In The News / Mar 22

Bees face 'unprecedented' pesticide exposures at home and afield.

Cooking_Up_A_Story/flickr

Honey bees are being hammered by some mysterious environmental plaque that has no established cause. But a two-year study now provides evidence indicting pesticides.

In beeswax, 87 pesticides and metabolites were found with up to 39 different detections in a single sample. Among 350 pollen samples, each harbored an average of seven such chemicals – but at times up to 31 pesticide contaminants.

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Poisoned.

Fruit and veges are supposed to be the healthy option. But what if we were to tell you that Australia's fruit and vegetables are sprayed with chemicals that are considered so dangerous they're banned around the world?

Liz Hayes spent a hellish few weeks, witnessing the effects of these poisons in other countries. Liz met a young man with no eyes, saw fish with two heads and trekked to a village full of horribly deformed children.

Worst of all, the people who are supposed to be protecting us are pretending it's not happening.

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New Science

Understand the latest scientific findings
  • Phthalates exposure may double breast cancer risk ... or not. 19 March 2010

    Researchers conducting a study of phthalate exposure and breast cancer among Mexican women reported that metabolites of one type of phthalate are associated with at least twice the risk of breast cancer, while other types appear to lower risk. After adjusting for other risk factors, women in the highest third of exposure to MEP had twice the risk of breast cancer relative to women in the lowest third. Among premenopausal women, those with high exposure had a 4-fold increased risk of breast cancer. more…

  • Depleted and enriched uranium affect DNA in different ways. 16 March 2010

    Meticulous research identifies for the first time how two main types of uranium – enriched and depleted – damage a cell's DNA by different methods. The manner – either by radiation or by its chemical properties as a metal – depends upon whether the uranium is processed or depleted. Both types of uranium may carry a health risk because they both affect DNA in ways that can lead to cancer. more…

Media Review

Scientists critique media coverage

Editorials

  • The risks of fracking.

    The PA Department of Environmental Protection is hiring new inspectors as fast as it can, and developing new rules for natural gas drillers. But more needs to be done to ensure this aggressive push for domestic fuel doesn't pollute drinking water. more…

  • Legislature fails to curb outdoor wood furnaces.

    The more than 750 complaints from residents that neighbors' outdoor wood-burning furnaces were making them ill should have signaled to legislative leaders that they needed to ban the things or regulate them tightly so they are no longer a health hazard. more…

Opinions

  • Climate change uncertainty is no reason for inaction since we can't rule out risk.

    We don't have to believe that our house will burn down to take out insurance. So why delay taking action to reduce emissions? more…

  • Why business needs to worry.

    The sooner governments, industry and consumers start to see the links between energy, food and water security, and how policies in one area affect another, the more likely it is that water scarcity will get the profile it deserves and that we start acting decisively to assure the sustainability of humankind's most precious resource, water. more…

More news from EHN From Environmental Health News

Pet flea treatments can be dangerous, more safety steps in the works, EPA says.

Warning that the powerful poisons can endanger some dogs and cats, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will require new instructions and labeling for on-spot flea products, which include the popular Frontline and Advantage brands.

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Saving carbon by burning forests.

By now everyone knows that forests sequester carbon and that forest fires pump enormous amounts of that stored carbon skyward. But researchers are now coming to a somewhat contrary conclusion: Carefully controlled burns can help reduce forest carbon emissions.

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Opinion: Translating science.

Do researchers have an obligation to help the general public understand the relevance of their work? One academic thinks so – despite sporting scars from his effort.

more…

Hot Topics

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In The News (CONTINUED) / Mar 22

  • Waste water kills millions of children, pollutes sea.

    Human beings are flushing millions of tonnes of solid waste into rivers and oceans every day, poisoning marine life and spreading diseases that kill millions of children annually, the U.N. said on Monday. Reuters.

  • Floods recede in Fargo, but other hazards linger.

    As the Red River slowly started to recede Monday and fears of major flooding diminished, Fargo residents were left to deal with another problem: environmental hazards that linger long after the waters decline. Floodwaters can be noxious brews of pesticides, fuels, sewage, garbage and animal carcasses. Associated Press.

  • A fight for Maui's water.

    Two important sides of local history are fighting over water rights here in the central valley of Maui, pitting the last of the state's once-powerful sugar plantations against native farmers, who in coalition with environmentalists, want the water back in the streams. Wall Street Journal.

  • Purifying the sea one drop at a time.

    Disaster-struck areas desperate for fresh water could benefit from an ion-repelling device that cleans up contaminated salt water. Nature.

  • Gardeners grow dinner with aquaponics.

    Aquaponics, a system of food gardening that has a small but growing fan base, requires no soil, no pesticides, scant water (2 to 10 percent of what is used in the average vegetable garden), a modest financial outlay and minimal maintenance. San Francisco Chronicle.

  • Wading into fish oil supplement safety.

    Fish oil supplements, which provide beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and are among the nation's most popular well-being boosters, have a dark side, according to a lawsuit filed in San Francisco Superior Court. San Francisco Chronicle.

More news from today
>150 more stories today, including:
  • Gene links non-smokers and lung cancer
  • Climate: As whales head north, Arctic biologists play catch-up; Obama's healthcare victory clears path for climate change bill
  • Stories from UK, UAE, Kenya, Uganda, Saudi Arabia, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Brunei, Bangladesh, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, India, Pakistan, Australia, Brazil, Haiti, Canada
  • Clean Water Act clear as mud
  • US stories from RI, NY, PA, GA, AL, MN, IL, KY, MO, MS, TX, WY, CO, CA, AK
  • Editorials: Clear the air; Cities should protect neighbors from Barnett Shale drilling