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A Primeval Tide of Toxins - Runoff from modern life is feeding an explosion of primitive organisms. This 'rise of slime,' as one scientist calls it, is killing larger species and sickening people. By Kenneth R . Weiss - Los Angelels Times Staff Writer. The fireweed began each spring as tufts of hairy growth and spread across the seafloor fast enough to cover a football field in an hour.
When fishermen touched it, their skin broke out in searing welts. Their lips blistered and peeled. Their eyes burned and swelled shut. Water that splashed from their nets spread the inflammation to their legs and torsos. "It comes up like little boils," said Randolph Van Dyk, a fisherman whose powerful legs are pocked with scars. "At nighttime, you can feel them burning. I tried everything to get rid of them. Nothing worked." As the weed blanketed miles of the bay over the last decade, it stained fishing nets a dark purple and left them coated with a powdery residue. When fishermen tried to shake it off the webbing, their throats constricted and they gasped for air. After one man bit a fishing line in two, his mouth and tongue swelled so badly that he couldn't eat solid food for a week. Others made an even more painful mistake, neglecting to wash the residue from their hands before relieving themselves over the sides of their boats. For a time, embarrassment kept them from talking publicly about their condition. When they finally did speak up, authorities dismissed their complaints — until a bucket of the hairy weed made it to the University of Queensland's marine botany lab. Samples placed in a drying oven gave off fumes so strong that professors and students ran out of the building and into the street, choking and coughing. Scientist Judith O'Neil put a tiny sample under a microscope and peered at the long black filaments. Consulting a botanical reference, she identified the weed as a strain of cyanobacteria, an ancestor of modern-day bacteria and algae that flourished 2.7 billion years ago. O'Neil, a biological oceanographer, was familiar with these ancient life forms, but had never seen this particular kind before. What was it doing in Moreton Bay? Why was it so toxic? Why was it growing so fast?
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/oceans/la-me-ocean30jul30,0,952130.storyhttp://www.latimes.com/news/local/oceans/la-me-ocean30jul30,0,952130.story
When fishermen touched it, their skin broke out in searing welts. Their lips blistered and peeled. Their eyes burned and swelled shut. Water that splashed from their nets spread the inflammation to their legs and torsos. "It comes up like little boils," said Randolph Van Dyk, a fisherman whose powerful legs are pocked with scars. "At nighttime, you can feel them burning. I tried everything to get rid of them. Nothing worked." As the weed blanketed miles of the bay over the last decade, it stained fishing nets a dark purple and left them coated with a powdery residue. When fishermen tried to shake it off the webbing, their throats constricted and they gasped for air. After one man bit a fishing line in two, his mouth and tongue swelled so badly that he couldn't eat solid food for a week. Others made an even more painful mistake, neglecting to wash the residue from their hands before relieving themselves over the sides of their boats. For a time, embarrassment kept them from talking publicly about their condition. When they finally did speak up, authorities dismissed their complaints — until a bucket of the hairy weed made it to the University of Queensland's marine botany lab. Samples placed in a drying oven gave off fumes so strong that professors and students ran out of the building and into the street, choking and coughing. Scientist Judith O'Neil put a tiny sample under a microscope and peered at the long black filaments. Consulting a botanical reference, she identified the weed as a strain of cyanobacteria, an ancestor of modern-day bacteria and algae that flourished 2.7 billion years ago. O'Neil, a biological oceanographer, was familiar with these ancient life forms, but had never seen this particular kind before. What was it doing in Moreton Bay? Why was it so toxic? Why was it growing so fast?
