH 7. Most of the other
>> bottled waters I
>>> tested were closer to 8.
>>> Things like molds grow in water filters, to which I am
>> very allergic/
>>> sensitive, and also I do not think they will correct
>> pH.
>>>
>>> One filter housing I saw had a blown in filler, which
>> is
>>> formaldehyde!!
>>> For now I am doing bottled, although it's not
>> perfect.
>>>
>>> Elianna
>>>
>>>
>>> On Tue, Mar 16, 2010 at 10:56 AM, Hope for Health
>> <libertyliterary at yahoo.com
>>
>>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> Charlotte,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Below is a link to the best source of info on this I
>> could
>>>
>>> quickly find. They start with water filter
>> pitchers, but
>>>
>>> go on to discuss faucet, under-the-counter and
>> whole-house
>>>
>>> filters. They mention that some faucets may need
>> an
>>>
>>> "adaptor" - perhaps such is available for yours.
>> I'd suggest
>>>
>>> contacting these folks to ask. Otherwise, my
>> main comment
>>>
>>> is that the water filter pitchers are plastic, which
>> I'm
>>>
>>> not happy about. However, if none of the other
>> options is
>>>
>>> possible for you, they would be better and cheaper
>> than
>>>
>>> bottled water (also in plastic) - as long as you keep
>> them
>>>
>>> in the refrigerator and don't let them get warm.
>> Plastic
>>>
>>> leaches chemicals into food when heated, which is why
>> you
>>>
>>> should never put it in the microwave.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> See:
>> www.consumersearch.com/water-filters/water-filter-pitchers
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Please let me know how you make out! We used to
>> have great
>>>
>>> water here, but they had a problem a few years back
>> and now
>>>
>>> chlorinate the heck out of it. This doesn't
>> remove the
>>>
>>> many chemical contaminants already in the water, but
>> adds
>>>
>>> chlorine chems to the mix. Yukkh! :-(
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Blessings,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Liberty G
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --- On Tue, 3/16/10, O'Kelly, Charlotte <COKELLY at providence.edu>
>>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> From: O'Kelly, Charlotte <COKELLY at providence.edu>
>>>
>>>> Subject: RE: [Summit] more water chemistry
>>>
>>>> To: "Hope for Health" <libertyliterary at yahoo.com>
>>>
>>>> Date: Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 8:29 AM
>>>
>>>> the new style faucet I have on my
>>>
>>>> kitchen sink won't accept a filter. Is there any
>> other way I
>>>
>>>> can filter my drinking water?
>>>
>>>> Charlotte
>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>> ________________________________________
>>>
>>>> From: summit-bounces at sna.providence.ri.us
>>>
>>>> [summit-bounces at sna.providence.ri.us]
>>>
>>>> On Behalf Of Hope for Health [libertyliterary at yahoo.com]
>>>
>>>> Sent: Monday, March 15, 2010 11:36 PM
>>>
>>>> To: Theresa Mathiesen; Summit Neighborhood;
>> Breslers
>>>
>>>> Subject: Re: [Summit] more water chemistry
>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>> For drinking water, both my organization,
>>>
>>>> Toxics Information Project (TIP) and the
>>>
>>>> great independent research non-profit,
>>>
>>>> Environmental Working Group recommend
>>>
>>>> a water filter on your kitchen faucet.
>>>
>>>> That avoids the plastic, which can indeed
>>>
>>>> leach into your food or water, especially
>>>
>>>> when exposed to heat. It also takes out
>>>
>>>> at least a fair quantity of contaminants
>>>
>>>> in the water from your pipes.
>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>> See the excerpts below on the subject from
>>>
>>>> our Autumn 2007 TIP TALKS newsletter,
>>>
>>>> at www.toxicsinfo.org/tiptalks/Autumn07.htm
>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>> Blessings,
>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>> Liberty G
>>>
>>>>
>> ****************************************************************
>>>
>>>> TAP WATER: TO
>> DRINK OR
>>>
>>>> NOT TO DRINK?
>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>> The recent DC Tap Water report revealed that tap
>> water
>>>
>>>> samples in the Washington, DC area contained
>> toxic
>>>
>>>> chlorination by-products at levels above federal
>> health
>>>
>>>> limits. An average reader might read that
>> and run to
>>>
>>>> the local Safeway or Piggly Wiggly to stock up on
>> bottled
>>>
>>>> water. But you're smarter than that. You
>> probably even
>>>
>>>> already know there's a cheaper, more
>>>
>>>> environmentally-friendly way to dramatically lower
>> levels of
>>>
>>>> these toxic byproducts: carbon filtration. In
>> fact, it's 10
>>>
>>>> to 20 times less expensive than bottled water
>> ($100 vs.
