Environmental Toxins: May 2007 Archives

California Demands State's Auto Emissions Be Allowed

California officials asked federal regulators to allow California to establish its own strict auto emissions controls. They say that they plan to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency if their request is turned down. Attorney General Jerry Brown says "We're at a historic juncture. The Clean Air Act is clear that California can regulate emissions. I think the EPA administrator (Steve Johnson) will grant this, unless Bush or Karl Rove order him not to."

California Demands EPA Allow State's Stringent Auto Emissions Controls

The EPA still has not given any indication of when they plan to make their ruling. California Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger says that the state plans to sue on October 25 if no decision has been made. California is the only state that can set its own vehicle standards.

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 01:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

EPA Study Shows Idling Worse Than Restarting Engine

The Environmental Protection Agency studied the exhaust levels from school buses while they were parked and idling compared to when the buses actually were turned off and then restarted. The study concludes that idling for more than three minutes causes more pollution than restarting the engine. By shutting off the bus, levels of carbon monoxide, fine particles, nitrogen oxide, and carbon dioxide were lowered. Alan J. Steinberg, the EPA Regional Administrator who made the announcement, said Pollution from school buses has health implications for everyone, especially asthmatic children. This study shows in no uncertain terms that allowing a bus to idle exposes children to more pollution and shows that a very simple step – shutting off that engine – can really make a difference.”

EPA School Bus Study Shows Idling Worse Than Re-starting Engines

Exhaust from school buses can get deep into the lungs and can lead to serious health risks. Symptoms of asthma and other respiratory problems can be exacerbated in individuals who are exposed to diesel exhaust. The Northeast has some of the highest levels of asthma in the United States.

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 12:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Schwarzenegger Criticizes EPA for Tailpipe Emissions

Arnold Schwarzenegger, the governor or California, and governor Jodi Rell, the governor of Connecticut, said in the editorial pages of the Washington Post that the Environmental Protection Agency has not done enough to combat global warming. The governors say that the EPA has the ability to regulate greenhouse gases, but did not do so. They also accuse the EPA from preventing states from creating their own standards to regulate emission gases.

Schwarzenegger Blasts EPA Over Tailpipe Emissions

"It's bad enough that the federal government has yet to take the threat of global warming seriously, but it borders on malfeasance for it to block the efforts of states such as California and Connecticut that are trying to protect the public's health and welfare," say Schwarzenegger and Rell. The EPA plans this week to decide whether to give California a waiver that would allow them to have standards differing from those of the federal government.

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 12:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Chemical Causes Cancer When Ingested

Hexavalent chromium, the chemical featured in the movie Erin Brockovich, has been found to definitively cause cancer in laboratory animals that drink it in their water. The study was published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Hexavalent chromium was used in the early 1990s in industrial manufacturing. It still is used in chrome planting and the making of dyes and plastics. Hexavalent chromium has long been recognized as a carcinogen that can cause lung cancer, but it had been unclear if the compound caused cancer when ingested.

Chemical Can Cause Cancer When Ingested

It had been believed that the stomach broke hexavalent chromium into a less toxic form and finding tumors from it was "surprising," said toxicologist Michelle Hooth. The Environmental Protection Agency limits the amount of chromium in drinking water at one part per billion. However, as a result of this study, the agency plans to update their standards: "Now that the NTP has released their final study, we will evaluate the results and determine whether the agency needs to update the existing health assessment."

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 05:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Deadly Fish Virus Found in Lake Winnebago

Fish collected from Lake Winnebago in Wisconsin have tested positive for hemorrhagic septicemia or VHS. The virus already may have appeared in Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, and in the Mississippi River. Since May 2, 2007, the Wisconsin State Department of Natural Resources has received reports of hundreds of freshwater fish dying on Lake Winnebago.

Deadly Fish Virus Found in Lake Winnebago

The Lake Winnebago chain is where Wisconsin's unique sturgeon population resides; after VHS was found in Little Lake Butte, the lock between the lakes was closed to prevent the fish virus from spreading. Officials have decided to reopen the lock after finding the virus since the closure did not prevent the virus's spread. The fish virus does not appear to be a threat to those who eat fish contaminated by it.

