→ DR. PHILIP LANDRIGAN JOINS BLACKSMITH'S BOARD
Dr. Landrigan, one of the preeminent epidemiologists and public health experts globally, has joined Blacksmith Institute's Board of Directors. Director of the Children's Environmental Health Center and Chairman of the Department of Community & Preventive Medicine at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, Dr. Landrigan has been involved with Blacksmith's technical advisory board since its early inception. After graduating from Harvard Medical School and completing his residency in pediatrics at Boston Children's Hospital, Dr. Landrigan served for 15 years as an epidemic intelligence service officer and medical epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. The report that he directed on pesticides and children's health was instrumental in securing passage of the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996, the major federal pesticide law in the United States. He was also instrumental in helping to establish a new office of children's health protection at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency when he served there as senior advisor from 1997-1998. We are honored to have his distinguished presence on the Board of Directors.

→ GLOBAL POLLUTION REMEDIATION FUND WEBSITE LAUNCHED
The Global Pollution Remediation Fund (GPRF), launched in principle in October, 2007 now has a presence on the web. This planned $400 million fund will be dedicated to combating toxic pollution in developing countries that has resulted from industrial, mining, and military operations. It will be directed toward cleaning up over 400 highly polluted locations worldwide that affect more than 100 million people - people who suffer from reduced life expectancies, increased cancer risks and severe neurological damage. Projects initiated by GPRF will efficiently channel funds to local stakeholders with technical support and oversight provided by a central, international, Secretariat. Conference organizers are currently approaching donors in various country development agencies, multilateral development banks, and other international aid organizations along with high net-worth individuals to develop funding.

GPRF was established at an international conference funded by the Rockefeller Foundation and attended by representatives from government agencies of the United States, Germany, China, Russia, Mozambique, Kenya, and the Philippines. Please visit the GPRF website at gprfund.org and be in touch with us for further discussion.