E Magazine Daily News Feed

Eating and Drinking Arsenic

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 21:54 GMT

by Lindsey Blomberg A new study by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, found an infant formula sweetened with organic brown rice syrup to have a total arsenic concentration level of as much as six times the U.S. Environmental…

Weather Extremes Linked to Climate Change

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 21:41 GMT

by Brita Belli The nonprofit Environment America just released a new report detailing the connection between global warming and extreme weather—one that makes it clear not only that such catastrophic weather events are happening more often, but that they are quickly becoming the norm across the U.S. The report…

Childhood Obesity and Phthalates

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:37 GMT

by Brita Belli A new study has revealed an association between childhood obesity and phthalate exposure. Phthalates are industrial compounds used in a huge array of consumer products, including hairsprays, wood finishers, vinyl flooring, medical devices and more. The chemicals are known to cause reproductive…

New U.S. Nuclear Plants Ahead

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:27 GMT

by Lindsey Blomberg Nearly one year after being struck by a horrific 9.0 earthquake and tsunami, the Japanese are dealing with far more than rubble and rebuilding. They’re decontaminating. The disaster that struck last March 11 destroyed the cooling systems in three reactors at the Daiichi nuclear power plant in…

Weighing the Costs of Caribou Protection

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:33 GMT

by Lindsey Blomberg Woodland caribou are one of the most endangered species in the U.S. With just 50 or fewer remaining, the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is proposing designating approximately 375,000 acres of high-elevation forest land in the Selkirk Mountains, including portions of Bonner and Boundary…

Push to Label Genetically Modified Foods

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:00 GMT

by Brita Belli Hundreds of partner organizations representing healthcare, consumers, the environment and farmers have launched a campaign called Just Label It! that’s working on gathering one million signatures to send to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in support of labeling all foods that contain…

Protecting Climate Scientists

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:53 GMT

by Lindsey Blomberg The Climate Science Legal Defense Fund was created last September by Scott Mandia, a physical sciences professor at Suffolk County Community College in New York and Joshua Wolfe, a Brooklyn photographer who partnered with the Earth Institute at Columbia University in An Illustrated Guide to Climate…

Taking Nanosilver to Court

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:37 GMT

by Brita Belli Nanosilver is not talked about with the same urgency as triclosan in soaps and toothpastes and bisphenol A in canned foods, but it may be just as worrisome, and has entered the marketplace—and our bodies, and the environment—with virtually no regulatory oversight. Measuring in the billionths of…

Losing Bats to White Nose Syndrome

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:54 GMT

by Lindsey Blomberg The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced last week that an estimated 5.7 million to 6.7 million bats have died from White Nose Syndrome (WNS) in 16 states and Canada. The estimate, which USFWS biologists based on data extracted from mines and caves through December 2011, far surpasses…

Republican Candidates Turn Hard Right on Environmental Issues

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:17 GMT

by Brita Belli Republican presidential candidates have taken a hard right turn when it comes to environmental issues, as noted in a recent Associated Press article—positions that will likely get a serious showing during the Jan. 31 primary debate in Florida. Until now, environmental topics have taken a back…

Smart Meters Bring Benefits and Detractors

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 20:01 GMT

by Lindsey Blomberg Utility providers across the U.S are tossing old analog electric meters and replacing them with new smart meters. Smart meters use wireless radio transmitters to send household power usage data directly to power companies, eliminating the need for meter readers, that allow homeowners to track their…

A Wikileaks for Appalachia?

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:51 GMT

by Taylor McGrath Honest Appalachia is a new website for whistleblowers that allows individuals to leak corporate information to the public anonymously and hopes to expose government and corporate wrongdoing in a rural region lacking a strong media presence. Founded by Jim Tobias and Garrett Robinson, the site is…

A Push to Cut Down on Antibiotics in Livestock

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 18:35 GMT

by Lindsey Blomberg The overuse of antibiotics in livestock is a growing concern in the wake of evolving drug-resistant “superbugs” like Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and the ST131 strain of Escherichia coli (E. Coli). According to U.S Food and Drug…

BPA’s Long Paper Trail

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 18:26 GMT

by Brita Belli A study published in Environmental Science and Technology in September 2011 found that the hormone-disrupting chemical bisphenol A (BPA) is more widespread in paper products than previously thought. The chemical first drew public concern for its use in plastic—particularly plastic baby bottles,…

Ohio Quakes Linked to Fracking

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 19:19 GMT

by Brita Belli Ohio—specifically the town of Youngstown, Ohio—has been hit with 11 earthquakes over the past year that look to be related to storing wastewater from hydraulic fracturing or fracking operations in underground wells. As a result, on Sunday, Jan. 1, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources…

Cape Wind Controversy Continues

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 19:04 GMT

by Lindsey Blomberg Cape Wind, a $2.5 billion initiative to build 130 wind turbines in the Nantucket Sound, located off of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, aims to be the first offshore wind energy project in U.S. coastal waters. At peak generation, the 440-foot turbines will be capable of producing 454 megawatts (MW) of…

A Victory on Mercury Emissions

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 19:14 GMT

by Brita Belli Despite extensive lobbying by the coal industry, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released new standards that will reduce mercury and other toxic emissions from power plants. Coal plants are the largest source of mercury emissions, accounting for 50% of such emissions worldwide.…

Forcing a Pipeline Decision

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 19:02 GMT

by Taylor McGrath A standoff between Republicans and Democrats in Congress over the extension of a payroll tax bill looks to have been resolved late on Thursday, December 22, but not without the controversial inclusion of the $7 billion Keystone XL pipeline project. On December 9, GOP leaders added provisions…

Is That Soda Safe?

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 18:44 GMT

by Brita Belli If you’ve always suspected that neon-colored sodas like Mountain Dew, Fanta Orange and various citrusy Gatorade drinks contain less-than-savory ingredients, you’re right. These and other highly sweetened, highly colored citrus-flavored sodas contain brominated vegetable oil (BVO), a synthetic…

Facebook Greens Up

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 18:36 GMT

by Lindsey Blomberg Facebook has announced they will begin collaborating with Greenpeace, the site’s most “liked” environmental nonprofit organization, as part of a major push to eventually power their data centers with clean and renewable energy. “Facebook looks forward to a day when our primary energy…