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In the News:
Get quick access to breaking stories around the world.
15 May Raking through sludge exposes a stink. A former US EPA scientist is suing the agency's officials and researchers at the University of Georgia in Athens, alleging that they manufactured and published false data to support the use of potentially harmful sewage sludges as fertilizers. Nature. 15 May Polar bear is added to the endangered species list. The polar bear has been designated as threatened with extinction, the first creature added to the endangered species list primarily because of global warming. But environmentalists plan to sue. Los Angeles Times, California. 15 May Greenhouse gases highest for 800,000 years. Greenhouse gases are at higher levels in the atmosphere than at any time in at least 800,000 years, according to a study of Antarctic ice on Wednesday that extends evidence that mankind is disrupting the climate. Reuters. 15 May Warming world altering thousands of natural systems. A comprehensive analysis of trends in tens of thousands of biological and physical systems has provided more evidence to bolster the near-universal view that man-made climate change is altering the behaviour of plants, animals, rivers and more. Nature. 15 May Celebrate clean coal, come on! The coal industry has turned up the heat on its ad campaign and apparently McCain, Clinton and Obama are buying. Salon. 15 May House passes farm bill. A $290 billion farm bill locking in the nation's food policy for five years passed the House and is expected to pass the Senate. It has a new program that will create incentives to plow millions of acres of prairie grasslands, releasing tons of carbon. San Francisco Chronicle, California. 15 May Sewer to spigot: Recycled water. A growing number of cities and counties grappling with water shortages are turning to a solution that may be tough for some homeowners to stomach: purifying wastewater so that residents can drink it. Wall Street Journal. 15 May L.A. prepares massive water-conservation plan. Los Angeles officials today will revive a controversial proposal to recycle wastewater as part of a plan to curb usage and move the city toward greater water independence. Los Angeles Times, California. 15 May Monsoon predicted in Myanmar delta. Monsoon winds and rain were predicted on Wednesday, compounding the misery for at least 1.6 million survivors of this month's deadly cyclone. The Red Cross's new death toll estimate is 127,990. Los Angeles Times, California. 15 May Chemicals in plastic feeding bottles could lead to obesity in babies. Pregnant women who eat food that has been wrapped in plastic could make their unborn baby obese in later life, according to new research. Daily Mail, United Kingdom. 15 May Democrats want chemical in plastic investigated. Members of a Senate consumer affairs subcommittee faulted federal agencies for reacting too slowly to concerns that children are exposed to BPA through water and baby bottles, and food and baby formula cans. Los Angeles Times, California. 15 May Alarm at weed-kill chemical in water. Australian regulators have allowed a widely used weed killer to be present in drinking water at levels twice those now shown to cause damaging genetic changes in human cells. Sydney Australian, Australia. 15 May Insecticides in pet shampoo may trigger autism. Could insecticides in pet shampoos trigger autism spectrum disorders? That's the suggestion of one of the first large-scale population-based studies to look at how gene-environmental factor interactions contribute to the condition. New Scientist, England. 15 May Study finds no evidence of risk in synthetic turf. A draft report conducted on behalf of the Bloomberg administration says that there is no scientific evidence that synthetic turf fields in New York pose major health hazards for people playing on them. New York Times. 15 May New school on polluted site energizes environmental coalition. Soon, there may be more organized action to ensure that no community in Rhode Island ever again builds a school on a contaminated site. Providence Journal, Rhode Island. 15 May Mother claims school made daughter sick. For 12 years, the state Department of Environmental Conservation has known about a potentially deadly chemical in the soil less than two blocks from an public school - but cleanup plans have been snagged by red tape. Queens Courier, New York. 15 May The promise of green paint. Paint is leading the green building movement, due to stricter regulations, pressure from environmental groups and growing demand for eco-friendly products, leading to paints with fewer dangerous and smog-producing compounds. New York Times. More news from today |
New Science:
Understand new scientific results that expand knowledge of environmental links to health.
