Workers' Silica Exposure at Fracking Sites Far Exceeds OSHA Limit, NIOSH Study Finds

Workers' Silica Exposure at Fracking Sites Far Exceeds OSHA Limit, NIOSH Study Finds
http://www.bna.com/workers-silica-exposure-n17179875594/

"The concentration of silica in the air workers breathe exceeded occupational health criteria at all 11 hydraulic fracturing sites tested by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the American Industrial Hygiene Association announced July 31."

Read More

Women, kids urged to avoid mercury-tainted fish from California lakes

Women, kids urged to avoid mercury-tainted fish from California lakes
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-mercury-fish-warning-california-lake-reservoir-20130801,0,2446669.story

"Children and women of childbearing age should not eat bass, carp and larger brown trout caught in California lakes and reservoirs because they contain unhealthy levels of mercury, according to a state health advisory issued Thursday.
Instead, they should opt for wild-caught rainbow trout and smaller brown trout, which have less mercury and higher amounts of healthy Omega-3 fatty acids, the state Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment says. The agency also suggests women over 45 and men limit themselves to one serving per week of bass, carp or brown trout more than 16 inches long."

Read More

Court says state must limit water toxin by Aug. 31

Court says state must limit water toxin by Aug. 31
http://www.sfchronicle.com/health/article/Court-says-state-must-limit-water-toxin-by-Aug-31-4701835.php

"A court ruling has put California closer to limiting the amount of a carcinogen in the state's drinking water, a safety measure that was supposed to be adopted nearly a decade ago."

Read More

School Poisoning Provides Window into India's Pesticide Problem

School Poisoning Provides Window into India's Pesticide Problem
http://www.theworld.org/2013/08/school-poisoning-provides-window-into-indias-pesticide-problem-2/

"The recent deaths of 23 Indian schoolchildren from pesticide-poisoned lunches was just the latest chapter in the country's long and troubled relationship with chemical pesticides. Host Carol Hills speaks about the problem–and some of the emerging grassroots solutions–with journalist Meera Subramanian. She says India is using 67 pesticides that are banned in other parts of the world. "

Read More

BPA and Altered Airway Cells: Association Seen in Rhesus Macaques after Third-Trimester Exposure

BPA and Altered Airway Cells: Association Seen in Rhesus Macaques after Third-Trimester Exposure
http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/121-a254/

"Parental bisphenol A (BPA) exposure has been shown to alter the development of reproductive organs in animal models,1 although the impacts on development of other organ systems remain largely unknown. Researchers at the University of California, Davis, now report in EHP that BPA exposure late in gestation alters airway cell development in rhesus macaques.2
Previous studies have associated BPA exposure with an experimental model of asthma in mice.3 Epidemiological studies have found evidence of an association between prenatal BPA exposure and wheeze in young children,4 and between postnatal exposure and childhood asthma.5 "This study sheds light on the possible mechanisms by which BPA may affect lung health," says Kathleen Donohue, an assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University. Donohue was not involved in the current study."

Read More

House panel hits EPA with subpoena over pollution studies

House panel hits EPA with subpoena over pollution studies
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/56681889-90/data-epa-studies-agency.html.csp

 

"Washington • House Republicans say they are tired of asking the Environmental Protection Agency to provide the underlying data used in studies tying pollution to serious health problems.
So, they issued a subpoena late Thursday, the first from the Science Committee in 21 years."

Read More

Birds exposed to 'hidden pollutants' in south Wales valleys

Birds exposed to 'hidden pollutants' in south Wales valleys
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-23532423

"Birds which have returned to the former industrial valleys of south Wales are being exposed to extremely high levels of hidden pollutants, experts warn.
Tests on eggs of dipper birds found chemicals used as flame retardants in furniture and motor vehicles.
The birds have fed on local rivers in growing numbers since heavy industries such as coal mining declined."

Read More