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| Headline |
Author |
Published |
Section |
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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That '70s show
Thirty years ago, high crop prices caused environmental destruction, too |
Tom Philpott |
14 Apr 2008 |
Gristmill |
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| Topics: agriculture, books, economy, food, toxics, water pollution (all these topics) |
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Superfund365
A toxic tour, coming to a city near you |
Maywa Montenegro |
10 Apr 2008 |
Gristmill |
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| Topics: grassroots activism, politics, toxics, waste, websites (all these topics) |
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Haul From Grace
W.R. Grace will finally pay Montana asbestos victims |
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08 Apr 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 3:01 PM on 08 Apr 2008 W.R. Grace & Co. has agreed to pay some $3 billion in cash and equity to settle lawsuits filed on behalf of people injured or killed by asbestos in the company's products. Grace operated a vermiculite mine near Libby, Mont., from 1963 to 1990, infamously coating the town with asbestos fibers. The company went bankrupt in 2001 after more than 100,000 asbestos-related claims were filed agains ... |
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| Topics: business, litigation, mining, Montana, news, toxics (all these topics) |
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Got food?
Farmworker Awareness Week is a chance to recognize the people whose labor means we can eat |
Fawn Pattison |
31 Mar 2008 |
Gristmill |
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| Topics: agriculture, Big Ag, business, environmental justice, food, grassroots activism, health, toxics (all these topics) |
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If It's Broke, Fix It
EPA announces new lead standards for renovation of older buildings |
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31 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 3:04 PM on 31 Mar 2008 Contractors will have to train workers to follow "lead-safe work practice standards" when renovating or repairing older dwellings that house children or pregnant women, according to new standards introduced Monday by the U.S. EPA. The new requirements are an attempt to keep lead out of the bloodstreams of babes, as structures built before 1978 are likely to contain ... |
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| Topics: green building, green living, health, news, placemaking, toxics, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Under My Mozzarella (Ella, Ella, Eh, Eh, Eh)
Trash likely the source of dioxin tainting Italy's mozzarella |
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28 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 2:11 PM on 28 Mar 2008 Some batches of Italy's famous buffalo mozzarella cheese have been tainted with dioxin, leading to alarm in the nation's $500 million mozzarella industry. The source of the contamination? Buffalo near Naples are likely grazing in soil tainted with dioxin from piles of toxic garbage that the mafia-controlled trash business can't, or won't, get under control. ... |
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| Topics: food, Italy, news, toxics, waste (all these topics) |
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The State of Play
Washington governor may veto bill restricting toxins in toys |
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27 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 3:21 PM on 27 Mar 2008 Washington State Gov. Christine Gregoire may veto legislation that would be the toughest in the nation at making sure toys are free of (or low in) lead, cadmium, phthalates, and other toxins. Even though a slew of amendments exempt certain playthings, from tricycles to pellet guns to sleds, Big Toy officials have warned Gregoire that the bill is still too restrictive, since it doesn't ... |
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| Topics: green living, legislation, news, parenting, politics, state politics, toxics, Washington (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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Nasty Namaste
On toxic yoga mats |
Umbra Fisk |
24 Mar 2008 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I own a yoga studio and our mats are wearing out and in need of replacement. What's the best alternative for buying new mats? And if I do get new mats, what's the best option for disposing of the old ones: donate to one of the many organizations that provide yoga for people that can't afford the usual yoga studio rates? Or spare them the toxins and send the mats to the landfill, or my gosh are they possibly recyclable? Help! ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, green products, recycling, sports, toxics (all these topics) |
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Ash Ask
On burning paper |
Umbra Fisk |
19 Mar 2008 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, We heat our house primarily by wood, in an efficient, EPA-rated woodstove. My question is this: We recycle all of our paper, paperboard, cardboard, etc., but would it be better to burn it? As it is, we drive it to the recycle center, they ship it off somewhere, it is then processed, then shipped back out as a product. If we burn it, we get some heat, and ashes to spread on our garden. Which is better for paper -- recycling or burning ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, green living, health, recycling, toxics (all these topics) |
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Bunny Business
Some Easter trinkets test high for lead in small study |
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18 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 10:22 AM on 18 Mar 2008 If you're the Easter-trinket-buying type, beware: some pastel gewgaws may have high levels of lead, according to testing done by students at Ohio's Ashland University. Of 45 Easter-themed spinning tops, hair clips, sippy cups, and plastic eggs purchased at the fun-to-say Hobby Lobby, 13 exceeded the federal standards for lead in paint. But that shouldn't mean an end to all your Easter fun -- P ... |
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| Topics: green living, holiday, news, sports, toxics (all these topics) |
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Conflicts of Interest of Interest
House committee to investigate EPA panel members' conflicts of interest |
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18 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 7:22 AM on 18 Mar 2008 A House committee has opened an investigation into possible conflicts of interest concerning members of U.S. EPA expert panels that advise the agency on matters such as banning or restricting the use of certain toxic chemicals. The EPA stirred up controversy last year when it dismissed a toxicologist from a panel that was reviewing the potential health dange ... |
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| Topics: Congress, news, politics, toxics, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Superweeds on the march
In Arkansas, state ag officials turn to Syngenta to solve problems caused by Monsanto |
Tom Philpott |
14 Mar 2008 |
Gristmill |
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| Topics: agriculture, Big Ag, business, food, industrial ag, toxics (all these topics) |
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Dioxane Another Day
Some 'green' products test positive for nasty chemical |
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14 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 12:14 PM on 14 Mar 2008 Nearly half of 100 consumer products claiming to be "natural" or "organic" tested positive for a carcinogenic petrochemical manufacturing byproduct, according to the Organic Consumers Association. The products tainted with scary-sounding 1,4-dioxane came from various well-known brands, including Alba, Jasön, Kiss My Face, Method, Nature's Gate, and Seventh Generation. ... |
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| Topics: green cleaning, green living, green products, news, toxics (all these topics) |
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Got chemical and pesticide residues in your milk?
