Laura L. Barnes: Environmental health

[Solar power] Reliable Odor Control from Renewable Solar Power

Fri, 27 Jan 2006 17:26:35 GMT

Wastewater management facilities face the daily challenge of preventing odors from escaping their industrial and municipal storage ponds. Any lapse in maintaining an effective odor cap has dire consequences. Before the solar-powered circulators came along, previous aeration technology caused turbulence from brush aerators that released aerosols and bacteria-laden mist into neighborhoods, risking serious health hazards, public outrage, and even shutdowns. [Source: RenewableEnergyAccoss.com]

[Environmental health] The Exposure-Response Curve for Ozone and Risk of Mortality and the Adequacy of Current Ozone Regulations

Fri, 27 Jan 2006 17:12:47 GMT

Ozone--Health
Source: Environmental Health Perspectives
The Exposure-Response Curve for Ozone and Risk of Mortality and the Adequacy of Current Ozone Regulations (PDF; 515 KB)
"Our findings indicate that even low levels of tropospheric ozone are associated with increased risk of premature mortality. Interventions to further reduce ozone pollution would benefit public health, even in regions that meet current regulatory standards and guidelines."
See also: Low-Level Ozone Exposure and Respiratory Symptoms in Infants (PDF; 616 KB) [ResourceShelf's DocuTicker]

[Bottled water] New Warning About Bottled Water

Fri, 27 Jan 2006 16:59:55 GMT

Bottled water in Canada -- advertised as especially clean and pure -- contains higher levels of a deadly toxin than groundwater and even tap water, a study warns. Randy Richmond of the London Free Press reports, 1/20/06. [SEJ Environmental Journalism Today]

[Environmental health] Diabetes from a Plastic? Estrogen mimic provokes insulin resistance

Thu, 26 Jan 2006 18:34:14 GMT

Exposure to trace amounts of an estrogenlike ingredient of polycarbonate plastic may increase the risk of diabetes, experiments in mice show. [Source: Science News]

[Environmental health] Your Car Could Be Making You Sick

Fri, 13 Jan 2006 18:08:21 GMT

A study finds chemicals that settled as dust and film inside cars and trucks, especially in hot weather, could pose health problems. Hugh McDiarmid Jr. reports in the Detroit Free Press, 1/12/06. By hmcdiarmidjr@freepress.com. [SEJ Environmental Journalism Today]

[Nanotechnology] Report: Nanotech outpaces safeguards

Fri, 13 Jan 2006 17:49:01 GMT

From toothpaste to trousers, dozens of everyday products contain materials made through the blossoming science of nanotechnology -- but laws safeguarding the public"s health and safety aren"t developing nearly as quickly, according to a new report.Few will say whether the nano materials, often hundreds of times smaller than the diameter of a human hair, are unquestionably safe or dangerous given the lack of definitive research into the matter.However, Terry Davies, author of the report released Wednesday, said it"s time to start discussing changing laws -- and perhaps drafting new ones -- to identify and protect the public from any risks that may crop up in the future. [Physics Org]

[Flame retardant chemicals] Flame retardants pose new toxic threat to polar bears

Fri, 13 Jan 2006 17:46:47 GMT

Already imperiled by melting ice and a brew of toxic chemicals, polar bears throughout the Arctic, particularly in remote dens near the North Pole, face an additional threat as flame retardants originating largely in the United States are building up in their bodies, according to an international team of wildlife scientists. [Source: Newsday]

[Frogs] Fungus Identified in Frog Population Decline

Fri, 13 Jan 2006 17:36:56 GMT

A study in the journal Nature has linked widespread frog extinctions in Central and South America to a fungal epidemic triggered by increasing temperatures. Frog species began disappearing from the region in the late 1980s. [NPR Topics: Environment]

[Flame retardant chemicals] Chemical sneaks into Great Lakes

Fri, 13 Jan 2006 17:34:03 GMT

A little-studied fire retardant has accumulated in Great Lakes sediment and game fish for decades without detection, according to new research. The discovery about Dechlorane Plus, which went into production in 1964, surprised federal regulators. [Source: Detroit Free Press]

[Environmental health] Environmental Health Concerns on the Farm: The Newest Neighborhood for Tox Town

Thu, 12 Jan 2006 22:53:56 GMT

A Farm neighborhood is the newest addition to Tox Town, a Web-based introduction to environmental health risks and toxic chemicals. Tox Town, http://www.toxtown.nlm.nih.gov, invites visitors to explore a farm to learn about environmental health issues related to agricultural waste, drinking water quality, air pollution, pests, and farm animals. Farms share many of the same environmental health concerns found anywhere in the US, but they also have unique concerns and issues, such as exposure to hazardous agricultural chemicals and toxic gases from animal waste.

New locations to explore on the Farm are farm buildings, feeding operations, landfills, agricultural runoff, farm animals, farm ponds, meat processing, tree farming and logging, off-road vehicles, and nearby urban sprawl. Farming is one of the most hazardous occupations in the US. Because farm families usually live where they work, all family members are at increased risk of farm-related injury and illness.

