http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/frontpage/in_the_news/inspector.html
In The News /
May 14
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The Probo Koala docked in Abidjan on 19 August 2006, unloading 400 tonnes of waste to as many as 18 sites around the city. Over the following weeks thousands of residents in Abidjan found themselves choking and coughing, some vomiting. At least 10 are said to have died from sickness.
London Guardian, England
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Documents have emerged which detail for the first time the potentially lethal nature of toxic waste dumped by British-based oil traders in one of west Africa's poorest countries.
London Guardian, England
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Yesterday's courtroom moves are the latest aspect of a remarkable damage limitation campaign that oil traders Trafigura have been fighting across the globe.
London Guardian, England
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The United Nation's International Maritime Organization has gathered this week in the shipping hub of Hong Kong to draw up new rules on ship recycling.
CNN
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The failure of federal regulators to act and their refusal to divulge health risks associated with coal ash disposal has created a needless risk to public health, one of the state’s leading environmental groups said.
Iowa Independent, Iowa
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to oversee the cleanup of the Kingston coal-ash spill doesn’t mean that federal money will be available to help pay the cleanup costs, the federal agency’s director said Wednesday.
Knoxville News Sentinel, Tennessee
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Coal ash recovered from a major spill last December at a Tennessee power plant is too contaminated for use in Pennsylvania's reclaimed coal mines, officials from that state said Wednesday.
Associated Press
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Coal companies controlled by James C. Justice II -- the businessman who bought The Greenbrier resort -- ran up more than $1 million in unpaid penalties for mine safety and health violations, government records show.
Charleston Gazette, West Virginia
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More than 1,000 workers at a chemical company in northeast China's Jilin Province have fallen ill after being poisoned by a mystery gas which apparently leaked from a neighboring factory.
Shanghai Daily, China
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A federal appeals court has rejected Oklahoma's bid to stop poultry growers in Oklahoma and Arkansas from spreading poultry waste in the Illinois River watershed while an environmental lawsuit winds its way through court.
Associated Press
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A program that regulates toxic pollution from the state's largest industries is under fire from businesses and legislators who say it duplicates federal law.
Raleigh News & Observer, North Carolina
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Although California has been a pathbreaker in some environmental arenas, like embracing renewable energy and recycling, groundwater rights remain sacrosanct. But the state government is facing growing pressure to embrace regulation.
New York Times
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Climate change poses the biggest threat to human health in the 21st century but its full impact is not being grasped by the healthcare community or policymakers, a medical report concludes.
London Times, England
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The number of TVs, computers, iPods and other electronic devices in the home is expected to jump threefold by 2030 and will require the equivalent of 230 new nuclear reactors to keep them running, according to an international study calling on world governments to raise the bar on gadget efficiency.
Toronto Star, Canada
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http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/frontpage/top_stories/inspector.html
By Michael Hawthorne, Dan Mihalopoulos
Chicago Tribune
14 May 2009
sean dreilinger/flickr
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The City Council's vote Wednesday to make Chicago the first city in the United States to ban bisphenol A in baby bottles and sippy cups is the latest act in a groundswell of public concern about a widely used chemical that has been linked to cancer, diabetes and other ailments.
With retailers and manufacturers already phasing out use of BPA, the unanimous vote is largely symbolic. But it adds the city to a growing list of states and countries moving to eliminate the chemical from household products, especially those made for infants and children.
more…
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By Kate Murphy
New York Times
14 May 2009
Health officials, soil scientists and environmental engineers worry that the increasing popularity of gardening, particularly the urban kind, will put more people at risk for lead poisoning if they don’t protect themselves.
Thanks in part to the influence of the local-food movement and to economic considerations, more households in the United States plan, like the Obamas, to grow their own fruits, vegetables, herbs and berries this year — seven million more households, according to the National Gardening Association, a 19 percent increase over last year.
