EPA to regulate greenhouse gases.

EPA, Senate take aim at greenhouse gases. The Obama administration said Wednesday it will issue a proposed rule that would require the nation's biggest greenhouse-gas emitters to install advanced pollution-control technology in any facility they plan to construct or significantly modify. Washington Post. 1 October 2009. [Registration Required]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/30/AR2009093002854.html

EPA moves to curtail greenhouse gas emissions. Unwilling to wait for Congress to act, the Obama administration announced on Wednesday that it was moving forward on new rules to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from hundreds of power plants and large industrial facilities. New York Times. 1 October 2009 [Registration Required]
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/01/science/earth/01epa.html

Birth defects skyrocket in Falluja.

Huge rise in birth defects in Falluja. Doctors in Iraq's war-ravaged enclave of Falluja are dealing with up to 15 times as many chronic deformities in infants and a spike in early life cancers that may be linked to toxic materials left over from the fighting. London Guardian, United Kingdom. 14 November 2009.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/13/falluja-cancer-children-birth-defects

NYT examines toxic waters.

The worsening pollution in American waters and regulators' response - a 7-part series. The 35-year-old federal law regulating tap water is so out of date that the water Americans drink can pose what scientists say are serious health risks - and still be legal. New York Times. 2009. [Registration Required]
http://projects.nytimes.com/toxic-waters

All eyes were on Copenhagen.

Copenhagen global climate deal falls short of expectations. The outline of a weak global climate agreement was last night concluded in Copenhagen, but it fell far short of what Britain and many poor countries were seeking and leaves months of tough negotiations to come. London Guardian, United Kingdom. 19 December 2009.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/dec/18/copenhagen-deal

Special Report: 'New' economy rolls forward. The low-carbon economy has arrived on the prairie north of Denver. Vestas is building the West's largest turbine factory, a $700 million investment in what Gov. Ritter calls a "new energy economy." Some say these efforts – not the Copenhagen talks – provide the most promising solutions to climate change. Daily Climate. 13 November 2009.
http://wwwp.dailyclimate.org/tdc-newsroom/2009/11/new-economy

Special Report: The escape route. Failure to confront hard decisions about emissions puts humanity in a box. But we have a way out. Call in the geoengineers. Part three of four. Daily Climate. 12 November 2009.
http://wwwp.dailyclimate.org/tdc-newsroom/2009/11/geoengineers

Busting emissions in the 'Boulder bubble.' Amid increasing gloom that the Copenhagen talks will produce a global climate accord, state and local leaders pushing their own reductions efforts in the United States see only one choice: Proceed. Daily Climate. 11 November 2009.
http://wwwp.dailyclimate.org/tdc-newsroom/2009/11/localgovt

An 'all-in' bet for the planet. This is the consequence of failure at Copenhagen: A marked shift in scientific effort from solving global warming to adapting to its consequences, a hodge-podge of uncoordinated local efforts to trim emissions – none of which deliver the necessary cuts – and an altered climate. Daily Climate. 10 November 2009.
http://wwwp.dailyclimate.org/tdc-newsroom/2009/11/stakes

UK tackles asbestos legacy.

Asbestos: A shameful legacy. The authorities knew it was deadly more than 100 years ago, but it was only banned entirely in 1999. The annual death rate will peak at more than 5,000 in 2016 – now MPs have a chance to do the decent thing. London Independent, United Kingdom. 22 November 2009.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/asbestos-a-shameful-legacy-1825554.html

Cause of death? It depends what you do for a living... Work can be very bad for your health if you are in the wrong job. If you are a carpenter, fitter, electrician, plumber or gas fitter, you run an above average risk of dying from an asbestos-related disease. London Independent, United Kingdom. 1 November 2009.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/cause-of-death-it-depends-what-you-do-for-a-living-1811717.html

£85m fund set up for soaring asbestos claims. An £85 million asbestos compensation fund has been set up in the public sector, amid warnings that medical claims will double in the next decade. London Evening Standard, United Kingdom. 27 October 2009.
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23761094-pound-85m-fund-set-up-for-soaring-asbestos-claims.do

Asbestos threat 'underestimated', say scientists. The lethal threat from asbestos fibres may have been seriously underestimated, medical researchers are warning, as thousands of people with asbestos-related illnesses wait to hear whether they can sue for compensation. London Guardian, United Kingdom. 20 July 2009.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/jul/19/asbestos-exposure-threat-compensation

Chinese drywall releases toxic fumes.

