Green Buckeye RN

October 30, 2009
By Ken Ward Jr.
Staff writer

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Children with more of the toxic chemical C8 in their blood are more likely to have high cholesterol, according to a new scientific study filed Friday in Wood Circuit Court.
The study, conducted by West Virginia University researchers, found higher levels of C8 “were significantly associated with higher cholesterol and LDL, or so-called “bad cholesterol,” according to a summary filed by lawyers for DuPont Co. and Wood County residents.
Lawyers for both sides in a now-settled class-action suit over DuPont’s C8 pollution filed the study in circuit court after it was provided to them by members of a three-person science panel studying the chemical’s effects as part of that legal settlement.
Previously, the C8 Science Panel had issued a report that tied C8 exposure to high cholesterol in adults, and other studies have linked high levels of exposure to increased cholesterol among exposed chemical plant workers.

 Read further at http://wvgazette.com/News/200910300738

By Justin McIntosh, jmcintosh@mariettatimes.com
POSTED: October 31, 2009

To see the report: environmentohio.org , click on “Wasting Our Waterways” report.

The two rivers that converge at Marietta are among the 10 most polluted in the country, according to a new environmental report.

The information, culled from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxics Release Inventory from 2007, shows that more toxic chemicals are dumped into the Ohio River than any other waterway in the country. The Muskingum River, meanwhile, was the ninth most polluted waterway, according to the report.

What that data means about the safety of the waterways, though, is getting mixed analysis from different environmental groups.

Amanda Moore, field organizer with Environment Ohio, the group that put together the report, said the data proves what was common knowledge where she grew up in Bridgeport, along the Ohio River.

Read the article at http://www.mariettatimes.com/page/content.detail/id/516928.html?nav=5002

(Chicago – Nov. 2, 2009)  —  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 has issued an administrative consent order to the University of Cincinnati requiring the university to comply with its state operating permit and its construction permit for a coal-fired boiler and two natural gas-fired turbines at 3001 Vine St.
The order resolves EPA allegations that the university had exceeded its emission limit for opacity (the amount of light obscured by particulate matter) for its coal-fired boiler and nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide emission limits for its two gas-fired turbines.
Inhaling high concentrations of particulates can affect children, the elderly and people with heart and lung diseases the most.
Nitrogen oxides can irritate the lungs and lower resistance to respiratory infections.  They also contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone (smog) and acid rain.
When carbon monoxide enters the bloodstream, it reduces delivery of oxygen to the body’s organs and tissues.  Exposure to high levels of carbon monoxide can cause death or impair vision, hand movement, learning ability and performance of complex tasks.
Information about EPA Region 5’s air enforcement program is at http://www.epa.gov/region5/air/enforce/index.html .  Potential environmental violations may be reported at http://www.epa.gov/compliance/complaints .

By Amanda DeBard

To appreciate the extent to which the Environmental Protection Agency under President Obama is a regulator reborn, consider this: EPA officials have begun to cut air pollution by invoking the Clean Water Act.

Long quiescent under President George W. Bush, the agency is churning out initiatives and regulations at a pace that pleases its friends in the environmental movement and frightens many in the business community.

In the past eight months, the EPA has proposed eight major new regulations for air pollutants that would strengthen the nation’s clean air laws almost overnight. In contrast, in the first eight months of the Bush administration, the agency proposed one small regulation that affected a limited number of polluters.

Read further at http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/nov/04/epa-uses-water-act-to-fight-dirty-air/

Francesca Levy, 11.02.09, 06:00 PM EST
Poor air quality, lack of clean water and a high rate of superfund sites make these metros most contaminated.
 
In Atlanta, Ga., you’ll find southern gentility, a world-class music scene–and 21,000 tons of environmental waste. In spite of its charms, the city’s combination of air pollution, contaminated land and atmospheric chemicals makes it the most toxic city in the country.

An urban skyline dotted with puffing smokestacks isn’t the only measure of a city’s cleanliness (or lack thereof). Most major cities suffer from a range of unseen hazards. Contaminants can seep into the ground from bygone chemical spills or shuttered steel mills. Invisible leaks at industrial complexes discharge harmful substances into the air, or the normal course of business requires factories to expel toxins that eventually find their way to the water supply.

While it may be the U.S. metro in the worst environmental shape, Atlanta isn’t the only place whose residents contend with contamination. Top spots for toxicity are distributed throughout the country, with Detroit, Houston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Cleveland and Los Angeles right behind it.