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/oceans/la-me-ocean30jul30,0,952130.storyhttp://www.latimes.com/news/local/oceans/la-me-ocean30jul30,0,952130.story
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Environmental Group Launches Database of Pesticide Effects on Reptiles and Amphibians - (Eureka, CA) Capping a five-year-long effort, the citizens group Californians for Alternatives to Toxics (CATs) has created a user-friendly database of the most recent international research about the effects of pesticide use on amphibians and reptiles. "By bringing together current research on beleaguered amphibians and reptiles, we have made this global information readily accessible to academics, neighborhood activists and students," said Patty Clary, CATs Programs Director..... California is one of the "hot spots" in the global decline of amphibian populations, and native aquatic frog and toad species have been disappearing for two decades. For example, research by the U.S. Geological Survey since 1997 has revealed dangerous levels of pesticides in both the bodies of frogs and in their aquatic habitat in pristine areas of the Sierra Nevada. Entire populations of native frogs have vanished, and research has pinpointed pesticide sprays that have drifted hundreds of miles from the Central Valley to settle in wilderness areas..... The database is available at the Californians for Alternatives to
Toxics website (http://www.alternatives2toxics.org). CATs welcomes comments and suggestions for improving the database.
Toxics website (http://www.alternatives2toxics.org). CATs welcomes comments and suggestions for improving the database.
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Developmental neurotoxicity of industrial chemicals - Grandjean P, Landrigan PJ. - Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark. pgrand@... - Lancet. 2006 Dec 16;368(9553):2167-78. Neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism, attention deficit disorder, mental retardation, and cerebral palsy are common, costly, and can cause lifelong disability. Their causes are mostly unknown. A few industrial chemicals (eg, lead, methylmercury, polychlorinated biphenyls [PCBs], arsenic, and toluene) are recognised causes of neurodevelopmental disorders and subclinical brain dysfunction. Exposure to these chemicals during early fetal development can cause brain injury at doses much lower than those affecting adult brain function. Recognition of these risks has led to evidence-based programmes of prevention, such as elimination of lead additives in petrol. Although these prevention campaigns are highly successful, most were initiated only after substantial delays. Another 200 chemicals are known to cause clinical neurotoxic effects in adults. Despite an absence of systematic testing, many additional chemicals have been shown to be neurotoxic in laboratory models. The toxic effects of such chemicals in the developing human brain are not known and they are not regulated to protect children. The two main impediments to prevention of neurodevelopmental deficits of chemical origin are the great gaps in testing chemicals for developmental neurotoxicity and the high level of proof required for regulation. New, precautionary approaches that recognise the unique vulnerability of the developing brain are needed for testing and control of chemicals. (emphasis added)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=17174709&itool=pubmed_DocSum
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How Environmental Pollutants Are Causing Reproductive Problems -
AlterNet - San Francisco, CA, USA ... In Florida, they have accumulated in the milk of mother dolphins, poisoning and killing their calves. ... Take DDT, a pesticide that can damage the nervous system. ... http://www.alternet.org/story/45684/
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Study: Asbestos fears are justified. Debunking industry claims, USGS scientists confirmed a federal environmental agency's findings of a particularly dangerous kind of asbestos on playgrounds in El Dorado Hills. Sacramento Bee, California. http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/95583.html
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Pollution nets a $37-million penalty. Capping a three-year investigation, federal officials announced a landmark, $37-million penalty in a maritime pollution case involving one of the world's largest publicly
traded tanker companies. Los Angeles Times, California. http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-maritime20dec20,1,169349.story
traded tanker companies. Los Angeles Times, California. http://www.latimes.