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

EPA Searches for Better Asbestos Removal Technology

The Environmental Protection Agency released a plan to evaluate a new demolition process for buildings containing asbestos. Scientists and engineers from the EPA's National Risk Management Research Laboratory have developed a new method called the Alternative Asbestos Control Method to improve upon the current methods for demolishing buildings containing asbestos. Preliminary findings show that the AACM method is effective in cleaning up asbestos-contaminated buildings.

EPA study looks for better asbestos removal technology

Two similar asbestos-containing buildings were demolished in April 2006. One demolition used the standard National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants and one used the AACM method. As the buildings were destroyed, environmental emissions were monitored. Data from the evaluation showed lower than expected levels of asbestos and reduced potential for worker exposure using the AACM method.

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 02:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Meth Toxins Leave Family Homeless

Cindy Wilson was thrilled to find a small house on Lawrenceburg Road in Ohio. She always had wanted to live in the country: "I had always heard my grandma telling stories about the farm she grew up on,” Wilson said. “It sounded perfect.” However, Wilson's dreams were shattered after neighbors told her that a former tenant of the house had used the house to make methamphetamine. The chemicals used to make methamphetamines are so toxic that police raiding meth labs wear environmental suits to protect themselves.

Meth toxins leave family homeless

All three of Wilson's children are sick after having lived in the house for the last few months and Wilson, who is seven months pregnant, is concerned about her baby's fate. Ronald Heid, the home's owner, says he had no idea his former tenant had used the house to make methamphetamines. "I still don't know what's happening," he said. The house was condemned in April and it is unknown if it will ever be safe to live in again. Chemicals used to make methamphetamine include anhydrous ammonia, mercury, iodine, starter fluid, ethers, and several acids.

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 02:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Investigating Environmental Toxins from 9/11

Senator Hillary Clinton said that she and Rep. Jerry Nadler plan to chair a probe investigating the federal government's response and clean-up efforts following the September 11 terrorist attacks. Clinton said in a press release that "we need to examine what went wrong and assess whether the federal government is better prepared to respond to environmental hazards in future disasters. I also remain concerned about potential indoor contamination resulting from the collapse of the World Trade Center and want to take a close look at the EPA's inadequate program to test and clean residential areas in Manhattan."

Clinton, Nadler to investigate post-9/11 environmental cleanup

Clinton and Nadler both have criticized the government's failure to test and clean buildings contaminated by toxins from the World Trade Center. Nadler will begin the first hearing on the post-9/11 cleanup next Tuesday.

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 01:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

EPA Increases Dioxin Info

The United States Environmental Protection Agency has decided to increase reporting of dioxin compounds. Because of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 said that all facilities must report the amount of dioxin and dioxin-like compounds that are released or transferred from a facility. The EPA is now broadening the report to require that facilities give a report on each compound individually. The more detailed reports should allow communities to better determine the level of risk posed from dioxins and dioxin-like compounds released in an area.

EPA Increases the Information on Dioxin

Dioxins are a byproduct of combustion and industrial chemical processes. They are extremely toxic and mobile. They usually are airborne and can contaminated air, soil, sediments, and food and can lead to cancer, reproductive problems, and developmental delays. There are no known "safe" levels of dioxins.

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 01:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Bush Wants Reduction in Greenhouse Gases

President Bush plans to direct the Environmental Protection Agency to work to create steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2008. However, Bush did not call for a specific increase in fuel efficiency standards. Bush said that he is responding a Supreme Court Ruling last month that gives the EPA authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector.

Bush wants EPA action on greenhouse gases

Twelve states and several environmental organizations filed lawsuits against the EPA for not regulating carbon dioxide emissions; the EPA had maintained that it was not responsible to do so. Bush said that the EPA should focus on his State of the Union proposal to replace 20 percent of the nation's gasoline use with alternative fuels within the next ten years. "When it comes to the environment and energy, the American people expect common sense, and they expect action," Bush says.

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 01:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Prenatal Exposure to Toxins Linked to Immune Dysfunction Later in Life

A Cornell researcher, Rodney Dietert, and his wife have completed the first comprehensive review of diseases in those who were exposed to environmental toxins or drugs while fetuses. Results indicate that most of the diseases found in fetuses exposed to toxins have two things in common: an imbalanced immune system and exaggerated inflammatory reactions.

