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	activism alerts april 2006

• It's TV-Turnoff Week
• Safety is a Child's Birthright: Abuse Signs, Prevention and Assistance
• The Truth about Splenda is Not So Sweet
• It's Time to Can Soft Drinks in Schools

It's TV-Turnoff Week

Television cuts into family time, harms our children's ability to read and succeed in school, and contributes to unhealthy lifestyles and obesity. Here are just a few of the facts:

• On average, children in the US will spend more time in front of the television (1,023 hours) than in school this year (900 hours).
• Forty percent of Americans frequently or always watch television during dinner.
• As US Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher said at the Kick Off of TV-Turnoff Week 2001, "We are raising the most overweight generation of youngsters in American history...This week is about saving lives."

Millions of people all over the world have participated in TV-Turnoff Week since it began in 1995. Children and adults, rich and poor - people from every background and all walks of life - take part through schools, churches, or community groups, as families or individuals. Turning off the television gives us a chance to think, read, create, and do. To connect with our families and engage in our communities. To turn off TV and turn on life.

According to hundreds of responses to TV-Turnoff Week follow-up surveys, 90 percent of responding participants reduced their TV-viewing as a result of participating. Join thousands of parents, teachers, pediatricians and other families by celebrating TV-Turnoff Week 2006 April 24-30, 2006. TV-Turnoff Week is supported by over 70 national organizations including the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, National Education Association, and President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. To learn more, check out www.tvturnoff.org/

Safety is a Child's Birthright

In the United States, an average of more than four children die each day as a result of child abuse and neglect, with an estimated 1,500 children dying in 2003 because of the prevalence of this problematic issue in our society. Child abuse can include physical, sexual, emotional and verbal abuse, as well as neglect. "The first step in abuse prevention is learning to recognize the signs of abuse and neglect," says Donna Russow, family therapist with Family & Children First. "When looking for signs of abuse, it is important to pay close attention to how often the signs appear and if certain signs appear repeatedly or in combinations." Possible indications of child abuse and neglect include:

• Unexplained burns, cuts, bruises, etc.
• Fear of adults
• Depression or self-destructive behavior
• Anti-social behavior
• Poor school performance
• Extreme hunger
• Consistent lack of hygiene and/ or improper clothing

The Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline, 1-800-4-A-CHILD, serves callers from the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico, and provides confidential, toll-free 24 hour assistance to:

• Children who are being abused and want help
• Frustrated parents who are about to lose control and are seeking help
• Adults and children requesting the local telephone number to report cases of abuse
• Adult survivors of child abuse who are feeling unsafe or suicidal
• Adults requesting parenting tips, definitions of child abuse, or names of recommended books regarding parenting, child development or adult survivor issues
• Professionals in the fields of mental health, social work, education, medicine, fire service, etc., who could benefit from consultation and/or referrals

Support is readily available to help ensure that all children grow in abuse-free environments.

The Truth about Splenda is Not So Sweet

Citizens for Health, the national grassroots advocacy organization committed to protecting and expanding natural health choices, has filed a petition with the FDA demanding the proper labeling and rigorous scrutiny of sucralose (Splenda).  Sucralose is a highly processed chemical sweetener factory-manufactured with chlorine in McIntosh, Alabama, that was approved by the FDA in April 1998 despite serious potential health concerns. Not a single human clinical study has been done on the finished product Splenda, despite hundreds of consumer health complaints posted on the web. Consumption of Splenda poses a risk to people (especially pregnant women) who have galactosemia, or the genetic trait for this disorder.

The less-than splendid facts about Splenda include:

• The FDA's review of Splenda (sucralose) was not rigorous and the Agency's approval of this synthetic sweetener should be revoked.
 
• FDA has no reliable way to track adverse health events related to Splenda.
• The FDA should ask the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services to launch an investigation into the FDA's own approval of sucralose.
• The science provided to the FDA revealed several serious concerns about the product.
• Splenda advertising slogan "Made from sugar, so it tastes like sugar" has led consumers to believe it is natural.
• The FDA should initiate a full-scale public-health investigation in and around McIntosh, Alabama, where Splenda is manufactured.
• The FDA should order the marketers of Splenda to immediately remove the "Suitable for people with diabetes" slogan from its packaging and marketing materials.
• The FDA should order that all sucralose- and Splenda -containing products bear a galactosemia warning.

Please take a few minutes to demand an airing of the truth. Visit the Citizens for Health website to take action today.

It's Time to Can Soft Drinks in Schools

Just when we thought we'd heard all of the reasons to stop the sale of soft drinks in school, another outrageous fact is discovered. Recent tests conducted by scientists at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and elsewhere have found that some sodas are contaminated with the toxic chemical benzene at levels that are above the US legal limit for drinking water.

"Now, in addition to the calories, parents and educators should be aware that some of the drinks they give children contain poison," explaines Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale Prevention Research Center. "Here we've got a genuinely worrisome reason to focus on soda in schools."

Long-term exposure to benzene is associated with leukemia, aplastic anemia and other blood diseases. According to a US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) factsheet, exposure even "for relatively short periods of time" above the EPA limits for benzene in drinking water can "potentially cause" effects such as "temporary nervous system disorders, immune system depression, [and] anemia."

Benzene is formed by a reaction of two soft drink ingredients -- ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and either sodium or potassium benzoate (which are used as preservatives). Here is a list of some soft drinks that contain both ingredients.

Many child health advocates and consumer groups have worked tirelessly to end the sale of all sweetened drinks and other junk food in schools because they promote obesity and type 2 diabetes. Now, in addition, activists are mounting a special effort to stop the sale of soft drinks that may contain the toxic chemical benzene. Your help is needed right now. Ask your governor and state legislators to halt the sale of these drinks in schools immediately. Take action now