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The Quicksilver and the Dread
Bill to ban U.S. mercury exports passes Congress |
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30 Sep 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 6:06 AM on 30 Sep 2008 A bill to ban mercury exports from the United States after 2013 passed Congress on Monday and now awaits President Bush's signature to become law. The bill, sponsored by Barack Obama and Rep. Tom Allen (D-Maine), aims to reduce the amount of elemental mercury on the global market, which is often used for gold mining and chemical manufacturing in developing countries. Mercury is neurot ... |
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| Topics: legislation, news, politics, toxics, United States (all these topics) |
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Between a Bush and a Workplace
Bush admin proposes rule that could delay workplace toxics standards |
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02 Sep 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 6:20 AM on 02 Sep 2008 Last week, the Bush administration published a proposed rule that would add an extra step to the process of creating federal standards for toxics and other hazardous substances in the workplace. The rule, which was reportedly rushed so it could take effect before President Bush leaves office, has been widely criticized by unions and other worker advocates as an un ... |
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| Topics: business, news, politics, toxics, United States (all these topics) |
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Are You Just Toying With Us?
Congress agrees on product-safety bill banning phthalates, lowering lead in toys |
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29 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 7:21 AM on 29 Jul 2008 The U.S. House and Senate have agreed to a compromise product-safety bill that would ban phthalates from children's toys, lower toy lead levels, and require third-party safety testing before toys are put on the market. In 2007, some 45 million toys were recalled for high lead levels and other safety defects, and the resulting parental and consumer outrag ... |
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| Topics: health, legislation, news, toxics, United States (all these topics) |
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Possible 'Cide Effects
EPA to ban pesticide carbofuran from food in U.S. |
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25 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 7:12 AM on 25 Jul 2008 In an unexpected move, the U.S. EPA announced Thursday that it will act to ban the pesticide carbofuran from food in the United States before next year's growing season. The EPA said the pesticide can cause "nausea, dizziness, confusion, and -- at very high exposures -- respiratory paralysis and death"; the pesticide has also killed millions of birds and other wildlife. Carbofura ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, news, toxics, United States, US EPA (all these topics) |
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It's Us Against Chem
Feds rush to weaken workplace safety rules on toxics before term ends |
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23 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 9:10 AM on 23 Jul 2008 The Bush administration is trying to push through a new workplace safety rule to weaken workers' protections against toxic chemicals before Bush's term ends, according to The Washington Post. The rule, which has not been made public, would mandate a reevaluation of the methods used to measure risks to workers from toxic exposure in the workplace. The rule would also requir ... |
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| Topics: business, news, politics, toxics, United States (all these topics) |
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Something to 'Hyde
Companies knew about high formaldehyde levels in FEMA trailers, Dems say |
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10 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 8:03 AM on 10 Jul 2008 Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee said RV trailer manufacturers knew that the trailers they sold to the government had excessively high levels of formaldehyde but didn't disclose the information for fear of bad press. The trailers, which were used to house hurricane victims on the Gulf Coast, have been a touchy subject at FEMA ever since occ ... |
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| Topics: business, news, politics, toxics, United States (all these topics) |
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To Clean Up or Not to Clean Up ... We're Still on Defense
U.S. Defense Department fighting EPA orders to clean up Superfund sites |
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30 Jun 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 8:17 AM on 30 Jun 2008 Defying environmental law, the U.S. Defense Department has resisted repeated orders lately from the U.S. EPA to clean up some of the nation's most contaminated places. The DoD/EPA standoff has turned into a bureaucratic pissing match wherein the EPA has asserted its authority to order and oversee cleanup of ultra-polluted Superfund si ... |
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| Topics: Department of Defense, news, politics, toxics, United States, US EPA (all these topics) |
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'How Now?' Frowns Dow
Dow Chemical ordered to clean up dioxin downstream of headquarters |
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29 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 11:51 AM on 29 May 2008 Dow Chemical on Wednesday was ordered to clean up dioxin in homes and yards downstream of its Michigan headquarters, the result of dumping dioxin-laden chemicals in nearby rivers for decades. Test results revealed yesterday show dioxin levels in and around a number of houses some 20 miles downstream exceed by a few times the level considered reasonably safe by the U.S. EPA. ... |
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| Topics: business, news, toxics, United States (all these topics) |
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It's Like a Glow-in-the-Dark Gold Rush
Projected nuke-power renaissance spurs U.S. uranium-mining bonanza |
