Environmental Health

"The true burden of environmentally induced cancers has been grossly underestimated," says the President's Cancer Panel in a strongly reported report that urges action to reduce people's widespread exposure to carcinogens."

"Insecticides such as DDT have long been used to combat the scourge of malaria in the developing world. But with the disease parasite becoming increasingly adept at resisting the chemical onslaught, some countries are achieving striking success by eliminating the environmental conditions that give rise to malarial mosquitoes."

"A rare and dangerous fungal infection named Cryptococcus gattii has been quietly spreading from British Columbia southward to the U.S. Pacific Northwest. And it's changing as it goes. ... The most striking thing about this fungus is that it's popping up and establishing itself far afield from its usual range -- possibly because of climate change."

The sand used to give blue jeans that worn look can cause silicosis, a potentially lethal lung disease -- in workers.

"Some soldiers and their families have had to live in deplorable conditions at Fort Bliss, dealing with black mold, lead paint and asbestos affecting the health of them and their children. Now there are allegations of threats and intimidation by top commanders if soldiers and their families spoke out about the problems."

A report issued by the National Academies' Institute of Medicine concludes that military service in the Gulf War has been a cause of the multisymptom illness known as Gulf War Syndrome.

"After almost two decades of delays, the Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday that it was on track to implement a regulation requiring the construction industry to help prevent cases of lead poisoning among children."

Parallel investigations into clusters of cancer cases near Pratt & Whitney plants in Connecticut and Florida raise questions about industrial chemicals that have been in use for decades.