>>>
>>>> nearly $2,000 annually) AND it doesn't produce the
>> waste and
>>>
>>>> pollution bottled water does. Carbon filtration
>> could be a
>>>
>>>> countertop pitcher, a faucet-mount, an under-sink
>> model, or
>>>
>>>> a whole-house model. So make the
>> smart
>>>
>>>> choice: pass up bottled water. Get a carbon filter
>> instead.
>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>> Chlorine Pollutants at High Levels in DC Tap
>> Water
>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>> New tests find high levels of hazardous
>> chlorination
>>>
>>>> byproducts in D.C. tap water
>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>> Published July 19, 2007
>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>> In spite of the best efforts of the Washington
>> Aqueduct to
>>>
>>>> provide quality drinking water to the District of
>> Columbia,
>>>
>>>> tap water tests from May, 2007 revealed toxic
>> by-products of
>>>
>>>> the chemicals used to purify Potomac River water,
>> at levels
>>>
>>>> above annual federal health limits. These
>> results
>>>
>>>> illustrate the tremendous difficulties that water
>> utilities
>>>
>>>> face when trying to provide tap water that is free
>> of
>>>
>>>> potentially deadly bacteria and pathogens, yet
>> not
>>>
>>>> contaminated with toxic by-products of the
>> chemicals used to
>>>
>>>> kill these same microbes. This problem is
>> particularly
>>>
>>>> acute when utilities draw water from poorly
>> protected water
>>>
>>>> sources like the Potomac River. As recently
>> reported
>>>
>>>> in the Washington Post, the Potomac may not even
>> be suitable
>>>
>>>> for swimming; turning this water into safe
>> drinking water is
>>>
>>>> a serious public health challenge.
>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>> Based on these test results the Environmental
>> Working Group
>>>
>>>> (EWG) is recommending carbon filtration for all
>> 1.1 million
>>>
>>>> consumers of tap water from the Washington
>> Aqueduct in
>>>
>>>> Washington DC and northern Virginia. Carbon
>> filtration of
>>>
>>>> tap water will dramatically lower levels of toxic
>>>
>>>> disinfection byproducts; it is also 10 to 20 times
>> less
>>>
>>>> expensive than bottled water, and does not produce
>> the waste
>>>
>>>> and pollution associated with the packaging and
>> transport of
>>>
>>>> bottled water. EWG collected tap water
>> samples in May,
>>>
>>>> 2007, from 18 locations across Washington D.C.,
>> including
>>>
>>>> the U.S. Capitol, EPA headquarters, parks,
>> schools, and
>>>
>>>> residences of pregnant women and other groups
>> susceptible to
>>>
>>>> health harms from exposures to disinfection
>> byproducts. We
>>>
>>>> commissioned tests from an accredited lab for two
>> classes of
>>>
>>>> disinfection byproducts ? trihalomethanes, or
>> THMs, and
>>>
>>>> haloacetic acids, or HAAs. The laboratory analyses
>> found:
>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>> * More than 40 percent of the tap
>> water
>>>
>>>> samples [1] contained chemical byproducts of water
>> treatment
>>>
>>>> above annual federal health limits. The group of
>>>
>>>> contaminants known as haloacetic acids (HAAs) were
>> found at
>>>
>>>> their highest levels since 2001, the last year
>> before the
>>>
>>>> Washington Aqueduct modified its treatment
>> techniques in an
>>>
>>>> attempt to reduce levels of trihalomethanes,
>> related
>>>
>>>> byproducts of tap water chlorination.
>>>
>>>> * HAAs were highest at the Martin
>> Luther King
>>>
>>>> Jr. Memorial Library, an elementary school in the
>> district's
>>>
>>>> Northwest quadrant, and the home of a woman who
>> was 9 months
>>>
>>>> pregnant.
>>>
>>>> * Almost 90 percent of the samples
>> had THMs
>>>
>>>> at levels associated in epidemiological studies
>> with low
>>>
>>>> birth weight and serious birth defects in infants.
>> TTHM
>>>
>>>> levels were highest at the National Mall, the
>> same
>>>
>>>> elementary school, and the home of a 2-year-old
>> infant.
>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>> Benefits of water disinfection come at a price.