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Female Troubles for Wildlife Raise Human Worries By Molly M. Ginty - WeNews correspondent. Across the U.S., female animals exposed to toxic chemicals are suffering from a flurry of health problems. As scientists examine the impact of environmental pollution, some are pondering what the results may mean to female humans. http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2999
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EPA's rules on pollution reporting loosened. Under new EPA report rules on emission of toxic compounds from US manufacturing plants, some companies will be able to release four times as much pollution without filing reports. Wilmington News Journal, Delaware. http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061219/NEWS/612190339
D.C. joins 13 states in suing over air quality regulations. Thirteen states and the District sued the US EPA in federal court yesterday to try to get the agency to strengthen its restrictions on the amount of soot that industries and automobiles can release into the air. Washington Post - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/18/AR2006121801224.html
Concern grows over pollution from jets. Much remains unknown about climate change and the role aviation plays, though climate scientists express particular concern about jet emissions in the upper atmosphere, where the warming effect from some pollutants is amplified. USA Today - http://www.usatoday.com/money/biztravel/2006-12-18-jet-pollution-usat_x.htm
Toxic timebomb surfaces 60 years after U-boat lost duel to the death. The wreck of U864 now lies 152 metres beneath North Sea waters off the Norwegian coast, and contains 65 tonnes of mercury in 1,857 corroding canisters. London Times, England. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2511387,00.html
How tungsten missed the mark. A year after the first rounds of tungsten-nylon bullets were fired, Army researchers discovered that tungsten powder in the bullet leached through sandy soils - the type of
soil that covers Cape Cod. They never told environmental regulators, and continued to use them. Cape Cod Times, Massachusetts.
http://www.capecodonline.com/archives/7days/sun/howtungsten17.htm
Judge downplays asbestos risk. A federal bankruptcy court judge ruled Friday that asbestos found in Zonolite attic insulation once manufactured by W.R Grace and Co. does not pose an 'unreasonable risk of harm.' Kalispell Daily Inter Lake, Montana. http://www.dailyinterlake.com/articles/2006/12/19/news/news02.txt
Sustainability' gains status on US campuses. Somewhere in the curriculum, most colleges and universities include Henry David Thoreau. Now, many of them are trying to emulate him. Christian Science Monitor - http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1219/p01s03-ussc.html
Farms may cut habitat renewal over E. coli fears. The recent scares over deadly bacteria in California produce may hurt farm programs aimed at restoring wildlife habitat and cutting water pollution. San Francisco Chronicle, California. - http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/12/19/MNGVHN291V1.DTL
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D.C. joins 13 states in suing over air quality regulations. Thirteen states and the District sued the US EPA in federal court yesterday to try to get the agency to strengthen its restrictions on the amount of soot that industries and automobiles can release into the air. Washington Post - http://www.washingt
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Concern grows over pollution from jets. Much remains unknown about climate change and the role aviation plays, though climate scientists express particular concern about jet emissions in the upper atmosphere, where the warming effect from some pollutants is amplified. USA Today - http://www.usatoday
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Toxic timebomb surfaces 60 years after U-boat lost duel to the death. The wreck of U864 now lies 152 metres beneath North Sea waters off the Norwegian coast, and contains 65 tonnes of mercury in 1,857 corroding canisters. London Times, England. http://www.timesonl
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How tungsten missed the mark. A year after the first rounds of tungsten-nylon bullets were fired, Army researchers discovered that tungsten powder in the bullet leached through sandy soils - the type of
soil that covers Cape Cod. They never told environmental regulators, and continued to use them. Cape Cod Times, Massachusetts.
http://www.capecodo
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Judge downplays asbestos risk. A federal bankruptcy court judge ruled Friday that asbestos found in Zonolite attic insulation once manufactured by W.R Grace and Co. does not pose an 'unreasonable risk of harm.' Kalispell Daily Inter Lake, Montana. http://www.dailyint
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Sustainability' gains status on US campuses. Somewhere in the curriculum, most colleges and universities include Henry David Thoreau. Now, many of them are trying to emulate him. Christian Science Monitor - http://www.csmonito
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Farms may cut habitat renewal over E. coli fears. The recent scares over deadly bacteria in California produce may hurt farm programs aimed at restoring wildlife habitat and cutting water pollution. San Francisco Chronicle, California. - http://www.sfgate.
