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WHO Regional Workshop on Chemical Safety
24 - 26
th
June 2013
The International Workshop to Strengthen Capacities for Sound Chemicals Management in South-East Asia Region
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(8482 news total)
2676. August 11, 2014 | EPA Pesticide News
Agreement to cancel methomyl use on some crops
EPA and the manufacturers of the insecticide methomyl have agreed to cancel the use of methomyl on barley, oat, and rye, limit its use on wheat to Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, and reduce the application rates and the number of applications for some crops by 20-50%. These actions are in response to EPA’s evaluation of data showing risk from methomyl in drinking water. EPA is taking this action to protect human health and the environment.
2677. July 24, 2014 | Newsweek
Exposure to pesticides when pregnant linked to 3 generations of disease
In the post-Silent Spring 1960s, when the pesticide DDT was discovered to be toxic to humans and wildlife and to persist for years in the environment, farmers and landscapers turned enthusiastically to Methoxychlor. The pesticide—also commercially known as Chemform, Methoxo, Metox or Moxie—had a much shorter half-life and was billed as the safe alternative to DDT. Now, new research argues that exposure to the pesticide could cause diseases three generations later, in offspring who were never exposed to the Methoxychlor themselves.
2678. July 1, 2014 | Natural News
Environmental impacts of neonicotinoid pesticides are now 'impossible to deny
Evidence that neonicotinoid pesticides are doing severe damage to ecological integrity and bee populations around the world is now "conclusive," according to a review conducted by an international scientific task force.
2679. June 28, 2014 | Science News
Health risks of e-cigarettes emerge
Electronic cigarettes, marketed as safer than regular cigarettes, deliver a cocktail of toxic chemicals including carcinogens into the lungs, new studies show. Using e-cigarettes may even make bacterial infections resistant to antibiotics, according to one study.
2680. June 23, 2014 | Newsweek
Autism risk much higher for children of pregnant women living near agricultural pesticide areas
Pregnant women who live near agricultural land where pesticides are applied have a 60 percent higher risk of giving birth to children with autism or other developmental delays.
2681. June 11, 2014 | NBC News (New York)
Banned Pesticides, Toxic Metals Found Near Long Island Homes for Veterans, USA
Authorities probing several toxic material dump sites on Long Island said Tuesday that soil samples at a row of newly built homes for war veterans were contaminated with banned pesticides, hazardous metals and petroleum byproducts. The homes, on Veterans Way in Islandia, initially tested negative for asbestos, but Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota said a new round of tests came back positive for the pesticides DDT and chlordane, petroleum byproducts and above-average levels several metals including cobalt, zinc, iron and lead.
2682. June 10, 2014 | Scientific American News
Children and pregnant women should eat more fish
Federal officials on Tuesday announced major changes in advice to pregnant and breastfeeding women by recommending consumption of at least 8 ounces of low-mercury fish per week.
2683. June 10, 2014 | EnvironmentalHealthNews.org
Infants exposed to 'potentially harmful' chemicals in vinyl
Most babies born prematurely and one-third of full-term infants are exposed to chemicals found in vinyl “at a potentially harmful level,” according to new research in Finland. The study of 125 babies from the day they were born to 14 months old is the first comprehensive examination of infants’ exposure to several phthalates. The chemicals, considered hormone disruptors, have been linked to health effects in animal tests and some human studies, including altered male genitalia, attention and learning problems and asthma. The sources of the phthalates in the babies are unknown. But some researchers suspect that they came from hospital equipment or household materials.
2684. June 10, 2014 | EnvironmentalHealthNews.org
US FDA, EPA advise pregnant women, children to eat more low-mercury fish
Federal officials on Tuesday announced major changes in advice to pregnant and breastfeeding women by recommending consumption of at least 8 ounces of low-mercury fish per week. It is the first time that the Environmental Protection Agency and Food and Drug Administration have issued recommendations on the minimum amount of fish that pregnant women and children should eat. The previous advisory, issued in 2004, included only maximum amounts to protect their fetuses and young children from mercury, which can harm developing brains and reduce IQs.
2685. June 8, 2014 | BBC News
Air pollution needs more monitoring, says UK trade union
Councils must work to improve the monitoring of urban air quality after research suggested some UK workers were being exposed to "dangerous" pollution levels. Street cleaners and parking staff were among those most at risk.
2686. June 5, 2014 | Asia News Network
China's big cities struggle to meet pollution standards
Most major Chinese cities continue to suffer heavy air pollution, but cleanup efforts are showing signs of progress, the country's environmental watchdog said on Wednesday. Only 3 out of 74 cities that adopted revised air quality standards made the mark last year, Li Ganjie, vice-minister of environmental protection, said during the release of the 2013 Report on the State of the Environment in China. The measurements are based on the intensity of pollution factors like sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, PM10, PM2.5, carbon monoxide and ozone.
2687. June 5, 2014 | UNEP News Centre
Sea-Level Rise in Small Island Nations - Up to Four Times the Global Average
Climate change-induced sea-level rise in the world's 52 small island nations - estimated to be up to four times the global average - continues to be the most pressing threat to their environment and socio-economic development with annual losses at the trillions of dollars due to increased vulnerability. An immediate shift in policies and investment towards renewable energy and green economic growth is required to avoid exacerbating these impacts, says a new report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
2688. June 4, 2014 | BBC News
Pollution link to irregular heartbeat and lung clotting
Air pollution is linked to increased risk of developing an irregular heartbeat and blood clots in the lung, research suggests. The impact of air pollution on the risk of heart attack and stroke is less clear, say UK experts. Analysis of data from England and Wales shows air pollution is particularly harmful in the elderly.