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05 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 8:15 AM on 05 May 2008 Due to the escalating price of uranium, a flurry of uranium-mining claims has been staked in the United States recently, with one of the greatest concentrations around the Grand Canyon in Arizona. On public lands within five miles of Grand Canyon National Park, there are now 1,100 uranium-mining claims, compared with just 10 in January 2003. One proposed ura ... |
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| Topics: mining, news, nuclear power, toxics, United States (all these topics) |
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If the Leaders Lead, the Lead Standards Will Follow
U.S. EPA to tighten standard for airborne lead |
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02 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 6:24 AM on 02 May 2008 Compelled by court order to review its 30-year-old standards for airborne lead, the U.S. EPA proposed a new, tougher standard this week that would cut allowable lead levels by over 90 percent. True to form, though, the agency proposed a range of standards that exceeded the maximum limit of what its scientific advisers recommended as necessary to protect public heal ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, news, toxics, United States, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Jack 'Em Up 'Phenol Na Na Nay, Jack 'Em Up 'Phenol-A
Congress investigating industry's role in bisphenol-A health studies |
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28 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 5:41 AM on 28 Apr 2008 Democrats in Congress are investigating the chemical industry's influence in regulating the chemical bisphenol A, which is widely used in many plastic products and the lining of food cans. Over the years, plenty of evidence has surfaced that bisphenol A can potentially harm human health as it can mimic the effects of estrogen and has been sho ... |
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| Topics: Congress, news, toxics, United States (all these topics) |
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Twisted Mettle
Bush admin appeals ruling on mercury cap-and-trade plan |
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27 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 7:00 AM on 27 Mar 2008 The Bush administration has appealed a court ruling that struck down the U.S. EPA's controversial mercury cap-and-trade plan. The earlier ruling by a three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals found the EPA violated the Clean Air Act when it enacted the mercury rule in 2005. The cap-and-trade system allowed dirtier power plants to buy the right to pollute from cleaner ones; 17 sta ... |
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| Topics: litigation, news, toxics, United States, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Living Through Chemistry
Toxics report shows slight dip in U.S. releases overall, mercury releases up |
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22 Feb 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 7:56 AM on 22 Feb 2008 The U.S. EPA's 2006 Toxics Release Inventory just came out, showing a slight decline in total toxic chemicals released in the country, as well as a 17 percent increase in releases of mercury. Individual states showed mixed results, with Arizona's total toxic releases shooting up by 52 percent from 2005 to 2006 due almost entirely to pollution from one mine that ... |
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| Topics: news, toxics, United States, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Numb31Mrs
CBS to pay $31 million to clean up Indiana Superfund sites |
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20 Feb 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 7:43 AM on 20 Feb 2008 The media giant CBS has agreed to pay $31 million to clean up six ultra-polluted Superfund sites around Bloomington, Ind. CBS is the corporate successor of Westinghouse, which ran industrial operations in the area that polluted streams and groundwater with high concentrations of PCBs. An agreement to clean up the contamination in the 1990s was abandoned; CBS has been negotiating another deal wi ... |
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| Topics: business, Indiana, news, toxics, United States (all these topics) |
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A Batt Out of Hell
Mattel, Toys |
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19 Feb 2008 |
News |
| "R" Us to phase out cadmium batteries, citing toxicity Posted at 6:49 AM on 19 Feb 2008 Toy giants Mattel and Toys "R" Us have announced they will phase out cadmium batteries due to their toxicity and the associated health problems they can cause at the factories in China that produce them. Scores of factory workers have been sickened by cadmium, which can cause lung cancer, bone disease, and kidney failure, but cadmium batteries are still use ... |
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| Topics: business, China, news, toxics, United States (all these topics) |
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'Hyde and Shriek
CDC confirms FEMA trailers tainted with formaldehyde; residents urged to move |
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14 Feb 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 12:03 PM on 14 Feb 2008 The U.S. Centers for Disease Control has confirmed that the trailers used to house Gulf Coast hurricane victims are tainted with high levels of formaldehyde. The Federal Emergency Management Agency urged residents of over 35,000 of the trailers to move out as soon as possible, especially families with kids, elderly folks, and those with chronic illnesses. Formaldehyde ... |
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| Topics: health, news, toxics, United States (all these topics) |
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Cap 'n' Crunched
Bush's controversial mercury rule for power plants struck down by federal court |
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08 Feb 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 9:57 AM on 08 Feb 2008 Bad news for the Bush administration: A federal appeals court on Friday struck down a U.S. EPA rule that would have let coal-fired power plants trade the right to emit mercury, a neurotoxin that contaminates waterways, accumulates in fish, and has been linked to nerve and brain damage, particularly in children. Environmentalists and public health advocates, among oth ... |