Read further at http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/02/toxic-cities-pollution-lifestyle-real-estate-toxic-cities.html

Consumer Reports finds controversial chemical in nearly all canned foods it tested
By Meg Kissinger of the Journal Sentinel

Posted: Nov. 2, 2009

Warning: Chemicals in the packaging, surfaces or contents of many products may cause long-term health effects, including cancers of the breast, brain and testicles; lowered sperm counts, early puberty and other reproductive system defects; diabetes; attention deficit disorder, asthma and autism. A decade ago, the government promised to test these chemicals. It still hasn’t.A new test conducted for Consumer Reports magazine found bisphenol A leaching into food from nearly all cans, including those marked “BPA-free” and “organic.”

The magazine’s tests found that levels of the chemical in many of the cans were comparable to those found to cause cell damage and behavioral effects in animal studies.

The results, which are to be published Tuesday in the magazine’s December issue, echo those found last year in tests conducted by the Journal Sentinel.

Urvashi Rangan, director of technical policy for the Consumers Union, the organization that publishes the magazine, said she got the idea for the tests from the Journal Sentinel article.

Rangan said both tests prove that consumers can’t know by looking at the can how much BPA is in the food that they are buying.

“This shows that our canned food market needs a closer look,” Rangan said.

Rangan and the Consumers Union have written a letter to the director of the Food and Drug Administration urging the agency to ban BPA in food and beverage contact items. The group has long favored a ban, but the test has bolstered its case.

Last year, the FDA declared the chemical to be safe for all use. But a few months later, a federal panel found that the agency erred in its assessment by considering only two studies, both of which were paid for by the American Chemistry Council, a lobby group for BPA-makers.

Read the article at http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/watchdogreports/68755732.html

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy unveiled the 2010 Fuel Economy Guide, which gives consumers important information about estimated fuel costs and mileage standards for model year 2010 vehicles.

“Every year, consumers use the Fuel Economy Guide to find clean, efficient, cost-effective vehicles that meets their needs and their budgets,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “It’s an easy, accessible resource for everyone, and helps us cut harmful pollution from the air, and save money for American drivers.”

The Fuel Economy Guide is an annual publication containing the fuel economy estimates for all cars and light trucks. The guide includes much more information than appears on the window sticker label, including information about alternative fueled vehicles, the range of fuel economy for different classes of vehicles, a list of fuel economy leaders, and tips for improving fuel economy. See the lists for the 2010 model year Fuel Economy Guide.  http://www.epa.gov/fueleconomy/basicinformation.htm

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

By JOHN FLESHER
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Congressional negotiators reached a deal Tuesday that would effectively exempt 13 ships that haul iron ore, coal and other freight on the Great Lakes from a proposed federal rule meant to reduce air pollution.

The Lake Carriers’ Association, which represents the 55 U.S.-flagged vessels that operate on the lakes, had asked for at least a partial exemption from rules proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency that would require large vessels operating within 200 miles of a U.S. coast to use cleaner _ and costlier _ fuel and improve engine technology.

Negotiators in Washington approved the exemption as part of a natural resources spending bill. The measure could be voted on in the House as early as Wednesday.

 Read the article at http://www.baynews9.com/content/9/2009/10/27/539010.html

By ANNE PAINE • Staff Writer • October 27, 2009

A new EPA report says that the potentially toxic pollutants in coal ash – from mercury to arsenic – are of particular concern because they can concentrate in large amounts that are discharged to waterways or seep into groundwater.

The more than 230-page report, which comes about ten months after the massive coal ash spill at TVA’s Kingston power plant in East Tennessee, has brought accolades from the environmental community and a call for regulatory action.
“We applaud the EPA for addressing coal’s toxic legacy head on, for delving deeper and completing this long overdue investigation,” Mary Anne Hitt, Deputy Director of the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign said in an emailed statement.

Read the article at http://www.tennessean.com/article/20091027/NEWS01/91027104/Coal%20ash%20poses%20significant%20risk%20%20EPA%20report%20says

The chemical industry hides behind touchy-feely name and Obama’s OMB acts a lot like it did under Bush.
Posted on October 27, 2009, 08:42, by schneider.
The Coalition for Chemical Safety sounds like just the kind of group to which environmental activists would swarm.
The images on their Web site are iconic: A child holding the hand of a grownup, a worker’s hard hat with an American flag decal, a family photo.

Their message is that you must tell Congress it’s time to reform our nation’s chemical safety laws.

Sign up and they say they will inundate federal lawmakers with e-mails under your name reminding them that it’s time to change the Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxic Substances Control Act in a way that will “protect public health, preserve American jobs and innovation.”

