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Week Starting April 30, 2012
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5/6/12
Sea-monster of tsunami debris starts to foul Alaska coast. Soccer balls, motorcycles and a million other reminders of the massive tsunami in Japan a year ago are appearing along Alaska’s coastlines. “It’s safe to say that tsunami debris is here,” said Merrick Burden, director of the Juneau-based Marine Conservation Alliance Foundation. Anchorage Daily News, Alaska.
Highway demonstration about climate change connects dots for drivers. Heidi Brugger wanted Mainers to connect the dots between changes around the state and climate change, so she made actual dots. On Saturday morning, 15 people lined up the side of Route 1 in Belfast, holding signs for Climate Impacts Day. Bangor Daily News, Maine.
New York lake’s freezing and thawing shows warming trend. There’s no shelter from climate change, and Wolf Lake’s pristine days may be numbered. A new study shows the length of time the lake is covered with ice each winter has declined by three weeks since 1975, indicating a change that may alter the lake’s ecology and harm cold-water species such as trout. Associated Press
Debate over continued incentives for energy companies. Public money supports the development of nearly every form of energy; several reports have attempted to quantify how much federal money is provided to energy, and what the voting public would prefer. Some experts say the the debate over subsidies boils down to debates over global warming. Phoenix Arizona Republic, Arizona.
Asian-American fishermen sue BP for racial discrimination. Vietnamese and Cambodian fishermen in Village L’est and Versailles in New Orleans East were among the first residents to return after Katrina, only to see their livelihoods crushed a few years later by the BP spill. In April, 41 Asian-American fishermen sued BP, claiming discrimination in the company’s Vessels of Opportunity program. New Orleans Louisiana Weekly, Louisiana.
5/5/12
Chemical manufacturers rely on fear to push flame retardant furniture standards. Dr. David Heimbach’s passionate testimony about a baby’s horrific death by fire made health concerns about flame retardants sound abstract and petty. But there was a problem with his testimony: It wasn’t true. Chicago Tribune, Illinois. [related stories]
Testing shows treated foam offers no safety benefit. The chemical industry’s leading trade group says fire-snuffing chemicals “can mean the difference between life and death.” But when scientists touched a small flame to a pair of upholstered chairs — one with a flame retardant in the foam and one without — both were engulfed in flames within four minutes. Chicago Tribune, Illinois. [related stories]
Clearcut chemicals. Oregon is timber country. The terrain is steep, dark green, and intensely beautiful. Six million acres of Oregon forest is owned by commercial timber companies. The companies spray the land with herbicide when the trees are young. Residents have become increasingly aware of the practice, and a growing number are questioning it. Living On Earth
Brown administration to create regulations for hydraulic fracturing. Under pressure from state lawmakers and environmentalists, Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration has agreed to write regulations for one controversial oil extraction method and reexamine rules for another that led to a worker’s death last year. Los Angeles Times [Registration Required]
Deep-ocean Antarctic research raises climate change concerns. The most dense water in the world is found deep in the Antarctic Ocean, where it stores heat and carbon dioxide that would otherwise filter into the atmosphere and contribute to climate change. But new research indicates the amount of dense water is substantially decreasing. Scientists say the findings have big implications. Australia ABC News, Australia.
Fingerprinting air pollution. Researchers now have a way to “fingerprint” air pollution such as NOx emissions. By studying the unique molecular signature of emissions, scientists from the University of Pittsburgh and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) located the precise sources of pollution across the country by tracking it back to individual stacks. Fast Company
Amish farm kids remarkably immune to allergies: study. Amish children raised on rural farms in northern Indiana suffer from asthma and allergies less often even than Swiss farm kids, a group known to be relatively free from allergies, according to a new study. Reuters Health
5/4/12
Smog-eating tiles gobble up air pollution. Can the roof of your house help you breathe easier by reducing the amount of harmful pollutants from urban air? Yes, claims the vice president of technology at Boreal Roofing, a U.S. company that has introduced a line of roof tiles that they say have pollution-busting properties. CNN
It’s not visible, but rig’s pollution is far from gone. Maybe BP’s Deepwater Horizon spill has receded from the public consciousness. But rest assured, the oil remains, in unnatural places, such as the bile of some fish species. What that means is open to conjecture for now. Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Florida.
San Joaquin Valley water agencies look at farming. California failed to protect the San Joaquin Valley from fertilizer, dairy and septic contamination now threatening drinking water from thousands of wells, says the leader of the responsible state agency. Fresno Bee, California.
