Aging well starts in womb, as mom's choices affect whole life. Research into the "developmental origins of adult disease" suggests that a mom's healthy living may help her child avoid problems such as cancer, heart disease, depression and diabetes not just in childhood, but 50 years from now. USA Today 2009-07-03T09:00-05:00

Purity of federal 'organic' label is questioned. Shortcomings in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's program mean that consumers, who at times pay twice as much for organic products, are not always getting what they expect: foods without pesticides and other chemicals, produced in a way that is gentle to the environment. Washington Post 2009-07-03T09:00-05:00

Concerns over bisphenol A continue to grow. New animal studies link the chemical bisphenol A, which leaches from such polycarbonate plastics and food can linings, with heart arrhythmias in females and permanent damage to a gene important for reproduction. The results suggest that even adult exposures may cause harm. Science News 2009-07-03T09:00-05:00

EPA allows TVA to dump spilled coal ash in Alabama. The nation's largest utility can dump millions of tons of coal ash from a Tennessee spill into an Alabama landfill, federal regulators said Thursday, despite criticism that the plan is unfair to one of Alabama's poorest counties. Associated Press 2009-07-03T09:00-05:00

Chevron must halt Richmond expansion. A judge has ordered Chevron Corp. to stop work on its controversial oil refinery expansion in Richmond, handing environmentalists their biggest victory to date in a long fight over the project. San Francisco Chronicle 2009-07-03T09:00-05:00

Politicians reconsider drilling off Florida coast. For years, oil production has been largely banned in the Gulf of Mexico off the Florida coast. That's because of concerns that a major spill could devastate the state's most important industry: tourism. But now, some officials appear willing to reconsider. All Things Considered 2009-07-03T09:00-05:00

Agency focused on cutting toxics loses funding. It is a miniscule slice of the state’s $27 billion budget - less than $1.5 million to fund the obscure Toxics Use Reduction Institute, part of a state-mandated program that has reduced the use of hazardous substances by local manufacturers 41 percent in its 20-year history. That funding has been eliminated. Boston Globe 2009-07-03T09:00-05:00

West Virginia Supreme Court delays ruling in DuPont appeal. The West Virginia Supreme Court has delayed a ruling in DuPont Co.'s appeal of a $400 million verdict against the company for polluting the Harrison County town of Spelter. The appeal is one of the biggest cases to reach the court in recent memory. Charleston Gazette 2009-07-03T09:00-05:00

Tiverton soil cleanup to start in fall. The remediation will mark an end to a major legal battle settled in U.S. District Court in May, which also inspired legislation signed by Governor Carcieri that raises maximum fines against corporate polluters. Providence Journal 2009-07-03T09:00-05:00

Creative solutions found for some abandoned mines. Decades–old gold, silver and zinc mines have left a toxic legacy still felt today in the West. This summer, the Environmental Protection Agency celebrates a few creative solutions to get new owners to clean up and redevelop old mine sites. Puget Sound KUOW Public Radio 2009-07-03T09:00-05:00

Feds: DEP does not properly oversee mining flood prevention. West Virginia regulators and coal operators have not properly implemented state rules meant to keep strip mining from contributing to flooding during heavy rains over narrow mountain hollows, according to a new federal report. Charleston Gazette 2009-07-03T09:00-05:00

Climate declaration to get global boost. The U.S., European Union and 12 of the world's largest nations plan to embrace "an aspirational goal" of reducing emissions of global-warming gases by 50% by 2050, according to a draft declaration by world leaders set for release next week in Italy. Wall Street Journal 2009-07-03T09:00-05:00

Green power takes root in the Chinese desert. Through a combination of carrots and sticks, Beijing is steering an immense push toward wind and solar power, while the U.S. is just starting. New York Times 2009-07-03T09:00-05:00

A Tasmanian tragedy? Tasmanian industrial foresters and environmentalists have been fighting over the issue of clearcutting the island’s forests for decades. The battle is over nothing less than the future of Tasmania, and an important resource for mitigating climate change. Mongabay 2009-07-03T09:00-05:00