Prenatal Toxicity Linked To Immune Dysfunctions In Later Life

Toxins known to act as teratogens include herbicides, pesticides, alcohol, heavy metals, maternal smoking, antibiotics, diesel exhaust, drugs, and PCBs. Dietert said that his review is of note because: "Most therapeutic approaches have looked at specific disease outcomes from DIT, rather than focusing on the underlying immune dysfunction that creates the increased disease risk. Instead, we looked at the common immune dysfunction that is related to a host of diseases."

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 01:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

EPA Proposes Fines for Newburyport Chemical Maker

Polycarbon Industries, a Newburyport-based chemical manufacturer faces more than $470,000 in federal fines for allowing conditions that could have led to fires, explosions, or the release of hazardous materials into the environment. The Environmental Protection Agency says that Polycarbon Industries was under-staffed, had broken containment units, and failed to meet emission standards.

EPA proposes fines against Newburyport chemical manufacturer

A spokeswoman for the company said that Polycarbon had been working to bring the facility into compliance ever since it was bought in 2005.

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 10:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Duct Emissions from Concrete Plant May Prove Dangerous

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection said that duct emissions from four concrete plants along Dixie Highway could be contaminating the air and making residents sick. Dust samples collected by the DEP from area homes indicate that "there is a potential problem," said Darell Graziani, an environmental administrator for the state agency. Further indoor testing will be needed to decide whether the dust is airborne and has the potential for ingestion.

Dust emissions from Stuart concrete plants may pose problem

Two residents who live near the plant say they have lung damage from living next to the plants: Virginia Jones who lived in the area for 30 years blames her silicosis on the dust from the plants. Silicosis is lung damage that is caused by breathing dust containing fine particles of crystalline silica found in concrete, masonry, and rock. Two of the four plants were recently fined $3,500 because of excessive dust emissions.

Asbestos Kept Off List of Toxic Substances

Chrysotile asbestos, a known carcinogen, will not be added to a global list of toxic substances for at least two more years. The Rotterdam Convention, an international treaty governing trade in toxic substances, did not agree to add chrysotile, which represents 94% of world asbestos consumption, to a list of about 30 substances about which exporting countries must notify importing countries prior to shipment. "The lack of a decision at this time to list chrysotile asbestos raises concerns for many developing countries that need to protect their citizens from the well-known risks of this hazardous substance," said U.N. Environmental Program chief Achim Steiner.

Asbestos was widely used as insulation and as a fireproofing agent in buildings, ships and consumer products before it was realized to cause lung cancers and breathing disorders. The World Health Organization estimates that 90,000 people die each year from asbestos-related diseases. Canadian officials were in favor of not adding asbestos to the list because they feel its addition would lead to banning it internationally, thus threatening jobs.

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 09:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Eat More Fish, Despite Toxins

While consumers still should consider that toxins may be present in seafood, most people should eat more fish because of its health benefits, says a new study from the U.S. Institute of Medicine. The report was praised by the U.S. fisheries industry and criticized by environmental and science watchdog groups, who say the study used old data and failed to address the environmental impacts of fishing and fish-farming. Susan Krebs-Smith of the National Cancer Institute said of the criticisms that "the average person can consume more fish than they do; I think average consumption is not up to the levels that we have allowed."

Eat more fish, study urges, despite toxin risk

Consumption of predatory fish, such as shark, swordfish, tilefish, or king mackerel, should still be in moderation because these fish live longer and may absorb more toxins. Those who eat more than two servings of fish a week should be certain to eat a variety of different kinds of fish to avoid exposure to toxins from a single source. Dioxins and PCBs are among the toxins found in fish. Adults at risk for cardiovascular disease can reduce their risk by eating seafood regularly. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which sponsored the report, says that fish populations are rebuilding to sustainable levels.

EPA Suggests New Refinery Rules

The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed expanding pollution controls on aging oil refineries. This would force companies to install emission-reduction equipment if they build or expand a facility. The EPA's suggested changes could cost the industry about $54 million a year, but would reduce emissions of particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxide. These compounds are precursors of acid rain and smog.

