02/15/07 Unhealthy Home & FFA Week

Unhealthy home & FFA Week. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. Compounds found in air in the home could pose more of a health risk to breast-fed babies than chemicals they are exposed to through their mother`s milk. Researchers found that a nursing infant`s exposure to gases known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from indoor air was 25-135-fold higher than from breast milk. VOCs are gases emitted from certain solids and fluids such as paints, cleaning supplies, building materials, printers, glues and photographic solutions. Everyone is exposed to a least a trace of the compounds and their concentrations are higher indoors than out. The health effects of exposure to VOCs vary depending on their toxicity. Some cause no harm while others can lead to headaches, nausea, fatigue, dizziness and irritation of the eyes, nose and throat or damage to the nervous system or organs. National FFA Week kicks off Saturday and continues through the 24th. To celebrate - nearly half-a-million FFA members from across the U.S. will take part in National FFA Week activities at the local and state levels. The theme for this year's celebration is Blue Jackets, Gold Standards. The National FFA Organization started in 1928 as the Future Farmers of America. Today the organization reaches out to all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and is made up of more than 495-thousand student members. Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Susan Allen. It is funny how everything that appears so green like &.hybrids, bio-diesel, and sustainability can actually be quite grey. Take the recent business section in my local paper, on the same page, three headlines&"Ranchers hit hard by rising feed prices". (blamed on grain being diverted into ethanol) Next, "Ethanol plant coming to the Basin" & Touting the fact Earth Biofuels is planning a new plant in Moses Lake and the shot in the arm it could be for our regions barley growers. Finally, "Oregon economists urge caution on biofuels" &. In less paper then it takes to line the bottom of my bunny's cage, biofuels were touted or tainted. To muddle the puddle even further these economists from a land grant University, our very own Oregon State, were the ones decrying what The Washington Barley Commission called a great possibility for it's growers to expand acreage. Wouldn't you think OSU would be about expanding and. Thanks Susan. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.