Landslide Vote for GMO Labeling in Maine Legislature

Landslide Vote for GMO Labeling in Maine Legislature
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/06/11-6

"In a landslide 141-4 vote, the Maine House of Representatives voted Tuesday to advance bill LD 718, which would require special labeling for seeds and foods made with genetically modified (GMO) ingredients."

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Lautenberg's death leaves chemical safety bill hanging

Lautenberg's death leaves chemical safety bill hanging
http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Lautenberg-s-death-leaves-chemical-safety-bill-4577160.php?t=b3728060f34d372650&t=b3728060f3

"The death of Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., at 89 came just as he was shepherding what some believe - and others fear - may be the most significant federal law in his considerable political career.  Lautenberg's priority for more than a decade had been modernizing the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976, one of the country's bedrock environmental laws, and one that experts across the health and industrial spectra agree is hopelessly out of date."

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Mercury linked to neural tube defects in Chinese newborns.

Mercury linked to neural tube defects in Chinese newborns.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/newscience/2012/12/2013-0522-mercury-pregnancy-higher-risk-neural-tube-defects/

"Babies with two serious neural tube birth defects had higher levels of mercury in their placentas than babies without the birth defects, according to a study conducted in China.The infants with spina bifida and anencephaly were 12 times as likely to have higher-than-average mercury levels. The rural region studied has a high prevalence of neural tube defects and heavy pollution from coal-burning plants, a major source of mercury. However, the babies from this region did not have unusually high mercury exposures."

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U.S. orders new safety upgrades at nuclear plants

U.S. orders new safety upgrades at nuclear plants
http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/06/us/nuclear-reactors-upgrades/

"U.S. regulators are directing 31 nuclear reactors similar in design to the Fukushima Daiichi plant in Japan, where an earthquake and tsunami caused a meltdown two years ago, to take additional steps to help contain radiation and other damage from any accident that is not quickly halted."

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Common solvent linked to liver cancer risk

Common solvent linked to liver cancer risk
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/06/us-health-solvet-cancer-idUSBRE95516520130606

"Scandinavian workers exposed to a common industrial cleaning fluid showed higher risk for developing cancers of the liver, kidneys and cervix in a large new study."

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Indoor Air Pollution | PSR

Indoor Air Pollution | PSR
http://www.psr.org/environment-and-health/environmental-health-policy-institute/indoor-air-pollution.html

"Americans spend the majority of our time indoors, whether it's in our home, school or office.

Yet indoor air is estimated to be two to five times more polluted than outdoor air. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency lists poor indoor air quality as the fourth largest environmental threat to our country. It has been associated with a range of symptoms including headache, fatigue, trouble concentrating, and irritation of the eyes, nose, throat and lungs. Specific diseases such as Legionnaires' disease, asthma, hypersensitivity pneumonitis and humidifier fever have been directly traced to specific building-based problems. In addition, exposure to toxins such as asbestos and radon may not cause immediate symptoms but can lead to cancer years after exposure.

Other building-related concerns that can affect health include poor lighting, excessive noise and heating and cooling issues.

How is it that the buildings we spend the most time in -- raising our families, learning, earning a living -- can be the most toxic? What can we do about it, what sort of recourse do we have? Please read on, as the contributors to this month's Environmental Health Policy Institute aim to answer those questions."

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Toxic Chemicals: Are Stricter Regulations Needed?

Toxic Chemicals: Are Stricter Regulations Needed?
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2013/05/30/toxic-chemicals

"A new big push is on to rewrite federal regulations on the toxic chemicals in our lives. We'll look at whether it's a great compromise or a great sellout.
When it comes to toxic chemicals, you might think there's somebody looking out for you, your health, your basic safety.
You might be wrong.
The 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act, which governs American chemical regulation, is widely considered a joke.  Out of 85,000 registered chemicals in the US, the federal government has required testing of only 200.  Only five have been banned as dangerous. And we wonder what's in our environment.
New legislation would update controls.  But is it a real fix?"

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