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I'm Restricted to You, Don't You Know That You're Toxic?
Cheap materials, lax government standards at fault in toxic FEMA trailers |
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03 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 12:25 PM on 03 Jul 2008 The toxic trailers used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to house thousands of homeless Gulf Coast residents after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita were found to be troublesome to occupants' health due to cheap building materials and lax government standards for RVs, scientists said Wednesday. "Manufacturers of travel trail ... |
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| Topics: environmental justice, health, news, politics, United States (all these topics) |
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Have a Sense of Tumor!
New York state passes bill to create detailed map of cancer cases |
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20 Jun 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 9:40 AM on 20 Jun 2008 In an effort to educate the public about correlations between cancer rates and environmental factors, the New York state legislature just passed a bill that would create a detailed map of cancer cases in the state. The online map would plot the neighborhoods of cancer patients as well as the location of industrial facilities like chemical manufacturers and power plants. &quo ... |
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| Topics: environmental justice, health, legislation, New York, news, politics (all these topics) |
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Hey, I'm a CO Too!
EPA needs to pay attention to carbon monoxide, says judge |
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08 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 3:58 PM on 08 May 2008 Carbon dioxide gets all the press, but the U.S. EPA is way behind on its legal obligation to update the nation's carbon monoxide regulations -- and it needs to get crackin', a federal judge ruled this week. Federal law requires a reassessment of carbon-monoxide standards every five years, but the EPA last took a look at the standards in 1994. While carbon monoxide is not considered to b ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, health, litigation, news, politics, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Health Bent
EPA chemical-review process sucks, says GAO |
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29 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 1:32 PM on 29 Apr 2008 U.S. EPA reviews of the health risks posed by ubiquitous chemicals are hampered by extensive nonscientist involvement, says a report from the Government Accountability Office. The EPA review process, rejiggered by the White House in 2004, is cloaked in secrecy, causes years of delay, and has lost credibility, the GAO says. The Defense Department, Energy Department, and NASA, all of which have a vested inter ... |
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| Topics: Government Accountability Office, health, news, politics, toxics, US EPA (all these topics) |
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At Lung Last
Smog can kill, says report |
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22 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 2:57 PM on 22 Apr 2008 Short-term exposure to smog is clearly linked to premature deaths, a National Academy of Sciences report has concluded. Some Bush administration officials have claimed that the link between ground-level ozone and health is, well, hazy: when the U.S. EPA was determining acceptable air standards for ozone last month, officials in the Office of Management and Budget claimed there was "considerable uncertainty" of a ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, health, news, ozone, politics, regulation (all these topics) |
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Ew, Toxins Again?
U.S. health agency says ubiquitous chemical may harm kiddos |
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16 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 3:24 PM on 16 Apr 2008 A U.S. federal agency has declared that there is "some concern" that chemical bisphenol A can harm the development of children's brains and reproductive systems. The National Toxicology Program, part of the National Institutes of Health, issued a draft report following up on an 18-month review of BPA. The agency reported more concern than was suggested by its advisory panel, ... |
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| Topics: food, green living, health, news, parenting, politics, toxics (all these topics) |
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Bisphenol, Eh?
Health Canada primed to declare bisphenol A toxic |
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15 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 2:43 PM on 15 Apr 2008 Canada's health department is expected to become the first regulatory body ever to declare chemical bisphenol A a toxic substance that humans should reduce their exposure to. BPA shows up in (and leaches from) hard plastic water bottles, aluminum cans, and other containers that consumers regularly eat and drink from. The chemical, which has been linked to reproductive anomalies, has come under some ... |
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| Topics: Canada, food, health, news, politics, toxics (all these topics) |
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Bush Whacked
President Bush interfered to weaken U.S. ozone standards |
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14 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 10:39 AM on 14 Mar 2008 President Bush interfered at the last minute to weaken the recently announced U.S. ozone standards, according to EPA documents. On Wednesday, the EPA set both the "public health" standard (how much ozone is in one place at one time) and the "public welfare" standard (consideration of the long-term effect of ozone) at the same level. Before Bush interfered, the agency planne ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, George Bush, health, jackassery, news, ozone, politics, regulation, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Gasp!
