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| Headline |
Author |
Published |
Section |
Crop Phooey
Pesticide use on crops drops in California, but fumigant use up |
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30 Nov 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 1:23 PM on 30 Nov 2007 Agricultural pesticide use dropped by 10 million pounds in California last year -- a bit of progress offset by an increased use of fumigants by strawberry growers. In addition, application of commercial pesticides for uses such as landscaping and mosquito control increased. California "works hard to promote least-toxic pest management" says Mary-Ann Warmerdam of the state Depar ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, California, news, toxics (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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A Toy Named Sue
California sues over lead-tainted toys |
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19 Nov 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 1:00 PM on 19 Nov 2007 The state of California, which never met an environmental fustercluck it didn't want to litigate, has filed a lawsuit accusing 20 companies -- including Mattel and Toys R Us -- of making or selling products containing "unlawful quantities of lead." source: Los Angeles Times see also, in Grist: An illustration and explanation of tainted toys From the Archives They Were Co ... |
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| Topics: California, green living, litigation, news, toxics (all these topics) |
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Enviro movie of the year?
A review of The Host |
Kit Stolz |
16 Nov 2007 |
Gristmill |
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| Topics: toxics, waste, water pollution, movies (all these topics) |
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The Sands of Grime
Waterways downstream from oil sands are full o' toxins, says study |
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09 Nov 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 1:46 PM on 09 Nov 2007 Fish, water, and sediment downstream from the gigantic oil sands projects in Alberta are chock-full of carcinogens and other toxins, says a new study. While the research does not make a direct link between the oil sands, the toxins, and presumed health consequences, the largely Native residents of downstream community Fort Chipewyan have long suspected that they experience high ... |
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| Topics: Alberta, energy, environmental justice, health, news, oil, oil sands, scientific research, toxics (all these topics) |
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Fume and Far Between
FEMA prohibits employees from entering toxic trailers |
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09 Nov 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 11:54 AM on 09 Nov 2007 Concerned about formaldehyde fumes, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has prohibited its employees from entering thousands of stored trailers. And the hurricane victims living in some 50,000 trailers in Louisiana and Mississippi? Well, FEMA hasn't gotten around to seeing if those trailers are toxic yet -- last week, the agency postponed plans to begin testing -- but eh, they'll be f ... |
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| Topics: health, insanity, Louisiana, Mississippi, news, toxics (all these topics) |
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Toxics 'R' Us
Everyday folk found to be contaminated with toxic chemicals |
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09 Nov 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 9:16 AM on 09 Nov 2007 Volunteers across the U.S. were found to have toxic bisphenol-A, PBDEs, and phthalates in their blood and urine, says a small study sponsored by a coalition of environmental health groups. The "Is It in Us?" study analyzed 35 people from seven states; while the sample size was too small to be representative of the larger population, the results were quite similar to those of a hu ... |
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| Topics: Centers on Disease Control and Prevention, green living, health, news, scientific research, toxics (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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Banana Split
Six farmworkers compensated for pesticide exposure, six cases dismissed |
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06 Nov 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 3:00 PM on 06 Nov 2007 Six farmworkers who became sterile after working on a Nicaraguan banana plantation three decades ago were awarded a total $3.3 million from Dole Food Co. and Dow Chemical, after a judge agreed that the corporations "actively suppressed information about" the "reproductive toxicity" of now-banned pesticide DBCP. Six other plaintiffs with a similar claim had th ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, business, health, industrial ag, litigation, news, Nicaragua, toxics (all these topics) |
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On Target
Big-box store Target will phase out PVC |
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06 Nov 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 9:16 AM on 06 Nov 2007 Big-box store Target is right on the mark with plans to phase out nasty plastic polyvinyl chloride. The store that we like to pronounce "Tar-zhay" has announced that it will aim to detox the packaging of its table linen stock by spring and try to find PVC alternatives for all toys by next fall. It also said all of its own brands of children's lunch boxes and utensils are already PVC-free. The reasons to ... |
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| Topics: business, green living, greening biz operations, news, parenting, shopping, toxics (all these topics) |
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Secure for What Ails You
Industries get a break on tracking and disclosing dangerous chemicals |
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06 Nov 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 8:31 AM on 06 Nov 2007 The Department of Homeland Security late last week released rules requiring industries to track and disclose large amounts of chemicals potentially alluring to terrorists. Draft regulations released in the spring had been heavily criticized by Big Chemical for their strictness, so the new regulations say, "Try not to put dangerous chemicals out on the sidewalk wit ... |
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| Topics: Department of Homeland Security, national security, news, politics, toxics (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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Loony behavior
Mercury pollution is driving loons crazy |
Erik Hoffner |
31 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
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| Topics: air pollution, mercury, toxics, water pollution, wildlife (all these topics) |
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The rub on mining reform
