"FDA Reviewing Decision on Safety of BPA"
After a letter from key Congressmen, the FDA is reviewing its Bush-era decision that BPA, a chemical used in baby bottles and food containers, is safe.
Source: AP, 06/03/2009
Chemicals
The Beat: Leaking Gas Tanks And Chemical Pollution Are Common Focus
Ever wonder what lies beneath your feet – what's down there in the ground on which we walk? The Toledo Blade's Tom Henry has an editor who asked that question and the result was an interesting look at what the government is doing – or not doing – to clean up gasoline spills from leaky underground tanks.
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"Groups Ask EPA to Ban Lead Tire Weights"
"The federal government should ban the use of lead weights, those fingertip-size chunks of metal that balance the tires of cars and trucks, says a petition filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last week."
Source: San Francisco Chronicle, 06/01/2009
"Strategy Being Devised To Protect Use of BPA"
"Manufacturers of cans for beverages and foods and some of their biggest customers, including Coca-Cola, are trying to devise a public relations and lobbying strategy to block government bans of a controversial chemical used in the linings of metal cans and lids."
Source: WashPost, 06/01/2009
PBDE Byproducts Seem Ubiquitous in U.S. Waters
The flame-retardant chemicals known as PBDEs are virtually ubiquitous in U.S. waters. New research shows that when PBDEs are exposed to wastewater treatment, they can generate dioxins.
Source: ES&T, 05/29/2009
Feds Boost Lead-Reduction Effort in Houses
About $100 million in funding is earmarked for 53 projects in 20 states and the District of Columbia by the US Dept. of Housing and Urban Development.
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"CN Rail Pleads Guilty for Massive Oil Spills"
"Canadian National Railway pleaded guilty on Monday to polluting Canada's wilderness in two train derailments, one of them resulting in the largest inland oil spill in Canada's history."
Source: AFP, 05/26/2009
Fire Highligts Refinery Impacts
A May 17 fire at Sunoco's Marcus Hook refinery near Philadelphia underscored its day-in-day-out impact on the environment.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, 05/26/2009
"Toxic 'Carbon Tet' Lingers in Air Near Schools"
Despite having been banned in most uses for years, carbon tetrachloride, a probable carcinogen, persists in the environment. USA TODAY found it outside 70 of 95 schools in 30 states.
Source: USA TODAY, 05/21/2009
"Rail Industry Petitions To Reduce Toxic Cargos"
"Railroad companies are pressing federal regulators to cut back on trains carrying hazardous materials through urban areas, saying they fear a catastrophic release of toxic chemicals in a large city."
Source: USA TODAY, 05/21/2009
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