Tox Town uses neighborhood scenes, the Farm, City, Town, and US-Mexico Border, along with color, graphics, sounds and animation to add interest to learning about connections between chemicals, the environment and the public's health. Tox Town's target audience is high school, college, and graduate students, educators, and the interested public.

Tox Town is a project of the Specialized Information Services Division of the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. Please send your comments or questions about Tox Town to tehip@teh.nlm.nih.gov.

[Environmental regulation] New Requirements Proposed for Lead-Based Paint Work

Fri, 30 Dec 2005 15:26:22 GMT

Contact: Enesta Jones, 202-564-4355 / jones.enesta@epa.gov

(Washington, D.C.-Dec. 29, 2005) To reduce lead poisonings in children across the country, EPA is proposing new requirements for contractors and construction professionals when working in homes that contain lead-based paint.

"Under President Bush's leadership, we are addressing one of the greatest environmental challenges facing our most vulnerable residents: childhood lead poisoning,'' said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "Today's action brings us one step closer to ensuring that our nation's children are safe and healthy.''

Lead is a highly toxic metal that was used for many years in paint. Lead can cause a range of health effects, from cognitive impairment and learning disabilities, to seizures and death. Children under six years are most at risk because their developing nervous systems are especially vulnerable to lead's effects and because of their more frequent hand-to-mouth behavior.

Preventing the creation of new lead-based paint hazards from renovation activities in housing where children under six reside is one purpose of this proposed regulation. EPA's analysis indicates that renovation, repair and painting projects in housing that is likely to contain lead-based paint affects more than 1.1 million children under age six annually. In the absence of this regulation, lead-safe practices are not likely to be employed to perform the renovation projects.

EPA is proposing that contractors must be trained in the use of lead-safe work practices, renovators and firms be certified, providers of renovation training be accredited, and renovators follow protective work practice standards. These work practices include posting warning signs, restricting occupants from work areas, arranging work areas to prevent dust and debris from spreading, conducting a thorough cleanup, and verifying that cleanup was effective.

The rules would apply to all persons who do renovation for compensation, including renovation contractors, maintenance workers in multi-family housing, painters and other specialty trades. The new requirements would apply to most renovation, repair or painting activities where more than two square feet of lead-based paint is disturbed.

EPA is proposing a two-phased approach. The first phase would apply to renovations in rental and owner-occupied housing built before 1978 where a child with an elevated blood lead level resides, in rental housing built before 1960, and owner-occupied housing built before 1960 where children under six reside. The second phase, to start a year after the first one takes effect, would apply to renovations covered in the first stage plus renovations in rental housing built between 1960 and 1978. The second stage also would apply to owner-occupied housing built between 1960 and 1978 where children under six reside.

In 1978, there were three to four million children with elevated blood lead levels in the United States. Significant progress has been made to reduce lead poisonings. As of 2002, an estimated 310,000 children had elevated levels of lead in their blood, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While the Consumer Products Safety Commission banned lead-based paint for residential use in 1978, more than 38 million homes in the United States still contain some lead-based paint. Two-thirds of the houses built before 1960 contain lead-based paint.

This proposal is one component of a comprehensive program that will also include training and an education and outreach campaign to promote lead-safe work practices. EPA will take public comment for 90 days following publication of the proposal in the Federal Register. For more information or to obtain copies of the proposal and supporting materials, visit: http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/renovation.htm.

[Environmental health] 3-D modeling supports perfluorinated theory

Thu, 29 Dec 2005 18:29:20 GMT

New 3-D modeling provides further backing to the theory that the PFOA and other fluorochemicals found in the Arctic comes from fluorotelomer alcohols used in stain and grease repellants. [Environmental Health News]

[CCA Treated Wood] Toxic Legacy?

Thu, 29 Dec 2005 18:05:27 GMT

Although residential use of a common arsenic-based wood preservative was phased out in 2003, new research indicates leaching from products treated with it could have a long-lasting impact. More from Environmental Science & Technology's Kris Christen, 12/21/05. [SEJ Environmental Journalism Today]

[Grants] Nanotechnology Research Grants Investigating Environmental and Human Health Effects of Manufactured Nanomaterials: a Joint Research Solicitation-EPA, NSF, NIOSH, NIEHS

Wed, 28 Dec 2005 16:54:42 GMT

Applications due: Feb 22, 2006

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Research and Development (ORD) as part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program; the National Science Foundation (NSF), Engineering Directorate; the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) ; and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), are seeking applications proposing research about the potential implications of nanotechnology and manufactured nanomaterials on human health and the environment. Research areas can include the toxicology, fate, transport and transformation, bioavailability, exposures of human and other species in natural ecosystems to nanomaterials, and industrial ecology related to nanomaterials.