A review of health risks of bisphenol A is flawed by errors of omission, commission, misrepresentation and misinterpretation. The review, carried out by a scientist at the California Dept. of Toxic Substance Control 'working on his own time' and thus not representing the agency's position, ignores a large body of literature on low-dose effects of BPA, uses criteria that would, if accepted, invalidate 30 years of well-established research on diethylstilbestrol (DES) and employs a statistical method that violates basic statistical principles. More... Pregnant women exposed to household pesticides may increase the risk of their children developing leukemia, according to a recent study conducted in France. In the study, parents of leukemia patients were more likely to have used pesticides and insecticides either at home or at work. Exposure to these chemicals is a risk factor for blood cancers, particularly if children are exposed in the womb, the authors' conclude. More... Phthalate exposure is widespread in infants and use of baby care products appears to be contributing, according to an analysis of babies' urine. Greater use of lotions, powders and shampoos were associated with higher phthalate levels. The associations were strongest in younger infants. Parents wanting to decrease phthalate exposures for their infants should reduce the use of baby products unless needed for medical purposes. More... Research in Japan reports a 50% reduction in risk of advanced prostate cancer is associated with drinking green tea. The findings may help understand why prostate cancer is much lower in Asian compared to Western populations. American Journal of Epidemiology. More... Researchers testing deep aquifers used for drinking water found human viruses, challenging the assumption that these crucial water supplies are protected from surface contamination. Samples from three public water supply wells that draw from a 240-foot deep aquifer in Wisconsin contained human intestinal viruses, which as a group are associated with diseases such as meningitis, encephalitis, newborn enteroviral disease and polio. More... New research by scientists at the Centers for Disease Control indicates that the analysis the CDC has used to estimate human exposure to atrazine and atrazine-related breakdown products has strongly underestimated its extent. By assaying for more than one atrazine metabolite, the new method finds exposures more consistent with the widespread use of the herbicide than indicated by the old approach. More... A new analysis by the CDC indicates that many Americans are exposed to bisphenol A at levels above the current safety threshold set by the EPA based upon decades-old data. These levels are significantly higher than those sufficient to cause a wide array of health effects in animals following exposure in the womb. Exposure to another industrial chemical, 4-tertiary-octylphenol, is also widespread. More... Minute quantities of a bacterial protein inserted in corn provoke immune reactions in mice. The protein is added to increase the effectiveness of plant-based transgenic vaccines. The results indicate that special care will be needed with transgenic corn to reduce exposure to workers and the public if this protein is used commercially in corn or other food crops, to avoid unwanted immune responses in people and decreased effectiveness of oral vaccines that use the protein. More... Three years after a year-long education effort to promote a healthy diet and discourage consumption of carbonated drinks, researchers found no effect on how many children were overweight. The number of overweight children had increased in both the control and experimental groups. British Medical Journal. More... New research confirms that estrogenic contaminants can seep into sediment after being carried by sewage into rivers. Standard water treatment doesn't remove them from waste water effluent, so they pass from treatment plants into rivers. Once in river waters, they move into river sediments and thus potentially reach groundwater, contaminating sources of drinking water. More... New experiments reveal that the synthetic estrogen used by women for birth control causes wide ranging health effects in minnows, but that the effects differed when the drug was tested alone compared with when it was mixed with wastewater effluent. The estrogen caused feminization of male fish, and altered DNA integrity, immune cell number, and ability to breakdown pollutants. The study highlights the need for more research on the potential health effects of exposure to complex mixtures. More... New data link low birth weight and body mass to very low levels of commonly used chemicals found in consumer products ranging from Teflon-coated cookware to water and stain repelling textiles. Analyzing the relationship between vital statistics of newborns born at a city hospital in Baltimore, MD--measurements such as weight, length, and head circumference-- scientists found that babies with higher levels of perfluorinated compounds in their cord blood tended to be slightly but significantly smaller than those with lower exposure. More... Thirty-eight of the world's leading scientific experts on bisphenol A have warned policymakers of potential adverse