Chemicals

"Pregnant women exposed to lead had newborns who scored slightly lower on tests measuring reflexes and other skills tied to brain development, according to a new study from China."

"The push to rid our bodies and the environment of toxic flame retardants just got a powerful boost from a major health care system, according to experts."

"Venom from one of the world's most poisonous spiders may help save the world's honeybees, providing a biopesticide that kills pests but spares the precious pollinators."

"A trial in federal court in Bangor beginning Tuesday will decide whether a chemical company responsible for dumping mercury from a now-closed plant in Orrington will be required to clean up the contamination that still remains decades later along the banks of the Penobscot River and the mouth of Penobscot Bay."

"A state study conducted in the aftermath of the 2012 train derailment in Paulsboro found that more than half of those interviewed reported new or intensified health issues in the days after the accident."

"ATHENS, TX -- Investigators spent all day Sunday sifting through the remains of an Athens Fertilizer Storage Facility that burned down Thursday. The fire broke out just before 6 o'clock Thursday night at the East Texas Ag Supply Storage building on Larkin Street. Fire officials said they always investigate this type of incident as suspicious. Investigators said they still don't know what caused the fire, but said they won't stop until they've found all of the answers."

"The largest source of chromium contamination near the Columbia River at Hanford has been removed after workers dug up contaminated soil down to groundwater 85 feet deep."

"After years of challenges to federal environmental officials, the maker of d-Con rat traps has agreed to discontinue a consumer line of poison-laced baits that have accidentally harmed children, wildlife and pets."

"Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., introduced a bill on Wednesday that would require the National Institutes of Health to research whether menstrual hygiene products that contain chemical additives like chlorine and fragrances are health risks. The Robin Danielson Act of 2014 would ask the Federal Drug Administration to monitor and publish information on the presence of these contaminants in a broad range of products such as pads, liners, cups and sponges used by millions of American women."

"A group of mothers, scientists and environmentalists met with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulators on Tuesday over concerns that residues of Roundup, the world's most popular herbicide, had been found in breast milk."