Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJanuary 26, 2009
Much High Fructose Corn Syrup Contaminated With Mercury,
New Study Finds Brand-Name Food Products Also Discovered to Contain Mercury

Minneapolis – Mercury was found in nearly 50 percent of tested samples of commercialhigh fructose corn syrup (HFCS), according to a new article published today in thescientific journal, Environmental Health. A separate study by the Institute for Agricultureand Trade Policy (IATP) detected mercury in nearly one-third of 55 popular brandnamefood and beverage products where HFCS is the first or second highest labeledingredient—including products by Quaker, Hershey’s, Kraft and Smucker’s.HFCS use has skyrocketed in recent decades as the sweetener has replaced sugar inmany processed foods. HFCS is found in sweetened beverages, breads, cereals, breakfastbars, lunch meats, yogurts, soups and condiments. On average, Americans consumeabout 12 teaspoons per day of HFCS. Consumption by teenagers and other highconsumers can be up to 80 percent above average levels.

Here is the pdf table of their findingshttp://www.healthobservatory.org/library.cfm?refID=105040
“Mercury is toxic in all its forms,” said IATP’s David Wallinga, M.D., and a co-author inboth studies. “Given how much high fructose corn syrup is consumed by children, itcould be a significant additional source of mercury never before considered. We arecalling for immediate changes by industry and the FDA to help stop this avoidablemercury contamination of the food supply.”
In the Environmental Health article, Dufault et al. found detectable levels of mercuryin nine of 20 samples of commercial HFCS. Dufault was working at the U.S. Food andDrug Administration when the tests were done in 2005. She and co-authors concludethat possible mercury contamination of food chemicals like HFCS was not commonknowledge within the food industry that frequently uses the sweetener. While the FDAhad evidence that commercial HFCS was contaminated with mercury four years ago,the agency did not inform consumers, help change industry practice or conduct additionaltesting.
For its report “Not So Sweet: Missing Mercury and High Fructose Corn Syrup,” IATPsent 55 brand-name foods and beverages containing HFCS as the first or second ingredientto a commercial laboratory to be tested for total mercury. Nearly one in threeproducts tested contained detectable mercury. Mercury was most prevalent in HFCScontainingdairy products, followed by dressings and condiments. Attached is the summarylist of the 55 products and their total mercury content.
In making HFCS, caustic soda is used, among other things, to separate corn starchfrom the corn kernel. For decades, HFCS has been made using mercury-grade causticsoda produced in industrial chlorine (chlor-alkali) plants. The use of mercury cells toproduce caustic soda can contaminate caustic soda, and ultimately HFCS, with mercury.
“The bad news is that nobody knows whether or not their soda or snack food containsHFCS made from ingredients like caustic soda contaminated with mercury,” said Dr.Wallinga. “The good news is that mercury-free HFCS ingredients exist. Food companiesjust need a good push to only use those ingredients.”

While most chlorine plants around the world have switched to newer, cleaner technologies, many still relyon the use of mercury cells. In 2005, 90 percent of chlorine production was mercury-free, but just 40percent of European production was mercury-free. Four U.S. chlor-alkali plants still rely on mercury celltechnology. In 2007, then-Senator Barack Obama introduced legislation to force the remaining chlor-alkaliplants to phase out mercury cell technology by 2012.
The Environmental Health article by Dufault et al. can be found at: www.ehjournal.net.“Not So Sweet: Missing Mercury and High Fructose Corn Syrup,” by David Wallinga, M.D., Janelle Sorensen, Pooja Mottl and Brian Yablon, M.D., can be found at: www.iatp.org.
IATP works locally and globally at the intersection of policy and practice to ensure fair and sustainablefood, farm and trade systems. www.iatp.org

Support Group

Hi everyone,Just a reminder that our next support group meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 4th, from 7-9pm in the Wengert Conference Room at Nevada Power Company (6226 W. Sahara Avenue, between Jones & Rainbow). Parking is in the rear of the building.Hope you all had a safe and happy holiday. I look forward to seeing you at the meeting.Regards,Barbie LauverAsperger's Syndrome/High Functioning Autism Support Group

