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April 2003 - Sept. 2003

Kids at risk in side crashes, even with car seats (September 2003): Even those children who are buckled in properly in a car seat are at risk of being seriously injured in a side-impact car crash, a panel said. The panel, made up of industry, government and consumer advocates, says that despite advances in child protection, more can be done to improve injury statistics. For example, up to a third of children 4-7 still sit in the front seat rather than the safer back seat. Two-thirds of infants still ride facing forward rather than the safer backward. And many children still ride with only a seat belt or no restraint at all, making them much more likely to be injured or killed in the event of a crash. The panel recommended parents buckle their child into the appropriate safety seat for as long as possible. Whenever possible, place children in the rear center back seat. Have children ride in the back seats as long as possible -- at least until they are 12.

Have a question about food safety? Try this Web site (September 2003): How long can you keep raw fish in the refrigerator? Does pumpkin pie have to be refrigerated? What is Mad Cow Disease? A new Web site called FoodSafetyAnswers.org will try to answer these and any other questions you have about food safety.

Report: 68% of high school graduates don't meet college criteria (September 2003): According to a report by the Manhattan Institute, only 32% of high school graduates in 2001 met the criteria for attending and succeeding in even the least selective colleges. Black, Hispanic and Native American students fared the worst in readiness, the report said.

Study: Less milk, more soft drinks might be contributing to increase in children's wrist fractures (September 2003): The tendency among today's children to drink more sodas and less milk might be contributing to an increased incidence of wrist fractures, according to a study in the Sept. 17, 2003 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study, which called the rise in wrist fractures "statistically significant," said it was unclear if the 32% increase for boys and 56% increase for girls were due to decreased calcium intake or increased physical activity, but noted that, because of the large increase, more study is needed.

Campaign seeks to strengthen privacy laws (September 2003): "Financial Privacy Now" is a campaign initiated by Consumers Union (which publishes Consumer Reports). The campaign is intended to strengthen privacy laws and help reduce identity theft.

Preventing flattened skulls in infants (July 2003): In July 2003, the American Academy of Pediatrics reported an increase in the incidence of flattened skulls because of the increased emphasis on placing babies to sleep on their backs to avoid the possibility of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. According to the AAP, flattened skulls could be avoided by placing infants on their stomachs while they're awake, and also by shifting their heads during the night when they are put to sleep on their back.

Children of divorced parents suffer when one parent moves away (June 2003): In the June 2003 issue of the Journal of Family Psychology (from the American Psychological Association), researchers say that children of divorced parents suffer significantly when one parent moves away. This finding might seem obvious, but it does run counter to typical court findings that allow divorcing parents to relocate at will. The report suggested courts should give more weight to the separate interests of the child when deciding on such cases.

NHTSA rates car safety seats on ease of use (June 2003): The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has begun to rate car safety seats on their ease of use. The grades, which go from A to C, are based on five categories (such as how easy to understand the instructions are to how difficult they are to install. Ratings can be found on the NHTSA Web site at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cps/cssrating/.

National "Amber Alert" signed into law (May 2003): On April 30, 2003, President Bush signed into law a nationwide "Amber Alert" system to assist in the recovery of abducted children. The "Amber Alert" is named for Amber Hagerman, who was abducted and killed in Texas in 1996. The law also includes federal grants for creation of a national network of Amber Alerts; the possibility of lifetime supervision of sex offenders; the possibility of no pretrial release for accused sex offenders; lifetime sentences for repeat sex offenders; and tougher child pornography laws.

Lettuce contaminated with toxic pollutant (April 2003): Two studies show that some lettuce is contaminated with perchlorate, a pollutant from the manufacture of rocket fuel, flares and munitions. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends no more than 1 part per billion of perchlorate in water. The study from the Environmental Working Group found more than 30 parts per billion of perchlorate in 4 of 22 samples in the San Francisco Bay area, and the study by The Press-Enterprise, Riverside, Calif., found an average of 8 parts per billion of perchlorate in 18 of 18 samples. Perchlorate affects the thyroid gland and the production of hormones. Reportedly, the military is directly or indirectly involved in the production of almost all perchlorate.

Even "safe" levels of lead in blood might not be safe (April 2003): A study published in the April 17, 2003, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that blood lead levels thought to be safe for children might actually be sufficient to cause intellectual impairment. Lead is a toxic metal, and older homes and buildings often have lead-based paint. Children are exposed to the lead when the paint begins to chip, or when dust from the paint lands on the floor or other surfaces. The NEJM study indicates that although it's a concern when blood lead levels reach 10 micrograms per deciliter, children with lower blood lead levels than 10 micrograms per deciliter also appeared to reflect lower scores in IQ tests.

Cases of child abuse increased in 2001 (April 2003): According to Wade Horn, assistant secretary for children and families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, cases of child abuse and neglect increased in 2001 after also increasing in 2000. Horn said about 1,300 children died of abuse or neglect in 2001, and overall, 903,000 children were victims of abuse or neglect. In 81 percent of the cases, the children were abused or neglected by their parents.

Chemical used in plastics might cause miscarriages, birth defects (April 2003): Geneticists at Ohio's Case Western Reserve University have conducted a study showing that a chemical commonly used in food packaging and other plastics might cause miscarriages and birth defects. The chemical, Bisphenol A (or BPA) is used in the production of hard, clear plastics and sealants used on teeth.

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