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A ugust 11, 1999
(The 'Portland (Dbeeruer
Free Lead Testing For Children Sunscreen May Lull Users
____
Childhood lead poisoning is a
major and preventable env ironmental
health problem and lead-based paint
is nou the primary source o f lead
exposure. Free lead testing for chil­
dren will take place the second Satur­
day of each month, from 10 a.m. to 2
pm at Common Bond, 4919 N.E.
Ninth Avenue (Northeast Ninth and
Alberta behind St. A ndrew ’sChurch).
Blood lead testing o f children
should be perform ed at ages 1 and 2
orat least before age 6 if no previous
testing has been done and any risk
factors for lead poisoning are present.
Children who live in or regularly stay
in a home, apartm ent, o r child care
center constructed before 1978 are a
greater risk o f developing lead poi­
soning, especially if there is rem od­
eling or peeling paint. O ther risk
factors include fam ily m em bers with
exposure to lead and low fam ily in­
come (including those on M edicaid,
WIC, or O regon H ealth Plan).
The effects o f lead poisoning
.
. •
ity and the Coalition o f Black Men,
with help from Volunteers o f America,
C om m on Bond, CLEA RC orps, the
Urban League o f Portland, and O ld
W iv es’ Tales R estaurant. Special
thanks to M ultnom ah County H ealth
D epartm ent for providing laboratory
testing and supplies.
are rev e rsib le ifd e te c te d early by a
b lo o d test. If u n d etected , lead p o i­
so n in g d am ag es the b rain , cau sin g ,
learn in g and b eh av io ral p ro b lem s
in a ffec ted ch ildren.
The testing is co-sponsored by
volunteers from the O regon Chapter
o f Physicians for Social Responsibil­
Homowo Festival
Seeks Volunteers
V olunteers are needed to stage
the IO11’ annual H om ow o Festival for
A frican A rts on A ugust 21 and 22.
Produced by G hanaian m aster drum ­
m er O bo A ddy, the H om ow o Festi­
val features m usic, art and pageantry
from G hana and other parts o f A f­
rica. If you have the personality for
greeting the public, selling bever­
ages, giving inform ation, assisting
vendors load in their supplies or se­
curing the backstage area w e want
you on your team. A frican and A fri­
can A m erican volunteers are also
needed for the A frican Processional,
a grand, royal parade that m arks the
official beginningofthe festival. This
y ear’s festival is w ill be held A ugust
21 and 22 in the park blocks at P ort­
land State U niversity from 2-8 p.m
T hree shifts include: 12:30-3:00,
3:00-5:00 and 5:00-8:00. T o volun­
teer or for m ore inform ation, call
R aina B eavers at 284-1483.
HIV Levels Influence
Transmission
C T he A ssociated P ress
The higher the level o f HIV in a
pregnant w om an’s blood, the more
likely she was to transmit the virus to
her baby, researchers reported today in
the New England Journal ofM edicine
The researchers also found that
pregnant w om en w ith the highest lev­
els o f H IV w ere one-third less likely
to transm it the virus if they w ere
treated w ith the anti-retroviral drug
AZT than those w ho w ere not.
T he researchers concluded that
aggressive anti-retroviral therapy is
probably the best w ay to low er the
risk that babies w ill be born w ith
AIDS. H ow ever, they w arned that
the benefits m ust be w eighed against
the possible long-term effects o f the
drug, w hich are unknow n.
O ne study, led by Dr. Lynne
M ofenson o f the N ational Institutes
o f H ealth, looked at w om en who
w ere treated w ith A ZT w hile p reg­
nant and w hose babies also were
treated w ith the drug for several weeks
after birth.
Among the 84 mothers in the study
who had undetectable levels o f the HIV
at 20 to 30 weeks o f pregnancy, none o f
the babies tested positive for HIV.
T he second study, led by Dr.
Patricia G arcia ofN orthw estem U ni­
v ersity , lo o k ed at 552 p reg n a n t
w om en from 1990 to 1995.
