HEIRS Environmental Health

Will Fukushima spell Tepco's doom?

2011-03-24T10:26:00.000-07:00

"And the chances are the Japanese cars we drive, the television sets from Japan in living rooms across the world and the Japanese game consoles used by children globally have been produced using electricity generated at one of Tepco's plants."

Japan braces for potential radiation catastrophe - Yahoo! News

2011-03-15T05:07:00.000-07:00

"Japan faced a potential catastrophe on Tuesday after a quake-crippled nuclear power plant exploded and sent low levels of radiation floating toward Tokyo, prompting some people to flee the capital and others to stock up on essential supplies"

Read more: Japan braces for potential radiation catastrophe - Yahoo! News:

Blast destroys nuclear power station roof in Japan - USATODAY.com

2011-03-14T06:23:00.000-07:00

"An explosion Monday afternoon ripped through Unit 3 of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station in northeastern Japan and destroyed the roof of a reactor building. The Japanese government quickly imposed a 12 mile quarantine and required residents to immediately evacuate, but said those beyond were not at risk."

Japan's quake leads to damage on California coast - San Jose Mercury News

2011-03-12T04:22:00.000-08:00

"Surging water generated from the powerful earthquake off Japan's coast hit the California coastline Friday morning, capsizing boats, splintering docks and panicking thousands of seaside spectators from Eureka to Santa Cr"

Read more: Japan's quake leads to damage on California coast - San Jose Mercury News:

Recommended: Click this link for more about American MedicalID

Theories abound after fish die en masse in marina | accessAtlanta

2011-03-09T07:09:00.000-08:00

"After a night of gusty winds rocking their vessels, boaters in a Southern California marina awakened to find a carpet of silvery fish. About one million lifeless sardines packed into the harbor, stacking 12- to 18-inches deep in some spots."

Dolphin Deaths In Gulf Region Spike, Probably Because Of That Massive Oil Spill That Happened

2011-02-23T07:07:00.000-08:00

"Ten months ago, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded and sank in the Gulf of Mexico, leaving behind an 'oil volcano' belching millions of gallons of poison into the waters of the Gulf region. The spill was stopped up in mid-September, weeks after most of the media started pretending that the massive quantities of oil had basically disappeared, perhaps eaten by magical microbes!"

EPA to ease cost of regulation | Top AP Stories | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

2011-02-23T07:03:00.000-08:00

"The Environmental Protection Agency is making it much cheaper for companies to reduce toxic air pollution from industrial boilers and incinerators."

GOP Proposes $1.6 Billion Cut to EPA Budget, Defends $4 Billion in Oil Subsidies - ProPublica

2011-02-11T08:05:00.000-08:00

"Oil companies are subsidized by approximately $4 billion each year through deductions and loopholes in the corporate tax code. The New York Times reported last year that tax breaks are “available at virtually every stage [8] of the exploration and extraction process,”"

Read more: GOP Proposes $1.6 Billion Cut to EPA Budget, Defends $4 Billion in Oil Subsidies - ProPublica:

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The once and future king

2010-12-26T04:13:00.000-08:00

"Every minute, a machine at Peabody Energy Corp.'s North Antelope Rochelle mine scrapes an 80-foot wall of coal with a giant steel claw. With each swipe, the beast pivots and deposits a heap of black rock into a waiting truck."

Water analysis raises safety issues

2010-12-21T09:53:00.000-08:00

"A new analysis showing the presence of a probable carcinogen in the tap water of 31 cities across the country has raised questions about possible risks posed to consumers in those communities and how they can reduce their exposure."

Read more: Water analysis raises safety issues:

Chemical Found in Older Home Products (PFOS) Shown to Alter Immune Cells~!

2010-12-21T08:58:00.000-08:00

Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), or perfluorooctane sulfonate is a compound that was primarily made by 3M in the US. Under advisement by the Environmental Protection Agency is is no longer produced for products in the United States. Before 2000, it was used in foam and as fire retardents as well, as for Scotchguard for carpets. The chemical has also been found in wildlife at levels that may effect health. (Wipedia)

In recent studies, it has demonstrated some health effects but the studies have been considered as biased and somewhat controversial. A new study again shows there may be effects on the immune system. Th results show that " PFOS exposure can alter some inflammatory processes, which could potentially lead to misdirected inflammatory responses." In a previous 2010 study, results showed substantial elevations in immune parameters with LPS.(Dong)

In individuals who already may be susceptible to altered immune function, this may have a negative impact on health. Mixed exposures may augment the inflammatory response and immune changes.

