Speakers already scheduled include Ambassador Ayo Oluknanni (recently retired Nigeria's Ambassador to Australia, and for many years the country's rep on United Nations Environment Program, etc); distinguished Professors such as Bode Asubiojo and Duro Oyedele (both from the OAU, Ile-Ife), and Africa's leading communicator and teacher on holistic and healthy lifestyle, Rev Tony Akinyemi. The Vice Chancellor of the Redeemer's University, Prof Z.D. Adeyewa will be the chief host.
Details about the conference can be found at conferences.lsfnigeria.org.
Later, we shall be explaining the vital need for a Conference as this, where Environment and Health issues of primary concerns in the Country are evaluated and discussed by top experts from diverse fields and perspectives.
But, we wish to just draw your attention to the on-going hullabaloo on water in the city of Flint, Michigan, having elevated concentrations of the toxic element, lead. Nigeria's situation, which is hardly discussed is several times worse! It is a shame if we really agree that we and our children are second-class humans whose mental health and general well-being is subordinate to other interests, driven largely by "foreign partners"
You can join the upcoming discussion of the situation at Flint, by CHE, at the link below:
Lead's Long Shadow: What the Story of Flint, Michigan, Means for All of Us ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tuesday March 8, 2016 10:00 am Pacific/1:00 pm Eastern This call will last for 90 minutes RSVP for this call [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00101sL8Q8TUOCjqyE_Wgmd3_bnlW34olAyuZSty6j_DPtwvICn8mnEVUye1jKc2J2cLS_9GhI0Kp20tW0RlnYmUe1-QUrYRWJGuq8LRrdb0gxicWGzNu7ZlravVDQZ0MKzoy6V58k3FWDARAfPSZ6desFLXbT0npQ-sjpmIv_4rbdAYL8mNkMmWt5CaKBUgqOju0PFiI4o_9s9FKJTKDTJvvAI0KfutIJF&c=zQQLtX4_kI3D46C832xR8MUliY-R6DvfvoxT5CF1xFtI7t0UfQ83og==&ch=RtWaEJ5HuMkYyLRDASUZaCH9f6uilhUC1vaiKjc-LqFVPoE4LwEdKw==] Lead is a confirmed neurotoxin. Children are the most vulnerable to lead's health effects, which can include a wide range of persistent and costly challenges from lower IQ levels to increased aggressive and antisocial behaviors. It is now widely recognized by researchers that there is no "safe" level at which children can be exposed to lead without adverse effects on healthy neurodevelopment. Lead in the drinking water in Flint, Michigan, dominated the headlines recently when it was confirmed that residents of Flint had been drinking, bathing, and washing in water contaminated with lead for over a year. In many cases, lead levels were found to be multiple times over the amount allowed under the Clean Water Act. Despite community members voicing their concerns for months, no action was taken to protect public health until mid January. Finally, a state of emergency in Flint was declared, and the National Guard was brought in to assist in delivering bottled water and water filters to all residents. Yet, for many, the damage has already been done. Children in Flint, and their families, will now live in the long shadow of lead for years to come. Unfortunately, this situation is not unique to Flint. Many other communities across the nation - primarily low-income Marc Edwards, PhD, MSc communities where lead can be found in paint in older homes and apartments - face similar issues. Even if landlords provide residents information about possible lead exposure, it's simply not feasible for most tenants to pay for the lead to be removed or to move elsewhere. For some kids, this means having a harder time learning in school. For others, lead exposures early in life may predispose them to juvenile delinquency or even criminal activities. Lead is even thought to have played a role in some recent high profile cases such as Freddie Gray's tragic death in Baltimore in 2015 [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00101sL8Q8TUOCjqyE_Wgmd3_bnlW34olAyuZSty6j_DPtwvICn8mnEVSHZUisgHBc7gXMvCxB4d3oFaQ1lpQOjZjtCQywPIH2eQZClXxH-fLt1d8yjSTUqWq6VxKRvfBMJ7ZDIAFm3XXmNUMHuhn0oQkir6qKl97n1O53vsQyQXLRNbfGGcf-08jkleL4DiHXqhAMoC0SuntumfOzMfDwBojy8vTK6gNbwSFL2JWS6tcTv8Qr63Ukzmgu96nurApBPgQyy2-aK-gZ9ND5YPk6PxjdO0gy_eSyUfqTKrBumBaQDN2umEmDAOHxkscgEivUBCzGXvh7USfbM3-SrEKU2cNM-t_tgqEllqggMc6luKYu3Xr48ZoqwrEWPEBY4eiU7&c=zQQLtX4_kI3D46C832xR8MUliY-R6DvfvoxT5CF1xFtI7t0UfQ83og==&ch=RtWaEJ5HuMkYyLRDASUZaCH9f6uilhUC1vaiKjc-LqFVPoE4LwEdKw==]. This call will feature two of the remarkable people who helped Mona Hanna-Attisha, MD, MPH, FAAP bring the dire situation in Flint to national attention: Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha,apediatrician in Michigan, and Dr. Marc Edwards, a nationally renowned expert on municipal water quality and an engineering professor at Virginia Tech. In addition Dr. Bruce Lanphear, a professor at Simon Fraser University and expert on the health impacts of lead exposure on children, will provide an overview of the science on lead and why it continues to be a major public health threat. Finally, Tracy Swinburn, MSc, will speak to the economic impacts of lead exposure. RSVP for this call [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00101sL8Q8TUOCjqyE_Wgmd3_bnlW34olAyuZSty6j_DPtwvICn8mnEVUye1jKc2J2cLS_9GhI0Kp20tW0RlnYmUe1-QUrYRWJGuq8LRrdb0gxicWGzNu7ZlravVDQZ0MKzoy6V58k3FWDARAfPSZ6desFLXbT0npQ-sjpmIv_4rbdAYL8mNkMmWt5CaKBUgqOju0PFiI4o_9s9FKJTKDTJvvAI0KfutIJF&c=zQQLtX4_kI3D46C832xR8MUliY-R6DvfvoxT5CF1xFtI7t0UfQ83og==&ch=RtWaEJ5HuMkYyLRDASUZaCH9f6uilhUC1vaiKjc-LqFVPoE4LwEdKw==] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Little Things Matter: Children's Health and the Impact of Low-level Exposures to Toxins on the Developing Brain
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