News
EPA cancels $20-million green chemistry grant program, gives no explanation
In an announcement that stunned scientists, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has cancelled grant applications for what was supposed to be a $20-million, four-year green chemistry program. The mysterious cancellation comes less than three weeks before the deadline for the proposals. The grants, which were supposed to fund four new centers, would have been a major new source of funding for green chemistry, a field that seeks to design environmentally friendly chemicals and processes that can replace toxic substances. The requests for proposals may be reissued, the EPA said. But the program's sudden halt and uncertain future -- and lack of explanation -- have left scientists disheartened. "My reaction is shock that it happened and total dismay that what appeared to be a novel program was cancelled without warning or explanation," said Eric Beckman, a chemical engineer at the University of Pittsburgh.
Thousands of dolphins may have died in Peru's massive die-off; cause could remain mystery
When a retired fisherman called to report that about 1,500 dolphins had washed up dead on Peru’s northern coast, veterinarian Carlos Yaipén’s first reaction was, “That’s impossible.” But when Yaipén traveled up the coast last week, he counted 615 dead dolphins along a 135-kilometer stretch of coastline. Now, the death toll could be as high as 2,800, based on volunteers’ counts. Peru's massive dolphin die-off is among the largest ever reported worldwide. The strandings, which began in January, are a marine mystery that may never be unraveled. The causes could be acoustic impact from testing for oil or perhaps an unknown disease. In addition, stress or toxic contaminants can make marine mammals more vulnerable to pathogens such as viruses, said Peter Ross, a research scientist at Canada’s Institute of Ocean Sciences. In a mass die-off, “there might be a smoking gun, but often we find that it’s two or three or four factors,” said Ross.
Burning irony: Flame retardants might create deadlier fires
In one of the deadliest nightclub fires in American history, 100 people died at a concert in Rhode Island nearly a decade ago. But the biggest killer wasn't the flames; it was lethal gases released from burning sound insulation and other plastics. In a fatal bit of irony, attempts to snuff fires like this catastrophic one could be making some fires even more deadly. New research suggests that chemicals – brominated and chlorinated flame retardants – that are added to upholstered furniture and other household items to stop the spread of flames are increasing emissions of two poisonous gases. In one experiment, nylon containing the flame retardant brominated polystyrene released six times more hydrogen cyanide when set afire than the same material containing a halogen-free flame retardant. Hydrogen cyanide, used in the Nazi gas chambers, is 35 times more deadly than carbon monoxide. During a fire, it can kill in as little as one minute.
Fukushima's radioactivity found in California kelp; levels spiked, then disappeared.
Kelp off Southern California was contaminated with short-lived radioisotopes a month after Japan’s Fukushima accident, a sign that the spilled radiation reached the state's coastline, according to a new scientific study. Scientists tested giant kelp from the ocean off Orange County and other locations after the March, 2011 accident and detected radioactive iodine at peak concentrations 250-fold higher than levels found in West Coast kelp before the nuclear accident. “Basically we saw it in all the California kelp blades we sampled,” said biology professor Steven Manley of California State University, Long Beach. The radioactivity had no known effects on the giant kelp, or on fish and other marine life, and it was undetectable when the kelp was tested again a month later. Iodine 131 “has an eight-day half life so it’s pretty much all gone,” Manley said. “But this shows what happens half a world away does effect what happens here. I don’t think these levels are harmful but it’s better if we don’t have it at all.”
Opinion: 'There are no safe doses for endocrine disruptors'
As a scientist, I am often asked what “proof” links hormone-altering chemicals to diseases and birth defects. One mother questions whether exposures during her pregnancy caused her child’s autism. Another asks whether chemicals in the foods she ate could have caused her son’s abnormal genitalia. The underlying question raised by these mothers is provocative: Do small amounts contribute to human health problems? My colleagues and I have concluded in a new report that there truly are no safe doses for hormone-altering chemicals. Academic, regulatory and industry scientists must work together to identify and replace such chemicals that are ubiquitous in everyday consumer products.
Low doses, big effects: Scientists seek 'fundamental changes' in testing, regulation of hormone-like chemicals
Small doses can have big health effects. That is a main finding of a new report, three years in the making, published Wednesday by a team of 12 scientists who study hormone-altering chemicals. Dozens of substances that can mimic or block hormones are found in the environment, the food supply and consumer products, including plastics, pesticides and cosmetics. One of the biggest controversies is whether the tiny doses that most people are exposed to are harmful. Researchers led by Tufts University’s Laura Vandenberg concluded after examining hundreds of studies that health effects “are remarkably common” when people or animals are exposed to low doses. "Fundamental changes in chemical testing are needed to protect human health," they wrote.