>>>
>>>> Chlorination of tap water is one of the greatest
>> public
>>>
>>>> health improvements of the last 100 years, vastly
>> reducing
>>>
>>>> deaths from water-borne diseases. But chlorination
>> produces
>>>
>>>> disinfection byproducts (DBPs) like THMs and HAAs
>> that are
>>>
>>>> themselves potentially harmful. Because of the
>> recognized
>>>
>>>> health risks of the byproducts, in particular
>> THMs, many
>>>
>>>> utilities, including the Washington Aqueduct, have
>> switched
>>>
>>>> from treatment using so-called free chlorine to
>> compounds
>>>
>>>> called chloramines, which tend to produce lower
>> levels of
>>>
>>>> the handful of disinfection byproducts for which
>> EPA has set
>>>
>>>> legal limits, including THMs and HAAs. But
>> because
>>>
>>>> chloramines are not as effective at disinfection
>> as free
>>>
>>>> chlorine, the Aqueduct, like other utilities that
>> use
>>>
>>>> chloramine, periodically switches back to
>> chlorine.
>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>> This so-called "chlorine burn" removes sludge and
>> sediment
>>>
>>>> from the pipes, but also temporarily raises the
>> level of
>>>
>>>> disinfection byproducts. This year the utility's
>> chlorine
>>>
>>>> burn was conducted between April 7 and May 7.
>> While
>>>
>>>> chloramines appear to help lower THM levels, they
>> also
>>>
>>>> produce an entirely different set of byproducts,
>> including
>>>
>>>> the HAAs and other byproducts, for which we have
>> less
>>>
>>>> information about long-term human health effects.
>> A recent
>>>
>>>> EPA study found that water treated with
>> chloramines had the
>>>
>>>> highest levels of iodacetic acid, a byproduct that
>> in animal
>>>
>>>> studies has been found toxic to cells and DNA. In
>> general
>>>
>>>> however, the long-term public health consequences
>> of
>>>
>>>> exposure to chloramines and chloramines byproducts
>> is poorly
>>>
>>>> understood. What is known about HAAs,
>> however, raises
>>>
>>>> concerns. EPA classifies HAAs as possible human
>> carcinogens,
>>>
>>>> and peer-reviewed studies have identified adverse
>>>
>>>> reproductive and developmental effects, and the
>> ability
>>>
>>>> to damage DNA. The state of Oregon has warned that
>> long
>>>
>>>> term exposure to HAAs at levels equal to those
>> found in DC
>>>
>>>> tap water could cause injury to the brain, nervous
>> system,
>>>
>>>> the eyes, and the reproductive system.
>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>> Disinfection byproducts are a bigger problem than
>> these
>>>
>>>> tests show. EPA scientists have identified a
>> total of
>>>
>>>> 600 disinfection byproducts in tap water but EPA
>> has set
>>>
>>>> legal limits in tap water for only 11. And
>> these legal
>>>
>>>> limits, such as those for HAAs and THMs, are
>> established as
>>>
>>>> a balance between health, treatment cost and
>>>
>>>> feasibility. This is a critical point for
>> most
>>>
>>>> consumers: The legal limit, or MCL, is not
>> intended to
>>>
>>>> be a true safe exposure level. For almost
>> all
>>>
>>>> contaminants in tap water, including those
>> identified in
>>>
>>>> this analysis, the MCL allows far more
>> contamination than
>>>
>>>> the truly safe level, or what EPA refers to as the
>> public
>>>
>>>> health goal. In 1999, EPA strengthened the
>> legal limit
>>>
>>>> for THMs in tap water and set a first-time
>> standard for HAAs
>>>
>>>> due to these chemicals' potential links to cancer,
>> birth
>>>
>>>> defects, and other adverse health outcomes.
>> To comply
>>>
>>>> with these tighter standards, DC Water and Sewer
>> Authority
>>>
>>>> began using chloramine as a
>>>
>>>> disinfectant because of its known capacity to
>> lower levels
>>>
>>>> of the regulated byproducts. This switch,
>> which the
>>>
>>>> utilities' water quality test reports show did
>> indeed lower
>>>
>>>> THM and HAA levels, also spurred some significant
>> negative
>>>
>>>> consequences: it likely created a complex, new
>> suite of
>>>
>>>> disinfection byproducts that are neither defined
>> nor
>>>
>>>> studied; and it contributed to elevated lead
>> levels in tap
>>>
>>>> water across the District, a problem that
>> prompted
>>>
>>>> additional manipulations in water c
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Summit mailing list
>> Summit at sna.providence.ri.us
>> http://mail.sna.providence.ri.us/mailman/listinfo/summit_sna.providence.ri.us
>> SNA Website: http://sna.providence.ri.us/
>>
>
>
>
>
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