Environmental, Health and Safety News | Volunteer EHS News Network Dedicated to Protecting People & Our Planet

Wisconsin Birds Test Positive For West Nile Virus

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) reports 12 birds found in eight counties in the state have tested positive for West Nile virus since surveillance for the mosquito-transmitted virus began May 1. “The positive birds mean that Wisconsin residents need to be more vigilant in their personal protective measures to prevent mosquito bites,”...
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President’s Startup Challenge 2017 is Open

We are delighted to announce the launch of our 3rd President’s Series Startup Challenge! Pistoia Alliance is looking for startups … The post President’s Startup Challenge 2017 is Open appeared first on Pistoia Alliance.
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President’s Startup Challenge 2017 Rules

These are the complete official rules, or terms and conditions (Ts&Cs), for the President’s Startup Challenge 2016. The post President’s Startup Challenge 2017 Rules appeared first on Pistoia Alliance.
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President’s Startup Challenge 2017 FAQs

A collection of answers to frequently asked questions about the Pistoia Alliance President’s Startup Challenge 2016. The post President’s Startup Challenge 2017 FAQs appeared first on Pistoia Alliance.
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The murky waters surrounding glyphosate – another view on Reuters ‘Cancer agency left in the dark over glyphosate evidence’

The Reuters piece on glyphosate may shed light on one part of the current debate about glyphosate and the role of WHO’s IARC. However, the lack of company transparency, problems with accessing raw data and the lobbying of industry groups to undermine independent agencies forms by far the biggest part of the problem facing...
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EPA Honors Winners of the 2017 Green Chemistry Challenge Awards

Innovative Technologies Spur Economic Growth, Reduce Costs, and Decrease Waste Contact Information: EPA Press Office (press@epa.gov ) WASHINGTON (June 8, 2017) – The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is recognizing landmark green chemistry technologies developed by industrial pioneers and leading scientists that turn potential environmental issues into business opportunities, spurring innovation and...
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Energy Department Announces $3 Million for High Performance Computing to Advance Clean Energy Manufacturing

The Energy Department announced up to $3 million in available support for manufacturers to use supercomputers at the department’s national laboratories to tackle major manufacturing challenges. The High Performance Computing for Manufacturing (HPC4Mfg) Program enables the use of high performance computing (HPC) expertise and resources for the manufacturing sector to address research and development...
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Promise breakers: Introduction to a public health scandal.

Promise after promise was broken when it came to protecting Sacramento’s workers and the public from lead hazards from a contaminated gun range housed in an aging recreational building.
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Why asthma is a housing issue.

A bill introduced to New York’s City Council would compel landlords to eradicate mold, vermin, and other asthma triggers that are particularly pervasive in low-rent units.
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Chemours commits to end GenX in North Carolina’s Cape Fear River.

But EPA says will launch investigation into potential illegal discharge of chemical.
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Hotline, ‘gender champions’, tackle violence against girls in drought-hit Kenya.

Girls from pastoralist communities often must watch animals instead of going to school, and walk long distances to fetch water – making them an easy target for abusers. Prolonged drought is making matters worse.
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VIDEO: One girl’s daily hunt for clean water in Bangalore.

Once known as the ‘city of lakes’, urban sprawl has destroyed 85 percent of Bangalore’s rivers and lakes, while pollution has ruined much of what remains. Like many residents, Lakshmi and her mother struggle to find clean water.
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Scientists urge tighter scrutiny of germ-fighting chemicals.

More than 200 scientists and public health advocates are urging regulators to take a closer look at the potential dangers of antimicrobial chemicals.
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New claims against Monsanto in consumer lawsuit over Roundup herbicide.

In a complaint filed Tuesday in federal court in Wisconsin, six consumers alleged that the company’s top-selling Roundup herbicide has been falsely promoted as uniquely safe.
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Study finds wild salmon infected by sea lice grow more slowly, ‘more liable to die.’

Meanwhile, biologist Alexandra Morton reports an outbreak of lice off BC’s coast.
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‘Uncharted waters:’ Illinois water use issues exacerbated by irrigation, lack of water supply planning.

While Illinois is not currently facing a water crisis, highly populated areas with high growth are starting to see some levels of water conflict, and agricultural irrigation is playing a major role.
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What happens when organic farms are forced to spray conventional pesticides?

One Oregon farm’s viral plea shines a national spotlight on what is usually a local debate about mandatory pesticide applications.
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US courts aren’t interested in Chevron’s pollution case, but other nations may be.