Toxic Chinese drywall creates a housing disaster. Along the Gulf Coast and across the country, it's being called a "silent hurricane." Between 2004 and 2007, an estimated 100,000 homes in more than 20 states were built with toxic drywall imported from China. Morning Edition, NPR. 27 October 2009.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=114182073

Chinese-made drywall used in boom has health officials' attention. State and federal health officials are trying to determine whether gases emitted by the drywall are hazardous to humans. Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Florida. 11 January 2009.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20090111/ARTICLE/901110370/2058/NEWS?Title=A_NEW_CONCERN

Tainted drywall from China is driving owners from their homes. A toxic substance is suspected of causing corrosion, health problems, and foul odors, bringing lawsuits and calls for government action. Christian Science Monitor. 5 April 2009.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2009/0404/p99s01-usgn.html

Prisoners of drywall. Thousands of homeowners in Florida and elsewhere believe that imported Chinese drywall is making them sick and destroying their property. An estimated 100,000 houses across the country may be affected. Wall Street Journal. 6 August 2009. [Subscription Required]
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203674704574332264031026476.html

Chinese drywall: pinpointing the problems. The odors, respiratory complaints and corrosion blamed on drywall from China used in American homes may have been caused by the failure to remove sulfur and other contaminants from synthetic gypsum, some Chinese experts in building materials say. Wall Street Journal. 1 July 2009. [Subscription Required]
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204556804574260324092312130.html

No Safe Harbor: Shipping industry is major polluter.

No safe harbor: The shipping industry’s pollution problem. The shipping industry is an invisible and nearly unregulated environmental disaster, and if you haven’t heard much about its poor record, you’re not alone. DC Bureau. 2 September 2009.
http://dcbureau.org/20090831252/Natural-Resources-News-Service/no-safe-harbor-the-shipping-industrys-pollution-problem-part-i-low-hanging-fruit.html

No safe harbor: A lack of authority. Although the original shipping emissions standards of the International Convention on the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, commonly referred to as MARPOL, went into effect in 2005, they were written in 1997. Getting the 2008 revisions approved was a battle--and the rules still do not address global warming risks. DC Bureau. 3 September 2009.
http://dcbureau.org/20090901257/Natural-Resources-News-Service/no-safe-harbor-the-shipping-industrys-pollution-problem-part-ii-a-lack-of-authority.html

No safe harbor: Off the hook. When it comes to the pace of regulating deadly shipping emissions, not everyone is content to adopt a wait and see attitude. As it has done before, California recently passed its own regulation in the absence of federal standards. DC Bureau. 4 September 2009.
http://dcbureau.org/20090903259/Natural-Resources-News-Service/no-safe-harbor-the-shipping-industrys-pollution-problem-part-iii-off-the-hook.html

Coal ash concerns grow after spill.

Concerns over ash pond pollution grows. The problems at the Gibson power plant in Indiana, as well as those in Tennessee and elsewhere, have environmental advocates calling for national standards for handling the massive quantities of ash and other coal-combustion wastes. USA Today. 27 February 2009.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-02-26-ashponds_N.htm

Coal ash: the hidden story. What happened in Kingston, Tennessee, when the dam holding back coal slurry broke represents just a small slice of the potential threat from coal ash. How industry and the EPA failed to stop a growing environmental disaster. Center for Public Integrity. 22 February 2009.
http://www.publicintegrity.org/articles/entry/1144/

After Tennessee ash spill, cleanup and worry. Residents are concerned about the long-term health effects of last week's coal ash spill, one of the worst in U.S. history. Relations with a Depression-era federal utility are damaged, too. Los Angeles Times, California. 1 January 2009. [Registration Required]
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jan/01/nation/na-tennessee-ash-spill1

Most coal ash ponds in U.S. are unregulated. The coal ash pond that ruptured and sent a billion gallons of toxic sludge across 300 acres of East Tennessee last month was only one of more than 1,300 similar dumps across the US, and most of them are unregulated and unmonitored. New York Times. 7 January 2009. [Registration Required]
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/07/us/07sludge.htm?_r=1

Plant that spilled coal ash had earlier leak problems. The chief executive of the Tennessee Valley Authority acknowledged Thursday that the plant’s containment ponds had leaked two other times in the last five years, but had not been adequately repaired. New York Times. 9 January 2009. [Registration Required]
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/09/us/09coal.html

Natural gas drilling poses threats.