Opinion: U.S. policy must move toward carcinogen-free workplaces
John Anderson, a refinery electrician from New Jersey who worked with asbestos, addressed the President's Cancer Panel about the need to strengthen cancer protection for workers. Then he handed the microphone to his wife, Bonnie, who looked gaunt and unsteady. She told the rest of their story – she was suffering from mesothelioma, and it was not because she ever worked with asbestos. She was the one who washed her husband’s dust-covered work clothes. Today, Bonnie Anderson is still battling her cancer, two years after the panel concluded in its report that reducing toxic exposures “should be the cornerstone of a new national cancer prevention strategy.” Had such a precautionary strategy been in place, the disease that has devastated this woman might have been avoided. We urge a new approach that moves us toward a carcinogen-free workplace and a cancer-free economy. It is unethical for a public health agency like NIOSH to sanction cancer risks to workers that are orders of magnitude greater than what is deemed acceptable for the general public. A new federal policy, if thoughtfully redesigned, would not only prevent cancer among workers, but also protect the health of families and communities.
Industrial chemicals linked to attention problems in Massachusetts children
When Deidre Ramos moved with her infant son to the Parker Street section of New Bedford, Mass., little did she know that her new neighborhood was toxic. Today, a decade later, Ramos is worried about her two sons growing up in a community still contaminated by an old burn dump containing polychlorinated biphenyls. “What will be the long-term effects on my children?” asked Ramos. Now new research suggests that PCBs, which were first linked to learning problems in children more than two decades ago, may play a role in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, too. Boys in New Bedford who were exposed to higher levels of PCBs in the womb scored lower on focus and concentration tests, which indicates they are more likely to have attention problems related to ADHD, according to a newly published study. All of the children studied were born to mothers who lived near the contaminated harbor and dumpsites in this low-income community but their exposures were comparable to children's levels throughout the United States so the link to attention problems could exist in other communities, too.
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Long-awaited dioxins report released; EPA says low doses risky but most people safe
After 21 years of wrangling over health threats, uncertain science and industry pressure, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday released its assessment of dioxins defining how toxic they are. Lauded by environmental activists and criticized by industry, the report concluded that there are potentially serious effects at ultra-low levels of exposure. Nevertheless, the EPA said that exposures have declined so much in the past two decades that most people are safe. "Today’s findings show that generally, over a person’s lifetime, current exposure to dioxins does not pose a significant health risk," EPA officials said. One scientist called that statement "very odd" because it discounts the threat to people who have higher exposures and those, such as babies, who are at higher risk of effects. Studies have linked dioxins to cancer, disrupted hormones, reproductive damage such as decreased fertility, neurological effects, immune system changes and skin disorders. Most people on Earth have traces in their bodies, and they are exposed mostly through fish, meat and other animal products.
Hearts and air pollution: Five deadly air pollutants on five continents
Around the world, breathing a variety of air pollutants – in some cases for a single day – increases the chance that people will suffer heart attacks, according to a new analysis published Tuesday. For the first time, scientists analyzed previous studies from five continents to verify and quantify the links between air pollution and heart health. They found that short-term exposure – less than seven days – to all major air pollutants except ozone was associated with an increase in heart attacks. The team from France and the U.S. reported in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. that the magnitude of the risk “is relatively small” compared to other factors, such as smoking, high blood pressure and diabetes. But they stressed that so many people worldwide are breathing fine particulates, carbon monoxide and other pollutants that the numbers of people at risk are substantial. Dr. Jesus Araujo of UCLA said there is now “more than enough evidence” that air pollution kills. “We don’t have to be exposed for weeks or months or years,” Araujo said.
Is cadmium the new lead? Link reported between the ubiquitous metal and kids with learning disabilities.
It’s a heavy metal. It’s linked to learning problems in school children. And every child is exposed. Sounds like lead? It’s cadmium. Signs are emerging that cadmium – a widespread contaminant that gets little attention from health experts and regulators – could be the new lead. Children with higher cadmium levels are three times more likely to have learning disabilities and participate in special education, according to new research. Absorbed from the soil, cadmium is found in certain foods, particularly potatoes, grains, sunflower seeds and leafy greens, as well as tobacco. It also is used in some inexpensive children’s jewelry, prompting new voluntary industry standards last fall. Harvard's Robert Wright said the links to learning disabilities and special education were found at commonplace levels previously thought to be benign. “One of the important points of the study is that we didn’t study a population of kids who had very high exposures. We studied a population representative of the U.S.," he said. "That we found any [effect] suggests this is occurring at relatively low levels."