Conventional milk contains toxics, says the USDA |
Tom Philpott |
13 Mar 2008 |
Gristmill |
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| Topics: agriculture, food, health, organic food, toxics (all these topics) |
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The Cost of Doltish Business
Company agrees to pay record $250 million in Superfund cleanup costs |
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12 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 7:26 AM on 12 Mar 2008 W.R. Grace & Co. agreed to pay $250 million to reimburse the U.S. EPA for ongoing cleanup of the asbestos-ridden mining town of Libby, Mont. A mine owned by Grace that operated from 1963 until 1990 contaminated much of the town with asbestos-tainted vermiculite. Over 200 area residents have died from related cancers, and over 1,200 more show signs of lung abnorm ... |
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| Topics: business, litigation, news, toxics, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Misfortunes of War
Gulf War syndrome likely caused by chemical exposure, says research |
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11 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 5:56 PM on 11 Mar 2008 Fatigue, dizziness, rashes, memory loss, and other symptoms of Gulf War syndrome are likely tied to a combination of chemicals that veterans were exposed to during the war, says new research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The review of studies on Gulf War syndrome supports the theory that pesticides used around military bases, anti-nerve-gas ... |
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| Topics: health, news, toxics (all these topics) |
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Next Up on the Panel ...
Solar-panel manufacturers dumping toxic waste in China |
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10 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 4:54 PM on 10 Mar 2008 Solar panels may look bright and shiny, but they have a dark underbelly: production of polysilicon for panels gives off a highly toxic byproduct called silicon tetrachloride. In China, where factories are rushing to alleviate a polysilicon shortage that's cramping the global solar-panel industry, the bubbly white liquid is often just dumped in nearby villages. "The land where yo ... |
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| Topics: business, China, energy, news, renewable energy, solar voltaic power, toxics (all these topics) |
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Better Safe Than Sorry
Senate passes consumer-safety bill that would reduce toxics in toys |
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06 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 4:28 PM on 06 Mar 2008 The U.S. Senate has passed legislation aimed at decreasing consumer exposure to dangerous products (like, oh, lead-tainted toys, to pick a random example). Specifically, the measure passed Thursday would increase the staff and budget of the Consumer Product Safety Commission; sharply reduce acceptable levels of lead and phthalates in toys; create a database of public compl ... |
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| Topics: green living, green products, legislation, news, parenting, politics, toxics, US Senate (all these topics) |
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Keep your laws off my germ-resistant hook
EPA versus the antimicrobial keychain |
Tia Ghose |
06 Mar 2008 |
Gristmill |
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| Topics: US EPA, health, toxics, innovation (all these topics) |
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Cutting Carbofuran
EPA attempt to ban bird-killing pesticide runs into opposition |
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03 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 4:54 PM on 03 Mar 2008 The U.S. EPA has proposed a ban on a pesticide lethal to birds, but is running into resistance from the company that produces the chemical. The pesticide, carbofuran, is typically used on crops such as corn, alfalfa, and potatoes, and has been linked to the dieoff of 558 separate bird flocks since 1972. A manager with pesticide manufacturer FMC Corp. says carbofuran, "when use ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, Big Ag, business, Congress, industrial ag, news, politics, toxics, US EPA, wildlife (all these topics) |
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Like Spite on Rice
Scientist with concerns about chemical removed from EPA panel |
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29 Feb 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 5:52 PM on 29 Feb 2008 An award-winning toxicologist was removed from a U.S. EPA panel reviewing the potential health dangers of deca, a flame retardant widely used in electronics, after the American Chemistry Council claimed she was biased. Deborah Rice had testified for the Maine legislature in support of a state ban on deca; EPA officials cited "the perception of a potential conflict of interest&q ... |
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| Topics: Environmental Working Group, news, politics, toxics, US EPA (all these topics) |
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One hell of a company
Monsanto uses child labor in its Indian cottonseed fields |
Tom Philpott |
29 Feb 2008 |
Gristmill |
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| Topics: agriculture, toxics, health, business, India (all these topics) |
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