Officials in three states pin water woes on gas drilling. Dimock, a poverty-stricken enclave, is ground zero for drilling the Marcellus Shale, a prized deposit of natural gas that is increasingly touted as one of the country's most abundant and cleanest alternatives to oil. ProPublica. 27 April 2009.
http://www.propublica.org/feature/officials-in-three-states-pin-water-woes-on-gas-drilling-426

EPA administrator forecasts potential shift on Bush-era drilling loophole. Signaling the potential for a policy reversal, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said in a congressional hearing that the agency would consider revisiting its controversial position that a popular natural gas drilling technique doesn't harm groundwater. ProPublica. 23 May 2009.
http://www.propublica.org/article/epa-administrator-forecasts-potential-shift-on-bush-era-drilling-loop-522

Chemicals found in Wyo. drinking water might be from fracking. Federal environment officials investigating drinking water contamination near the ranching town of Pavillion, Wyo., have found that at least three water wells contain a chemical used in the natural gas drilling process of hydraulic fracturing. ProPublica. 26 August 2009.
http://www.propublica.org/feature/epa-chemicals-found-in-wyo.-drinking-water-might-be-from-fracking-825

Gas drilling vs. drinking water. A preliminary report warns that "nearly every activity" associated with natural gas drilling could potentially harm the city’s drinking water supply and that while the risk can be reduced with strict regulations, "the likelihood of water quality impairment... cannot be eliminated." ProPublica. 8 October 2009.
http://www.propublica.org/feature/gas-drilling-vs-drinking-water-new-york-city-fight-with-albany

Congress tells EPA to study hydraulic fracturing. Five years ago the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency assured the nation that the technology credited with opening vast new natural gas supplies was safe. Now Congress has ordered the agency to take another look. ProPublica. 11 November 2009.
http://www.propublica.org/feature/congress-tells-epa-to-study-hydraulic-fracturing-hinchey-1110

Feds get authority to regulate tobacco.

Senate votes to allow FDA to regulate tobacco. More than four decades after the surgeon general declared smoking a health hazard, the Senate on Thursday cleared the final hurdle to empowering federal officials to regulate cigarettes and other forms of tobacco for the first time. New York Times. 12 June 2009. [Registration Required]
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/12/business/12tobacco.html?_r=1

Senate approves FDA regulation of tobacco. Capping a half-century battle with the tobacco industry, the Senate overwhelmingly approved landmark legislation Thursday that would for the first time give the government far-reaching power to regulate the manufacturing and marketing of cigarettes and other tobacco products. Los Angeles Times, California. 12 June 2009. [Registration Required]
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jun/12/nation/na-tobacco12

FDA may get new authority over tobacco products. In a historic shift in public health policy, Congress is poised to give the federal government sweeping new authority to regulate the manufacturing of cigarettes and other tobacco products. Los Angeles Times, California. 30 May 2009. [Registration Required]
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/may/30/nation/na-tobacco30

Dow, EPA and Michigan wrestle with dioxin cleanup.

Dioxin cleanup begins. Earth-moving equipment will roll through West Michigan Park when crews begin a dioxin cleanup of the Saginaw Township playground and recreation area later this month, Township Manager Ron Lee said. Saginaw News, Michigan. 14 April 2009.
http://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/index.ssf/2009/04/dioxin_cleanup_begins_in_sagin.html

Dioxin exposure in Saginaw neighborhood has eased, but threats persist. Residents of one city neighborhood have been exposed to health-damaging levels of dioxin, and although the contamination has been removed though a cleanup effort required by the U.S. EPA, future flooding is likely to recontaminate the area. Michigan Messenger, Michigan. 4 September 2009.
http://michiganmessenger.com/25779/dioxin-exposure-in-saginaw-neighborhood-has-eased-but-threats-persist

The trail of dioxin and Dow. If you learned your town was polluted with toxic waste, you'd just want to get it cleaned up. Dioxin's been a problem for at least 30 years in central Michigan, but Dow, the federal government, and the state are just now hashing out final cleanup plans. Environment Report, Michigan. 6 November 2009.
http://www.environmentreport.org/story.php?story_id=4733

A long history of dioxin delays. In 1981, Valdus Adamkus's Environmental Protection Agency office compiled a report that said dioxin is a cancer risk, and that a Dow Chemical plant in Michigan was responsible for some dioxin pollution. Environment Report, Michigan. 10 November 2009.
http://www.environmentreport.org/story.php?story_id=4735

Battle renewed on Puerto Rican island.

