"Weak Federal Rules Cover Chemical Spills, Explosions"
"This month's chemical spill in West Virginia reveals a weak web of rules on chemical use."
Source: USA TODAY, 01/28/2014
Chemicals
FDA Allowed Antibiotics in Animal Feed Despite Risk to Health: Report
"The Food and Drug Administration has continued to allow dozens of antibiotics to be used in livestock feed, despite findings from its researchers that the drugs could expose humans to antibiotic-resistant bacteria through the food supply, an environmental advocacy group said in a report Monday."
Source: Wash Post, 01/28/2014
"Drinking Water Not Tested For Tens Of Thousands Of Chemicals"
"The fact that a second contaminant in West Virginia's drinking water eluded detection for nearly two weeks — despite intense testing of the water — reveals an important truth about how companies test drinking water: In most cases, they only find the contaminants they're looking for." ...
Source: NPR, 01/27/2014
"Could Your Driveway Be Poisoning Your Kids?"
"Every year about 85 million gallons of a toxic waste that is known to promote cancer is carefully painted across about 170 square miles of American cities and suburbs, a swath as big as the city of New Orleans."
Source: Investigate West/QUEST, 01/24/2014
"BPA Among Toxic Chemicals Driving Up Health Care Costs, Experts Say"
"Health care spending in the U.S. has surged more than eightfold since the 1960s. Skyrocketing in that same time: Rates of chronic disease, use of synthetic chemicals, and evidence that many of these widely used substances may be wreaking havoc on human health."
Source: Huffington Post, 01/23/2014
"These 12 Popular Sodas Tested Positive for a Potential Carcinogen"
"The chemical compound that gives some sodas a caramel-brown color could be a carcinogen—and according to a new study by Consumer Reports, it's in many popular soft drinks at levels that exceed what many experts consider safe. Between April and December of 2013, researchers tested 110 bottles of various brands of soda for the 4-methylimidazole, or 4-MeI for short. They found the highest levels of the substance in Goya Malta, a malt-flavored soda popular in Latin American communities, and in various Pepsi products."
Source: Mother Jones, 01/23/2014
"CDC: Pregnant Women Should Have Been Warned About Water Sooner"
"CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- West Virginians should have been given clearer information that the 1-part-per-million screening level for the toxic chemical "Crude MCHM" was not a "bright line" between what exposures are safe and unsafe, a top U.S. Centers for Disease Control scientist said Wednesday."
Source: Charleston Gazette, 01/23/2014
Drinking Water Crisis Reveals Knowledge Gaps
You read about the 300,000 West Virginians who don't know if they are drinking safe water — and ask "Could it happen here?" The answer is "You betcha!" Environmental journalists have many tools for discovering drinking-water disasters-waiting-to-happen in their own bailiwicks.
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Ten Questions Ken Ward Jr. Is Waiting for EPA to Answer
- How is the 1 ppm "safe level" calculated? What was EPA's involvement, and how does this method match EPA's standard approach to such things?
- EXACTLY what is being done to contain and remediate the site? What is the process going forward for dealing with that?
- How is EPA's response to Sen Rockefeller's letter asking for a long-term study?
Topics on the Beat:
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"Elk River Leak Included Another Chemical"
"CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Federal and state investigators learned Tuesday that an additional chemical that wasn't previously identified was in the tank that leaked Jan. 9 at the Freedom Industries tank farm, just upstream from West Virginia American Water's regional drinking water intake."
Source: Charleston Gazette, 01/22/2014
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