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Invasive species could harm waterways -
Hilton Head Island Packet - Hilton Head Island, SC, USA... McGuire says the pest may kill native shellfish and foul man-made objects such as boat hulls. ... These things could conceivably cause huge problems.". ... http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/6289353p-5485564c.html
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Suspicious Shrimp Could Make You Ill -
Common Dreams (press release) - Portland, ME, USA... means that large quantities of shrimp contaminated with pesticide residues, antibiotics ... Water Watch report, Suspicious Shrimp, highlights the dangers of eating ... http://www.commondreams.org/news2006/1219-01.htm .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Drug kingpin gets death sentence -
Shanghai Daily - Shanghai, China ... moved the drugs to a pesticide factory in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, after the Chishui factory polluted local water, poisoning the fish ... http://www.shanghaidaily.com/art/2006/12/20/300360/Drug_kingpin_gets_death_sentence.htm
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Jet emissions' role growing in warming -
News-Leader.com - Springfield, MO, USA ... from planes are expected to become one of the largest contributors to global warming, said the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, an independent ... http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061219/BUSINESS/612190327/1092
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Is There a Barber in the House? -
New York Times - United States ... Since the primary contamination seemed to be in her hair, her head was shaved ... Studies suggest that each year, there are 18 cases of pesticide-caused illness for ... http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/19/health/19case.html
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INDIA: Coke, Pepsi in government setback - report -
just-drinks.com (subscription) - UK ... drinks industry had appeared to be making progress after the pesticide claims. ... s Supreme Court delayed the verdict in the controversial contamination case for ... http://www.just-drinks.com/article.aspx?id=88787
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Taming river's toxic mud. Take some barge loads of muck from the bottom of the Passaic River, cook in a kiln at 2,400 degrees till the dioxins, PCBs and pesticides melt away, then mix with cement. Bergen County Record, New Jersey.
http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkzJmZnYmVsN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk3MDQwMzU1JnlyaXJ5N2Y3MTdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5Mg ==
http://www.northjer
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Soft-drink risk: It's in the can and it's chemical. While some experts worry cola isn't the best ingredient in a healthy lifestyle, federal Health Minister Tony Clement is setting his sights on the cans because they leach bisphenol A. CanWest News, Canada. http://www.canada.
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Female troubles for wildlife raise human worries. Across the U.S., female animals exposed to toxic chemicals are suffering from a flurry of health problems. As scientists examine the impact of environmental pollution, some are pondering what the results may mean to female humans. Women's E News http://www.womensen
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Green laws no slam-dunk in new Congress. Environmentalists project success now that Democrats control both chambers. But a push for stronger rules could scramble partisan loyalty. Los Angeles Times, California. http://www.latimes.
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Air pollution already has Utah in haze. Today, the federal government institutes tough new air pollution standards, and while possible sanctions won't be in place for years, Logan, Utah already is having to cope with air that reaches unhealthy levels. Salt Lake Tribune, Utah. http://www.sltrib.
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Air panel OKs new controls on oil, gas industry pollution. A Colorado air quality panel wary of lingering pollution along the Front Range approved new emission controls on the flourishing oil and gas industry Sunday, setting tighter rules than even those proposed by regulators. Denver Rocky Mountain News, Colorado.
http://www.rockymou
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The hidden cost of your hardwood floor. Nearly three decades into itsunprecedented economic ascent, China is outstripping its own resources and roaming the planet for more. Chicago Tribune, Illinois.
http://www.chicagot
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Asians choking on dirty air - experts. Every year over half-a-million people die in Asia from breathing air loaded with pollutants that are far in excess of World Health Organisation guidelines for air quality.
Inter Press Service - http://www.ipsnews.
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Exported e-waste pollutes Africa. Africa's largest city, already plagued by sanitation woes, is becoming increasingly polluted as a result of unscrupulous brokers and American rules that treat broken computers as products for export rather than junk. St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Missouri.
http://www.stltoday
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Latin American farmers can thank health-conscious U.S. consumers for a booming organic export business. Latin American farmers are increasingly harvesting for export to the United States as they tap into the growing clamor for chemical-free products. Miami Herald, Florida. http://www.miami.
