South Dakota to debate product ban. A state House panel is considering a bipartisan measure that would ban the sale of baby products that contain bisphenol A, an organic chemical that has been linked to reproductive problems in laboratory animals. Sioux Falls Argus Leader 2012-02-04T09:00-05:00
Soil from Lyndhurst park to be analyzed. Results of tests taken this week to determine if Riverside County Park is contaminated with dangerous chemicals should be ready by the end of the month, a federal official said Thursday. Bergen County Record 2012-02-03T09:00-05:00
Obesogens: An environmental link to obesity. Many remain wedded to poor diet and lack of exercise as the sole causes of obesity. However, researchers are gathering convincing evidence of chemical “obesogens”—dietary, pharmaceutical, and industrial compounds that may alter metabolic processes and predispose some people to gain weight. Environmental Health Perspectives 2012-02-02T09:00-05:00
Dioxin report delayed. The Environmental Protection Agency has missed its own deadline to release a major report on the health effects of dioxins, a class of toxic chemicals. People in central Michigan have lived with dioxin pollution for more than three decades. Environment Report 2012-02-02T09:00-05:00
"Skin deep" in more ways than one. Very little if any media attention or research has looked at the possible connections between African American beauty salons, the personal care products utilized primarily by Black women and adverse health outcomes, specifically in the area of reproductive health. But that has begun to change. San Francisco Bay View 2012-02-01T09:00-05:00
Research reveals toxic pesticides problem in Armenia. Pesticides waste dumps and dilapidated warehouses, containing more than 1,000-1,500 tons of pesticides, inherited from the Soviet Union in Armenia, are like time bombs which have already essentially damaged the environment. Armenia Now 2012-02-01T09:00-05:00
Frederick vom Saal wants FDA to ban BPA, endocrine disruptors. For the past 20 years, much of University of Missouri biology professor Frederick vom Saal’s research, thoughts and time have converged into one point: trying to get endocrine disruptors — chemicals that interfere with the hormone system and can cause obesity, infertility and cancer — out of daily use. Columbia Missourian 2012-01-31T09:00-05:00
Top BPA sources. A growing body of research suggests that exposure to BPA, or bisphenol-A, a synthetic chemical found in plastic, is more dangerous than previously thought. Government research has found that the primary source of BPA exposure for most people is through food. Cleveland Plain Dealer 2012-01-31T09:00-05:00
Consumer reports tests fish oil supplements. More and more people are taking daily fish oil supplements to help reduce the risk of heart attack and strokes. And while sales for the supplements are setting records, many remain concerned about the potential risks associated with eating fish. Covington Kentucky Post 2012-01-31T09:00-05:00
Tumor found on white croaker fish mystifies Cabrillo Marine scientists. A recent fishing excursion in the Los Angeles Harbor drew a strange find - a white croaker with a quarter-size tumor on its head.Scientists at Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro dissected it in an effort to determine whether the anomaly was caused by parasites, injury or possibly contamination from the world's largest underwater deposit of the pesticide DDT off the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Contra Costa Times 2012-01-30T09:00-05:00
Military: Investigation into S. Korea Agent Orange is over. For the last nine months the U.S. Army has drilled, tested and analyzed soil and water at Camp Carroll military base in South Korea for traces of Agent Orange. The result of the roughly $4 million investigation is a 58-page report, in which the Army claims no traces of Agent Orange were found. An environmental expert disagrees. KPHO Phoenix 2012-01-27T09:00-05:00
Federal regulators have failed to act on toxic chemical, report says. Despite growing fears over the health effects of Bisphenol-A — a chemical found in many baby bottles and a host of other products — federal regulators have done little to protect the public, according to a new report from a nonprofit research group. Center for Public Integrity 2012-01-27T09:00-05:00
Federal agencies fail to address BPA, report says. A report being released Thursday says federal agencies have not taken effective steps to protect the public from the dangers of BPA, a commonly used chemical found in food packaging that has been linked to health problems, including cancer, asthma and heart attacks. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 2012-01-26T09:00-05:00
Major study finds child immune risks from chemicals. Children exposed to the same common household chemicals that have contaminated groundwater near a number of 3M Co. sites in the St. Paul suburbs have weakened immune systems that make them more vulnerable to infections, according to research published this week. Minneapolis Star Tribune 2012-01-26T09:00-05:00
Exposure to common chemicals may weaken vaccine response. Researchers report that exposure to ubiquitous household chemicals may lower children’s responses to vaccines. The findings suggest that important gains made by immunization programs in the past century may be eroded by the emergence of these environmental chemicals. Time Magazine 2012-01-26T09:00-05:00
Dow and Monsanto team up on the mother of all herbicide marketing plans. Dow has engineered a corn strain that withstands lashings of its herbicide, 2,4-D. The company's pitch to farmers is simple: Your fields are becoming choked with weeds that have developed resistance to Monsanto's Roundup herbicide. As soon as the USDA okays our product, all your problems will be solved. Mother Jones 2012-01-26T09:00-05:00
Fundamental changes to EPA's research enterprise: The path forward. Environmental protection in the United States has reached a critical juncture. It has become clear that to address the complex and interrelated environmental challenges we face, we must augment our traditional approaches. Chemical & Engineering News 2012-01-26T09:00-05:00
Children near DuPont plant exposed to more PFOA than moms. Children living near DuPont’s plant in West Virginia are exposed to much higher concentrations of an industrial chemical than their mothers, according to a newly published study. Children under 5, who are exposed from drinking water as well as their mothers’ breast milk, had 44 percent more of the chemical in their blood than their mothers. The study was undertaken by scientists who have spent seven years trying to determine whether the DuPont chemical is making people sick in the Mid-Ohio Valley. The discovery about moms and their children comes as scientists elsewhere linked the chemical, known as PFOA, and related chemicals to reduced effectiveness of childhood vaccinations. The compounds are used to manufacture Teflon cookware, food packaging and other products. Environmental Health News 2012-01-25T09:00-05:00
Chemical may make vaccines less effective, study says. Researchers have found that children exposed to the toxic chemical C8, also known as PFOA, may experience reduced effectiveness of childhood vaccinations, according to a new study being published Wednesday in JAMA. Charleston Gazette 2012-01-25T09:00-05:00
Your slick new office could be making you sick. A new study suggests that your indoor office air -- particularly in newly renovated offices - could be making you sick by exposing you to harmful PFCs, or polyfluorinated compounds. Agence France-Presse 2012-01-25T09:00-05:00
Testing begins for homes in New Jersey toxic dump site. The federal government began testing Upper Ringwood homes for cancer-causing dioxin, a castoff from fires that burned from industrial waste left by Ford Motor Co. decades ago. Bergen County Record 2012-01-25T09:00-05:00
PFC chemicals tied to immune problems in kids. Children exposed to chemicals from food packaging and textile products may have compromised immune systems, researchers said Tuesday. They found kids with more perfluorinated compounds, or PFCs, in their blood stream were less likely to respond to routine vaccines. Reuters 2012-01-25T09:00-05:00