Chemicals

Some Salinas Valley residents worry that the drift of pesticides sprayed on fields near schools may endanger children, despite some controls.

"The House approved legislation Friday aimed at making chemical and water treatment facilities less vulnerable to terrorist attack."

Within weeks, Minnesota state agencies will be releasing a study on the safety of atrazine, a weedkiller widely used by corn growers. The Minnesota results will come as the U.S. EPA undertakes yet another review of its own.

"The Environmental Protection Agency will set new nationwide emission standards for makers of polyvinyl chloride, commonly known as the plastic PVC, under a settlement with environmental groups announced Thursday."

"Farm groups joined the manufacturer of the popular herbicide atrazine Tuesday in accusing the Obama administration of bowing to environmentalist pressure in initiating a review of the chemical's safety."

"Tests are turning up dangerous levels of lead in children's jewelry, but the federal government can't compel companies to recall the toxic trinkets, says a new report by Canada's environmental watchdog."

"A new test conducted for Consumer Reports magazine found bisphenol A leaching into food from nearly all cans, including those marked 'BPA-free' and 'organic.'"

"A massive fish kill at the 38 mile long Dunkard Creek on the West Virginia–Pennsylvania border has scientists and regulators wondering what went wrong. All signs point to the toxic golden algae but some say it was the polluted creek, with high levels of chloride, which provided ripe conditions for the fish kill."

"Children with more of the toxic chemical C8 in their blood are more likely to have high cholesterol, according to a new scientific study filed Friday in Wood Circuit Court."

"The Department of Defense says its studies don’t bear out that burn pit smoke causes chronic illnesses. But Congress isn’t so sure, having recently sent President Barack Obama a defense spending bill with provisions that restrict and monitor burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan. The president signed the bill Wednesday."