In The News / May 18

• 64 lbs. of mercury for sale ... on Craigslist?

  A tip from an alert online shopper who noticed an unusual posting on Craigslist allowed authorities to recover 64 pounds of dangerous elemental mercury from a Floodwood, Minn., resident. The seller said his grandfather apparently had planned to use the mercury for mining gold. Duluth News Tribune, Minnesota

• FDA bans shellfish from South Korea.

  Consumers should not eat shellfish from South Korea and retailers should stop selling it, federal and state regulators said Thursday. An agency analysis of the Korean shellfish program found unacceptable water pollution levels in shellfish-growing areas and periodic detection of norovirus. Washington Post

• Panel debates bioterrorism protection for children.

  The Obama administration is asking a presidential commission to help decide an ethical quandary: Should the anthrax vaccine and other treatments being stockpiled in case of a bioterror attack be tested in children? Associated Press

• Pennsylvania doctors worry over fracking 'gag rule'.

  Doctors say they need to know what's in natural gas drilling companies' secret chemical formulas in order to treat patients who may have been exposed to them. A new law in Pennsylvania will give physicians access to the information, but says they can't tell anyone else, not even other doctors, what's in those formulas. All Things Considered, NPR

• Brazil Navy investigates new oil spill off coast.

  An oil spill was discovered off Brazil's coast near the country's Espirito Santo state, Brazil's Navy said on Thursday, the latest in a series of spills that have raised questions about the safety of a massive expansion of the country's oil production capacity. Reuters

• Sterilizing that blasted ballast.

  In the dank bowels of the ship, a million microbes squirm and writhe. Their watery cradle — the ballast — plays a central role in balancing the weight of cargo ships. But if flushed into the wrong environment, these aliens could very well take over ecosystems. New York Times

• The secret life of California's world-class strawberries.

  Fumigation has done wonders for strawberry production, but it's under attack and it may have to change. The most powerful fumigant, methyl bromide, is getting phased out gradually because it can eat away at Earth's ozone layer. All Things Considered, NPR

• Apple to use only green power for main data center.

  Apple Inc plans to power its main US data center entirely with renewable energy by the end of this year, taking steps to address longstanding environmental concerns about the rapid expansion of high-consuming computer server farms. Reuters

• How to save Bangladesh?

  Bangladesh is a prime example of a vulnerable developing nation that faces formidable challenges in food security, water shortages, the health of oceans, disaster readiness and assuring people a livelihood. Bangladesh will be directly affected by the decisions that are made at the Rio+20 conference, said one UN expert. New York Times

• Mangroves reduce disaster risk, boost income options in Vietnam.

  Following an increase in cyclones that have affected Vietnam in the last five years, a number of organizations have begun working in disaster-prone coastal areas of Vietnam, building on evidence that mangroves can play a crucial role in reducing the destruction. Reuters

• Canada stops funding famed experimental lakes science program.

  The federal government has pulled the plug on one of Canada's most famous science facilities, the Experimental Lakes Area program in northwestern Ontario, which was instrumental in banning phosphorus in detergents and stopping acid rain, as part of budget cuts at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Postmedia News

• Lawn and garden pesticides should be restricted, not banned, in British Columbia, legislative committee says.

  British Columbia doesn’t need to ban cosmetic pesticide use, according to an all-party government committee convened to probe a possible ban on the sale and use of cosmetic pesticides used to ensure a perfect lawn and weed-free garden. Canadian Press

• Canada axes green advisory body.

  The Canadian government is to mark the 25th anniversary of its green business advisers by shutting the agency down, saying funding will be cut in 2013 because of the availability of information from thinktanks, the internet and universities. The Guardian, United Kingdom

• New fuel standards to cut pollution in Beijing.

  Beijing will introduce new fuel standards on May 31 that municipal officials say are nearly on a par with the European Union's Euro V, the first Chinese city to do so. The new standards are expected to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions from 50 to 10 milligrams per kilogram, according to the Beijing environmental protection bureau. China Daily