Chemical dangers to air-breathing animals overlooked, researchers say
A new study in Science says regulators have overlooked the effects that thousands of chemicals could have on air-breathing organisms. Such as, for instance, people. In general, regulators study how chemicals accumulate in aquatic-based food chains; they look at how toxics dissolve in water and fat, but not at how easily they're expelled from lungs. Canadian researchers say that's a problemo: as many as a third of the roughly 12,000 chemicals under review in Canada could accumulate in air-breathing animals. The pesticide lindane, for example, doesn't build up in fish -- but researchers have found it in wolves that eat lichen-munching caribou. "About one third of all the commercial chemicals that are in use right now belong in this group of chemicals that are potentially biomagnifying," says lead researcher Frank Gobas of British Columbia's Simon Fraser University. "In Canada, it will be three to four thousand. And our list of chemicals is small compared to the list of chemicals in the U.S. and E.U."
source: BBC News, 13 Jul 2007
source: The Guardian, Alok Jha, 13 Jul 2007
source: Scientific American, David Biello, 12 Jul 2007
straight to the abstract (cuz the full text ain’t free): Science, 13 Jul 2007
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bobcajun Posted 3:12 am
16 Jul 2007
A year ago, the Houston City Council, in its infinite wisdom and foresight, decided to clean up the city's air. How? By banning smoking from all publically acceessible buildings. Now that's telling 'em.
Agreed, smoking does present a health hazard, both to those who smoke and to those who breathe in tobacco smoke. However, the effect of tiny tubes of burning tobacco pales in comparison to the numerous chemical and petrochemical plants belching tons of hazardous materials into the air, water and the earth itself.
This doesn't even take into account the large numbers of automobiles and other internal-combustion driven vehicles (numbering about 10 million) which pollute the air everyday.
In addition, the city is concentrating on an expensive slow-rail system to take tourists from downtown to the museum district a few blocks away.
Now that's urban planning!
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