Environmental Health

"Medical experts reacted with alarm Monday as two top contenders for the Republican presidential nomination appeared to question whether child vaccinations should be mandatory — injecting politics into an emotional issue that has taken on new resonance with a recent outbreak of measles in the United States."

"Mercury levels in yellowfin tuna caught in the Pacific Ocean have been rising at a 3.8% annual rate since 1998, according to a new study."

Congressional Republicans plan to re-launch some bills they fielded last year -- bills attacking the science on which environmental and health regulations are based. But this time, with GOP control of the Senate, the bills may clear Congress."

"Each year, contaminated food sickens forty-eight million Americans, of whom a hundred and twenty-eight thousand are hospitalized, and three thousand die." The federal food safety system under the Agriculture Department and other agencies fails to protect them."

"A diesel fuel spill has left about 12,000 people in south-eastern West Virginia without drinking water."
 

Since taking office, the Obama administration has vowed to restore science as the basis for health findings on the toxic chemicals in commerce. But politics -- based on strong lobbying and finagling by the chemical industry -- seems to have thwarted the administration's declared intentions. "In the past three years, the EPA has assessed fewer chemicals than ever. Last year, it completed only one assessment. Today, the agency has even embraced measures sought by the chemical industry that have led to endless delays."

"Vapor produced by electronic cigarettes can contain a surprisingly high concentration of formaldehyde — a known carcinogen — researchers reported Wednesday."

"If you’re in the market for a paint remover and head to your local hardware store, most of the products you’re likely to find will contain methylene chloride."