It found that am ong w om en w ith
the highest levels o f H IV , represent­
ing the m ost advanced cases o f AIDS,
20 percent o f those w ho had been
treated w ith A ZT transm itted the v i­
rus to their babies com pared to a 63
p ercent tran sm issio n rate am ong
those not treated w ith A ZT.
In co u n tries th a t ca n n o t affo rd
A Z T treatm en t, ab o u t o n e-fo u rth
o f all b ab ies b o m to H IV -p o sitiv e
m others get the virus. S in ce A Z T
th erap y b ec am e sta n d a rd in the
U nited S tates, th at rate h as dro p p ed
© T he A ssociated P ress
C H IC A G O (A P) - H yperactive
boys treated with drugs such as Ritalin
w ere m uch less likely to abuse alco­
hol and other drugs as teen-agers
than sim ilar boys w ho had not been
treated, researchers say.
Some experts not involved in the
study said it was flawed and too small
to reach m eaningful conclusions.
B u t au th o rs o f the stu d y - w h ich
in v o lv e d 212 b o y s, in c lu d in g 75
w ith a tte n tio n -d e fic it h y p e ra c tiv ­
ity d iso rd e r, o r A D H D - sa id the
findings should help allay concerns
that g iv in g ch ild ren p o te n tia lly ad ­
d ic tiv e d ru g s su c h as R italin m ay
p ro m o te h arm fu l h ab its later.
A n e s tim a te d 3 m illio n sc h o o l-
ag e c h ild re n h av e A D H D , an d as
m any as h a lf m ay be ta k in g R italin
o r o th e r stim u la n ts, p a st re se a rc h
in d icates.
“T here has been a m ythology that
the use o f these m edications could
‘p rim e’ children to b ecom e addicts
in the future o r could develop ‘a
culture o f drug taking,” ’ said Dr.
Joseph B iederm an o fM assach u setts
G eneral H ospital, lead author o f the
study. It is p u b lish ed in the A ugust
issu e o f P e d ia tr ic s ’ “ e le c tro n ic
pages,” an Internet extension o f the
journal published by the A m erican
A cadem y o f P ediatrics.
“ W e b e lie v e th a t c h ild re n w ith
A D H D w ho are m e d ic a lly tre a te d
w ill h av e few er p ro b le m s re s u lt­
ing from th e ir d iso rd e r and m o re
su c c e ssfu l liv e s, p ro b ab ly g iv in g
them few er rea so n s to ex p e rim en t
w ith su b stan ce a b u s e ,” he said.
R ita lin a c ts on d o p a m in e , a
b ra in ch e m ic al that h elp s re g u la te
th in k in g . It is b e lie v e d to calm
hyperactivity by h elping c h ild re n 's
b ra in s d is r e g a r d d is tr a c tin g
stim u li, such as c la ssro o m n o ise,
so th ey can focus on learn in g .
T he su b je c ts for th e rese arch
w ere p a rt o f a p re v io u s stu d y o f
fam ilies w ith an A D H D c h ild and
fam ilies w ith no A D H D ch ild ren .
T he ch ild re n and th e ir m o th e rs
w ere in te rv ie w e d on th ree o c c a ­
sions - w hen they en tered the study,
one y ear la ter an d four y ea rs afte r
en ro llm en t.
T he a u th o rs stu d ie d 56 A D H D
p atien ts w ho w ere on m e d ica tio n .
19 A D H D p atien ts not on m e d ic a ­
tio n an d 137 p atien ts w ith o u t the
d iso rd er.
A t the s tu d y ’s en d , 75 p erc en t
o f the u n m e d ica te d A D H D su b ­
je c ts h ad su b stan ce ab u se d iso r­
ders, c o m p ared w ith 25 p e rc e n t o f
the m e d ic a te d su b je cts. A bused
su b stan ces included alco h o l, m ari­
ju a n a , h a llu c in o g e n s, co c ain e and
o th e r stim u lan ts. E ig h teen p ercen t
o f the n o n -A D H D su b je cts w ere
su b sta n c e ab u sers.