Many gardening products have high levels of toxic chemicals. Researchers tested nearly 200 garden essentials – gloves, knee pads, hand tools and hoses – for heavy metals and chemicals known to pose a health risk. The results: Nearly two out of three products tested contained chemical levels of high concern. Seattle KOMO, Washington.
Alabama residents complain of symptoms linked to mercaptan exposure. Dozens of residents in Prichard’s Eight Mile community have sought medical help due to symptoms they believe are related to exposure to mercaptan, the chemical that Mobile Gas spilled in the neighborhood in 2008. Mobile Press-Register, Alabama.
Haiti cholera has changed, CDC study shows. The cholera strain in Haiti is evolving, a sign that it may be taking deeper root in the nation after it killed thousands of people. Experts say the CDC study suggests the disease is becoming endemic. Associated Press
5/3/12
Electrical pollution: Are we being poisoned? Fueled in part by studies that show children exposed to heavy levels of electromagnetic fields have a greater chance of developing leukemia, several countries in the European Union have established strict safety thresholds – limits far below what’s commonplace in the United States. Houston KRIV TV, Texas.
Mutant-flu paper published. Avian H5N1 influenza viruses in the wild may be one small step away from spreading effectively between mammals. That is the sobering message from a controversial study published online after months of debate about how to release the findings publicly. Nature
EPA will begin monitoring TCP nationally. Next year, the federal government will start checking drinking water for a newly recognized contaminant—1,2,3-trichloropropane or TCP. Fresno Bee, California.
EPA will begin monitoring TCP nationally. Next year, the federal government will start checking drinking water for a newly recognized contaminant—1,2,3-trichloropropane or TCP. Fresno Bee, California.
Teachers endure balancing act over climate change curriculum. For the first time, new national educational standards for grades K-12 will link global warming trends to manmade emissions. But some parents are pushing back. PBS NewsHour
Lights out for research satellites? Earth-observing systems operated by the United States have entered a steep decline, imperiling the nation’s monitoring of weather, natural disasters and climate change, a report from the National Research Council warned on Wednesday. New York Times [Registration Required]
Scientists model global concentrations of toxic wildfire chemical. A toxic chemical recently discovered in wildfire smoke by Boulder researchers may be lurking in heavy concentrations in Southeast Asia, Siberia, China and tropical Africa, according to a new study. Boulder Daily Camera, Colorado.
USDA quarantines two farms over mad cow. Two farms have been quarantined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as the agency continues to investigate last month’s discovery of mad cow disease at a California dairy farm. CNN
California senator calls for investigation into ‘meat glue.’ Just when you thought the “pink slime” controversy was in the past and that the discovery of mad-cow disease had blown over, the forces that be now bring yet another cause for carnivore concern: calls for an investigation into ‘meat glue.’ Los Angeles Times [Registration Required]
5/2/12
Studies raise questions about pavement sealers. Airborne emissions and stray dust from coal tar–based sealers, one of the two main types of products used to coat certain asphalt pavements, may be a more significant human health threat than previously thought, according to three new studies and a review. Environmental Health Perspectives
http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.120-a192a
Autism rates booming, industrial chemicals may play a role, researchers finding. While the role of obesity and the age of parents has been garnering headlines of late, the big battle over what causes autism has been between genetics and environment. San Antonio Current, Texas.
http://sacurrent.com/news/new-federal-data-shows-autism-rates-are-booming-local-researchers-are-finding-industrial-chemicals-may-play-a-role-1.1309009
Autism rates booming, industrial chemicals may play a role, researchers finding. While the role of obesity and the age of parents has been garnering headlines of late, the big battle over what causes autism has been between genetics and environment. San Antonio Current, Texas.
http://sacurrent.com/news/new-federal-data-shows-autism-rates-are-booming-local-researchers-are-finding-industrial-chemicals-may-play-a-role-1.1309009
New study predicts frack fluids can migrate to aquifers within years. A new study has raised fresh concerns about the safety of gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale, concluding that fracking chemicals injected into the ground could migrate toward drinking water supplies far more quickly than experts have previously predicted. ProPublica
http://www.propublica.org/article/new-study-predicts-frack-fluids-can-migrate-to-aquifers-within-years
Investigations into Fukushima accident disagree on key points. Despite investigations by four special committees, key questions remain about the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, the world’s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. Asahi Shimbun, Japan.
