Links to articles in today's press about environmental health

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New Research: Greenlandic Inuit with high levels of certain, long-lived industrial pollutants in their bodies also have DNA with altered function. Inuit with higher blood levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) also had decreased methylation of their DNA. Although long-term health consequences are not known, altered methylation patterns have been associated with cancer. More... http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/newscience/pops-change-inuit-dna/ Daily links to top stories in the news about environmental health. Keeping the crescent fertile. Water doesn't recognize borders. If one nation drains or pollutes the Jordan River, then Israel, Jordan and Palestine will all suffer, which increases health risks and creates border tension while decreasing tourism and economic security. Toronto National Post, Canada. http://www.nationalpost.com/life/story.html?id=1253558 Peru to drain hill of mine waste to avert disaster. Peru is starting to build a system of tunnels this week to drain a soggy hillside that engineers fear could collapse and pour thousands of tonnes of toxic mine tailings into Lima's main source of drinking water. Reuters http://in.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews/idINN0428135720090204 Chile takes steps to rehabilitate its lucrative salmon industry. Persistent problems, critics say, reveal that neither the industry nor the government has fully grasped the need for the far-reaching changes required to protect consumers and the environment -- and the salmon industry itself. New York Times [Registration Required] http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/world/americas/05salmon.html India's drug problem. Waste flowing out of a treatment plant near Hyderabad in India pollutes the region's waters with some of the highest levels of pharmaceuticals ever detected in the environment. Nature http://www.nature.com/news/2009/090204/full/457640a.html Parched Perth embarks on water rescue. Turning the sea into drinking water is at the heart of Western Australia's multi-faceted approach to satisfying the thirst of a booming population that lives on the edge of a desert. BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7859590.stm South Africa: The quiet water crisis. Concerned with a cholera threat from its northern neighbour, Zimbabwe, South Africa could be overlooking a creeping water crisis of its own, as ageing infrastructure and rising demand spew potentially deadly bacteria into its water systems. UN IRIN http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=82750 Projecting the future of nitrogen pollution. Heavier rainfall due to climate change will exacerbate the effects of increased fertilizer use for corn-based ethanol production, causing a significant increase in nitrogen levels in rivers, a new study finds. But there's good news too. Environmental Science & Technology http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/es9002179 Experts in U.S. and China see a chance for cooperation against climate change. Two reports being released today propose ways for President Obama and Chinese leaders to begin addressing together, as a major priority, how to curb emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. New York Times [Registration Required] http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/world/asia/05china.html Interior secretary scraps Utah drilling leases. Scolding the Bush administration for rushing in its final days to drill near treasured Utah national parks, President Barack Obama's new Interior secretary Wednesday shelved oil and gas leases sold during a chaotic December auction. Salt Lake Tribune, Utah. http://www.sltrib.com/ci_11626266 Oakland port truck pollution burdens public health, study says. Air pollution from diesel trucks visiting the Port of Oakland places an economic burden on the Bay Area by increasing the risk of people getting sick; missing work, school and other activities; and even dying prematurely Contra Costa Times, California. http://www.contracostatimes.com/traffic/ci_11629867 Pesticide panel on chopping block. A small state panel that tracks pesticide exposures and is considered a national pioneer -- but caused political heartburn for Gov. Chris Gregoire -- is being eliminated just as research it supported is revealing pesticide spraying close to homes harms residents. Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Washington. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/398832_pesticides05.html Two firms liable for Passaic River clean-up file countersuit. Two companies sued by the state to recover clean-up costs for decades-old dioxin dumping in the Passaic River filed legal action today to expand the scope of the suit vastly, a legal maneuver that may again derail clean-up. Newark Star-Ledger, New Jersey. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/02/two_firms_liable_for_passaic_r.html Where there's fire, there's smoke. The wood-burning stove, long associated with warmth, romance, and the cozy nostalgia of summer campfires, is facing a regulatory fire extinguisher in Montreal. Toronto Globe and Mail, Ontario. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090205.WOOD05/TPStory/National Safety rules on lead in kids' products perplex and polarize. A federal law in effect Tuesday makes it illegal for anyone to sell children's toys, books, clothes and jewelry if the items contain virtually any lead or phthalates, chemicals found in plastics. But testing whether the products contain either is not required for a year. USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2009-02-04-new-lead-safety-law_N.htm Child care goes 'green'. The Oregon Environmental Council endorses day-care providers who strive to reduce a wide range of environmental toxins — such as pesticides and lead. Now the Oregon program, the first of its kind in the nation, is launching pilots in seven states. Salem Statesman Journal, Oregon. http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20090205/NEWS/902050347/1001 World's major fishing nations failing on sustainability. More than 40% of the world's fishing is carried out unsustainably and largely in defiance of international codes of conduct, according to a new study. London Guardian, England. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/feb/04/fishing-sustainable Trashing the fridge . A small segment of the green movement has come to regard the refrigerator as an unacceptable drain on energy, and is choosing to live without it. These advocates say the refrigerator is unnecessary, as long as one is careful about shopping choices and food storage. New York Times [Registration Required] http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/garden/05fridge.htm Working toward guidelines for a truly green garden. There's someone on my block pouring greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, contributing to summer smog and allowing polluted runoff to reach the Chesapeake Bay. It's me. Oh, and you. And everyone else. Washington Post [Registration Required] http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/04/AR2009020401255.html The father factor: how dad's age increases baby's risk of mental illness. Could becoming a father after age 40 raise the risks that your children will have a mental illness? Scientific American http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=the-father-factor Obese cancer 'explosion' warning. The current generation of children faces a far higher risk of cancer later in life due to their unhealthy habits, a specialist has warned. BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7866681.stm HRT cancer connection 'confirmed.' New evidence of a link between hormone replacement therapy and a raised risk of breast cancer has been put forward by US researchers. BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7869679.stm More news from today •>280 more stories, including: •Link between chemical exposure and breast cancer? •China suspected of bird flu cover-up •Climate: Indian ocean is drought culprit; Fossils of largest snake give hint of hot earth; California's farms erased •Energy: Republicans urge Obama to OK offshore oil drilling; Support for giant batteries; Energy labels chill European fridge sales •Stories from UK, Israel, Liberia, Rwanda, S Korea, India, Australia, Peru, Mexico, Canada •US stories MA, RI, NY, NJ, PA, WV, SC, GA, FL, WI, MI, IL, MO, LA, KS, TX, WY, CO, UT, NV, AZ, WA, OR, CA •Smoking: Pregnant smokers 'fear criticism'; Va. reaches compromise on ban •Editorials: Texas dropped ball in smelter battle; Don't give up smoking restrictions; A safe sandwich Shortcuts to stories from today about The good news, Avian flu, Katrina, Climate, Children's health, Air pollution, Cancer, Reproductive disorders, Endocrine disruption, Birth defects, Learning and developmental disabilities, Immune disorders, Environmental justice, Superfund, Water treatment/sewage, Food safety, Integrity of science, Green chemistry.