Links to articles in today's press about environmental health

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Daily links to top stories in the news about environmental health. Leaden blood hikes postmenopausal women's heart risks . A new study in women 65 and older indicates that the more lead circulating in the blood of golden girls, the higher the likelihood these women will die prematurely. Science News http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/42491/title/Leaden_blood_hikes_grannys_heart_risks Lead's dangerous legacy. Hundreds of homes are contaminated by poisonous lead paint in Cincinnati and the city's Health Department is not forcing property owners to fix the problems. Since 2002, more than 570 young Cincinnati children have been poisoned by lead. Cincinnati Enquirer, Ohio. http://vh10638.moc.gbahn.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060625/EDIT03/606250346/-1/newslead Pension funds fret as Chevron faces Ecuador ruling. A lawsuit alleges that Texaco polluted waterways and wells across a vast area of Ecuador by dumping billions of gallons of oil waste there. The potential damages could dwarf the $3.5 billion Exxon had to pay after the 1989 Valdez oil spill. Wall Street Journal [Subscription Required] http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123914867284999153.html Peru faces water versus oil dilemma. Last month, Peru's top court ruled that oil exploration should be halted in the protected Cordillera Escalera mountains while the government approves the regional development plan. The ruling set an important precedent as it was based on the international human right to drinkable water. But the case more is more complex than it appears. BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7951182.stm Attawapiskat leaders make plea for toxic site cleanup. The federal and Ontario governments must address the ``open toxic wound" in the remote northern community of Attawapiskat and stop ignoring the health implications of fumes wafting through the reserve, opposition politicians and local leaders said Tuesday. Canadian Press http://www.thestar.com/News/Ontario/article/615177 Living with the legacy of care. Possibly hundreds of women who were in care homes across the UK in the 1970s and 1980s have handed down a devastating legacy to their own children. The girls were given massive doses of tranquilisers, and have gone on to have children of their own; children who were born with a range of birth defects. BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_7982000/7982021.stm The Somali autism puzzle. Autism, which Somalis call the "western disease", has hit Somali immigrants' kids hard, and experts don't know why. While no data are available on prevalence, Somali parents in Canada are concerned enough to go public about what they say is a sleeping epidemic. Toronto Globe and Mail, Ontario. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090407.wlautism07art1844/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home Ontario won't force companies to reduce use of toxic chemicals. Ontario's plan to protect public health by cutting down on toxic chemicals won't force big businesses to curtail their use of the harmful substances or even set reduction targets, Environment Minister John Gerretsen said Tuesday. Canadian Press http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Environment/2009/04/07/9042811-cp.html Murray River water at lowest levels. The amount of water flowing into the stricken Murray River between January and March was the lowest for that quarter in the 117 years that records have been kept. Sydney Morning Herald, Australia. [Registration Required] http://www.smh.com.au/environment/water-issues/murray-flows-lowest-in-a-century-20090407-9zld.html Oil companies loath to follow Obama’s green lead. The Obama administration wants to reduce oil consumption, increase renewable energy, and cut carbon dioxide emissions in the most ambitious transformation of energy policy in a generation. But the world’s oil giants are not convinced that it will work. New York Times [Registration Required] http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/business/energy-environment/08greenoil.html Secretive U.N. board awards lucrative credits with few rules barring conflicts. Closed-door workings of the United Nations' greenhouse gas offset trading program suggests that its secrecy could be covering serious conflicts of interest by board members, according to an insider's account. ClimateWire http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2009/04/07/07climatewire-secretive-un-board-awards-lucrative-credits-10458.html Town's smelter pollution complaint was brought too late, DuPont argues. A case before the Supreme Court combines arguments over the court's controversial medical monitoring rulings with heated disputes over whether West Virginia jurors award excessive punitive damages against companies. Charleston Gazette, West Virginia. http://wvgazette.com/News/Business/2009040788546 Environmentalists ask to halt ID mine expansion. A lawyer for a group of environmentalists, landowners and outdoor enthusiasts asked a federal appeals court Tuesday to at least temporarily block the expansion of a phosphate mine in southeastern Idaho, a move that the mine's operator said would force almost immediate layoffs. Associated Press http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_wa_smoky_canyon_mine.html Land-purchase option key to scaled-down sugar deal. Gov. Charlie Crist's revamped deal with U.S. Sugar has become much cheaper -- whacking the price tag and acreage by more than half -- but it contains a critical provision that may ultimately determine its value to Everglades restoration. Miami Herald, Florida. http://www.miamiherald.com/news/5min/story/989539.html Report lists America's 10 most endangered rivers. Rivers in Alaska, California and the South are among the 10 most endangered, according to a report released Tuesday by American Rivers, a leading river conservation group. CNN http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/04/07/rivers.endangered.list/ Questions about new water disinfectant. The way your tap water is disinfected might be changing. Federal regulations to improve water safety are leading water utilities to switch the kind of chemicals they use--and one of those chemicals might do more harm than good. Environment Report, Michigan. http://www.glrc.org/story.php?story_id=4427 EPA is reconsidering dry cleaners' use of cancer-causing chemical. The Environmental Protection Agency is reconsidering whether to compel dry cleaners to phase out perchloroethylene, a cancer-causing chemical used in tens of thousands of operations nationwide. Washington Post [Registration Required] http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/07/AR2009040703748.html Cancer research says that sunbeds caused surge in skin cancer. Malignant melanoma, the most lethal form of skin cancer, has overtaken cancers of the cervix and breast to become the most common cancer diagnosed in women under 30. London Times, England. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article6054230.ece Purses, wallets have too much lead, environment group says. An Oakland environmental group on Tuesday warned nearly 20 major retailers and manufacturers that they're selling women's purses, wallets, tote bags and other accessories with lead levels exceeding state standards. Contra Costa Times, California. http://www.contracostatimes.com/environment/ci_12092480 A seed of doubt. Hawai‘i’s most valuable farm crop isn't sugar or pineapple. It is seeds–and at least half that industry is devoted to growing genetically-modified organisms. In the past two decades, the Hawaiian Islands have hosted some 2,252 outdoor tests for genetically-engineered plants, more than any other place. Honolulu Weekly, Hawaii. http://honoluluweekly.com/cover/2009/04/a-seed-of-doubt/ More news from today •>250 more stories, including: •Climate: Butterfly numbers plunge; What does carbon capture look like?; Stalagmites reveal rapid sea level change •Energy: Brown's electric dream for Britain; Latest green transport fuel could really grow on trees; Iran to produce biofuels •Recall of tainted pistachio nuts far from over •Stories from UK, Nigeria, Philippines, Australia, Canada •US stories from MA, RI, NJ, DE, MD, VA, WV, SC, GA, MN, MI, OH, IL, TN, NE, TX, CO, AZ, WA, OR, CA •Smoking: Do smokers cost society money?; Cigar bar bill unconstitutional •Editorials: Questions obscure pollution agreement; Time to reach resolution on dioxin; Getting the lead out 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.