"3 Injured in Georgia Chemical Plant Blast"
"Authorities in south Georgia say at least three people have been injured in a chemical explosion that rocked an industrial complex."
Source: AP, 08/15/2013
Chemicals
Drillers Buy Silence on Health, Property Impacts of Fracking
One reason proof of harm is hard to find is that drillers pay people to keep quiet. Now the unsealing of a once-confidential settlement in Pennsylvania gives a clear view of how the silencing works. The 17-page, two-year-old settlement agreement includes a $750,000 payment to a family critical of fracking, saying they became sick, as well as a gag order that applies to their 7- and 10-year-old children for the rest of their lives.
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Chemical Safety: Right-To-Know? No — Not Exactly
The system for informing Americans about the threats to their health and safety posed by chemical plants is seriously broken, a Reuters investigation revealed August 10, 2013. Facilities often misidentify chemicals or their location, or fail to report the existence of the substances. But there are tools to help reporters.
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Tests Show High Cancer-Causing Pollution at Canadian Train-Crash Site
"MONTREAL -- Tests conducted by an environmental group suggest last month’s Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, train disaster had a devastating impact on water quality and soil in the affected area."
Source: Canadian Press, 08/14/2013
"Retail Garden Plants Intended To Draw Bees May Harm Them"
"Well-meaning home gardeners who buy plants to attract pollinators might be harming honeybees, according to a study that an environmental group released Wednesday."
Source: McClatchy, 08/14/2013
"Video of 'Lame' Cattle Stirs New Concern Over Growth Drugs"
"At a beef industry conference in Denver last week, the animal health auditor for meat producer JBS USA presented a video showing short clips of cows struggling to walk and displaying other signs of distress. The animals appeared to step gingerly, as if on hot metal, and showed signs of lameness, according to four people who saw the video."
Source: Reuters, 08/13/2013
"Bittersweet Deal in 22-Year Fight Over Toxic Site in Bronx"
"Kerri was 4 when she started having trouble walking. Justin was 5 when he got a nosebleed that would not stop. Danielle was 7 when her legs began to ache."
Source: NY Times, 08/12/2013
"U.S. System for Flagging Hazardous Chemicals Is Widely Flawed"
"A 27-year-old U.S. program intended to warn the public of the presence of hazardous chemicals is flawed in many states due to scant oversight and lax reporting by plant owners, a Reuters examination finds."
Source: Reuters, 08/12/2013
"Rail Agency Probes Possible Safety Flaws in Crude Transit"
"The Federal Railroad Administration said it is investigating the safety of transporting crude oil by rail, including whether chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing are corroding tank cars."
Source: Bloomberg, 08/09/2013
"The Trouble with Beekeeping in the Anthropocene"
"The beepocalypse is on the cover of TIME, but it looks like managed honeybees will still pull through. Wild bees—and wild species in general—won't be so lucky in a human-dominated planet."
Source: TIME, 08/09/2013
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