Read further at http://www.coldtruth.com/2009/10/27/the-chemical-industry-hides-behind-touchy-feely-name-and-obama%E2%80%99s-omb-acts-a-lot-like-it-did-under-bush/

By JOHN FLESHER
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Congressional negotiators reached a deal Tuesday that would effectively exempt 13 ships that haul iron ore, coal and other freight on the Great Lakes from a proposed federal rule meant to reduce air pollution.

The Lake Carriers’ Association, which represents the 55 U.S.-flagged vessels that operate on the lakes, had asked for at least a partial exemption from rules proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency that would require large vessels operating within 200 miles of a U.S. coast to use cleaner _ and costlier _ fuel and improve engine technology.

Negotiators in Washington approved the exemption as part of a natural resources spending bill. The measure could be voted on in the House as early as Wednesday.

 Read further at http://www.baynews9.com/content/9/2009/10/27/539010.html

 New research suggests a link between women’s exposure to household insecticides — including roach and mosquito killers — and the autoimmune disorders rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

The scientist did not find a direct cause-and-effect relationship between insecticide exposure and the illnesses, and it’s possible that the women have something else in common that accounts for their higher risk. But epidemiologist Christine Parks, lead investigator of the study, said the findings do raise a red flag.

“It’s hard to envision what other factors might explain this association,” said Parks, an epidemiologist with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences who was to present the study over the weekend at the American College of Rheumatology annual meeting in Philadelphia.

Read further at http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-10-22-insecticides-autoimmune_N.htm

The U.S. Department of Justice has reached a $13 million legal settlement with Formosa Plastics, one of the biggest manufacturers of PVC in the country. The agreement came about after the EPA discovered “extensive” chemical pollution violations at their PVC plants in Point Comfort, Texas, and Baton Rouge, LA during inspections. This is a big victory for community members and workers who have been battling Formosa Plastics for many years, led by fisherwomen Diane Wilson, who told her story in the terrific book An Unreasonable Woman.  In response to the legal settlement, Formosa vice president Randy Smith had the audacity to claim the PVC facility in Point Comfort, Texas has had “no significant environmental and health impacts.”  Workers who suffer from health problems at the plant strongly disagree, and have now appealed to OSHA for help.

(Chicago – Oct. 28, 2009) – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 has reached an agreement with J&J Cores LLC on alleged clean-air violations at the company’s secondary aluminum production facility at 2237 Oxford Township Road, Newcomerstown, Ohio.  EPA assessed a $1,000 penalty.
The agreement resolves EPA allegations that from April to June 2008 J&J Cores failed to continuously monitor and record temperatures of the afterburner that controls hazardous air pollutant emissions from its sweat furnace.  The company uses the sweat furnace to reclaim aluminum from automotive, household and manufacturing breakage scrap.  Hazardous air pollutants may cause serious health effects including birth defects and cancer.  They may also cause harmful environmental and ecological effects.

Information about EPA Region 5’s air enforcement program is at http://www.epa.gov/region5/air/enforce/index.html. 

Potential environmental violations may be reported at http://www.epa.gov/compliance/complaints.

(Chicago – Oct. 28, 2009) – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 has reached an agreement with Sunoco Inc. (R&M) on alleged clean-air violations at the company’s chemical plant at 1019 Haverhill-Ohio Furnace Road, Haverhill, Ohio.   The agreement, which includes a $400,000 penalty, resolves EPA allegations that Sunoco failed to comply with federal requirements for controlling leaks of hazardous air pollutants from equipment at the plant.   Hazardous air pollutants may cause serious health effects including birth defects and cancer.  They may also cause harmful environmental and ecological effects.

Information about EPA Region 5’s air enforcement program is at http://www.epa.gov/region5/air/enforce/index.html. 

Potential environmental violations may be reported at http://www.epa.gov/compliance/complaints.

By ANJALI ATHAVALEY

A bill backed by industry and environmental groups would set federal limits on a potentially dangerous chemical inside your home: formaldehyde. But it could mean a small increase in furniture prices for consumers.

The bill, introduced last month by Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, would reduce indoor emissions of formaldehyde, a chemical used in adhesives found in domestic and imported composite wood products. The standard for formaldehyde proposed in the bill would apply to particleboard, plywood and medium-density fiberboard, all commonly used materials in household furniture. Formaldehyde-based adhesives have been a component of composite wood products for decades and are considered cost-effective by manufacturers.

Currently, there is no federal standard for formaldehyde emissions in most homes. The Department of Housing and Urban Development has set limits on formaldehyde in plywood and particleboard, but they apply specifically to materials used to build prefabricated and mobile homes. Under the proposed legislation, composite wood products sold in the U.S. would have to meet formaldehyde-emission standards of about 0.09 parts per million by January 2012, matching standards recently adopted by California.

Read the article at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703816204574487412817324226.html#