The long international war over who’s responsible for the degradation of the Ecuadorian Amazon is far from over.
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Great Lakes aren’t doing so great, says new government study.

Toxic chemicals in the Great Lakes have dropped but invasive species and algal blooms threaten the lakes’ ecosystems and keep them from being truly great, says a new report from the U.S. and Canadian governments.
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Gulf Dead Zone could be the size of Vermont this year, scientist says.

The dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico likely will be twice the average size, researchers from several universities and government agencies said Tuesday.
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Tiny biodegradable spheres could replace plastic microbeads.

Researchers from the University of Bath in England have developed biodegradable, plant-based microbeads that could one day replace the plastic version in a variety of consumer products.
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New material could filter water contaminants that others miss.

A new material can pull a toxic, hard-to-degrade industrial chemical from drinking water more effectively than current methods.
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Tribal nations fight removal of grizzly protections.

Leaders worry delisting could invite energy exploration in historic areas.
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EPA plans to buy out more than 1,200 employees this summer.

Employees who accept buyouts must leave the agency by Sept. 2.
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EPA: 38 science advisers get pink slips – internal email.

U.S. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt continues to clear out a key advisory committee, signaling plans to drop several dozen current members of the Board of Scientific Counselors, according to an email yesterday from a senior agency official.
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Commentary: Trump trashes environmental studies but they stave off disaster.

Trump and his advisors probably have no idea that an Environmental Impact Statement saved the country from what might have been one of the worst environmental disasters in our history.
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UK heatwave triggers air pollution alert as people flock to beaches.

The heatwave that has brought the longest spell of high June temperatures for two decades has also triggered an air pollution alert in London, with southerly winds due to bring toxic air to large parts of England and Wales on Wednesday.
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Small steps to save energy exhaust political will for bigger actions.

A study in Japan finds that after people unplug appliances and turn down the A-C, they are more resistant to nationwide climate change measures.
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The heated politics of renewable energy.

As cities vow to meet the Paris climate commitments, rival researchers debate the true costs of going 100-percent renewable.
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London mayor issues emergency air quality alert amid heatwave.

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has triggered the capital’s emergency air quality alert as soaring temperatures combined with southerly winds are expected to bring dangerously toxic air to large parts of England and Wales on Wednesday.
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Australian population growth: Is having kids selfish?

Meet the couples who have sworn off having more children. With everything going on in the world, should we be bringing more kids into it?
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More US counties are finding Zika-carrying mosquitoes.

New data show that 177 counties, mostly in Southern California, Arizona, Texas, Florida and Maryland, have reported both types of mosquitoes that can spread Zika and other viruses.
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VIDEO: The fight against severe maternal morbidity in Brooklyn.

City statistics indicate race, poverty, age, access to healthcare and even whether a patient really wanted to have a baby all have dramatic effects on the risks different women face. Neighborhoods also matter.
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Little wooden cards to map impact of potential Energy East oil spill.

Environmental groups have set a small fleet of wooden cards afloat in the Ottawa River at a proposed Energy East pipeline crossing point at Pointe-Fortune, Que.
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Portugal’s ‘killer forest.’

Deadly wildfire calls into question Portugal’s embrace of eucalyptus.
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New boa species “on its way to extinction” discovered in the Bahamas.

A team from Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology discovered the silver boa in a remote corner of the Bahamian Archipelago called the Conception Island Bank — and the team says it’s one of the most critically endangered boas in the world.
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GenX: A question of chemistry.

There is still a lot about GenX that we don’t know. It’s all about chemistry. Which means for many of us, it can be somewhat difficult to grasp.
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NY: State legislation aims to curb food waste

Source: WXXI, 6/12/17. Bipartisan legislation under consideration in both the New York State Senate and Assembly would give grocery stores, restaurants, caterers, and other food industry companies an incentive to donate surplus food to local food banks or pantries through a a tax credit.
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Real World Data / Real World Evidence: webinar recording available

The recording from the “Real World Data / Real World Evidence” Pistoia Alliance Debates webinar held on Tuesday 6th June 2017 is available here. The post Real World Data / Real World Evidence: webinar recording available appeared first on Pistoia Alliance.
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DEA and NIOSH Guidance Documents on Fentanyl

DEA has just published a new guidance document for first responders to protect against exposure to fentanyl or one of the analogues: https://www.scribd.com/document/350544716/A-Briefing-Guide-for-First-Responders NIOSH has a document first posted last year : https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/fentanyl/default.html Of note in the NIOSH document is recommended use of a 5 mil glove and a P-100 mask.
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EPA Further Delays Implementation of Final Rule for Wood Composite Formaldehyde Emissions

(PAINT.ORG) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has once again pushed back the implementation date for its final rule that limits formaldehyde emissions from composite wood products. In a direct final rule, the compliance dates for the rule set the emission limits, recordkeeping, and labeling requirements for March 22, 2018, instead of Dec. 12,...
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Free digital edition of “Occupational Safety and Health Online. How to find reliable information”.