A critic o f the study, p sy ch o lo ­
gist N ad in e L am bert o f the U n iv er­
sity o f C alifo rn ia at B erkeley, said
l
i iiiL in k L
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i t v ib
Bi KATHERINE PHEGER
.c T he A ssoc iated P ress
W A S H IN G T O N (A P ) - F ive
years ago, M elissa Beaudet jo in ed in
a w alk to end hunger and cam e hom e
with a blistering sunburn
Ever since, the 21-year-old Wash­
ingtonian lias liberally applied sunscreen
- nothing lower than a sun-protection
factor of8 - when she’s in the sunshine.
“I can see m y friends aging, and I
know cancer is som ething you can
get if y o u ’re not careful,” she said,
soaking in the rays at G eorgetow n
Sw im m ing Pool in W ashington.
But B eaudet’s careful approach
m ay not be fully protecting her from
the threat o f cancer after all.
The Journal o f the N ational C an­
cer Institute reports in today’s edition
that European researchers found that
people who use stronger sunscreens
stay out longer in the sun because it
takes longer for them to bum . A nd the
prolonged exposure only increases
their risk o f getting skin cancer.
“ It’s not due to the fact that sun­
screens are bad, but people have a
bad attitude - using them to increase
the am ount o f tim e they spend in the
sun,” said Dr. Ferdy Lejeune, an au­
thor o f the study.
The researchers gave 87 French and
Swiss college students sunscreen to take
on vacation and record their sun habits
- horns o f exposure, amount o f sun-
Health Division Waiting To
Enforce Open Adoption Law
it w as too sm all to show sig n ifican t
d ifferen ces in rates o f drug abuse.
H er o w n re s e a rc h in v o lv in g
m ore than 200 A D H D su b je cts
trac k ed fo r m ore th a n 20 y ears
sh o w s th a t th o se w h o to o k stim u ­
lan t m e d ica tio n w ere m o re lik ely
to b e c o c ain e and to b a c c o ab u sers
as ad u lts th an n o n -m e d ic a te d su b ­
je c ts , she said.
L am bert said she is n o t o p p o sed
to trea tin g A D H D y o u n g ste rs w ith
stim u la n ts b ec au se th e b e n e fits
h av e b ee n sh o w n c le a rly , b ut she
b eliev e s th e re are risk s an d th ey
sh o u ld b e ac k n o w led g e d .
their records.”
O rders for preadoption records
have been com ing into the H ealth
D iv isio n since the initiative was
passed, and the backlog o f orders
w ill be processed in the order in
w hich they w ere received.
to 9 percent.
d lS G
s h o shown
w n tllk lt
C people w ho use
also
that
screen applied, clothing and sunburn. h d S has
sunscreen
have
increased
incidence
H alf the participants were given
o
f
m
elanom
a
and
other
skin
cancers
sunscreen with a sun-protection fac­
Dr.
Karen
Emmons,
a
researcher
tor, or SPF, o f 30. The other h alf
with the Dana-I arber Cancer Institute,
received SPF 10. But neither group
said the study should not deter people
knew w hich product they were using.
from applying sunscreen - liberally
T hose who applied SPF 30 stayed
No one should say, “O h w ell, I m
outside 25 percent longer, spending
still
going to get skin can cer so w hy
a m ajority o f that tim e sunbathing.
bother,”
Em m ons said. “ I t’s very
Lejeune said the students often
im portant that people use sunscreen
w aited until their skin turned red
and apply it appropriately.”
before finding shade. V acationers
Emmons recom m ends that in ad ­
with the stronger sunscreen w aited
dition to lotions, people should avoid
even longer, increasing their expo­
direct sunlight by staying in th e shade
sure to ultraviolet radiation.
and wearing hats and oth er p ro tec­
"Instead o f being protected, it’s
tive clothing.
ju st the opposite because their be­
In a study published in D ecem ­
havior is bad,” he said
ber,
the same researchers reported
V ivian Clark, 49, o f W ashington,
that
o f 631 European school ch il­
said she uses com m on sense when
dren,
those using the m ost sunscreen
applying sunscreen. In years past,
were
m
ost likely to have sun-caused
when she has sunbathed on her row
moles, a sign that skin can cer m ight
house roof, she has worn an SPF 10
develop later in life. W hile the lotion
or 12. This year, she’s found that she
itself did not cause m oles, it m ay
can avoid burning if she m onitors
have m ade parents o v erco n fid en t
how m uch time she spends in the sun
about how long their children could
and w ears a low er SPF.
safely play outdoors.