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201205010090
5/1/12
Exposures to pesticide in utero linked to brain abnormalities. Babies exposed in the womb to a commonly used insecticide have brain abnormalities after birth, according to a study that looked at children born before the U.S. limited the chemical’s use. Bloomberg News
Knee-deep in doubt. Affluent Balboa Island has become Southern California’s front line in the debate about climate change and rising seas. Here, where science meets the seawall, it’s time to decide: to believe, or not to believe? Orange Coast, California.
Knee-deep in doubt. Affluent Balboa Island has become Southern California’s front line in the debate about climate change and rising seas. Here, where science meets the seawall, it’s time to decide: to believe, or not to believe? Orange Coast, California.
Climate change is expanding allergy risks. Watery eyes, runny noses and puffy faces will abound this year as a warm winter, human development and climate change converge to create a brutal allergy season that will likely get worse for years to come, according to experts. ClimateWire
China’s looming conflict between energy and water. In its quest to find new sources of energy, China is increasingly looking to its western provinces. But the nation’s push to develop fossil fuel and alternative sources has so far ignored a basic fact: Western China lacks the water needed to support major new energy development. Yale Environment 360
Fracking ‘health challenges’ to be examined by US advisers. The Institute of Medicine will examine whether the process of hydraulic fracturing to extract natural gas from rock “poses potential health challenges,” a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official said. Bloomberg News
California agency ripped over disparities in autism spending. California lawmakers and advocates for children with autism assailed the state Department of Developmental Services during a hearing Monday over the deep racial and ethnic disparities in how it spends money on the disorder. Los Angeles Times [Registration Required]
4/30/12
Survey: Sustainability an ‘Important Factor’ in Supply Chain Choices Seventy-two percent of US companies say sustainability influences their purchasing decisions and is an important factor when selecting a service provider, according to a survey by cloud computing firm Rackspace Hosting.
Garbology: Talking trash. Thanks to new regulations, the emission of toxic chemicals from waste processing has been reduced a thousandfold. Today, the total emission of dioxins and furans produced by all the incinerators in America is less than ten grams a year, according to the EPA. Even so, municipal incinerators continue to have an image problem. Economist
Patagonia’s founder is America’s most unlikely business guru. For years, Yvon Chouinard kept his eco-conscious, employee-friendly practices largely to himself. Now megacorporations like Walmart, Levi Straus and Nike are following his lead. Wall Street Journal [Subscription Required]
Mild winter could lead to huge honeybee die-off come fall. Beekeepers need to be especially careful this year. A mild winter and unseasonably warm early spring have created conditions reminiscent of 2010, when beekeepers were caught off guard from an explosion of mite populations that killed off many honeybee colonies, according to a state expert. Waterville Morning Sentinel, Maine.
Wind farms may have warming effect. Large wind farms might have a warming effect on the local climate, research in the United States showed on Sunday, casting a shadow over the long-term sustainability of wind power. Reuters
Plastic pollution in ocean likely underestimated, researchers say. Scientists have only skimmed the surface on the devastating pollution caused by plastic debris in the ocean, and the research community is likely underestimating the amount of plastic in the ocean. California Watch
Flooding dispersed invasive plant, fish species. Last year’s hurricanes and flooding not only engulfed homes and carried away roads and bridges in hard-hit areas of the country, it dispersed aggressive invasive species as well. Associated Press
Assessing chemicals. The EPA broke new ground in March when it announced that it will subject dozens of chemicals in commerce to risk assessment. In principle, environmental groups and the chemical industry welcome EPA’s action. But EPA’s plan faces criticism from industry groups. Chemical & Engineering News
Obesity-linked diabetes in children resists treatment. As obesity rates in children have climbed, so has the incidence of Type 2 diabetes, and a new study adds another worry: the disease progresses more rapidly in children than in adults and is harder to treat. New York Times [Registration Required]
Wildllife Services’ deadly force opens Pandora’s box of environmental problems. Amidst the rugged terrain of Nevada’s Granite Mountains, a little-known federal agency called Wildlife Services has waged a war against predators. But like a mirage, the dream of protecting deer by killing predators has not materialized. Part 2 of 3. Sacramento Bee, California.
Places to Look for Energy Losses in Commercial Buildings Data from millions of businesses, institutions and manufacturers show that sustainability issues fall into four main categories: rising energy costs, growing disposal costs, limited water supply and health concerns over the quality of indoor air.
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