The book is an introduction on how to find the highest quality occupational safety and health (OSH) information online, and is a useful tool for education and training, research and evidence-based practice. It is recommended he book for PhD and Master’s students as well as for postgraduate education of OSH professionals: occupational physicians, safety...
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Intense storms may diminish protective ozone in Central US.

Stronger storms over the Great Plains—likely induced by climate change—may be chipping away at the key life-protecting layer of our atmosphere.
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Of mice, Monsanto and a mysterious tumor.

It’s been 34 years since Monsanto Co. presented U.S. regulators with a seemingly routine study analyzing the effects the company’s best-selling herbicide might have on rodents. Now, that study is once again under the microscope.
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America’s toxic prisons: The environmental injustices of mass incarceration.

Mass incarceration in the US is hurting the environment and prisoners.
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Toxic taints CFPUA drinking water.

A chemical replacement for a key ingredient in Teflon linked to cancer and a host of other ailments has been found in the drinking water system of the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority, which cannot filter it.
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Deportation fears among LA residents near shuttered Exide plant could impact health study.

Volunteers going door-to-door through Southeast Los Angeles neighborhoods are expected to face a host of challenges, most notably the misconception that they are agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
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Mexico, DiCaprio and Carlos Slim craft plan to save endangered porpoise.

The Mexican government, tycoon Carlos Slim and U.S. actor Leonardo DiCaprio on Wednesday unveiled a joint plan to protect a tiny porpoise in the Gulf of California that has become a potent symbol of critically endangered animal species.
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EPA raises doubts about its Housatonic River cleanup plan.

General Electric was ordered to clean up the Housatonic River, but now the plan may be scuttled by those who drafted it: the EPA.
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Experts, residents: State's Hoosick Falls report flawed.

Analysis failed to track residents who moved away after long PFOA exposure.
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Creating corridors: researchers use GPS telemetry data to map elephants’ movements

A steady 3.2% increase in human population in Tanzania (Kiffner et al, 2015) has resulted in an expansion of agricultural land, pastoralism and village settlements. The land-use changes in...
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When it comes to rhino conservation, Asia and Africa can learn a lot from each other

On June 14, a routine scanning of baggage at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo Airport revealed a grim contraband. A Vietnamese citizen’s suitcase contained 28.7 kilograms (63.3 pounds) of poached rhino...
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“Tribal Nations Fight Removal Of Grizzly Protections”

“Leaders worry delisting could invite energy exploration in historic areas.” Energy & Fuel Environmental Politics Laws & Regulations People & Population Wildlife National (U.S.) Public Source: ,
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“More U.S. Counties Are Finding Zika-Carrying Mosquitoes”

“With the summer mosquito season in full swing in many U.S. states, a new report shows a significant increase in counties across the South that have reported mosquitoes capable...
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“Great Lakes Aren’t Doing So Great, Says New Government Study”

“Toxic chemicals in the Great Lakes have dropped but invasive species and algal blooms threaten the lakes’ ecosystems and keep them from being truly great, says a new report...
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“Trump Regulators Trigger Pollution Fight”

“The fight over former President Barack Obama’s methane agenda has moved to the courts.” Climate Change Energy & Fuel Laws & Regulations National (U.S.) Public Source: ,
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“Texas Is Too Windy and Sunny for Old Energy Companies to Make Money”

“In a windsurfers’ paradise, turbines capture gusts that pick up at exactly the right time – or the wrong time, if you’re trying to sell natural gas.” Energy &...
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Miami-Dade Backs Paris Climate Agreement That President Trump Rejected

“Miami-Dade commissioners on Tuesday endorsed the Paris climate accord, giving the symbolic and explicit backing that the county’s mayor declined to provide after President Donald Trump pulled the United...
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“EPA Plans To Buy Out More Than 1,200 Employees This Summer”

“The Environmental Protection Agency plans on shedding more than 1,200 employees by early September through buyouts and early retirements, as part of a broader push by the Trump administration...
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EPA Hands Pink Slips to Dozens Of Scientific Advisory Board Members