Caught with the packaging? Doping tests clouded by widespread use of plasticizer
In the race to catch drug cheats, sports officials are turning to more sophisticated tests. Since cheaters are rarely caught red-handed, scientists devised a plan to catch them with the packaging – inside their bodies - by looking for residues of a plasticizer. But the chemical is so ubiquitous that it has clouded the results of these blood doping tests in the professional cycling world. Some experts – and Tour de France champion Alberto Contador, who was found guilty of doping Monday – say that these phthalate residues are so widespread that there is doubt about how they got into an athlete's body. But others say that spikes of these chemicals are a red flag for doping.
The Great Escape: Gene-altered crops grow wild.
Throughout North Dakota, little yellow flowers dot thousands of miles of roadsides. These canola plants, found along most major trucking routes, look harmless. But they are fueling a controversy: They prove that large numbers of genetically modified plants have escaped from farm fields and are now growing wild. About 80 percent of canola growing along roadsides in North Dakota contains genes that have been modified to make the plants resistant to common weed-killers.
Children near DuPont plant exposed to more PFOA than moms.
Children living near DuPont’s plant in West Virginia are exposed to much higher concentrations of an industrial chemical than their mothers, according to a newly published study. Children under 5, who are exposed from drinking water as well as their mothers’ breast milk, had 44 percent more of the perfluorinated chemical in their blood than their mothers. The study was undertaken by scientists who have spent seven years trying to determine whether the DuPont chemical is making people sick in the Mid-Ohio Valley. The discovery about moms and their children comes as scientists elsewhere linked the chemical, known as PFOA, and related chemicals to reduced effectiveness of childhood vaccinations. The compounds are used to manufacture Teflon cookware, food packaging and other products.
Children near West Virginia DuPont plant exposed to higher C8 concentrations than mothers.
Children living near DuPont’s plant in West Virginia are exposed to much higher concentrations of an industrial chemical than their mothers, according to a newly published study. Children under 5, who are exposed from drinking water as well as their mothers’ breast milk, had 44 percent more of the chemical in their blood than their mothers. The study was undertaken by a court-approved panel of three scientists who have spent seven years trying to determine whether the DuPont chemical is making people sick in the Mid-Ohio Valley. The chemical is perfluorooctanoate, or PFOA, also known as C8, and it is used in the manufacture of Teflon nonstick cookware, waterproof clothing, food packaging and other products.
Departing words from EPA's Anastas: We must design 'less toxic and less polluting' chemicals and manufacturing
Paul Anastas, one of the fathers of green chemistry, is leaving his high-ranking post at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and returning to Yale. In a Q&A with Environmental Health News, Anastas said "it's time for me to go home." As science advisor and assistant administrator at EPA's Office of Research and Development, his goal was to shift EPA toward policies that would promote green chemistry, the movement to make chemicals and manufacturing systems more environmentally friendly. Anastas said there has been a "growing realization across EPA" that green chemistry "can meet environmental and economic goals simultaneously."
Top topics of 2011: A nuclear meltdown, fracas over fracking and Keystone, BPA beyond bottles
EHN's roundup of the most important and intriguing topics of 2011 includes issues that exploded onto the media scene as well as those that left their mark quietly. Over the year, the EHN team hand-selected 56,888 articles from media around the world on a wide variety of environmental topics.
Study documents Nigerian children died from families’ gold mining.
Large numbers of infants and toddlers have died from lead poisoning in Nigerian villages where their parents process gold ore inside their family compounds, according to a report published Tuesday by an international team of researchers. In two Nigerian communities, 118 children under the age of 5 died in a single year – 25 percent of the children in that age group. For the first time, the researchers uncovered strong evidence that points to lead poisoning as the likely cause for nearly all of those deaths. “To our knowledge, this is the first documentation of an outbreak of childhood lead poisoning associated with artisanal gold mining,” the team, led by lead experts from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, wrote.
Opinion: News stories miss important points of breast cancer report.
Some media reported that a new analysis of environmental links to breast cancer tells women to stop worrying about consumer products. But these stories ignore the report’s explanation that definitive evidence is not attainable and lack of human evidence of harm doesn’t mean something is safe.The real news is that for the first time, an authoritative medical group stated that scientific evidence plausibly links pollutants and industrial chemicals with biological activity that suggests breast cancer risk. The Institute of Medicine recommends that women “limit or eliminate workplace, consumer, and environmental exposures to chemicals that are plausible contributors to breast cancer risk while considering risks of substitutes.” That advice was ignored by most media.
