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The environmental toll of plastics.
From cell phones and computers to bicycle helmets and IV bags, plastic has molded society in many ways that make life both easier and safer. But it also has left harmful imprints on the environment and perhaps human health, according to a new compilation of articles by scientists from around the world. Environmental Health News. 2 July 2009.
Exxon, Valero face new curbs on carcinogenic gases under Obama.
President Barack Obama is considering new curbs on U.S. oil refineries whose gas emissions pose a cancer risk to hundreds of thousands of people living near the plants, setting up a potential conflict with companies over the cost of new regulations. Bloomberg News. 2 July 2009.
EPA ready to settle Bay Area pesticide suit.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today a proposed settlement of a lawsuit that could result in scrutiny of how dozens of dangerous pesticides affect threatened and endangered species living around San Francisco Bay. San Francisco Chronicle, California. 2 July 2009.
U.S., California programs to reduce ship emissions.
Targeting one of the biggest sources of air pollution, federal and state regulators moved forward Wednesday with plans to slash emissions from big diesel-powered ships entering U.S. coastal areas. Los Angeles Times, California. 2 July 2009.
Climate's smoky spectre.
Recent research suggests that lowly soot particles--black carbon-- could be responsible for a large fraction of Arctic warming. In SE Asia, studies suggest that it is choking the moisture supply for the Indian monsoons and contributing to the retreat of mountain glaciers that provide fresh water for more than a billion people. Nature. 2 July 2009.
Sea level rise: It's worse than we thought.
Scientists are more than a little astonished at the rate at which our planet's frozen frontiers seem to be responding to global warming, as more ice is sliding into the ocean, causing sea levels to rise faster and faster. New Scientist, England. 2 July 2009.
An insurance plan for climate change victims.
As Western governments dither at the negotiating table over how to help the world's poorest people cope with climate change, some unlikely saviours have stepped up to the plate: the giants of the global insurance industry. New Scientist, England. 2 July 2009.
Electronics firms fight state recycling programs.
Five companies are threatening litigation against Washington state's new electronic waste law, which requires manufacturers to fund recycling and collection services for old TVs, personal computers and monitors. Wall Street Journal. 2 July 2009.
Russian scientist helps eliminate toxic legacy.
Russian scientist Olga Speranskaya's research and push to inform the public about the toxic legacy of huge stockpiles of industrial chemicals and pesticides in the former Soviet Union led to the creation of a powerful environmental advocacy network in 11 former Soviet states. Voice of America. 2 July 2009.
Villagers' drinking supply undermined.
More than 3,000 villagers in Guangdong province must travel 3 kilometers to take a sip of potable water after the local drinking supply was found to be contaminated from an illegal mine. China Daily. 2 July 2009.
Turkey plans to restart work on controversial dam project.
Turkey today announced plans to resume a controversial £1bn dam project in the face of environmental protests that it would displace thousands of people, destroy habitats and drown priceless archaeological treasures. London Guardian, England. 2 July 2009.
Nigeria oil company rejects damning Amnesty report.
Nigeria's state oil company rejected an Amnesty International report's findings that pollution and environmental impacts from the oil industry in the Niger Delta are creating a "human rights tragedy." It said local communities cause much of the environmental damage by vandalizing pipelines for monetary gain. CNN. 2 July 2009.
ExxonMobil continuing to fund climate sceptic groups, records show.
The world's largest oil company is continuing to fund lobby groups that question the reality of global warming, despite a public pledge to cut support for such climate change denial, a new analysis shows. London Guardian, England. 2 July 2009.
More animals than ever in danger of becoming extinct.
The extinction crisis facing the world's wildlife could be even worse than previously thought, according to the latest analysis. Nearly one third of amphibians and coral, more than one in eight birds and nearly a quarter of mammals are threatened with extinction. London Daily Telegraph, England. 2 July 2009.
N.J.'s alarming bat die-off.
Up to 90 percent of North Jersey's bat population was killed off over the winter by an unusual fungus that has been associated with the deaths of more than a million bats in nine states. Officials are concerned that this could have a larger affect on many ecosystems. Bergen County Record, New Jersey. 2 July 2009.