“The Environmental Protection Agency has given notice to dozens of scientists that they will not be renewed in their roles in advising the agency, continuing a scientific shake-up that...
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“U.S. Gulf Coast Braces for Tropical Storm Cindy”

“Communities and oil refining and production facilities from Texas to Florida braced on Tuesday for potential disruptions as Tropical Storm Cindy strengthened over the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, threatening...
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“Zinke, Perry Take Heat Over Trump Budget”

“Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and Energy Secretary Rick Perry went to opposite sides of Capitol Hill on Tuesday to defend President Trump’s proposals to slash their departments’ budgets.” Environmental...
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Statement from CSB Chairperson on Fatal Explosion in Barbour County, WV

Statement from CSB Chairperson
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Research suggests less affluent countries more dedicated to wildlife conservation than rich countries

Studies have shown that, due to human activities, species loss over the past century was at least 100 times higher than historical levels, fueling speculation that we’re witnessing a...
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Religious leaders: Rainforest protection a ‘moral imperative’

Religious leaders from around the world are meeting for the first time with conservationists and scientists in Norway this week to develop the ethical case for protecting tropical forests....
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“AP-NORC Poll: Few Favor Trump Move To Ditch Paris Accord”

“Less than one-third of Americans support President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord, a new poll shows, and just 18 percent of respondents agree with...
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Sources Say Jeff Holmstead Expected To Be Named Deputy at EPA

“Jeff Holmstead, a former top EPA official under President George W. Bush, is expected to be appointed as the No. 2 official at the EPA, according to two sources...
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“Hoosick Falls Residents Shocked By High PFOA Test Results”

“HOOSICK FALLS – Residents were shocked Monday when the testing of sites contaminated with a toxic manufacturing chemical revealed levels significantly higher than originally reported.” Chemicals Environmental Health Pollution...
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Hundreds of Scientists Call For Caution On Anti-Microbial Chemical Use

“More than 200 scientists outline a broad range of concerns for triclosan and triclocarban and call for reduced use worldwide “. “Two ingredients used in thousands of products to...
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Wisconsin GOP Reins in DNR Scientists Who Rebelled On Climate Change

“Deep in Gov. Scott Walker’s budget proposal is a seemingly benign item formalizing the transfer of 15 scientists within the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.” Climate Change Environmental Politics...
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“Feeling the Heat: How Fish Are Migrating from Warming Waters”

“Steadily rising ocean temperatures are forcing fish to abandon their historic territories and move to cooler waters. The result is that fishermen’s livelihoods are being disrupted, as fisheries regulators...
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“Exxon Makes a Biofuel Breakthrough”

“It’s the holy grail for biofuel developers hoping to coax energy out of algae: Keep the organism fat enough to produce oil but spry enough to grow quickly. J....
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“A U.S. Grid Clear Of 2016 Attacks Is Hardly Worry-Free — NERC”

“The North American Electric Reliability Corp., in its ‘State of Reliability 2017’ report, noted there were no cybersecurity attacks that took down parts of the U.S. grid in 2016,...
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“Rick Perry Denies Climate Change Role of CO2”

“Energy Secretary Rick Perry said Monday he does not believe carbon dioxide emissions are the main driver of the earth’s record-setting warming, a core finding of climate science.” Climate...
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“Canceled Flights, Burning Door Handles: Heat Hits Southwest”

“Airlines canceled flights in Phoenix and doctors urged people to be careful around concrete, playground equipment and vehicle interiors Monday as a punishing heat wave threatens to bring temperatures...
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Indonesian coal mining firm gets its license reinstated despite a history of violations

As Indonesia proceeds with its campaign to stamp out illegality in the palm oil and mining sectors, canceling thousands of permits nationwide, a Sumatran court has restored a coal...
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Photos: India’s rarest crocodile, the gharial

The Bronx Zoo’s wild animal keeper sends out a special call, and eight of the most critically endangered animals on earth take a break from basking to scoot up...
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Borneo’s ‘biocultural holocaust’: an interview with author Alex Shoumatoff

Over the past half century, we’ve laid waste to the rainforests of Borneo. Fed by our insatiable demand for food, fuel, and fiber, vast tracts of cathedral-like landscape across...
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DNA analysis reveals a third species of flying squirrel in North America

There are now three species of flying squirrel in North America, and it turns out that the newest member of the family has actually been gliding amongst the treetops...
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Ring-tailed lemurs down by 95 percent? Maybe not.