Mollenhauer, M. A., Bradshaw, S. G., Fair, P. A., McGuinn, W. D. & Peden-Adams, M. M. Effects of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) exposure on markers of inflammation in female B6C3F1 mice. Journal of environmental science and health. Part A, Toxic/hazardous substances & environmental engineering 46, 97-108 (2011). URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10934529.2011.532418.
Dong, G.-H. H. et al. Subchronic effects of perfluorooctanesulfonate exposure on inflammation in adult male C57BL/6 mice. Environmental toxicology (2010). URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/tox.20642.
http://www.citeulike.org/user/HEIRS/article/7736401?show_msg=already_posted
Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid. Wipedia. Retrieved on December 21, 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfluorooctanesulfonic_acid

EPA Tightening Drinking Water Standards

2010-12-09T08:56:00.000-08:00

The Environmental Protection Agency is tightening drinking water standards to impose stricter limits on four contaminants that can cause cancer. Read more.....

Link

Public Comments Sought by EPA on Chlorpyrifos Decision

2010-12-09T07:27:00.000-08:00

"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) just announced that it is seeking public comment until December 15 on a draft stipulation in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York that will suspend further litigation with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA) on the claim that EPA has unreasonably delayed its response to their 2007 petition to cancel all uses and revoke all tolerances for the pesticide chlorpyrifos..."

Public Comments Sought by EPA on Chlorpyrifos Decision

Single Exposure to Dioxin Can Cause Problems for Future Generations

2010-12-09T07:13:00.000-08:00

"A new study finds that exposure to dioxin in the womb can affect female reproduction for generations, reducing fertility and increasing the chance for premature delivery. Scientists from the Women’s Reproductive Health Research Center at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine examined the effects of a specific variety of dioxin on female mice and found that subsequent generations of the mice exposed to dioxin are at risk......"

Read article here.

EPA Asked to Pull Pesticide Linked to Bee Kills

2010-12-09T07:09:00.000-08:00

Beekeepers and environmentalists called on the U.S. Environmental Agency (EPA) December 8, to remove a pesticide linked to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), citing a leaked EPA memo that discloses a critically flawed scientific support study...Read more

EPA to Expand Chemicals Testing for Endocrine Disruption

2010-12-09T03:42:00.000-08:00

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified a list of 134 chemicals that will be screened for their potential to disrupt the endocrine system. Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that interact with and possibly disrupt the hormones produced or secreted by the human or animal endocrine system...

Read more....EPA to Expand Chemicals Testing for Endocrine Disruption

EPA Announces New Tool to Promote Safer Chemicals and Products

2010-12-09T03:39:00.000-08:00

As part of Administrator Lisa P. Jackson’s commitment to strengthen and reform chemical management, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced new criteria to help companies and other groups, such as states and environmental organizations, identify safer chemicals.

Read more...EPA Announces New Tool to Promote Safer Chemicals and Products

EPA Announces 2010 Enforcement and Compliance Results

2010-12-09T03:35:00.000-08:00

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today the release of its annual enforcement and compliance results. In fiscal year (FY) 2010, EPA took enforcement and compliance actions that require polluters to pay more than $110 million in civil penalties and commit to spend an estimated $12 billion on pollution controls, cleanup, and environmental projects that benefit communities....read more

Green energy faces GOP headwinds on Hill - Washington Times

2010-12-06T08:33:00.000-08:00

Green energy faces GOP headwinds on Hill - Washington Times: "The Obama administration lavished billions of stimulus dollars on wind-power producers and other renewable-energy interests, but the whirl of the turbines may slow dramatically as budget-cutting Republicans take their seats in the next Congress."

'Fracking' mobilizes uranium in marcellus shale

2010-11-23T17:34:00.000-08:00

'Fracking' mobilizes uranium in marcellus shale

Double Detection Key For Sensing Muscle Pain

2010-11-23T16:12:00.000-08:00

"When cardiac or skeletal muscle is not receiving enough oxygen to meet metabolic demands, a person will experience pain, such as angina, chest pain during a heart attack, or leg pain during a vigorous sprint."

READ More: Double Detection Key For Sensing Muscle Pain:

Amazon's Biodiversity May Have Andes to Thank: Study

2010-11-23T16:07:00.000-08:00

Amazon's Biodiversity May Have Andes to Thank: Study

2010 May See Record Greenhouse Gas Emissions

2010-11-23T16:06:00.000-08:00

2010 May See Record Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Agricultural Fungicides Contaminate Waters Downstream

2010-11-23T15:40:00.000-08:00

Agricultural Fungicides Contaminate Waters Downstream

High Concentration of Dioxins Found in Sydney Harbor

2010-11-23T15:39:00.000-08:00

High Concentration of Dioxins Found in Sydney Harbor