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2551. July 1, 2015 | Environmental Health News
Chemicals may alter placenta genes, threaten fetuses
Researchers link endocrine disrupting chemical exposure to altered gene function in pregnant women’s placentas, which could hamper fetal growth
2552. June 30, 2015 | Reuters
South Korea to cut 2030 greenhouse gas emissions by 37 percent from BAU levels.
South Korea has finalised its 2030 target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 37 percent from business-as-usual levels, higher than its earlier plan for a 15-30 percent cut.
2553. June 30, 2015 | Capital Press
EPA to propose banning chlorpyrifos insecticide
The EPA says it plans to ban the common insecticide chlorpyrifos but may change its mind based on discussions with manufacturers. The federal government said June 30 that it’s planning to ban chlorpyrifos, a common insecticide, but may change its mind based on consultations with the chemical’s manufacturer.
2554. June 29, 2015 | The Washington Post
Sugary drinks linked to 180,000 deaths a year
Scientists are asking people across the globe to lay off sugary drinks, linking the consumption to an estimated 184,000 adult deaths each year, including more than 25,000 Americans.
2555. June 27, 2015 | The Economic Times, India
Delhi air has high doses of most toxic pollutant
Delhi's air pollution levels are among the worst in the world but new research is pointing at something even more worrying. A government agency that recently started monitoring the most dangerous class of particulate pollutants — ultrafine particulate matter or PM1 — found its levels to be quite high even in the low-pollution pre-monsoon season in comparatively cleaner locations of the city such as central Delhi's Lodhi Road.
2556. June 26, 2015 | Ensia.com
Vietnam searches for solutions to deal with domestic e-waste
Much of the world’s electronic waste ends up in Vietnam — not only cell phones, computers, printers and TVs, but also items many people may not think of when they consider e-waste, such as washing machines, microwaves and fans. This waste is often burned or dumped in landfills where toxicants such as arsenic, mercury, lead and cadmium are released into the air or leach into the water. Perhaps most concerning, domestic e-waste is growing by about 25 percent each year in Vietnam, with up to 113,000 metric tons (124,500 tons) discarded this year.
2557. June 23, 2015 | IARC
WHO agency says insecticides lindane and DDT linked to cancer
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the specialized cancer agency of the World Health Organization, has evaluated the carcinogenicity of the insecticides gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane (lindane) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and the herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D).
2558. June 12, 2015 | Australia ABC News
First five asbestos-contaminated houses to be demolished under buyback scheme named
Five houses contaminated with Mr Fluffy loose-fill asbestos will be demolished over the next five weeks as part of the ACT Government's pilot demolition program.
2559. June 12, 2015 | Mother Jones
The big source of pollution that no one talks about
When most of us think about air pollution, we imagine smog emanating from cars, trucks, and power plants. But oceangoing ships are also a major source of pollution around the world and they're emitting toxic chemicals that can cause major health problems.
2560. June 12, 2015 | New York Times
Soil contamination found near huge mine in western China.
Soil samples collected by Greenpeace East Asia researchers near Asia’s largest zinc and lead mine and smelting plant, in Yunnan Province, show severe heavy metal contamination, the organization says. The findings, it has reported, highlight the environmental and health hazards as industries react to tighter pollution constraints in eastern China by expanding operations in less developed areas in the west.
2561. June 11, 2015 | South China Morning Post, China
China unveils plan for pollution tax
The State Council has issued a draft environment tax law that proposes targeting air, water, noise and solid waste pollution through levies on polluters.
2562. June 10, 2015 | NL Times, Netherlands
Pesticides, BPA cost Dutch society €6 billion in annual health bills
Exposure to hormone disrupting substances, which can be found in everyday products such as pesticides, plastic packaging, BPA or canned goods, annually costs Dutch society 5.8 billion euros.
2563. June 8, 2015 | Times of London, United Kingdom
Pollution could be giving bumblebees Alzheimer’s
A study suggests that bumblebees could be contracting a form of Alzheimer's disease because of exposure to aluminium in the environment.
2564. June 7, 2015 | Chicago Tribune, Illinois
Lead poisoning linked to violent crime
After growing up poor in a predominantly African-American neighborhood of Cincinnati, the young adults had reached their early 20s. One by one, they passed through an MRI machine that displayed their brains in sharp, cross-sectioned images.
2565. June 7, 2015 | BBC News
How 1970s deodorant is still doing harm.
Fluorine is an evil gas. And it is also used to manufacture a string of other artificial gases, some of which nearly left mankind exposed to burning ultraviolet light - and are even now warming the planet.
2566. June 5, 2015 | The Guardian
Coal miner's toxic wastes killing aquatic life in protected Blue Mountains river
The NSW government will impose a pollution reduction program on mine operator Centennial Coal which has breached its licence 65 times since 2000.
2567. June 4, 2015 | Environment Report
Report finds nearly 3/4 of car seats tested still contain toxic flame retardants
The Ecology Center in Ann Arbor has just come out with its 5th report on toxic chemicals in car seats. The nonprofit group analyzes car seats for the presence of heavy metals and flame retardants.
2568. June 3, 2015 | Hindu Business Line, India
76 percent of e-waste workers suffer from respiratory ailments
About 76 percent of electronic-waste workers in India suffer from respiratory ailments like breathing difficulties, irritation, coughing and choking due to improper safeguards at dismantling workshops, an Assocham study has noted.
2569. June 3, 2015 | Duluth News Tribune, Minnesota
More chemicals found in remote Minnesota lakes
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Tuesday released the results of its latest survey of 11 lakes and four rivers tested for 125 different chemicals, many of which are suspected of being harmful to the environment and, possibly, to humans.
2570. June 2, 2015 | Economic Times, India
Air pollution is world’s top environmental health risk, WHO says
Air pollution is the world's biggest environmental health risk, causing at least one in eight deaths around the globe, the World Health Organization has said.
2571. June 2, 2015 | Buffalo Investigative Post, New York
Pollution risks in Niagara Falls
Air pollution from chemical plants in and around Niagara Falls poses potential health risks for nearby residents, an Investigative Post analysis shows.
2572. June 1, 2015 | Anchorage KTVA TV, Alaska
Study finds frog decline could be related to water warming, copper pollution
New evidence supports theories that water pollution from road runoff may increase mortality and abnormalities in frogs.
2573. June 1, 2015 | New York Times
No, you can't blame your belly on traffic
A recent study found an association between traffic noise exposure and an increase in abdominal body fat. But it was only an association.
2574. June 1, 2015 | Environmental Health Perspectives
Examining mixtures of disinfection by-products: Rat study shows no effects on reproduction
Potentially hazardous disinfection by-products (DBPs) can form when water treatment chemicals interact with other compounds in the water.
2575. June 1, 2015 | Environmental Health Perspectives
Exercising in polluted areas: Study suggests benefits outweigh the health risks of NO2 exposure
Investigators report that over the long-term, exposure to air pollution while exercising did not seem to reduce the beneficial health effects of physical activity on mortality risk.