Conservationists are struggling to determine the status of Madagascar’s most iconic primate. A series of recent studies warning of sharp ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) declines stirred up a scientific...
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International action a must to stop irreversible harm of Amazon dams, say experts

The Amazon basin faces irreversible environmental disturbance on an enormous scale due to hydroelectric dam development. Hundreds of existing and planned dams in both the Amazonian lowlands and the...
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Pruitt Vows To Speed U.S. Superfund Cleanups. Communities Wonder How.

“BRIDGETON, Mo. — Dawn Chapman had listened with surprise and skepticism as the new head of the Environmental Protection Agency vowed to clean up West Lake, the nuclear waste...
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“Houston Fears Climate Change Will Cause Catastrophic Flooding”

“Human activity is worsening the problem in an already rainy area, and there could be damage worthy of a disaster movie if a storm hits the industrial section”. Chemicals...
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Wildfires, Once Rare In Great Plains, More Than Triple In 30 Years

“The grasslands of U.S. Great Plains have seen one of the sharpest increases in large and dangerous wildfires in the past three decades, with their numbers more than tripling...
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“Week Ahead: Interior, Energy Chiefs To Defend Trump Budget”

“Two members of President Trump’s cabinet are heading to the Senate in the coming week to defend the administration’s proposed environment and energy cuts.” Environmental Politics Laws & Regulations...
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“Portugal Fires Kill More Than 60, Including Drivers Trapped in Cars”

“A raging forest fire enveloped a stretch of road in central Portugal this weekend, killing more than 60 people, including at least 30 motorists who were trapped in their...
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Whale entanglements skyrocket off the U.S. West Coast

During the 2016 fishing season, 71 whales were entangled off the coast of Washington, Oregon, and California, the highest number ever recorded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration...
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Wildlife ecologist killed in Rwandan national park by recently translocated rhino

Anti-poaching efforts in Africa are inherently dangerous, especially given the increasing militarization of the poaching gangs that are decimating elephant and rhino numbers across the continent. But recent news...
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If Brazil okays Terra Legal changes, land grabbers win, Amazon loses, say environmentalists

The political turmoil continues in Brasilia, as President Temer, having survived an attempt to impeach him in May, now fights off accusations made by the bosses at JBS, the...
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Groundwater may play key role in forest fires

Tropical rainforests have that name for a reason, occurring in high rainfall areas close to the equator with swirling mists shrouding their lofty heights and moist soil that squelches...
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Elusive seabird breeding grounds discovered in Chilean desert

In a search to locate the nesting grounds of the ringed storm-petrel (Oceanodroma hornbyi) a team of Chilean biologists didn’t rely on high-tech tracking devices or aerial mapping tools....
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The ‘interval squeeze’: Climate change makes it less likely conifer forests will regenerate after wildfires

The Klamath Region of the Western United States, which spans northern California and southwestern Oregon, is considered a richly biodiverse botanical hotspot. It boasts nearly 30 species of conifer,...
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If we wish to save the Javan rhinoceros, we must work to know it (commentary)

Around 4,300 years ago, mainland mammoths had died out and only 300 remained on Wrangel Island off the Siberian coast. Isolated on an island in the Arctic Ocean, these...
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Brazil on verge of legitimizing Amazon land theft on a grand scale, warn NGOs

(Leia essa matéria em português no The Intercept Brasil. You can also read this Mongabay article in Portuguese at The Intercept Brasil) The Amazon is the sort of wild...
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Mangrove loss threatens migratory shorebird route in North Sumatra

MEDAN, Indonesia — A key stopover site for migratory shorebirds in western Indonesia is imperilled as the area’s mangrove forests are exponentially developed for human land use, according to...
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Lobby groups drop lawsuit against Indonesian environment law

JAKARTA — Just days after a pair of associations representing the palm oil and timber industries filed a lawsuit against Indonesia’s environment and forestry laws, they withdrew the suit,...
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Safe and Sound Week June 12-18, 2017

Show Your Commitment to Safety
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Can marine reserves help counteract climate change?

Even if all the world’s nations fully cooperated to reduce carbon emissions and limit climate change, elevated carbon dioxide levels will continue to harm our oceans in the coming...
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Extinction in the wild looms for two California fish (commentary)

Over at the California Water Blog, UC Davis fish biologists Peter Moyle and Jason Baumsteiger observe that two species of California fish — one small and the other big...
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The Philippines, a nation rich in precious metals, encounters powerful opposition to mining

DIDIPIO, Philippines – Before OceanaGold began to systematically remove any trace that Dinkidi Mountain ever existed in northern Luzon’s Sierra Madre range, 100 farmers raised rice and citrus crops...
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