This Week's Live Chat

Working With Students with AutismWhen: Wednesday, January 28, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern timeWhere: http://www.edweek-chat.orgSubmit questions in advance.
Children are currently being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders at the staggering rate of 1 in 150. Many of these children are being mainstreamed, but how can general education teachers support them in an inclusive setting? How can teachers transform a challenging classroom situation into a growth experience for all students? Chat guests will discuss teaching strategies and behavior management techniques for the general and special education classroom.
About the guests:
Marcie W. Handler, director of home and school consultation at May Institute, has provided training and behavioral consultation in system-wide, classroom, and individual positive behavior support practices for 15 years. She and her colleagues have been awarded grants by the Massachusetts Department of Education to provide summer institutes for educators working with children with ASD in the general education classroom.
Paula Kluth is a consultant, teacher, inclusion facilitator, and advocate on the topic of autism spectrum disorders. She has authored six books on autism and inclusion, including “You’re Going to Love This Kid.” Her research and professional interests include differentiating instruction and supporting students with autism and significant disabilities in inclusive classrooms.
Stephen Shore, author of Understanding Autism for Dummies and Beyond the Wall: Personal Experiences with Autism and Asperger Syndrome, is a professor at Adelphi University where he teaches courses in special education and autism. Diagnosed as a child with “Atypical Development with strong autistic tendencies,” Shore presents and consults internationally.
No special equipment other than Internet access is needed to participate in this text-based chat. A transcript will be posted shortly after the completion of the chat.

Dr. Julie Beasley's Practice & Social Skills Group

DR. JULIE BEASLEY'S PRACTICE:

Just a note to let you know that I'm back to my private practice full-time and taking patient referrals and would be happy to work with any children and families that may need neuropsychological assessments, social skills training and/or therapy. I appreciate working with you and the children we "share" in treatment. If you have any questions or want to discuss a case or referral, please give me a call on my cell phone (461-7705) or via e-mail (drjbee@cox.net). With much appreciation... Julie F. Beasley, Ph.D., Child Neuropsychologist. (Specializing in the Assessment and Treatment of Children and Adolescents with Developmental, Behavioral, Social-Emotional, Adaptive and Learning Disorders.)

DR. BEASLEY'S SOCIAL SKILLS/FRIENDSHIP GROUPS:

WHAT: Dr. Beasley is beginning her Social Skills/Friendship Groups - Students from Ages 5 -15 years old

WHEN: January 26 - March 18, 2009

WHERE: 2000 S. Jones Blvd., #140, Las Vegas, NV 89146

CALL: 702-386-2780 for more information and to register for group
* Skill Building through Direct Instruction, Social Skills Curriculum, Role-Playing Stories, Activities and Team Work that are Age-Appropriate

* Focus on Basic Social Skills including: Body Boundaries, Greetings, Initiating Play Interactions, Turn-taking

* Focus on Advanced Social Skills: Social Skills during Free Play, Winning and Losing, Sustaining Play Interactions and Games, Understanding Nonverbal Communication, Dealing with Teasing and Bullying

* Focus on Behavior and Emotion Management Skills

Spring Workshop Invitation:)

Autism Spectrum Disorders:Awareness and ActionAre you curious about autism spectrum disorders (ASD)? Are you looking for moreinformation about diagnosis and intervention strategies? Workshop attendeeswill learn about current diagnostic techniques and how ASD may affect their sonor daughter throughout his or her life.Topics Include:o Core characteristicso Autism across the life-spano Early indicatorso Team assessmentso Understanding the diagnosisReview Popular Interventions:o Applied Behavior Analysiso Functional Communication Trainingo Picture Exchange Communication SystemWhen: Monday February 9th, 2009 5:30pm to 7:30pmWhere: NEIS North Campus, 4528 W. Craig Rd, Suite170 North Las Vegas, NV 89032 In the training room adjacent to the officesThis workshop is free, but space is limited!Please RSVP via phone or email at:Center for Autism Spectrum DisordersShannon Crozier Department of Special Education895-5836autism1@unlv.nevada.eduwww.asdcenter.org