health effects of exposure to the widespread molecule used to make plastic and food can lining. They conclude that average levels in people are above those that cause harm to animals in laboratory experiments. And they calculate that average serum levels in people can only be explained by assuming that exposures today are already above the level that EPA considers safe. More... A new study with mice is the first to link low level neonatal exposure to bisphenol A to uterine diseases that women develop as they age, including fibroids, adenomysois and cystic ovaries. Some of the adverse conditions induced by BPA in mice have been previously described in daughters of mothers who took the drug diethylstilbestrol, a synthetic estrogen which is structurally and functionally similar to BPA. These uterine defects, which often require severe medical intervention, are common and appear to be increasing in women but remain poorly understood. More... In a unique, new study, scientists report that women exposed to relatively high levels of DDT prior to mid-adolescence are 5 times more likely to develop breast cancer later in life than women with lower exposures. In contrast, exposure after adolescence is not associated with increased risk. This new approach-- taking age of exposure into account-- may help explain why studies that depend upon exposure measurements after breast cancer develops often report no association. More... Exposure to bisphenol A during development changes gene behavior in mice, causing genetically identical animals to develop differently. BPA exposure reduces DNA methylation, thereby increasing the expression of genes that would have been silenced. The results can be counteracting by supplementing the maternal diet during pregnancy and lactation with nutrients that increase methylation, such as genistein, a phytoestrogen found in soy. More... New research exposing mice to a chemical used to make polyurethane foam and paints provides the first experimental confirmation that the compound causes respiratory tract disease. The findings corroborate epidemiological studies showing links between on-the-job exposure to toluene diisocyanate and both nasal inflammations, diseases that affect at least half the industrial workers in the US. The results help understand how breathing even small amounts of a chemical can lead to debilitating respiratory diseases. More... Exposure to a mixture of phthalates causes reproductive harm in an additive manner. Rats exposed prenatally to a combination of DEHP and DBP had decreased testosterone levels and decreased expression of genes important for gonadal development. This research has important implications for humans who are continually exposed to low doses of a mixture of phthalates. Toxicological Sciences More... |
New Reports:
By organizations working to protect human health from environmental exposures.
First synthesized nearly 120 years ago and now used ubiquitously in modern commerce, bisphenol A is headed toward phase-out. A turning point was reached in April 2008, as federal authorities in Canada and the US both raised health concerns about the material. Major retailers have begun pulling it from market shelves, and even Nalgene has said it will end use of BPA in its water bottles. Bisphenol A Timeline: From Invention to Phase-Out. Published by Environmental Working Group. Climate change is having a greater and faster impact on the Arctic than previously thought. Melting of arctic sea ice and the Greenland Ice Sheet is severely accelerated, prompting concerns that both may be close to their 'tipping point'; the point where, because of climate change, natural systems may experience sudden, rapid and perhaps irreversible change. Arctic impact accelerates. Published by World Wildlife Fund - UK, United Kingdom. The EPA is under siege from political pressure. On numerous issues—ranging from mercury pollution to groundwater contamination to climate change—political appointees have edited scientific documents, manipulated scientific assessments, and generally sought to undermine the science behind dozens of EPA regulations. Interference at the EPA. Published by Union of Concerned Scientists. The stakes in the debate over bisphenol A safety are exceedingly high—economically, politically and biologically. The FDA’s safety standard remains conspicuously out of date. The public should not have to wait for years for unequivocal epidemiological evidence to determine the risks of this chemical. Battles over bisphenol A. Published by Project on Scientific Knowledge and Public Policy. Overwhelming evidence shows that exposures to natural and pharmaceutical estrogens are strong determinants of breast cancer risks. Some industrial chemicals and pesticides, as well as a large number of chemicals used in consumer products, have estrogenic characteristics. Risk reduction will not be achievable without considering preventable causes, particularly exposure to chemicals. Breast cancer and exposure to hormonally active chemicals: An appraisal of the scientific evidence. Published by ChemTrust, Health and Environment Alliance. The American West is heating up more rapidly than the rest of the world, according to a new analysis of the most recent federal government temperature