[Environmental health] The Effect of Inhaled Chromium on Different Exhaled Breath Condensate Biomarkers among Chrome-plating Workers

Fri, 09 Dec 2005 21:09:40 GMT

New preprint from Environmental Health Perspectives:

The Effect of Inhaled Chromium on Different Exhaled Breath Condensate Biomarkers among Chrome-plating Workers. Caglieri A, Goldoni M, Acampa O, Andreoli R, Vettori MV, Corradi M, Apostoli P, and Mutti A. 2005. Environ Health Perspect: doi:10.1289/ehp.8506. [Online 8 December 2005] [EHP-in-Press]

[Nanotechnology] Calls Rise for More Research on Toxicology of Nanomaterials.

Fri, 09 Dec 2005 19:17:31 GMT

Environmentalists and industry insiders alike urge major investments to maintain the emerging technology's spotless safety record. (Read more.) Author: Robert F. Service [Science: This Week's News]

[Environmental health] New turf for science: suburbia

Fri, 09 Dec 2005 19:15:00 GMT

Suburbia may be familiar turf, but it's one of the last frontiers for scientists trying to understand how ecosystems work and how people are changing the natural world. [Environmental Health News]

[Nanotechnology] EPA Nanotechnology Draft White Paper

Fri, 09 Dec 2005 18:49:12 GMT

EPA has issued the Draft Nanotechnology White Paper, a road map that identifies critical questions that must be addressed in order for the United States to reap the potential environmental and economic benefits of nanotechnology. Along with presenting the anticipated benefits of nanotechnology, the paper also deals with risk management of possible negative impacts of the new technologies. EPA will accept public comments on the draft white paper until Jan. 9, 2006, and then provide those comments to external reviewers for their consideration.

Nanotechnology is the science of creating or modifying materials at the atomic and molecular level to develop new or enhanced materials and products. In December 2004, EPA's Science Policy Council created a cross-agency work group to identify and describe the issues EPA must consider to ensure protection of human health and the environment as this new technology is developed. The draft white paper on nanotechnology is the product of the work group.

The white paper identifies data gaps that need to be filled and the research that EPA will conduct to fully grasp the applications and the implications of nanotech. Those research results will inform the appropriate regulatory safeguards for nanotechnology. The latest nanotechnology and potential environmental benefits of nanotechnology are detailed. Risk management issues and the agency's statutory mandates are outlined, following an extensive discussion of risk assessment issues. The white paper concludes with recommendations on next steps for addressing science policy issues and research needs.

Following the expert review, EPA will issue a final white paper on nanotechnology in early 2006. To obtain additional information, visit: http://www.epa.gov/osa/nanotech.htm

[Nanotechnology] New Inventory Of Research Into Nanotechnology's Health, Environmental Effects

Fri, 02 Dec 2005 16:00:59 GMT

A new inventory of research into nanotechnology's potential environmental, human health, and safety effects (EH&S) shows the need for more resources, for a coherent risk-related research strategy, and for public-private partnerships and international EH&S research collaborations. These are the key conclusions drawn from the first single inventory of largely government-funded research projects exploring nanotechnology's possible EH&S impacts, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars announced on Nov. 30.

The inventory is publicly available online at http://www.nanotechproject.org or http://www.wilsoncenter.org/nano. It was compiled and released by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The project is a partnership of The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Wilson Center. [Source: Environmental Protection E-News]

[Nanotechnology] Study: Nanoparticles Could Damage Plant Life

Wed, 30 Nov 2005 20:50:50 GMT

A nanoparticle commonly used in scratch-resistant transparent coatings, sunscreen lotions that provide transparent-UV protection and environmental catalysts that reduce pollution could have a damaging effect on plant life, states a report from New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) researchers. [Source: Environmental Protection E-News]

[Nanotechnology] The downside of nanotechnology

Mon, 28 Nov 2005 18:05:41 GMT

The very characteristics that make nanomaterials so promising are also sources of concern about their environmental and health risks. [Environmental Health News]

[Flame retardants] HP to Eliminate Brominated Flame Retardants from Products' External Case Parts

Thu, 03 Nov 2005 19:17:53 GMT

PALO ALTO, Calif., Nov. 2, 2005 - HP has announced a goal to eliminate the brominated flame retardant (BFR) tetrabromobisphenol A from external case parts of all new HP brand products introduced after Dec. 31, 2006. [GreenBiz.com]

[Environmental health] The Legacy of 'Silent Spring'.

Wed, 02 Nov 2005 22:07:31 GMT

Forty-three years ago, Rachel Carson became the unlikely founder of the radical ecology movement. Her message is even more powerful today. [AlterNet.org: EnviroHealth]

[Environmental health] Risky Legacy

Wed, 02 Nov 2005 21:56:11 GMT

Weapons of mass destruction thrown into the sea years ago present danger now -- and the Army can't account for all of them. Details from reporter John M.R. Bull in a special series published in the Daily Press of Newport News, Va., 10/30/05. [SEJ Environmental Journalism Today]

[Perchlorate] Perchlorate In Milk Examined

Wed, 02 Nov 2005 21:41:38 GMT

A dairy cow's rumen can act as a biological filter, breaking down most perchlorate in feed, according to an Agricultural Research Service (ARS) study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. [Source: Science Daily]