Drinking Water of 41 Million Americans Contaminated with Pharmaceuticals
An investigation by the Associated Press (AP) has revealed that the drinking water of at least 41 million people in the United States is contaminated with pharmaceutical drugs. It has long been known that drugs are not wholly absorbed or broken down by the human body. Significant amounts of any medication taken eventually pass out of the body, primarily through the urine.
U.S. halts commercial salmon season
Regulators are trying to protect slumping chinook population off California and Oregon.
Instead of preparing to hit the Pacific’s wind-tossed waters next month, veteran fisherman Dave Bitts sat at the counter of a dockside restaurant on Humboldt Bay recently, mulling fate and a cloudy future.
Popular ‘green’ products test positive for toxicant
New tests of 100 “natural” and “organic” soaps, shampoos and other consumer products show that nearly half of them contained a cancer-causing chemical that is a byproduct of petrochemicals used in manufacturing.Many items that tested positive for the carcinogen are well-known brands, including Kiss My Face, Alba, Seventh Generation and Nature’s Gate products, sold in retail stores across the nation.Read More
America’s Toxic 10 Corporate Polluters – A Story of Contradictions
America’s “Toxic 10,” a special report put out by Conde Nast portfolio.com, demonstrates that we have entered a new realm of corporate environmental governance. We frequently read headlines that highlight corporate sustainability initiatives, like “Ford’s New Green Roof Initiative” or “Boeing’s New Fuel-Efficient Airplanes.” But the sad reality is that corporate giants, by and large, continue to violate egregious crimes against human health and nature. Almost every company listed in the “Toxic 10″ has promoted some form of corporate greening, but this article shows that these may be attempts to legitimate and continue their polluting practices more than anything else.
New York found Mercury in Tuna Sushi
The New York Times recently tested sushi from 20 different popular stores and restaurants in Manhattan and found extremely high, even dangerous levels of Mercury in the sample pieces they had tested. A regular diet of six pieces a week would exceed the levels considered acceptable by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Dole vs Plantation Workers
The trials are over, and Dole has been ordered to pay a total of $5.7 million to banana plantation workers. The Nicaraguan employees were not warned that the pesticide they were being exposed to had sterilized workers in California, and — well, the Nicaraguan employees won’t be having any children either.
“It lets [Dole] know that they’re accountable for what they do, even if they do it south of our border,” Miller said. “Our reputation as a country is partially dependent on the reputations of our corporations doing things overseas.”
“What really matters is that Dole sterilized these peasants and thousands more humble Nicaraguan peasants, and in the rest of Central America, and we proved it. That is what counts, and I’m proud of it,” Ordeñana said.
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China’s Cancer Village
There are perhaps several hundred “cancer villages” in China, places where the incidence of cancer is well over twice the national average. Local officials responsible for those villages often resist addressing the problem because the solution may entail shutting down manufacturing facilities that provide jobs and tax revenues. This summer, China’s outspoken vice minister of the environment, Pan Yue, told media that local officials in parts of China collude with businesspeople to allow the operation of polluting plants that his agency has ordered shut down.
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EPA Approves Pesticide Known to Cause Cancer and Miscarriages
Washington – On October 5, the EPA approved a new chemical fumigant for use on strawberries and other food crops across the U.S. The pesticide, methyl iodide, vaporizes quickly, causing it to drift far distances. Although the state of California has categorized it as cancer causing, and the EPA admits it causes thyroid tumors, the Bush Administration has been advocating approval of the fumigant for the better part of two years.
Hazardous Materials Found in Apple’s iPhone
Tests commissioned by Greenpeace reveal a variety of hazardous chemicals in both the external and internal components of Apple’s iPhone, the international environmental group said today. The chemicals included “phthalates” in the vinyl plastic earphone wiring at levels that are prohibited in young children’s toys in San Francisco and the European Union (EU). Greenpeace also previously found phthalates in the earphone wiring of Apple’s iPod Nano.
This is the third time that Greenpeace has tested an Apple product since 2006. Similar analyses of a MacBook Pro and an iPod Nano also revealed the presence of phthalates and BFRs.
New Research: Pollutant linked to bronchitis in toddlers
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Toddlers who breathe polluted air are far more likely to be diagnosed with bronchitis than children living in cleaner environments, U.S. and Czech researchers reported on Thursday.
They found a component of pollution known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, was strongly linked with cases of bronchitis among children aged 2 to 4 and a half.
Most environmental regulations in the United States and Europe focus on controlling particulate emissions — tiny particles in the air — as well as sulfur dioxide and ozone.
Read original article from Environmental News Network.