2689. June 4, 2014 | EnvironmentalHealthNews.org
Moms' lead exposure could affect newborns' brains
Pregnant women exposed to lead had newborns who scored slightly lower on tests measuring reflexes and other skills tied to brain development, according to a new study from China. Scientists already have documented that low levels of lead can reduce children’s IQs and cause other neurological effects. But the new study is one of few to find that babies in the womb also could be affected, especially if exposed during the first trimester.
2690. May 30, 2014 | New York Times
How a Carbon Market Works
Governments around the world are experimenting with issuing permits that allow industries to emit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, then restricting those permits to rein in carbon emissions.
2691. May 28, 2014 | UNEP New Centre
Conference to spotlight new e-waste management solutions for Kenya
A National e-Waste Conference and Exhibition was held in Nairobi, Wednesday, to identify solutions to Kenya's mounting e-waste problem. Focusing on the potential economic and environmental benefits of the responsible management of e-waste, stakeholders discussed ways to reduce the hazards arising from the disposal of electronic equipment in Kenya.
2692. May 26, 2014 | New York Times
China to Take 5 Million Cars Off the Road
China plans to take more than 5 million aging vehicles off the roads this year in a bid to improve air quality, with 330,000 cars set to be decommissioned in Beijing alone. Pollution has emerged as an urgent priority for China’s leaders as they try to reverse the damage done by decades of breakneck economic growth and head off public anger about the sorry state of the nation’s air, water and soil. In a wide-ranging action plan to cut emissions over the next two years, the Chinese cabinet, the State Council, said the country had already fallen behind in its pollution targets from 2011 to 2013 and was now having to step up its efforts. As many as 5.33 million so-called yellow label vehicles that fail to meet fuel standards will be eliminated this year.
2693. May 23, 2014 | UNEP News Centre
Bangladesh Uncovers the Crippling Cost of Climate Change Adaptation
With a population of 140 million, Bangladesh is one of the world's most populated countries. It is also one of the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Cyclones, floods and droughts have long been part of the country's history but they have intensified in recent years. As a result of the long exposure to these hazards, Bangladesh is a world leader in adaptation strategies but this has come with a heavy price tag. To find out exactly how much tax payers' money has been absorbed by efforts to tackle the effects of climate change, the Ministry of Finance has been working with the UNDP-UNEP Poverty-Environment Initiative to launch its first comprehensive climate change accounting system. The results of the financial review were telling.
2694. May 20, 2014 | Asia News Network
Sports brands found using toxic chemicals in shoes, clothes
Soccer wear and shoes from three international sports brands, all of whom are major producers of apparel for the upcoming World Cup in Brazil, were found to contain toxic chemicals, according to a report issued by Greenpeace.
2695. May 14, 2014 | UNEP News Centre
Tajikistan Green Investment in the Agricultural Sector helps realign its pathway to Sustainable Development
In Tajikistan, agriculture provides the backbone of the economy and supports the livelihoods of two-thirds of rural communities. Yet the steep terrain that characterizes the country means that only 7 per cent of land is suitable for farming. As pressure on available land has mounted, so too have unsustainable agricultural practices, leading to depleted soils, deforestation and waning productivity. These challenges have been further exacerbated by climate change.
2696. May 13, 2014 | Scientific American News
Flame retardant chemicals weaken frogs' immune systems
Young frogs exposed to flame retardants have weakened immune systems, which could leave them more susceptible to diseases that are ravaging amphibians worldwide
2697. May 6, 2014 | Asia News Network
Anti-haze bill 'to be tabled later this year': Singapore minister
A bill that penalises those responsible for causing transboundary haze will be tabled in Parliament by the second half of this year, Singapore's Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said.According to the draft legislation, firms that have fires on land they own or manage that cause haze over Singapore can be deemed to have committed an offence, and fined up to S$300,000 (US$239,923). Those affected by the haze can also take up civil suits against these companies, whose representatives could be served notice when they enter Singapore. The proposed law comes after Singapore - and Southeast Asia - experienced record levels of pollution caused by forest fires in Riau last June.
2698. May 4, 2014 | South China Morning Post, China
Families packing up and leaving Hong Kong over pollution life expectancy fears
With children the most at risk from Hong Kong's air pollution, some families have reluctantly packed up and left behind friends and comfortable lifestyles.
2699. March 14, 2014 | The Atlantic.com
The toxins that threaten our brains
Leading scientists recently identified a dozen chemicals as being responsible for widespread behavioral and cognitive problems. But the scope of the chemical dangers in our environment is likely even greater. Why children and the poor are most susceptible to neurotoxic exposure that may be costing the U.S. billions of dollars and immeasurable peace of mind.
2700. March 11, 2014 | UNEP News Centre
New UNEP report outlines Japan's experience with industrial waste management
In 1960s Japan, vast amounts of industrial and hazardous wastes, illegal dumping, air pollution and water contamination resulted in environmental and public health crises. One well known example of this was the mercury contamination in the city of Minamata, where large numbers of people became seriously ill after eating contaminated seafood from Minamata Bay.