California's Autism Increase Not Due to Better Counting, Diagnosis

ScienceDaily (Jan. 11, 2009) — A study by researchers at the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute has found that the seven- to eight-fold increase in the number children born in California with autism since 1990 cannot be explained by either changes in how the condition is diagnosed or counted — and the trend shows no sign of abating.
Published in the January 2009 issue of the journal Epidemiology, results from the study also suggest that research should shift from genetics to the host of chemicals and infectious microbes in the environment that are likely at the root of changes in the neurodevelopment of California's children.
"It's time to start looking for the environmental culprits responsible for the remarkable increase in the rate of autism in California," said UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute researcher Irva Hertz-Picciotto, a professor of environmental and occupational health and epidemiology and an internationally respected autism researcher.
Hertz-Picciotto said that many researchers, state officials and advocacy organizations have viewed the rise in autism's incidence in California with skepticism.
The incidence of autism by age six in California has increased from fewer than nine in 10,000 for children born in 1990 to more than 44 in 10,000 for children born in 2000. Some have argued that this change could have been due to migration into California of families with autistic children, inclusion of children with milder forms of autism in the counting and earlier ages of diagnosis as consequences of improved surveillance or greater awareness.
Hertz-Picciotto and her co-author, Lora Delwiche of the UC Davis Department of Public Health Sciences, initiated the study to address these beliefs, analyzing data collected by the state of California Department of Developmental Services (DDS) from 1990 to 2006, as well as the United States Census Bureau and state of California Department of Public Health Office of Vital Records, which compiles and maintains birth statistics.
Hertz-Picciotto and Delwiche correlated the number of cases of autism reported between 1990 and 2006 with birth records and excluded children not born in California. They used Census Bureau data to calculate the rate of incidence in the population over time and examined the age at diagnosis of all children ages two to 10 years old.
The methodology eliminated migration as a potential cause of the increase in the number of autism cases. It also revealed that no more than 56 percent of the estimated 600-to-700 percent increase, that is, less than one-tenth of the increased number of reported autism cases, could be attributed to the inclusion of milder cases of autism. Only 24 percent of the increase could be attributed to earlier age at diagnosis.
"These are fairly small percentages compared to the size of the increase that we've seen in the state," Hertz-Picciotto said.
Hertz-Picciotto said that the study is a clarion call to researchers and policy makers who have focused attention and money on understanding the genetic components of autism. She said that the rise in cases of autism in California cannot be attributed to the state's increasingly diverse population because the disorder affects ethnic groups at fairly similar rates.
"Right now, about 10 to 20 times more research dollars are spent on studies of the genetic causes of autism than on environmental ones. We need to even out the funding," Hertz-Picciotto said.
The study results are also a harbinger of things to come for public-health officials, who should prepare to offer services to the increasing number of children diagnosed with autism in the last decade who are now entering their late teen years, Hertz-Picciotto said.
"These children are now moving toward adulthood, and a sizeable percentage of them have not developed the life skills that would allow them to live independently," she said.
The question for the state of California, Hertz-Picciotto said, will become: 'What happens to them when their parents cannot take care of them?'
"These questions are not going to go away and they are only going to loom larger in the future. Until we know the causes and can eliminate them, we as a society need to provide those treatments and interventions that do seem to help these children adapt. We as scientists need to improve available therapies and create new ones," Hertz-Picciotto said.
Hertz-Picciotto and her colleagues at the M.I.N.D Institute are currently conducting two large studies aimed at discovering the causes of autism. Hertz-Picciotto is the principal investigator on the CHARGE (Childhood Autism Risk from Genetics and the Environment) and MARBLES (Markers of Autism Risk in Babies-Learning Early Signs) studies.
CHARGE is the largest epidemiologic study of reliably confirmed cases of autism to date, and the first major investigation of environmental factors and gene-environment interactions in the disorder. MARBLES is a prospective investigation that follows women who already have had one child with autism, beginning early in or even before a subsequent pregnancy, to search for early markers that predict autism in the younger sibling.
"We're looking at the possible effects of metals, pesticides and infectious agents on neurodevelopment," Hertz-Picciotto said. "If we're going to stop the rise in autism in California, we need to keep these studies going and expand them to the extent possible."
The study was funded by grants from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and by the M.I.N.D. Institute.
Adapted from materials provided by University of California - Davis - Health System.

