In The News / Nov 7

• Experts criticize nanoparticle study.

  News headlines suggested that a new study found that nanoscale materials, used in everything from medical imaging to cancer treatment, can damage genetic material in our bodies. But this particular study has little relevance to human exposure risks, and it is deeply flawed in other ways. Science

• House votes to strengthen chem plant security.

  The House approved legislation Friday aimed at making chemical and water treatment facilities less vulnerable to terrorist attack. Associated Press

• Two-year-olds at risk from 'gender-bending' chemicals, report says.

  Two-year-old children are being exposed to dangerous levels of hormone-disrupting chemicals in domestic products such as rubber clogs and sun creams, according to an EU investigation being studied by the government. London Guardian, United Kingdom

• Marine Corps fails to disclose financial ties behind controversial report.

  Federal scientists and critics of the Marine Corps say an undisclosed contract with the National Research Council, obtained by the St. Petersburg Times on Friday, is a blatant conflict of interest, in the ongoing saga of Marines exposed to polluted water at Camp Lejeune. St. Petersburg Times, Florida

• Man held after tonnes of illegal e-waste are exported to Africa.

  A Nigerian man was detained on suspicion of the illegal export of electronic waste from Britain, part of a crackdown on a trade which leaves thousands of tonnes of broken and contaminated electrical goods dumped in the developing world each year. London Independent, United Kingdom

• Waste smuggling made easy in Vietnam.

  Vietnam's doors have been propped wide open for toxic waste smugglers by lax regulations and apathy. Thanhnien News, Vietnam

• Are store-bought soils safe for growing vegetables?

  In a test of six popular brands of bagged soil, it was found that none contained toxic levels of lead, zinc or arsenic. But all contained at least some contaminants, and that's either non-problematic or troubling, depending on whom you ask. Los Angeles Times, California

• Debate draws strong viewpoints.

  Gas drilling has become a dominant issue in central New York, with money to be made and risks to be taken. Oneonta Daily Star, New York

• Brominated and mixed halogenated dioxins in the Baltic -- and beyond.

  New research points to a natural origin for the Baltic Sea’s dioxins, but pollution may also play a role. Environmental Science & Technology

• Sounding the trumpet.

  It takes a lot to frighten Albertha Hasten, a campaigner for poor citizens of Louisiana, and fellow African-Americans, who suffer disproportionately from contaminated air, water and soil. She fears that this group is going to be threatened again by rising sea levels and hurricanes as a result of climate change. Economist

• Polluters' fear tactics on climate.

  Big polluting companies around the world, employing thousands of lobbyists, are exerting heavy pressure on governments to weaken climate change laws and slow progress on an international climate agreement in Copenhagen, a global investigation reveals. Sydney Morning Herald, Australia

• Scientists compare caribou collapse to cod crash.

  Once, caribou wandered over the Arctic tundra in herds that took days to pass. So great were their numbers - even 20 years ago - that they were able to shake off man's puny imprint on the great barren lands like so many flies on a rump. Canadian Press

• Penn. tells Cabot to clean up its act.

  After a year of chemical spills, water well contamination and an explosion caused by leaking underground methane, Cabot Oil and Gas has been fined $120,000 and ordered to abide by a set of strict regulations if it wants to continue its vast natural gas drilling operation in Pennsylvania. ProPublica

• The politics of cleaning the bay.

  In the last year, the federal government has stepped up their game and promised to do more to clean up the Chesapeake Bay. But the steps the federal government is taking can be confusing. Annapolis Capital, Maryland

• Stimulus sparks scuffle among high-speed rail boosters.

  Interest in high-speed rail was lukewarm until President Obama packed $8 billion for it into the stimulus package. Now, standing-room-only crowds show up when rail is on the agenda. Greenwire

• Judges exclude all evidence about economic impact from Las Brisas hearing.

  Judges threw out all evidence about Las Brisas Energy Center’s economic impact Friday after a contentious morning of testimony in which a local physician debated the subject with the proposed plant’s lead attorney. Corpus Christi Caller-Times, Texas

• Saluda River threatened by wastewater pollution.

  The Saluda River—a drinking water source for 500,000 people in South Carolina—is the sixth-most endangered river in the nation, according to American Rivers. Anderson Independent Mail, South Carolina