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Bullets: 'Simple' solutions favored for Camp Edwards. A decade after a historic EPA ban on lead ammunition at the Massachusetts Military Reservation, the Massachusetts National Guard wants to resume firing lead ammunition by next spring. Cape Cod Times, Massachusetts. http://www.capecodo
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The price we pay for China's boom. The improbable connection between cheap sweaters, Asia's prairies and America's air captures how the most ordinary shifts in the global economy are triggering extraordinary change. Chicago Tribune, Illinois. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0612170360dec17,1,413840.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed
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Welcome to the world of nano foods. The processed-food giant Kraft and a group of research laboratories are busy working towards 'programmable food.' London Observer, England.
http://observer.
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Alarmingly high rate of cancer looms over one-time mining town. For decades, Monticello, Utah residents slept under the fumes emitted from the roaster smokestack whose top loomed nearly even with many of their homes. Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, Colorado. http://www.gjsentin
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Brakes warning remains. A government warning to mechanics that exposure to asbestos in brakes can cause deadly disease will not be removed from a federal Web site, and OSHA has decided not to suspend a scientist who had refused to water down the warning. Baltimore Sun, Maryland. [
http://www.baltimor
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Women lead opposition to CAFOs. In rural East Central Indiana, the people organizing local factory farm opponents are typically grandmothers and/or mothers who have deep roots in farm land. Muncie Star Press, Indiana. http://www.thestarp
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Study raises concern about chicken. A study by Consumer Reports says more than 80 percent of chicken they inspected were contaminated with bacteria and that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is lax in their testing. Living On Earth http://www.loe.
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Poison that killed spy is in your body and mine. Trace amounts of the radioactive substance polonium-210 are found everywhere in the soil and in the air. Los Angeles Times, California. [Registration Required] http://www.latimes.
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Drug files show maker promoted unapproved use. Eli Lilly encouraged primary care physicians to use Zyprexa, a powerful drug for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, in patients who did not have either condition. New York Times [Registration Required] http://www.nytimes.
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Breast cancer news brings a range of reactions. Across the country, reactions to the new report varied from fury to disbelief to a kind of complacency, a feeling of "what else is new?" New York Times
http://www.nytimes.
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I have posted a lot of free pest control alternatives and other relevant information on the website located at: http://www.safesolutionsinc.com/resources.htm . There is a free 86 page booklet on how to control most pest problems without using any pesticide POISONS entitled: THE BUG STOPS HERE. There is a free chapter on Lice/Scabies/Morgellons Disease, a free chapter on Mosquitoes, a free chapter on Fleas and Mange, a free chapter on Bed Bugs, a free chapter on Spiders, a free chapter on Detoxification/Healing and a section on fire ants from my newest IPM manual/encyclopedia entitled: THE BEST CONTROL II. All of these copyrighted items are free for you to simply read and/or download. There simply is no need to POISON yourself.
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"Want To Detox And Be Healthy?" learn how to Detox and become healthy again at: http://www.safesolutionsinc.com/healthy.pdf .
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"How to Beat Cancer"- http://www.safesolutionsinc.com/cancer.htm
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Respectfully, Stephen L. Tvedten - Marne, MI - 43.04N -85.81W (Elev. 696 ft)
MCS International Country Coordinator for the USA - http://www.mcs-international.org/meet_team_steve.html and:
http://www.mcs-international.org/articles/article_steve_tvedten1.html
Websites: http://www.thebestcontrol.com , http://www.getipm.com , http://www.learnipm.com , http://www.safesolutionsinc.com
http://www.mcs-international.org/articles/article_steve_tvedten1.html
Websites: http://www.thebestcontrol.com , http://www.getipm.com , http://www.learnipm.com , http://www.safesolutionsinc.com
To learn more about the Bug Stops Here Yahoo group group, please visit: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thebugstopshere
You see things and you say, 'why?' but I dream things that never were; and I say 'why not?'" Thomas Edison
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