EPA lowers ozone limit, but ignores scientific advisers' calls to lower it more |
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12 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 3:34 PM on 12 Mar 2008 Photo: iStockphoto In an effort to clear up smog, the U.S. EPA on Wednesday lowered the permissible amount of ozone in the air, a move that will require 345 counties around the country to clamp down on pollution over the coming years. But the agency ignored the calls of its own scientific advisers for a steeper pollution cut. The EPA will lower the ozone standard to 75 parts ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, health, news, ozone, politics, regulation, US EPA (all these topics) |
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FEMA, Wouldn't Want to Be Ya
FEMA said to ignore research on effects of toxic hurricane trailers |
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29 Jan 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 3:21 PM on 29 Jan 2008 While housing Hurricane Katrina refugees in formaldehyde-tainted trailers, the Federal Emergency Management Agency "ignored, hid, and manipulated" government research on the long-term effects of formaldehyde on humans, according to an investigation by congressional Democrats. From the Archives One Step Forward, Two Missteps Back. C ... |
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| Topics: health, news, politics (all these topics) |
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Patty Ache
Asbestos legislation watered down, disappointing activists |
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06 Nov 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 4:08 PM on 06 Nov 2007 Public-health advocates who in June praised legislation to ban asbestos now say the version passed by the Senate last month was watered down so significantly that they no longer support it. Thanks in large part to industry lobbying, many products containing cancer-causing asbestos wouldn't be banned under the new version of the bill. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), who has labored for years to ge ... |
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| Topics: health, legislation, news, politics, toxics, US Senate (all these topics) |
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The Age of Ban
Senate passes asbestos ban, Democrats want to rid toys of lead |
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05 Oct 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 5:38 PM on 05 Oct 2007 Hey, you with the asbestos-contaminated attic: The Senate has unanimously passed a measure to ban importation, manufacture, processing, and distribution of products containing asbestos. Forty other nations have already banned the cancer-causing mineral, which is found in more than 3,000 consumer products in the U.S. Speaking of things that should have happened a long time ago, Democrat ... |
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| Topics: green living, health, legislation, news, parenting, politics, toxics, US Senate (all these topics) |
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Vermiculite Reading
EPA refuses to warn homeowners about asbestos exposure from insulation |
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05 Oct 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 10:19 AM on 05 Oct 2007 If you happen to be reading through the U.S. EPA website -- which you no doubt do every day -- you might come across a warning that some 35 million homes nationwide contain insulation processed with asbestos-contaminated vermiculite from infamous Libby, Mont. If you ask the agency about it, they'd be happy to send you a pamphlet -- but they're sure not going to come right ... |
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| Topics: Government Accountability Office, green living, health, insanity, news, politics, US EPA (all these topics) |
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BPA: Here to Stay?