Will antiquated mining law's reform export devastation? |
Erik Hoffner |
27 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
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| Topics: legislation, mercury, mining, politics, toxics (all these topics) |
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Quote of the day
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David Roberts |
24 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
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| Topics: dumbassery, Texas, toxics, quotables (all these topics) |
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Kit Farcin'
Home lead-testing kits unreliable, says study |
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23 Oct 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 2:19 PM on 23 Oct 2007 If you rushed out to buy a home lead-testing kit when all of Junior's toys were recalled, hope you saved the receipt: a new study says that over-the-counter kits, usually used to test paint, aren't reliable for playthings. The Consumer Product Safety Commission put 104 kits to the test and found that 56 failed to detect lead in toys, while two overachievers warned of the heavy metal where it didn't exist ... |
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| Topics: green living, news, parenting, toxics (all these topics) |
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Leaded Gasoline Is a Crime -- No, Literally
Phasing out leaded gasoline may have reduced crime rates, says research |
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22 Oct 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 4:39 PM on 22 Oct 2007 Thank the Clean Air Act for significantly reducing violent crime rates in the U.S., says researcher Jessica Wolpaw Reyes. The legislation was behind the phaseout of leaded gasoline in the 1970s and '80s, which significantly reduced blood levels of the heavy metal in Americans. The arc of lead-exposure rates seems to match the arc of violent crime i ... |
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| Topics: health, news, scientific research, toxics (all these topics) |
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Taking 'Cides
Fight over disclosure of pesticide ingredients heats up in California |
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19 Oct 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 6:57 AM on 19 Oct 2007 In California, a battle is raging over a pesticide that critics say is sickening hundreds of residents as it's being sprayed over large swaths of Monterey County to battle a crop-destroying moth. Residents who became ill after the first application of the pesticide want to know what's in it that could cause asthma-like symptoms, rashes, stomach pains, and burning eyes. But regula ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, California, litigation, news, toxics (all these topics) |
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Toy Story 2
States considering |
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16 Oct 2007 |
News |
| "toxic toy" bans Posted at 1:34 PM on 16 Oct 2007 Lawmakers in nine states are working on legislation that would ban toys and child-care products that contain phthalates, toxic chemicals used as plastic softeners. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) is talking about pushing a similar bill on a national level. They're all following the lead of legislators in California, where Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) signed a phthalate toy ban on Sunday. Phthalates, wh ... |
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| Topics: news, state politics, toxics (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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Strike Up the Banned
California OKs bills to ban phthalates in kids' products, and lead bullets in condor country |
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15 Oct 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 7:13 AM on 15 Oct 2007 In an orgy of legislative activity, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) signed and vetoed a bunch of environmental bills this weekend. Among the most significant bills that got the Governator's OK is one banning the chemicals phthalates in toys and other products intended for children 3 years old and younger. "These chemicals threaten the ... |
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| Topics: California, news, state politics, toxics (all these topics) |
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Carrion Baggage
California condor still endangered by lead bullets |
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12 Oct 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 3:52 PM on 12 Oct 2007 California condors came to the brink of extinction in the 1980s, largely from eating game felled by toxic lead bullets. A recovery effort has proved successful, but attempts to bring condors back into the wild have been frustrated by the birds' continuing poisoned-carrion habit. More than one-third of condors released into the wild in California over the past two decades have died; last year, 14 ... |
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| Topics: Arnold Schwarzenegger, California, endangered species, legislation, news, politics, state politics, toxics (all these topics) |
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Kiss of death
New report reveals lead content in lipsticks |
Sarah van Schagen |
11 Oct 2007 |
Gristmill |
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| Topics: fashion, health, toxics (all these topics) |
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Pits and Starts
Organisms living in toxic waste pit may help fight cancer |
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09 Oct 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 3:05 PM on 09 Oct 2007 Montana's Berkeley Pit, containing 40 billion gallons of poisonous copper-mine runoff including arsenic, aluminum, cadmium, and zinc, has two claims to fame. One, it once killed a flock of hundreds of geese the moment they touched down on its surface. Two, the 40-billion-gallon pit houses 142 organisms -- some of which have shown success in killing breast and ovarian cancer cells. Remind u ... |
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| Topics: Montana, news, scientific research, toxics (all these topics) |
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One Tin Solder
Electronics makers lament E.U. phaseout of lead |
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09 Oct 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 12:49 PM on 09 Oct 2007 Electronics makers are lamenting the European Union's phaseout of lead from electronics, claiming that the heavy metal is the best-known defense against "whiskers," splinters that sprout off of tin solder. Tin whiskers can cause short circuits, which some estimate have caused as much as $10 billion in damage since they were first noticed in the 1940s. Lead exposure has been linked to learni ... |
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| Topics: news, regulation, toxics (all these topics) |
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