"New Hampshire Suspects Chemical Emissions Tainted Wells"
"New Hampshire says emissions of a chemical used to make Teflon coatings may be the source behind the contamination of more than 40 wells in several towns."
Source: AP, 04/15/2016
Chemicals
If You Eat Fast Food You’re Getting a Big Helping of Toxic Chemicals
"New study shows that consumption of fast food is linked to higher levels of phthalates, the chemicals used to produce many plastics."
Source: Civil Eats, 04/14/2016
"European Parliament Backs Glyphosate But With Conditions"
"European politicians advised on Wednesday that the herbicide glyphosate should only be approved for another seven years, rather than the 15 proposed by the EU executive, and should not be used by the general public."
Source: Reuters, 04/14/2016
Secret Congressional Reports of Interest to Environmental Reporters
Thanks to the Federation of American Scientists' Project on Government Secrecy, we can share some recent CRS reports of interest to environmental journalists.
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Oil Lobby Group Part of Government — Doesn't Have To Disclose
The Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC) lobbied successfully to pass and preserve the "Halliburton Loophole," which exempts the oil and gas industry from the law requiring disclosure of toxic fracking chemicals.
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High-Hazard Chem Plants — Can Secrecy Substitute for Safety?
Reflexive secrecy has been a hallmark of government efforts to deal with highly hazardous chemical facilities in recent decades. Another reminder of that secrecy came in an April 11, 2016, piece in Greenwire by Sam Pearson. Photo: The fertilizer plant in West, Texas, that exploded in 2013, killing 15 people, by Shane Torgerson, courtesy of Wikipedia.
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"Investor Group Launches Campaign To Curb Antibiotic Use In Food"
"Fifty four large investors managing 1 trillion pounds in assets have launched a campaign to curb the use of antibiotics in the meat and poultry used by ten large U.S. and British restaurant groups."
Source: Reuters, 04/13/2016
"Home And Garden Giant Ditches Class Of Pesticides That May Harm Bees"
"A leading brand of home and garden pest-control products says it will stop using a class of pesticides linked to the decline of bees."
Source: NPR, 04/13/2016
"Lawsuits Charge that 3M Knew About the Dangers of Its Chemicals"
As legal actions against the chemical company 3M go forward, lawyers are charging that 3M "knew about the health hazards posed by the perfluorinated chemicals it was manufacturing and using to make carpet coating, Scotchgard, firefighting foam, and other products — and that the company knew the chemicals were spreading beyond its sites."
Source: The Intercept, 04/12/2016
EPA Can't Tell Public Which Chem Plants Violate Safety Rules
"U.S. EPA knows which chemical facilities aren't following federal safety protocols, but it can't tell the public where they are."
Source: Greenwire, 04/12/2016
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