Controversial panel will decide whether bisphenol A poses a health risk |
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08 Aug 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| BPA: Here to Stay? Controversial panel will decide whether bisphenol A poses a health risk Last week, several dozen scientists issued a consensus statement that ubiquitous chemical compound bisphenol A likely poses health and reproductive risks to humans. This week, an expert panel will finalize a report for the U.S. National Toxicology Program on whether humans should indeed try to stay away from BPA; ... |
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| Topics: health, news, politics, scientific research, toxics (all these topics) |
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All Kinds of Sickening
Congress grills FEMA on toxic post-hurricane trailers |
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20 Jul 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| All Kinds of Sickening Congress grills FEMA on toxic post-hurricane trailers The media have reported for at least two months that the trailers used to house refugees from hurricanes Katrina and Rita have been giving off fumes that are making some people sick. Now it seems the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which has fended off those accusations, has known about the toxic trou ... |
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| Topics: Congress, environmental justice, health, news, politics, severe weather (all these topics) |
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No Rush Hour
New York hems and haws over Manhattan congestion fees |
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16 Jul 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| No Rush Hour New York hems and haws over Manhattan congestion fees Today is a make-or-break, do-or-die, fish-or-cut-bait, poo-or-get-off-the-pot, we-wish-we-could-think-of-more-hyphenated-clichés day for New York, as state legislators, Governor Eliot Spitzer, and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg wrestle over Bloomberg' ... |
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| Topics: climate, health, innovation, New York City, news, placemaking, politics, public transportation, state politics, urban planning (all these topics) |
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Johnson Stiffens Smog Rules
Current U.S. ground-level ozone standard deemed insufficient |
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22 Jun 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| Johnson Stiffens Smog Rules Current U.S. ground-level ozone standard deemed insufficient Smoggy air could get cleaner if a new U.S. EPA standard passes muster. Agency head Stephen Johnson has proposed lowering the allowable amount of ground-level ozone from 80 to 84 parts per billion to 70 to 75 ppb, since "the current standard is insufficient to protect public health." But the agency will hold a 9 ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, health, news, politics, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Meany in a Bottle
Baby bottles found to leak chemicals, California may ban them |
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01 Mar 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| Meany in a Bottle Baby bottles found to leak chemicals, California may ban them Most parents discourage their kiddos from ingesting known toxics, so a new study from green group Environment California is a bit of a bummer: when run through a simulated dishwasher 50 to 75 times, name-brand baby bottles leach the chemical bisphenol A, or BPA, in levels that have caused reproductive abno ... |
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| Topics: California, green living, health, news, parenting, politics, toxics (all these topics) |
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Bodies, Asbestos, and Motion
Controversial bill to create asbestos trust fund moves ahead in Senate |
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08 Feb 2006 |
Daily Grist |
| Bodies, Asbestos, and Motion Controversial bill to create asbestos trust fund moves ahead in Senate An epic drama is playing out in the U.S. Capitol over ... asbestos. Seriously. A bill -- which, after a 98 to 1 vote in the Senate yesterday, will now move to the floor for debate -- would create a $140 billion industry-financed trust fund for victims of asbestos-related illness, but would ... |
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| Topics: environmental justice, Harry Reid, health, news, politics, toxics (all these topics) |
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Taking It All Offset
House GOPers want to cut enviro and other programs to pay for rebuilding |
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27 Sep 2005 |
Daily Grist |
| Taking It All Offset House GOPers want to cut enviro and other programs to pay for rebuilding Rebuilding the Gulf Coast after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita is expected to run the feds around $200 billion. A group of House Republicans called the Republican Study Committee has unveiled an "Operation Offset" plan with proposed budget cuts to pay for the massive expenditure. While this nostalgic exerci ... |
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| Topics: health, news, oceans, politics, water pollution (all these topics) |
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What the Tuck?
Governator appoints industry flacks as state eco-regulators |
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30 Aug 2005 |
Daily Grist |
| What the Tuck? Governator appoints industry flacks as state eco-regulators California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) earned green esteem early in his tenure, but as important regulatory appointments take on an increasingly pro-industry tinge, his cred is starting to fade. The latest is Cindy Tuck, chosen to chair the state's Air Resources Board after working for more than 15 years with or on beha ... |
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| Topics: Arnold Schwarzenegger, California, health, news, politics (all these topics) |
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Brussels Pouts
European Union commissioners duke it out over green legislation |
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20 Jul 2005 |
Daily Grist |
| Brussels Pouts European Union commissioners duke it out over green legislation Today's meeting of the E.U.'s European Commission is a make-or-break moment for the union's sustainable-development policies, according to eco-advocates. Since taking office last November, commission president José Manuel Barroso has delayed initiatives on pesticides, the marine environment, air quality, and more, saying they might preven ... |
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| Topics: European Union, health, news, politics (all these topics) |
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