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| Daily links to top stories in the news about environmental health. Water - another global 'crisis'? Why do some communities have so little access to water? And how will the current picture change in a world where the human population is growing, where societies are urbanising and industrialising, and where climate change may alter the raw availability of water significantly? BBC Drought threatens peace in Iraq's marsh Eden. Miles of reed stalks and baked mud are all that can be seen of much of Iraq's ancient marshes this year, as a lack of water threatens to turn one of the world's most important wetlands, thought to be the biblical Garden of Eden, to wasteland. Reuters Non-navigable river blues. A battle over the Clean Water Act and its enforcement, especially when it comes to the ephemeral waters of the arid West, is brewing. High Country News Peanut product recall took company approval. Federal health officials needed the Peanut Corporation of America’s permission before announcing a recall of its products, which may have delayed contamination warnings. New York Times [Registration Required] Heavy metals found in kids' face paints. Health Canada has found heavy metals in children's face paints exceeding the government's own proposed impurity limits, but can't take action because the standards aren't in place yet, internal documents show. Canwest News Service, Canada. Study links children's lead levels, SAT scores. Could a decades-long drop in the concentration of lead in children's blood help explain rising SAT scores? A Virginia economist who pored over years of national data says there's an "incredibly strong" correlation, which adds to a growing body of research on lead's harmful effects. USA Today Biofuels more harmful to humans than petrol and diesel, warn scientists. A new study finds corn-based ethanol, produced extensively in the US, has a higher combined environmental and health burden than conventional fuels, buttressing an increasing body of research raising concerns about the impact of modern corn-based biofuels. London Guardian, England. Energy provision may test priorities. Environmental groups are protesting a proposed $50 billion increase to an existing federal loan program for "innovative" energy technologies--that could expand beyond renewable energy to include nuclear power and certain kinds of coal plants. Washington Post [Registration Required] State to appeal Commonwealth Court mercury decision. The state has indicated it will appeal last week's Commonwealth Court ruling that threw out a Pennsylvania rule requiring coal-fired power plants to quickly and significantly reduce mercury emissions. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pennsylvania. Group files suit over farm pollution exemption. A lawsuit was filed recently against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency by a coalition of groups challenging a last-minute Bush administration rule that exempts factory farms from reporting toxic emissions to government officials. Yankton Press & Dakotan, South Dakota. Environmental advocates demand cleanup of TVA spill. The results of independent tests conducted in and around the Kingston fly-ash spill zone showing high levels of arsenic and other toxic metals have prompted calls for comprehensive testing, the complete removal of toxic sludge and new regulations. Knoxville News Sentinel, Tennessee. Southern Missouri targeted for uranium drilling. An area in Mississippi County where nearly a fourth of the residents live in poverty has one of the "biggest deposits of undiscovered uranium in the U.S.," a geologist says. Some are raising concerns about mining below the massive aquifer located there. Associated Press Indonesia to ratify Stockholm Convention. After around nine years of delay, the government looks finally set to ratify an international convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants this month. The Stockholm Convention on POPs attempts to curb the production and use of hazardous chemicals and pesticides around the world. Jakarta Post, Indonesia. Residents boiling mad over lead levels in water. Homes in older parts of Toronto are still testing positive for unsafe levels of lead in their water, and some residents say the city has done a poor job of warning them about the potential danger. Toronto Globe and Mail, Ontario. Ottawa slaps toxic designation on chemicals used in shampoos, conditioners. The federal government is placing on its list of toxic substances two silicon-based chemicals widely used in shampoos and conditioners, where they help give hair the silky, smooth feeling often played up in advertisements. Toronto Globe and Mail, Ontario. Mercury levels rising in caribou, contaminants program finds. Caribou in Canada's North are showing increasing levels of mercury, a contaminant that has drifted into the Arctic from other parts of the world, researchers have found. CBC Canada, Canada. Environmentalists try greening Centam sugar. Environmental groups are working to set up labeling programs to certify green-friendly sugar in a bid to cut the pollution caused by this major cash crop. Reuters Chinese drywall prompts lawsuit. Homeowners, builders and manufacturers are squaring off against one another in a legal liability fight over controversial Chinese drywall. Residents are voicing growing fears about possible long-term health effects of exposure to the drywall. Fort Myers News-Press, Florida. Google earth fills its watery gaps. Information about the oceans will be the most significant of several upgrades to Google Earth. With only 5 percent of the ocean floor mapped in detail, and 1 percent of the oceans protected, scientists and Google executives hope the results will inspire the public. New York Times [Registration Required] | |
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Links to articles in today's press about environmental health
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