Hazardous chemical found in northwest Missouri soil.
Environmental investigators went looking for hazardous chromium 6 where it shouldn’t be — in northwest Missouri farm soil — and they found it. Questions linger in a controversy that for several years has consumed the Cameron area, where residents fear that something has been causing brain tumors. Kansas City Star, Missouri. 2 July 2009.
GM plans ‘garage sale’ for toxic plants, New Jersey golf course.
As General Motors Corp. prepares for bankrupcy, the worst of what it owns will be auctioned off in bankruptcy court, including the contaminated site of a foundry in Massena, New York, which discharged PCB sludge and hydraulic fluid waste. Bloomberg News. 2 July 2009.
City proposes new plan for Gowanus Canal cleanup.
Fighting to prevent the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn from being labeled a Superfund site, city officials are proposing an alternative cleanup plan that they say would still be overseen by the EPA but would take only about half the time a Superfund project would require. New York Times. 2 July 2009.
Mixed rulings in four Rubbertown lawsuits.
A federal judge issued rulings Wednesday in four Rubbertown class action lawsuits alleging that the chemical plants had emitted emissions so foul that thousands of people had been denied the full use and enjoyment of their homes. Louisville Courier-Journal, Kentucky. 2 July 2009.
Teams targeting poison in the River Raisin.
Michigan has more PCB-contaminated hot spots than any other Great Lakes state. And the River Raisin's short stretch is one of the worst. Detroit Free Press, Michigan. 2 July 2009.
In San Francisco, thou shalt compost: It's the law.
San Francisco, renowned for its civic will to save the planet, is now ordering residents and businesses to compost food scraps and biodegradables, or risk fines for not properly sorting their garbage. Sacramento Bee, California. 2 July 2009.
More use grazing sheep, goats against invasive weeds, vines.
The animals are an alternative to using machinery that burns up fossil fuels or herbicides that, in some cases, can seep into groundwater. USA Today. 2 July 2009.
Fourth of July turning green?
As beautiful bursts of red, blue, green and yellow shoot up into the air every Fourth of July, many people forget the effect fireworks can have on the environment. Frederick News-Post, Maryland. 2 July 2009.
Nearly a third of NJ's 10- to 17-year-olds overweight.
Rates of childhood obesity in America have more than tripled in the last generation, with nearly a third of New Jersey’s 10- to 17-year-olds now considered overweight or obese, according to a report issued Wednesday Bergen County Record, New Jersey. 2 July 2009.
Study confirms increase in wheat gluten disorder.
A Minnesota study using frozen blood samples taken from Air Force recruits 50 years ago has found that intolerance of wheat gluten, a debilitating digestive condition, is four times more common today than it was in the 1950s. Minneapolis Star Tribune, Minnesota. 2 July 2009.
Schizophrenia may be linked to immune system.
Three new genetic studies are providing some tantalizing hints about what causes schizophrenia. The studies found such changes in stretches of code involved in brain development, memory and the immune system. All Things Considered, NPR. 2 July 2009.
Vegetarians are less likely to get cancer than meat-eaters.
A meat-free diet could cut the risk of developing cancer, a new study suggests. The risk was almost halved for cancers of the blood including leukaemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma where vegetarians' risk was 45 per cent lower than meat eaters'. Edinburgh Scotsman, Scotland. 2 July 2009.
Argentine workers suspected of passing flu to pigs.
Workers at an Argentine farm apparently infected pigs with the new H1N1 flu strain—only the second suspected case of humans passing the deadly virus to swine, a government spokesman said on Wednesday. Reuters. 2 July 2009.
Argentines question vote during flu outbreak.
As Argentina struggled Wednesday to control a fast-spreading outbreak of swine flu, some health officials criticized the government’s decision to go ahead with national congressional elections last weekend. New York Times. 2 July 2009.
Swine flu concerns rise in Southern Hemisphere.
Several provinces in Argentina declared a health emergency Tuesday as the number of H1N1 cases continues to rise. Argentina is now surpassed only by Mexico and the US in swine flu-related deaths. Christian Science Monitor. 2 July 2009.
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