Hazardous chemicals at Vieques: Is the government accountable? Hermogenes Marrero was on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques helping guard for 18 months chemical agents being tested by the U.S. Navy. Marrero says he is now legally blind, wheelchairbound, has battled colon cancer and chronic pulmonary illnesses, and was recently diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease. Time Magazine. 16 September 2009.
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1924101,00.html

Former Marine face of new Vieques battle. The headaches began just after Hermogenes Marrero arrived on Vieques island as a young U.S. Marine to guard stores of Cold War-era chemical weapons. Now 57 and terminally ill with cancer, Marrero blames exposure to toxins released while he was stationed there from 1970 to 1972. Associated Press. 11 October 2009.
http://airamerica.com/news/10-11-2009/former-marine-becomes-face-of-new-vieques-battle/

New battle on Vieques, over Navy's cleanup of munitions. As the Navy cleans its former training grounds in Vieques, P.R., residents worry about the safety of its methods. New York Times. 7 August 2009. [Registration Required]
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/07/science/earth/07vieques.html

Navy’s Vieques training may be tied to health risks. The federal agency that assesses health hazards at sites designated for Superfund environmental cleanups said it had reversed its conclusion that contamination posed no risks to residents in Puerto Rico. New York Times. 14 November 2009. [Registration Required]
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/14/science/earth/14vieques.html

Chromium is carcinogenic in water.

California unveils new goal for controversial carcinogen in water. In a long-awaited move designed to protect people from cancer, California officials on Thursday proposed a new health goal for chromium 6 in drinking water that is thousands of times lower than the amount contaminating some water supplies. The recommendation culminates a decade of debate among scientists trying to decide what concentration is safe to drink. Environmental Health News. 21 August 2009.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/chromium-6-goal

Chromium carcinogenic in water; new standard in the works. Hexavalent chromium, the controversial 'Erin Brockovich' chemical, is carcinogenic in drinking water, scientists have concluded. California will soon propose a new health guideline for water supplies. Environmental Health News. 20 February 2009.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/chromium-in-drinking-water

EPA to require disclosure of secret pesticide ingredients.

EPA announces plan to require disclosure of secret pesticide ingredients. Reversing a decade-old decision, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday that it plans to require pesticide manufacturers to disclose to the public the inert ingredients in their products. Environmental Health News. 23 December 2009.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/inert-ingredients-in-pesticides

Obesity could have environmental roots.

Born to be big. Evidence has been steadily accumulating that certain hormone-mimicking pollutants, ubiquitous in the food chain, act on genes in the fetus and newborn to make more fat cells, which stay with you for life. And they may alter metabolic rate, so that the body hoards calories rather than burning them. Newsweek. 12 September 2009.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/215179

Child obesity is linked to chemicals in plastics. Exposure to chemicals used in plastics may be linked with childhood obesity, according to results from a long-term health study on girls who live in East Harlem and surrounding communities that were presented to community leaders on Thursday by researchers at Mount Sinai Medical Center. New York Times. 18 April 2009. [Registration Required]
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/17/child-obesity-is-linked-to-chemicals-in-plastics/

Hudson River cleanup begins, falters.

Long-awaited dredging of toxins begins in Hudson. Twenty-five years after the federal government declared a long stretch of the Hudson River to be a contaminated Superfund site, the cleanup of its chief remaining source of pollution began here Friday with a single scoop of mud. New York Times. 16 May 2009. [Registration Required]
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/16/science/earth/16dredge.html?hp

Toxic mud, heading to Texas, stirs town. There are not many towns in America that would welcome the 2.5 million cubic yards of toxic sludge being dredged from the bottom of the Hudson River in New York, but to hear Mayor Matt White tell it, Eunice is one of them. New York Times. 31 May 2009. [Registration Required]
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/31/science/earth/31waste.html

PCB shift forces G.E. to suspend Hudson River dredging. General Electric has temporarily suspended dredging for contaminants in the upper Hudson River after water samples showed that chemicals from the cleanup had traveled several miles downstream. New York Times. 11 August 2009. [Registration Required]
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/science/earth/11dredge.html

GE resumes Hudson dredging, with limits by EPA. General Electric resumed dredging for contaminants in the upper Hudson River on Tuesday afternoon after shutting down operations in response to tests that showed that chemicals from the cleanup had traveled several miles downstream. New York Times. 12 August 2009. [Registration Required]
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/12/science/earth/12dredge.html

School lunches include tainted food.