“ I h av en ’t burned at all,” she said.
Children are especially v u ln er­
“M aybe I started tanning slow er or
able
to ultraviolet radiation and need
m aybe it’s the weather. W ho know s?”
more
than ju st protective lotions,
Even so, som etim es she d o esn ’t
Em
m
ons
said.
m ind a rosy glow, she adm itted.
“The
No.
1 w ay that ch ild ren are
A lthough skin cancer is prevent­
protected
from
the sun is using sun­
able, the incidence o f m elanom a in
screen,”
she
says.
“A nd parents need
the U nited States increases 4 percent
to get with the program and start
a year, according to the N ational
using other kinds o f p rotection.”
Cancer Institute. Previous research
c i - m - n u r .n l I.., I r l n l h i n u a n i l s l l l l b u i l l .
Legal obstructions to B allot M ea­
sure 58, the open A doption Law,
appear to have been rem oved and the
O regon H ealth D ivision is ready to
im plem ent the law once it receives a
final go-ahead from the D epartm ent
o f Justice.
O n Thursday, July 15, a Marion
County Judge upheld the initiatives,
passed by voters in November 1998, to
open sealed adoption records. But ad­
ditional legal steps still need to occur
before the Health Division can enforce
the law, according to Dr. Melvin Kohn,
Deputy State Epidemiologist.
“W e have already received or­
ders from more than 590 individuals
w ho are seeking their preadoption
birth records,” K ohn said. “As soon
as w e receive final instruction from
state attorneys, we will begin pro­
cessing those applications. The origi­
nal, sealed records are not held on
site, so it will take at least two w eeks
before the first application receive
Study Eases
Hyperactivity
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in the Portland Metro Area
Sun
Kohn em phasized that applicants
w ho request records should identify
them selves as an adoptee seeking a
preadoption birth record. I f the re ­
quest is made by a legal representa­
tive o f the adoptee, the request should
include a w ritten notarized statem ent
from the legal representative indicat­
ing w ho they represent and giving
the current legal birth record infor­
m ation listed above.
Because sealed adoptive records
are stored off-site at the State Archives
in Salem, applicants should expect a
two to three w eek delay before receiv­
ing their records once the backlog o f
orders is completed and new orders
can be processed on a regular basis.
Phone orders may be placed by
calling (503) 731 -4108 during regu­
lar business hours; fax orders by d i­
aling (503) 731-4084, or in person at
the Portland State O ffice building,
second floor, 800 N E O regon Street
in Portland. M ailed request should
be sent to PO Box 14050, Portland
O R, 97293. A dditional inform ation
about ordering preadoption records
can be found on the H ealth D ivision’s
w e b s ite
at
h ttp ://
w w w .o h d .h r.sta te .o r.u s/c d p e /c h s/
certif'preadopt.htm
U nless a delay is im posed by the
courts w hile the case is on appeal,
sta ff at the H ealth D ivision expect to
w ork on the backlog for several weeks
and then begin w orking on any new
orders that are received.
P ersons interested in ordering
records m ust m eet the follow ing cri­
teria: the adoptee m ust be 21 years o f
age and have been b o m in Oregon.
The application for the records m ust
be the ad optee’s legal representa­
tive. O ther family m em bers are not
eligible. A pplicants m ay fax order
by m ail, by phone or fax, or in p er­
son. All applications m ust include:
The adoptee’s full legal nam e,
(after adoption), date o f birth, place
ofbirth, adopted m other’s lull maiden
nam e, adoptee father’s full nam e;
and applicant’s m ailing address and
daytim e telephone num ber. $15 in
cash, m oney order or check payable
to O regon H ealth Division.
Fax or telephone orders m ust use
a credit card (give card num ber and
expiration date).The $15 fee is the
standard non-refundable fee for ob­
taining any birth record and covers
thé cost o f search for the current legal
records, retrieval o f the sealed file
and issuance o f the certified record.
Now the savings are in the Card!
I