figures. The average temperature rise in the Southwest's largest river basin was more than double the average global increase, likely spelling even more parched conditions. Warming in the West. Published by Natural Resources Defense Council. In 2008, a woman's lifetime risk of breast cancer is one in eight. New science indicates that timing of exposure, mixtures of chemicals and dose interact with genes and lifestyle factors to increase breast cancer risk. State of the Evidence 2006: Breast Cancer and the Environment. Published by Breast Cancer Fund. In 2006 alone, renewable energy and energy efficiency were responsible for $970 billion in industry revenues and 8.5 million jobs. This number will grow exponentially if our nation commits itself in earnest to reducing carbon emissions and making economy-wide improvements in energy efficiency. Green-Collar Jobs in America's Cities. Published by Center for American Progress. Across the West, mining claims are encroaching on hundreds of sprawling cities, destination resorts, retirement communities and remote recreation retreats. Since 2003, mining interests have staked 16,282 claims within five miles of cities and towns in twelve western states, for a total of 51,579 active mining claims within five miles of these communities as of January 2008. Mining claims threaten western cities and towns. Published by Environmental Working Group. A survey of thirty-seven electronics products finds that even though no individual product can claim to be truly green, there are many innovations moving in the right direction. Advances by different companies include toxics reductions, increased energy efficiency, longer lifecycles and better plans for recycling. What is a green electronics product? Published by Greenpeace International. The Canadian government is failing to uphold its duty to clean up the Tar Sands. Weak targets will allow Tar Sands greenhouse gas emissions to doubly by 2020. And toxic tailing ponds are seeping into the region's groundwater, as pollution rises in the Athabasca River. Canada’s Toxic Tar Sands: The Most Destructive Project on Earth. Published by Environmental Defence Canada. Bisphenol A leaches out of six major brands of popular baby bottles sold in the US and Canada. Laboratory experiments with animals show that exposure to level of bisphenol A that leaches out of these bottles causes a range of adverse effects. Baby’s Toxic Bottle. Published by Center for Health, Environment & Justice. For more than seven months, the nation’s top public health agency has blocked the publication of an exhaustive federal study of environmental hazards in the eight Great Lakes states. Reportedly, the study's release was blocked because it contains such potentially “alarming information” as evidence of elevated infant mortality and cancer rates. Great Lakes Danger Zones? Published by Center for Public Integrity. In coming decades heatwaves in the Midwest are likely to become more frequent, longer, and hotter than cities in the region have experienced in the past. Fire will increase in the west. Sea-level rise will be increasingly problematic along the Gulf Coast. Nutrient overload will increase the frequency and intensity of hypoxia in the Chesapeake Bay. Regional impacts of climate change: Four case studies in the US. Published by Pew Center on Global Climate Change. Many individual states release more greenhouse gas emissions than entire groups of developing countries. Forty-two U.S. states individually emit more carbon dioxide than 50 developing countries combined, and three states individually emit more CO2 than 100 developing countries. Taking Responsibility. Published by National Environmental Trust. An expansion of nuclear power capacity in the United States could help reduce global warming pollution, but could also increase threats to public safety and national security. Those risks include a massive radiation release from a power plant meltdown or terrorist attack, and the death of hundreds of thousands from the detonation of a nuclear weapon made with materials obtained from civilian nuclear facilities. Nuclear Power in a Warming World. Published by Union of Concerned Scientists. A nationwide survey of more than 1,500 nurses suggests associations between the health of nurses and their children from nurses' long-term exposures. Nurses report increased rates of asthma, miscarriage and certain cancers, as well as cancers and birth defects in their children. Nurses' Health: A survey on health & chemical exposures. Published by Environmental Working Group. As parents venture into crowded malls this holiday season, they should remain vigilant about often hidden hazards posed by toys on store shelves. Despite all the recalls, hazardous toys remain on store shelves, including some with choking risks and that contain potentially toxic chemicals. Trouble in Toyland. Published by CalPirg. Power sector emissions make up 25% of the global total, 40% of carbon emissions in the United States, and are a primary cause of global warming. A new website allows you to find the dirtiest power plants, and the cleanest, around the world. Carbon monitoring for action. Published by Center for Global Development. |
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