GAO audit: Schools slow to get alerts about tainted food. Federal agencies that supply food for 31 million schoolchildren fail to ensure that tainted products are pulled quickly from cafeterias, a federal audit obtained by USA TODAY finds. USA Today. 22 September 2009.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-09-22-school-lunches_N.htm

Schools in the dark about tainted lunches. The story of how food with a history of making kids sick continued to get into schools illustrates broad failures in government programs meant to provide safe, quality meals for America's children, a USA TODAY investigation found. Government roadblocks put the rights of manufacturers ahead of providing information that could protect children. USA Today. 17 November 2009.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-11-16-del-rey_N.htm

Why a recall of tainted beef didn't include school lunches. When health officials identified an outbreak of salmonella poisonings last summer, they traced the dangerous strain of salmonella to ground beef made at Beef Packers Inc., a major supplier to the National School Lunch Program. USA Today. 2 December 2009.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-12-01-beef-recall-lunches_N.htm

Fast-food safety rules trump those for school lunches. In the past three years, the government has provided the nation's schools with millions of pounds of beef and chicken that wouldn't meet the quality or safety standards of many fast-food restaurants, a USA TODAY investigation found. USA Today. 9 December 2009.
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20091209/1astandards09_cv.art.htm

Epigenetics gets attention.

Epigenetics: Unfinished symphony. It's well known that, despite their common genes, identical twins can develop different diseases. That could be due to epigenetics: a cryptic chemical and physical code written over our genome's DNA sequence. A global effort to decode the epigenetic code is now in the making. Nature. 21 April 2009.
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v441/n7090/full/441143a.html

Chemicals can turn genes on and off; new tests needed, scientists say. Each of us starts life with a particular set of genes, 20,000 to 25,000 of them. Now scientists are amassing a growing body of evidence that pollutants and chemicals might be altering those genes—not by mutating them, but by sending subtle signals that silence them or switch them on at the wrong times. Last week a National Academies workshop examined the evidence and implications. Environmental Health News. 3 August 2009.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/epigenetics-workshop

Key environmental epigenetics paper challenged. The findings of a key paper with potentially profound implications for the future of environmental health research and regulation are being challenged by a small group of government and industry scientists who say they cannot replicate its results. Environmental Science & Technology. 24 September 2009.
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/es902777p

Genes take a back seat. Epigenetics researchers are dethroning the gene as biology’s center of the universe. Epigenetics is helping to explain what underlies the similarities and differences among individuals and why different people respond differently to environmental exposures. Chemical & Engineering News. 6 April 2009.
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/science/87/8714sci1.html

Balsamic vinegar contains lead.

Special Report: Some vinegars -- often expensive, aged balsamics -- contain a big dose of lead. Signs in grocery stores in California warn shoppers about exposure to lead in many balsamic and red wine vinegars. Experts say regularly consuming it may pose a risk, particularly to children. Eating one tablespoon a day of some vinegars can raise a young child’s lead level by more than 30 percent. Environmental Health News. 9 November 2009.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/lead-in-vinegar

EPA takes on controversial chemicals.

EPA unveils plan to review 6 controversial chemicals, reform US toxics policy. Saying that the public is "understandably anxious and confused" about chemicals in their bodies and in their environment, President Obama’s top environmental official announced on Tuesday a new push to transform the way the nation regulates industrial compounds. Environmental Health News. 30 September 2009.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/epa-chemicals

Obama Administration addresses mountaintop mining.

Mountaintop mining to get more scrutiny. The Obama administration will announce plans today to tighten scrutiny of mountaintop coal mining--in an effort to reduce environmental damage from operations that shear off peaks and fill Appalachian valleys, federal officials said. Washington Post. 11 June 2009.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/10/AR2009061003984.html

EPA to scrutinize permits for mountaintop-removal mining. The EPA put hundreds of mountaintop mining operations on notice that they would be the focus of closer scrutiny yesterday, saying it needs to review their impact on local streams and wetlands before they can move forward. Washington Post. 25 March 2009. [Registration Required]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/24/AR2009032401607.html

Mining companies hit wall on mountaintop blasting. Last week, the EPA said it was holding up 79 permit applications for mining projects in Central Appalachia due to concerns the projects would damage water quality in nearby streams and violate the Clean Water Act. Another 180 applications are pending. Wall Street Journal. 8 October 2009. [Subscription Required]
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052748703298004574459363401191286.html

Obama EPA starts crackdown on mountaintop removal. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will more closely scrutinize mountaintop removal permits under a new initiative announced Tuesday by the Obama administration. Charleston Gazette, West Virginia. 25 March 2009.
http://wvgazette.com/News/MiningtheMountains/200903240379

Problems linger 25 years after Bhopal.

