Environmental Health

"Soil research suggests study required before growing food on land near busy transportation corridors."

"Iron Range miners show higher than expected rates of cardiovascular disease, lung cancer and a rare cancer known as mesothelioma — but it's not clear if taconite ore is what's making them sick."

"Stephanie Harper of the North Texas city of Bonham was a daddy’s girl. When her father would come home from work — he was a handyman, a jack of all trades, doing auto mechanics, heating and cooling, anything — she’d grab him and hug him as hard as she could. 'I’d sit on his feet and grab his pants legs,' she remembers."

"Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials announced Monday that they have cited E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. for 11 alleged violations and proposed $120,300 in fines related to problems found after toxic chemicals leaked from a tanker truck in May and exposed workers to health risks at a Deepwater, N.J., plant that is one of DuPont's largest facilities in the United States."

"30 Years Later, Survivors of Lethal Gas Leak Still Fight for Justice."

"A new study suggests that whole classes of BPA-free plastics—including the kind in styrofoam—release estrogenic chemicals."

"Missouri environmental advocates who have fought for stricter oversight of coal ash waste are eagerly awaiting the mid-December release of new federal rules that will require, for the first time, detailed data."

"A growing body of evidence found an array of flame-retardant chemicals – many which are carcinogenic – in test participants, a potential health concern for firefighters and others exposed to the chemicals."

"The scientific case has been building for how a smoggy summer afternoon in North Texas might harm a child playing outdoors, a person with asthma or, on the worst days, perhaps even a healthy adult."

"The proportion of American adults who smoke cigarettes has hit a new low, new federal data show. And among those who do smoke, fewer are lighting up every day, and even they are smoking fewer cigarettes."