EPA proposes new refinery emission rules

The new standards would place emissions limits on fluid catalytic cracking units, fluid coking units, fluid coking units, delayed cooking units, process heaters, and other fuel gas combustion devices. The new guidelines also would include workplace practices. Refineries also would be required to conduct a root-cause analysis if they produce more than 500 pounds of sulfur dioxide.

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 02:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

$1.95 M Settlement Reached in Martinsville Well Contamination Case

Insurance companies for William J. and Elizabeth J. Cure will pay $1.95 million to settle a lawsuit involving perchloroethylene contamination in one of the city's wells. The Cures own a building at 28-1/2 N. Main Street, where Masterwear drycleaners had been located. The dry-cleaning business has been linked to the contamination of the well.

City gets $1.95 million in PCE settlement

Contamination from the drycleaner shut down one of Martinsville's wells in 2004. As a result of this settlement, the Cures and their insurance companies, United States Fidelity and Guaranty and the Hoosier Insurance Company, are not liable for any further financial responsibility. A lawsuit against James Reed, the owner of Masterwear, still is ongoing. Martinsville hopes to regain the $3 million it lost paying to clean the water from the contaminated well from these lawsuits.

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 02:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Vietnam Victims Sue US Dioxin Firms

A US Appeals Court will hear a case on June 18 presented by the Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange against the chemical's manufacturers. Agent Orange is another name for the chemical dioxin, which was used in the Vietnam war. The Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange has filed a claim against 37 chemical companies, including the Dow corporation. The lawsuit states that the US miliary's use of dioxin is to blame for the health problems and deformities of millions of Vietnamese people. VAVA says that about 4.8 million Vietnamese people were exposed to dioxin and three million of them suffer from serious health problem as a result.

Vietnam victims sue US dioxin firms

VAVA's initial case was rejected because the court said that there were no legal grounds for the trial to proceed.

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 12:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Los Angeles Tops List of Polluted Places

Los Angeles has again topped the list of the American Lung Association's list of most polluted cities in America. The American Lung Association found that the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside metropolitan area has had the worst air quality based on 2003 to 2005 data. Pittsburgh is the second most polluted metropolitan area, followed by Bakersfield, Birmingham, Detroit, Cleveland, Visalia, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and St. Louis.

L.A. Tops List of Nation's Most Polluted

Los Angeles, however, did have lower ozone levels than in previous years. Janice Nolen, the association's assistant vice president for national policy and advocacy, says that "nobody is surprised that LA has an air pollution problem. The problems there are one of the reasons we have the Clean Air Act. But it is important for folks to know that there has been some improvement." Air pollution can lead to heart disease, lung cancer, and asthma attacks.

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 11:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Study Finds Toxins in Turf

Junfeng Zhang, a professor and acting chairman of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at Rutgers University, says that he has found "worrisome" levels of toxins in the rubber granules that are used as fill-in material in football fields. The report says that more tests will be needed to determine the actual danger posed by the material, but recommends a moratorium on new installations.

Study Finds Toxins in Turf Fields, Urges Time-Out

Stacy Price, a resident in a town that uses the rubber turf, has asked her city for a response to Zhang's research. "It's a good report based on science and people should know about it. This is for those who care about good government and truth-in government." City officials say that the town has no plans to conduct their own chemical analysis of the synthetic turf and added that Zhang's report contained no new information. James Schinkel, the director of technical services for Sportexe, says that he is familiar with the report. "The chemical composition of the in-fill material is very well known from rubber industry reports." However, Schinkel adds that the report was biased because it broke down the rubber material with acid, something that does not occur on the field.

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 10:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

New Research Looks at Possible Environmental Causes of Autism

Top federal health officials say that autism researchers have not spent enough time looking at the part that environmental toxins play in the development of autism. Dr. Julie Daniels, a professor of epidemiology and maternal and child health at the UNC School of Public Health, says that "we do know it is a genetic disorder but, based on some of the data, it leaves room that there may be environmental contributors."

New Research Explores Possible Environmental Causes of Autism

Nationwide, some type of autism affects one out of 150 children. Autism is a neurological disorder that affects a person's ability to socially interact with others. It is unknown at this point whether autism is caused more by environmental factors or by genetic factors.