Bhopal's unlikely legacy in the US. The 1984 gas leak in Bhopal, India destroyed thousands of lives; but in the US, the disaster led to better regulation of industrial hazards. Public Radio International. 7 December 2009.
http://www.pri.org/world/bhopal-legacy-in-us1758.html

Anguish lingers in Bhopal, 25 years after chemical disaster. Waste still fouls the area where a Union Carbide plant released toxic gas, killing 15,000 and injuring many times more. Residents say firms don't care, nor does a government they see as corrupt. Los Angeles Times, California. 3 December 2009. [Registration Required]
http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-fg-india-bhopal3-2009dec03,0,3728767.story

Bhopal water still toxic 25 years after deadly gas leak, study finds. Groundwater found near the site of the world's worst chemical industrial accident in Bhopal is still toxic and poisoning residents a quarter of a century after a gas leak there killed thousands, two studies have revealed. London Guardian, United Kingdom. 2 December 2009.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/dec/01/bhopal-chemical-studies-toxic-levels

WR Grace acquitted in Montana.

Libby residents shellshocked by verdict. Friday's "not-guilty" verdicts in the W.R. Grace asbestos trial caught many Libby residents off guard, and left them disgusted. Missoula Missoulian, Montana. 9 May 2009.
http://www.missoulian.com/news/image_286e39a9-08b9-56c7-a279-9ef4e6ad47f8.html

W.R. Grace acquitted in Montana asbestos case. Chemical maker W.R. Grace and three former executives were acquitted yesterday of charges that they knowingly exposed residents of a small Montana mining town to asbestos over many years and concealed the deadly threat. Washington Post. 9 May 2009. [Registration Required]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/08/AR2009050803632.html

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigates BPA industry.

FDA to miss third deadline on BPA ruling. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will miss its third self-imposed deadline on letting consumers know whether it is safe to use products made with bisphenol A, a chemical ingredient in the lining of most food and beverage cans. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin. 30 December 2009.
http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/watchdogreports/80318597.html

BPA industry fights back. Faced with the prospects of tighter government regulation of bisphenol A, the industry has launched an unprecedented public relations blitz that uses many of the same tactics - and people - the tobacco industry used in its decades-long fight against regulation. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin. 23 August 2009.
http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/watchdogreports/54195297.html

FDA relied heavily on BPA lobby. As federal regulators hold fast to their claim that a chemical in baby bottles is safe, e-mails obtained by the Journal Sentinel show that they relied on chemical industry lobbyists to examine bisphenol A's risks, track legislation to ban it and even monitor press coverage. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin. 17 May 2009.
http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/watchdogreports/45228647.html

Green chemistry steams ahead.

Top tech for a cleaner planet. There's a lot more to green technology than renewable energy. From more efficient aircraft to thread made from chicken feathers, the world is awash with ingenious ideas. New Scientist. 4 October 2009.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427281.400-better-world-top-tech-for-a-cleaner-planet.html

Green alternatives to traditional pesticides. The demand for green products in Canada is growing rapidly. Biopesticides are offering a new option to organic farmers in the control of crop pests. Epoch Times. 23 August 2009.
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/21375/

Certified green. What it means to be green could soon become clearer. Proponents of green chemistry and engineering have started an effort to create a comprehensive industry standard that unambiguously identifies greener chemicals and process technologies. Chemical & Engineering News. 19 August 2009.
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/87/i34/8734news2.html

California sticks toe in green chemistry pond. In about a decade, California's "green chemistry" laws are expected to start affecting most products made in or brought into the Golden State, including fuel, building materials and retail items. Miller-McCune. 28 July 2009.
http://www.miller-mccune.com/science_environment/california-green-chemistry-1364

Nanotech: Scientists raise big concerns about tiny particles.