Autism School to open in Semmes

All-day school will be temporarily located at The Learning Tree
Sunday, January 18, 2009
By GRETA SHARP
Correspondent
The Mobile area will be getting another school for children with autism, an official with the Alabama Autism Providers Network announced last week at a meeting in the Port City.
Jerre Brimer announced that an all-day school will open in August. Woody's Song: For Kids on the Autism Spectrum will serve a limited number of children ages 6 to 10. It will be located at The Learning Tree in Semmes until a permanent site can be found.
Brimer is director of The Learning Tree, a residential school for individuals with developmental disabilities and significant behavioral challenges. There are also campuses in Jacksonville, Ala., and Tallassee, Ala.
He is also director of The Little Tree Learning Center, which has campuses in Mobile, Auburn and Jacksonville.
Autism is a developmental disorder characterized by difficulty communicating and interacting with others. The American Medical Association recognizes that one in 150 children is diagnosed with autism.
The Alabama Autism Task Force was formed in 2007 with the goal of improving treatment of autism in Alabama. One of its recommendations was to form a network of autism service providers.
The Alabama Autism Providers Network was formed in the fall of 2008 to bring together representatives from organizations across the state. The group met initially in October last year at Mitchell's Place in Birmingham, a comprehensive treatment center for children and young adults with autism disorders.
The network's Jan. 12 meeting began at The Little Tree Learning Center on Azalea Road for a brief presentation by school director Holly Rogers, then a tour of the facility. The preschool brings togeth er children with developmental challenges such as autism and "typical" children.
Later the group moved to the University of South Alabama for lunch and its business meeting.
For Lee Yount, president and CEO of Glenwood, The Autism and Behavioral Health Center of Alabama in Birmingham, these meetings provide an opportunity to learn from each other and to learn more about what other providers offer.
"We want to build a network and to collaborate and to understand everything that exists in the state for autism," said Yount.
The new organization has about a dozen members from cities, including Birmingham, Auburn, Montgomery, Huntsville, Tuscaloosa and Mobile. To increase its network, the Alabama Autism Providers Network is inviting representatives from the state Department of Education, the Department of Human Resources, the Department of Mental Health and the Division of Rehabilitation Services to join the group, said Brimer.
"Services needed vary from child to child," said Jade Carter, director of The Horizons School in Birmingham. "That's difficult when you don't know who's out there and providing what services."
The fledgling group also discussed how formal an organization it wants to be, said Yount, and what it would like to accomplish.
"To foster best practices, to create an entity that knows about those practices so children and families affected by autism have access to the highest quality of services," she said.
The Mobile gathering was the group's fourth meeting. The next one will be in Huntsville in February.
"We want to move it around," explained Brimer. "To see what others are doing."
Brimer also hopes the group works to promote collaborations among services providers.
"As resources become tighter, people need to work together jointly," he said. "Working together, sharing knowledge and communication sets a base of future collaboration to assist in the distribution of services."
Several agencies already refer patients to each other.
Dr. Hanes Swingle, an associate professor of pediatric developmental and behavioral medicine at the University of South Alabama, sees autistic children at the USA Autism Diagnostic Clinic.
The facility is one of two in Alabama that offers multidisciplinary evaluations with such specialists as psychologists, speech language pathologists, developmental and behavioral pediatricians, and occupational and physical therapists. Children also receive genetic evaluations.
In the past, said Brimer, parents had to go to Birmingham for an autism diagnosis.
"For Mobile to have this clinic now, it's really great for all parents and professionals," he said.
Swingle often refers parents to the Little Tree, so many of the children he has diagnosed are at the school today.
"They're getting marvelous services," he said. "The inspiring thing about The Little Tree is how satisfied the parents are with the services they are getting. It's a unique program. Nowhere in the country do children get better care and education than here at the Little Tree. It's a real shining star for Mobile."
However, Swingle said, parents often complain that the autism services available in the area are fragmented, a problem the new agency is hoping to solve.

Family Focused Positive Support Team Training Spring 2009

A new session of PBS Team Training is about to begin!Understand challenging behaviors and create an effective planWho is this for?PBS Team Training is for family members, friends, teachers, and otherprofessionals of individuals with disabilities who engage in challengingbehaviors. A team consists of at least one parent/guardian and oneprofessional. Ideally a team includes a minimum of three people. Participationof at least one professional is required (i.e. teacher, speech therapist, hometherapist, occupational therapist, or any individual providing related serviceto the child).What do you mean by challenging behavior?Challenging behaviors are behaviors that create a significant barrier toparticipation in family life, school, work, or community activities.Challenging behaviors may be dangerous, aggressive, self-injurious, or highlydisruptive.Does my child attend the training?Children do not attend the trainings. If the focus person is an older teen oradult who is capable of participating as a team member then they should attend.Does the whole team attend every training?Yes! The training is most effective when everyone works together to learn anddevelop the behavior plan. Each week covers new information that builds on theprevious week.Dates: Tuesday 2/24, 3/10, 3/24, 4/14, 4/28Time: 5:30 – 8:30 pmLocation: NEIS North Campus, 4528 W. Craig Rd, Suite 170 North Las Vegas, NV 89032 In the training room adjacent to the officesFees: Sliding scale determined according to family incomeSee attached registration formFor more information or to register, please contact the Center at:Center for Autism Spectrum DisordersUNLV Department of Special Education895-5836 autism1@unlv.nevada.eduwww.asdcenter.org