Diet to pass Minamata redress boost. The Diet is set to enact new legislation offering financial relief to more victims of Minamata mercury-poisoning in the 1950s and '60s by easing standards of recognition of the disease. Kyodo News 2009-07-03T09:00-05:00

Old story in waste removal. The sequence that played out at a Queens recycling plant this week, leaving three people dead, is more common than many realize — and a standard hazard in the waste management and sewage industries. New York Times 2009-07-03T09:00-05:00

Sunscreen's shady business. If you've ventured into the sun protection aisle lately, you've probably noticed a distinct shortage of fun in the sun. Can sunscreen really provide perfect sun protection? Color me skeptical. Mother Jones 2009-07-03T09:00-05:00

Decades on, water fluoridation still controversial. The debate on whether fluoride in drinking water is poison or panacea started about four decades ago and in the years since, rather than going away, the controversy around the issue has only intensified. Epoch Times 2009-07-03T09:00-05:00

Pitt chemist is developing a bright idea. Researchers have created a fluorescent marker to detect even minute levels of ozone, offering a potential means to signal ozone levels that can cause respiratory problems in people with asthma. Fluorescent markers for mercury and other metals already are in various stages of development and use. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2009-07-03T09:00-05:00

Building a better firework. There is little argument that the chemicals used in fireworks can be hazardous to humans and the environment in large amounts. Experts say that a single Fourth of July fireworks event probably does not have a significant polluting effect on individuals but could harm those exposed to fireworks often. Newsweek 2009-07-03T09:00-05:00

Organic farms as subdivision amenities. The bewildered Iowan who converted his farm into a ballpark in “Field of Dreams” in 1989 might reverse the move today. From Vermont to central California, developers are creating subdivisions around organic farms to attract buyers. If you plant it, these developers believe, they will buy. New York Times 2009-07-03T09:00-05:00

UK swine flu can no longer be contained. Swine flu is spreading so rapidly across Britain that there could be 100,000 new cases a day by the end of next month, the health secretary, Andy Burnham, said today. London Guardian 2009-07-03T09:00-05:00

So what happens next? While we are staying in bed and calling up the flu line for our drugs, people will quietly die in large numbers elsewhere in the world. We will never know the full death toll. What we can be sure of is that this strain of flu will not go away. You don't stop flu - you learn to live with it. London Guardian 2009-07-03T09:00-05:00

China tries to head off rural flu outbreak. Faced with a rising number of homegrown new H1N1 flu cases, China is focusing prevention measures in urban areas to head off outbreaks in its vast rural population. Wall Street Journal 2009-07-03T09:00-05:00

Aboriginal populations vulnerable to H1N1. The author of a study to be published in the next issue of the medical journal Lancet said swine flu could devastate indigenous populations around the world due to their sensitivity to infectious disease. Canwest News Service 2009-07-03T09:00-05:00

Swine flu cases in Britain could soar to 100,000 A DAY by next month, Government warns. Millions of Britons will contract swine flu in the coming months, the Health Secretary predicted yesterday. London Daily Mail 2009-07-03T09:00-05:00

Mexico hosts key swine flu forum. Leaders and experts from 50 countries are meeting in Cancun, Mexico, to discuss the global swine flu outbreak. BBC 2009-07-03T09:00-05:00

Japan finds their first Tamiflu-resistant H1N1 case. The patient, who was confirmed in May with the H1N1 strain of the flu in the Osaka prefecture of western Japan, has since recovered and no other cases of the new flu have been confirmed around the patient, a health ministry official said. Reuters Health 2009-07-03T09:00-05:00

Ferrets shed light on new virus's severity and spread. When scientists want to know how a new flu strain behaves, they squirt it up the noses of ferrets. The small carnivores' responses closely resemble those of humans. Recently, scientists have infected ferrets with the H1N1 strain--to see how it is behaving. Science 2009-07-03T09:00-05:00

Swine flu 'cannot be contained'. The rising numbers of swine flu cases mean trying to contain the virus is no longer an option, the government says. BBC 2009-07-03T09:00-05:00