Chemicals

"Twenty-one state legislators from 10 states are urging the American Chemistry Council, a chemical industry trade association, to expel three member companies for unethical behavior. As ACC members, the companies -- Albemarle, Chemtura, and ICL Industrial Products--must conform to ACC’s Responsible Care program, which, according to a June 4 letter to ACC from the legislators, the companies do not."

"GARY — The secluded west side neighborhood once filled with chickens and horses has been replaced by giant yellow excavators and crews in hard hats. No remnants of the Hispanic enclave nicknamed Cowboy Town remain now as the cleanup of the toxic Ralston Street lagoon shifts into high gear after decades of delay."

"BROWNSVILLE, Tenn. -- On a Saturday morning 18 months ago, Husley Hunt looked up from his pond to witness a sight that was particularly troubling to someone who's health-conscious, grows organic vegetables and ardently hopes to live to be 100. Workers were cleaning up chemical pollution from his property."

"Federal officials believe they have identified a highly concentrated pocket of cancer-causing chromium underneath an abandoned factory in Garfield [NJ] that may be the root cause of the large-scale contamination potentially threatening the health of thousands of residents."

"Two First Nations communities devastated by mercury poisoning nearly 50 years ago are still feeling the impacts from the metal toxins in one of their key water supplies, a world-renowned expert suggested."

"WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- Small doses of a flame retardant commonly added to furniture and baby products can trigger obesity, anxiety and developmental problems, according to the first independent study of a chemical promoted as safe by industry and government officials."

"France said it plans to ban a pesticide made by Swiss agro-chemical group Syngenta that is widely used to treat rapeseed crops after scientists suggested it could pose danger to bees."

"A sharp decline in bee populations across the world in recent years, partly due to a phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder, has prompted criticism of pesticide use, although research has yet to show clearly the causes of falling bee numbers.

"Nothing says 'lunch time' to an American kid quite like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Slices of deli meat might be a close second. Unbeknownst to most parents who pack school lunch boxes, however, both of these favorites could expose kids to toxic chemicals. In a new study of popular products purchased from grocery stores in Dallas, Texas, researchers found that nearly half of the sampled peanut butter and cold cuts, as well as turkey, fish, beef and other fatty foods, contained traces of a flame retardant commonly used in the foam insulation of building walls."

"The food industry likes to portray obesity as a matter of personal responsibility: People who eat too much gain weight, and it's their own fault."