Chemicals

"Proposed Settlement Reached in Monsanto Dioxin Case"

"WINFIELD, W.Va. -- A proposed settlement has been reached in a huge class-action lawsuit where Nitro residents say the chemical giant Monsanto unsafely burned dioxin wastes and spread contaminated soot and dust across Nitro, polluting homes with unsafe levels of the chemical."

Source: Charleston Gazette, 02/24/2012

"Dow Chemical's Olympic PR Push Dogged By Bhopal"

"Dow Chemical Co hoped an Olympic sponsorship would boost its global cache, but the company's link to a gas leak tragedy 28 years ago threatens to curb some of the benefits from the $100 million advertising deal. As many as 25,000 residents of Bhopal, India, died in the aftermath of a 1984 gas leak at a pesticide factory that was owned by a subsidiary of Union Carbide, which sold the facility in 1994. Dow bought Union Carbide in 2001."

Source: Reuters, 02/22/2012

Chromium-6 In Some Wells More Than 1,000 Times Above State Goal

"Hexavalent chromium, a potentially cancer-causing heavy metal made famous by activist Erin Brockovich, is found in drinking water supplies throughout most of the Coachella Valley at 150 to more than 1,000 times above California’s public health goal, a Desert Sun review of local water agencies’ well-testing results found."

Source: Palm Springs Desert Sun, 02/20/2012

Dioxins Report Released; EPA Says Low Doses Risky But Most People Safe

"After 21 years of wrangling over health threats, uncertain science and industry pressure, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday released its assessment of dioxins defining how toxic they are. Lauded by environmental activists and criticized by industry, the report concluded that there are potentially serious effects at ultra-low levels of exposure."

Source: EHN, 02/20/2012

"Chemical Plants: Still Unsafe?"

As Bhopal proved, chemical plants can be weapons of mass destruction. During the Bush administration, Republicans urged on by the chemical industry, took authority over chemical plant security away from EPA and gave it to the Department of Homeland Security -- which they argued was more competent. Now a GOP-led House investigative panel reveals that DHS has proved incompetent and done nothing in five years.

Source: Wash Post, 02/17/2012
March 13, 2012

Poisons in the Press: Deciding for Yourself What's 'Safe' (in San Francisco)

When the news media report on contamination in the air, drinking water or food supply, the public understandably demands to know straight away, “Is it safe?” A distinguished panel of toxicologists and environmental journalists will discuss why the question defies straightforward answers, what’s keeping the public in the dark, and how citizens can make informed decisions on toxic risks in the absence of certainty.

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