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 12:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Mining Company Cleared in Pollution

An Indonesian court has acquitted Newmont Mining from criminal charges of polluting a bay with toxic waste from a gold mine that no longer is in use. Newmont Mining is a major U.S. mining company. The lawsuit was brought about by a national environmental lobby and lasted 21 months. Newmont is said to have polluted Buyat Bay in northern Sulawesi with toxins including arsenic and mercury.

Mining Company Cleared in Pollution

An Indonesian court made the ruling. The Indonesian environmental lobby who filed the complaint is upset with the rule and plans to appeal.

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 12:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Methylmercury Moves Up The Food Chain

Research by Dartmouth scientists suggests that animals who are fed nutritious, high-quality food have lower concentrations of methylmercury in their tissues. This suggests that methylmercury can be slowed when it passes up the food chain to fish. Lead author of the study, Roxanne Karimi, a graduate student at the Dartmouth Department of Biological Sciences, says that "this research provides evidence that by eating high-quality food, organisms may reduce their bodily concentration of a contaminant."

More nutritious, less toxic high-quality food helps reduce toxins in the food chain

Karimi and other researchers looked at the translucent water flea Daphnia pulex, which is a type of zooplankton that is one of the main food sources for freshwater fish. Methylmercury is a neurotoxin that is found in all bodies of water. Although methylmercury normally is only present in small amounts, methylmercury poses a serious health hazard because of biomagnification. Biomagnification is the process by which a toxin occurs in higher and higher concentrations as food chain ranking rises. The same effect also could be possibly observed for other environmental toxins such as PCBs and DDT.

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 11:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Congress Looks at Food Safety Cases

The families of those who were sickened by tainted spinach and peanut butter are asking that lawmakers strengthen federal oversight of the nation's food supply. Michael Armstrong, whose daughters became sick after eating salad made with spinach tainted with E. coli, told lawmakers: "I can't protect them from spinach — only you guys can."

Congress Examines Food Safety Cases

Recent problems with food contamination have led to questions about whether the U.S. food supply is adequately protected against foodbourne toxins. A nationwide E. coli outbreak was traced to spinach last September, and more recently, peanut butter and pet food have been tainted. Representative Diana DeGette, D- Colorado, said that she doesn't see the outbreaks as being an exception. "It's become a systemic problem," she said, "and it calls for systemic solutions."

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 08:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

May 31, 2007

California Demands State's Auto Emissions Be Allowed

May 30, 2007

EPA Study Shows Idling Worse Than Restarting Engine

May 29, 2007

Schwarzenegger Criticizes EPA for Tailpipe Emissions

May 28, 2007

Chemical Causes Cancer When Ingested

Deadly Fish Virus Found in Lake Winnebago

May 25, 2007

EPA Searches for Better Asbestos Removal Technology

May 24, 2007

Meth Toxins Leave Family Homeless

May 23, 2007

Investigating Environmental Toxins from 9/11

May 22, 2007

EPA Increases Dioxin Info

May 21, 2007

Bush Wants Reduction in Greenhouse Gases

May 18, 2007

Prenatal Exposure to Toxins Linked to Immune Dysfunction Later in Life

May 17, 2007

EPA Proposes Fines for Newburyport Chemical Maker

May 16, 2007

Duct Emissions from Concrete Plant May Prove Dangerous

May 15, 2007

Asbestos Kept Off List of Toxic Substances

May 14, 2007

Eat More Fish, Despite Toxins

May 11, 2007

EPA Suggests New Refinery Rules

May 10, 2007

$1.95 M Settlement Reached in Martinsville Well Contamination Case

May 09, 2007

Vietnam Victims Sue US Dioxin Firms

May 08, 2007

Los Angeles Tops List of Polluted Places

May 07, 2007

Study Finds Toxins in Turf

May 04, 2007

New Research Looks at Possible Environmental Causes of Autism

May 03, 2007

Mining Company Cleared in Pollution

May 02, 2007

Methylmercury Moves Up The Food Chain

May 01, 2007

Congress Looks at Food Safety Cases