Safety first. Amid the exciting prospects for human health, a key question is whether the nano approach is safe, not just for medical applications but across the board in consumer products. So how is science addressing that question? Dublin Irish Times, Ireland. 4 December 2009.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/innovation/2009/1204/1224260011719.html

Nanosilver in consumer products: No silver lining for fish. Smaller than a virus and used in more than 200 consumer products, silver nanoparticles can kill and mutate fish embryos, new research shows. Increasingly popular in consumer goods, they wash down drains and are discharged into lakes and rivers, exposing fish and other aquatic life. Environmental Health News. 17 November 2009.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/nanosilver

Nanoparticles' indirect threat to DNA. Researchers from throughout the UK took part in a series of tests in which they separated tiny pieces of the cobalt-chromium alloy used in joint-replacement parts from potentially vulnerable test cells. The barrier did not prevent damage to the cells. Science News. 6 November 2009.
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/49191/title/Science_%2B_the_Public__Nanoparticles_indirect_threat_to_DNA

Nanotechnology: sci-fi fears vs. a world of innovation. As nanotechnology has come into wider use, more mundane dangers have surfaced. Now scientists worry that that tiny, fiberlike nanomaterials used to fight disease inside the body might cause the same kinds of lung inflammations, even cancers, as the fibers in asbestos. Miami Herald, Florida. 9 October 2009.
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/health/story/1273684.html

PFOA issues heat up.

Study raises new C8 questions. A chemical that DuPont uses to make Teflon might cause birth defects and weaken immune systems, according to a new study. Columbus Dispatch, Ohio. 27 March 2009.
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/03/27/C8study.ART_ART_03-27-09_B1_RMDC9QT.html?sid=101

Chemicals and cholesterol. PFCs are everywhere--from Teflon pans to stain resistant carpeting and take-out food containers. A new study shows a strong association between these chemicals and increased human cholesterol levels. Living On Earth. 7 November 2009.
http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.htm?programID=09-P13-00045&segmentID=4

Nonstick chemicals linked to infertility. A provocative new study finds that women who have trouble getting pregnant are more likely to have high concentrations of certain nonstick-chemical pollutants circulating in their blood than are those who become pregnant within the first month of trying. Science News. 6 February 2009.
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/40518/title/Nonstick_chemicals_linked_to_infertility

Chicago Tribune examines Agent Orange’s legacy.

Agent Orange's lethal legacy. As the U.S. military aggressively ratcheted up its spraying of Agent Orange over South Vietnam in 1965, the government and the chemical companies that produced the defoliant knew it posed health risks to soldiers and others who were exposed. Chicago Tribune, Illinois. 17 December 2009.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/agentorange/chi-agent-orange-dioxindec17,0,674174.story

At former U.S. bases in Vietnam, a potent poison is clear and present danger. Scientists have sampled nearly 3,000 former U.S. military bases scattered throughout South Vietnam and identified 28 "hot spots." Their findings offered a way to recast the legacy of Agent Orange in Vietnam as a solvable -- and urgent -- issue. Chicago Tribune, Illinois. 9 December 2009.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/agentorange/chi-agent-orange4dec09,0,7839395.story

Agent Orange: Congenital deformities plague Vietnam; US slow to help. At the heart of the most contentious question surrounding the use of defoliants during the Vietnam war is the suspected link to birth defects in, where more than 5 out of every 100 children are born with some form of physical or mental abnormality, a fourfold increase since the start of the war, according to Vietnamese scientists. Chicago Tribune, Illinois. 8 December 2009.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/agentorange/chi-agent-orange3-dec08,0,2946008.story

Bickering blocks search for causes of congenital deformities in Vietnam. Officials in the U.S. and Vietnamese governments agreed in 2002 to carry out joint research on the health and environmental impact of Agent Orange and other toxic defoliants, on the assumption that aid would follow the scientific results. Chicago Tribune, Illinois. 8 December 2009.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/agentorange/chi-agent-orange3-study-sidebar-dec08,0,7411594.story

Injustice follows injury. our months before succumbing to multiple myeloma, a Chicago-area Vietnam veteran and federal magistrate judge wrote a 140-page claim for justice and filed it with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. His message: Agent Orange is killing me, and you need to take responsibility. Chicago Tribune, Illinois. 5 December 2009.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/agentorange/chi-agent-orange2-dec06,0,2356181.story

Agent Orange's lethal legacy. In the 30 years since Agent Orange was recognized publicly as a potential health threat, the federal government has established a record of neglect, even as the health fallout has spread, a Tribune investigation finds. Chicago Tribune, Illinois. 4 December 2009.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/agentorange/chi-agent-orange1-dec04,0,6366546,full.story

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