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| Topics: litigation, news, toxics, United States, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Border in the Court
U.S. Supreme Court refuses Canadian company's pollution suit appeal |
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08 Jan 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 5:42 AM on 08 Jan 2008 The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal from a Canadian mining company in a cross-border pollution case, in effect sustaining an earlier appeals court ruling holding the company liable for pollution under U.S. law. Just 10 miles north of the U.S. border in British Columbia, the mining company Teck Cominco has been operating a smelter that from 1892 until 1994 du ... |
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| Topics: business, Canada, international politics, litigation, news, toxics, United States (all these topics) |
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The Thin Lead Line
U.S. House passes toy safety bill with tightened lead standards |
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20 Dec 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 7:35 AM on 20 Dec 2007 The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill yesterday aimed at improving the safety of toys sold in the country. The bill lowers the allowable lead level in children's toys, mandates independent testing, increases the budget of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and raises the cap on potential civil penalties for manufacturers from $1.25 million to $10 million ... |
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| Topics: legislation, news, politics, toxics, United States (all these topics) |
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Angrier By the Dozen
EPA sued by 12 states over relaxed toxic-chemical rule |
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29 Nov 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 6:07 AM on 29 Nov 2007 The U.S. EPA's moves to relax the nation's toxics reporting rule will not go unchallenged. Twelve states have announced they're suing the agency over rule changes to the Toxics Release Inventory that allow companies to file less-informative reports and escape reporting if they release less than 5,000 pounds of toxic chemicals, up from the previous threshold, set under President Reagan, o ... |
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| Topics: litigation, news, toxics, United States, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Finally, U.S. Agencies Handling Toy Recalls Get Some Teeth
U.S. recalls 440,000 more leaded toys, including novelty teeth |
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01 Nov 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 7:29 AM on 01 Nov 2007 If Halloween itself wasn't the fright-fest you'd hoped for, maybe the most recent round of leaded-toy recalls will do the trick. This week's list includes 1,500 Ribbit board games, 16,000 sets of Elite Operations action figures from Toys 'R' Us, 380,000 Galaxy Warriors figures, and 43,000 sets of novelty teeth. The teeth were found by indepen ... |
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| Topics: news, toxics, United States (all these topics) |
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Hold the Phone
Activists threaten to sue Apple over chemicals in iPhone |
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16 Oct 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 8:09 AM on 16 Oct 2007 Greenpeace claimed recently that Apple's much-hyped iPhone contains dangerous levels of phthalates, chlorine, and bromine, and now another environmental group, the Center for Environmental Health in Oakland, Calif., has sent the company a formal warning claiming that Apple violated California's Proposition 65, which requires companies to warn consumers of the risk of toxic exposure. "Th ... |
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| Topics: business, news, toxics, United States (all these topics) |
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The Lead Badge of Discourage
More toys recalled due to lead, including Boy Scout badges |
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05 Oct 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 7:15 AM on 05 Oct 2007 Over 1.5 million more children's toys and accessories were recalled in the U.S. on Thursday due to high lead levels. We had put our money on toy cars being among the next items recalled, but we stand corrected. Whoever said blocks, squeeze lights, wagons, Frankenstein cups, key chains, journals, water bottles, or lead-painted Boy Scout badges wins. All the parents and kids wh ... |
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| Topics: business, news, toxics, United States (all these topics) |
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Spare the Ozone and Despoil the Riled
EPA may soon approve toxic alternative to ozone-depleting pesticide, despite criticism |
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26 Sep 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 7:11 AM on 26 Sep 2007 To replace the toxic, ozone-depleting pesticide methyl bromide -- a favorite of stubborn U.S. berry growers -- the U.S. EPA is reportedly set to soon approve an alternative that doesn't deplete ozone but is "one of the more toxic chemicals used in manufacturing" according to opponents, including six Nobel Prize-winning chemists. ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, news, toxics, United States, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Adventures in Agriculture
U.S. gets approval for ozone-depleting pesticide, despite international objections |
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06 Nov 2006 |
Daily Grist |
| Adventures in Agriculture U.S. gets approval for ozone-depleting pesticide, despite international objections Pursuing its goal of world destruction (mwahaha!), the U.S. won approval to continue using and making a pesticide banned under an international ozone treaty. The decision, which countered the recommendation of the treaty's technical committee, allows a 5,900-ton methyl bromide exemption in 2008 -- ... |
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| Topics: food and agriculture, news, toxics, United States (all these topics) |
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