In The News / Jul 4

• Bad breath.

  Tasteless. Invisible to the eye. Air contaminants less than a tenth the size of a pollen grain are nevertheless dangerous. Studies have implicated tiny airborne particles in the deaths of huge numbers of people each year — even where concentrations never exceed levels permitted by U.S. law. Science News

• Residents blame health problems on nearby Asarco plant, landfill.

  Could pollution be the cause of health problems in Sunland Park? Many residents suspect that it is. They consider the Asarco smelter in El Paso and the Camino Real landfill in Sunland Park to be the major sources of contamination in their community. El Paso Times, Texas

• Corrosive, stinking Chinese drywall may be radioactive.

  The final years of the U.S. housing boom and a series of Gulf Coast hurricanes created a golden opportunity for Chinese drywall manufacturers. That imported drywall is now at the center of complaints of foul odors seeping from walls. Los Angeles Times, California

• Now 17 veterans with rare cancer or tumors with Camp Lejeune ties.

  Scientists studying drinking water contamination at Camp Lejeune were startled when 11 men with breast cancer and ties to the North Carolina base were identified over the last two years. Six more have been found in one week. St. Petersburg Times, Florida

• Older cars fouling region's air quality.

  The recession is contributing to higher levels of air pollution in the Washington area as new car sales plummet and older, dirtier vehicles remain on the road longer, according to a recent study by regional planners. Washington Post

• Environment groups find less support from justices.

  Environmental groups lost all five of their cases before the Supreme Court last term, a trend scholars see continuing as the court moves to the right. New York Times

• Fears for the world's poor countries as the rich grab land to grow food.

  The acquisition of farmland from the world's poor by rich countries and international corporations is accelerating at an alarming rate, with an area half the size of Europe's farmland targeted in the last six months. London Guardian, England

• Carbon capture no 'silver bullet' for climate change.

  The theory is simple, the debate divisive: To survive global warming, simply insert billions of dollars, suck, and blow. It's called carbon capture and storage, and Canada is ponying up to support what is effectively big-ticket enviro liposuction. Canadian Press

• Landfill worries cloud hope for New Orleans gardens.

  Vietnamese community leaders fear that their plans for a 30-acre urban farm will be impeded by a legacy of Katrina: an emergency demolition landfill that opponents warn could release arsenic or other contaminants into the soil, water and air. Washington Post

• Red, white and blue --- also green.

  As millions of Americans head out for their annual Fourth of July fireworks, they might not realize the chemical that makes the shows so bright also poses an environmental threat. Baltimore Sun, Maryland

• More use 4-legged helpers in fight against weeds, vines.

  A growing niche industry is harnessing the eating power of animals as an alternative to using machinery that burns up fossil fuels or herbicides that, in some cases, can seep into groundwater. USA Today

• Brazil's huge wetland under threat.

  The Pantanal is one of the largest continuous wetlands on the planet, spread over 150,000 square kilometres. In recent years concerns have been raised about the impact our changing world is having on this fragile ecosystem. BBC

• Whose side are health advocacy groups on?

  Some of the most influential and vocal health experts belong to advocacy organizations such as the Center for Science in the Public Interest and the American Council on Science and Health. Who are they, and what do they stand for? Los Angeles Times, California

• GM rice makes allergies easy to stomach.

  Rice that could protect people against allergies such as hay fever has moved a stage closer to clinical trials, following a successful safety assessment in monkeys. New Scientist, England