The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is cautioning about illegal burning that can pollute the air. Open burning is considered illegal in many cases. Additionally, burning garbage, buildings, rubber, grease, asphalt or any other petroleum product always is prohibited. The Ohio EPA can fine those who violate the rule up to $250 a day and up to $1,000 a day for burning on industrial, commercial, institutional or municipal properties.

Ohio EPA Warns Against Illegal Burning

More information about Ohio's burning policies can be found on the EPA's website.

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Posted by Patricia Bowling at 12:57 AM | Permalink

The Center for Biological Diversity plans to file a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for allowing pesticides to be used in the habitats of endangered species. The lawsuit alleges that the EPA did not adequately assess whether these chemicals are dangerous to these animals.

Environmental Group Sues EPA Over Bay Area Pesticides

The lawsuit states that the EPA did not consult the Fish and Wildlife Service before approving the use of 46 pesticides in the San Fransisco Bay Area. Eleven endangered species live in the area, including the delta smelt, the tidewater goby, the California clapper rail, the salt march harvest mouse, and the California tiger salamander. Jeff Miller, a conservation advocate with the center, says that "the registrations of contaminants known to be deadly to endangered species and harmful to human health, such as atrazine, should be canceled. Given the proximity of agricultural pesticide spraying to some Bay Area residential areas, surveys that have detected accumulation of pesticides in local creeks and San Francisco Bay, and what we know about movement of pesticides through drift and runoff, we should be wondering if we are next when we see endangered species poisoned by these chemicals."

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Posted by Patricia Bowling at 12:18 AM | Permalink

Some scientists fear that the Bush administration has developed a chemical testing program that is biased toward the chemical industry. A $76 million new program is underway to determine whether certain chemicals can affect human hormones. The program aims to specifically identify endocrine disrupters.

EPA's Chemical Screenings Questioned

Critics warn that the Environmental Protection Agency has poorly designed lab tests in the study, failed to ensure that tests will be conducted on prenatal exposure to chemicals, required a flawed dosage range, and allows chemical companies to have a voice in certain aspects of the tests. Fred vom Saal, a developmental biologist at the University of Missouri, says that the study is flawed because "if your objective is not to find anything, that's the perfect way to do it."

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Posted by Patricia Bowling at 11:47 PM | Permalink

A health advisory has been issued because of high algae levels found in several locations on Detroit Lake, which is about 60 miles from Salem, Oregon. Water sampling by the Forest Service has found that the algae produces toxins that are dangerous to humans and animals. The levels of algae are likely a result of dangerous toxins in the water.

Health Advisory Issued for Detroit Lake East of Salem

Swallowing or inhaling water droplets can be dangerous and boiling, filtering, or treating the water does not make it safe to drink. Children and pets who may have been exposed to the water should be monitored for signs including: numbness, tingling and dizziness, difficulty breathing, heart problems, skin irritation, weakness, diarrhea, nausea, cramps, and fainting. The public will be alerted when the problem no longer exists.

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Posted by Patricia Bowling at 10:23 PM | Permalink

The neonatal intensive care unit at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto remains closed after a premature baby died from the microbe serratia. Four other babies at the hospital also have tested positive for the serratia. Allison McGeer, the hospital's director of infection control, says that "this bacteria is not terribly uncommon so we don't know yet whether the other babies who are colonized have the same serratia as the baby that was infected."

Neonatal Unit Remains Closed After Fatal Infection

McGeer said that the baby died of bacteremia, also known as blood poisoning. McGeer went on to clarify that "all of us who are grown up have serratia in our bowels; it's not a threat to us. It's a specific threat because it causes severe infection in very premature babies." Hospital officials are looking into the incident further.

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Posted by Patricia Bowling at 09:57 PM | Permalink

McPhail Associates Inc. had been hired by the city of Somerville, Massachusetts to test soil for contaminants from a former dry cleaner. McPhail, however, did not test Capuano School for contaminants; this is of great concern to parents of students at the school. In a report submitted to the city of Somerville in May 1999, McPhail said that they looked for the presence of "asbestos, total lead and pesticides/PCBs." The study did not offer any documentation on the "presence of lead paint, asbestos, or radon gas within the existing dwellings."

McPhail Did Not Test School Grounds for Neighbor's Contaminant

McPhail's report did note that the site of the former dry cleaner, an area known to be contaminated by dry-cleaning chemicals, is uphill from the school. Tetrachloroethylene has been found is homes around the area and also at the Capuano School. On January 2, 2007, three classes in the school had to be evacuated because air-quality tests found elevated levels of PCE in the air. Irene Gladstone, a licensed site professional with GEI consultants, says that PCE is no longer in the air at the school; GEI has been conducting tests in the area for the last year. PCE still is found in groundwater around the area: "We have not identified the extent of groundwater contamination," said Gladstone.

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Posted by Patricia Bowling at 12:12 PM | Permalink