The presence of lead in soil doesn’t mean gardening is out of the question, but it may require a change in plot design and choice of crops, and soil amendments.
more…
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http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/frontpage/new_science/inspector.html
New Science
Understand the latest scientific findings
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Exposure to commonly used agricultural pesticides may increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, particularly among people who have certain gene types. The degenerative nerve disease can develop when dopamine levels in the brain are lower than normal. Without pesticide exposures, susceptible gene variants alone were not sufficient to increase risk. The increased risk to Parkinson's required both susceptible genes and pesticide exposure. more…
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A new study reveals that by interfering with thyroid hormone, exposure to low levels of bisphenol A (BPA) slows the rate at which tadpoles develop into frogs. Thyroid signals are necessary for both normal frog metamorphosis and for fetal development in people. In these experiments, exposure to levels similar to those found in human infants prevented key genes from turning on, thus delaying tadpole development. more…
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http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/frontpage/media_review/inspector.html
Media Review
Scientists critique media coverage
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Missing is the science explaining the environmental health problems associated with lawn pesticide use. more…
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New York Times article is an example of another lost chance to explore environmental exposures that cause cancer at key development periods. more…
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Reporter tackles a difficult subject—birth defects and time of conception—but omits some study details. more…
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http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/frontpage/editorials/inspector.html
Editorials
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By
London Times
The faster the Arctic ice cap melts, the frostier Russia grows towards potential rival claimants for the oil and minerals that lurk beneath. Once out of reach owing to the blanket of ice that entombed them, these resources look temptingly grabbable as climate change shrinks the ice shelf.
more…
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By
Pensacola News Journal
Santa Rosa County commissioners appear ready to drop a proposal to loosen long-standing stormwater treatment rules that protect county residents from flooding and water pollution.
more…
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http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/frontpage/opinions/inspector.html
Opinions
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By Tom Sciacca, Guive Mirfendereski
Sudbury Town Crier
You’re a little dumber than you ought to be. Me, too. Why? Because we all have lead in our bodies.
more…
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By Ken Ward Jr.
Charleston Gazette
If the pesticide carbofuran is so bad that we don’t want it on food that Americans eat, why is it OK for FMC to keep making it to send overseas for folks in other countries to eat? And where exactly do the products Kanawha Valley chemical companies make end up?
more…
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http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/frontpage/syndicated/inspector.html
By Barbara J. Fraser
Daily Climate
Climate change is hitting South America with a triple whammy: More water stress, more migration, more disease.
more…
By Walter Hupiú and Barbara J. Fraser
Daily Climate
Climate change in the Andes strains public health. Two minute slideshow.
more…
By Andrew McGlashen
Daily Climate
A novel interdisciplinary effort strives - and struggles - to give Michigan's $44 million tart cherry industry a roadmap for a warmer future.
more…
By Jessica A. Knoblauch
Environmental Health News
One night in February, high school principal Matthew Smith got a frightening wake-up call.
more…
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Hot Topics
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In The News (CONTINUED) /
May 14
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Russia raised the prospect of war in the Arctic yesterday as nations struggle for control of the world’s dwindling energy reserves. London Times.
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Increased human poverty, climate change, a burgeoning population around the park and greater demand for wood and water in Kenya have all led to new pressure on the Aberdares. Now a 250-mile long fence will soon enclose one of Africa's most rugged national parks. London Guardian.
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For the first time in human history, one out of every six people on the planet is going to bed hungry, according to the head of the UN World Food Program. Agencies are overwhelmed as emergencies caused by war and drought outrun their ability to feed the hungry. Toronto Star.
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Ghent embarks on a radical experiment today, seeking to make every Thursday a day free of meat and of the fish and shellfish for which the city is renowned. London Guardian.
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Big brands are pitching products to the same consumers who buy local berries. For example, on Tuesday, five potato farmers rang the bell of the New York Stock Exchange, kicking off a marketing campaign that is trying to position Lay’s potato chips as local food. New York Times.
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More news from today
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Chemicals in food, cosmetics and cleaning products threat to male fertility
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Smoking: Kentucky's adult smoking rate drops; Smokers in 60s who kick habit still reduce cancer risk
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