The burning question. Half a million Cairenes will develop potentially fatal lung diseases and cancers in the next 5-25 years as a result of this fall's 'black cloud.' Cairo Business Today, Egypt.. http://www.businesstodayegypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=7053
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EU to usher in new chemicals era with landmark law. A new era of tighter controls on the global chemicals industry is set to open on Wednesday with a new European Union law regulating thousands of substances deemed harmful to health and the environment. Reuters.  http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/39425/story.htm
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Scientists say toxic stew harming Canadians; tougher pollution laws needed. A toxic stew of chemicals from birth control pills, shampoo and even compounds used to make foam seating pours out of sewers and pipes across Canada every day, and hundreds of scientists say Ottawa must do more to stop it. Canadian Press.
http://www.brandonsun.com/story.php?story_id=35582
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Ban on jewelry for kids that has a high lead content appears likely. The Consumer Product Safety Commission voted Monday to move toward a ban on children's jewelry that contains more than tiny amounts of lead. Minneapolis Star Tribune, Minnesota.
http://www.startribune.com/484/story/869450.html
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Older cement kilns get EPA pass on mercury. The EPA announced Monday it would not require cement manufacturers -- including the nation's largest emitter, in Tehachapi, Calif. -- to upgrade plants to control mercury. Los Angeles Times, California. [Registration Required]  http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-cement12dec12,0,7688748.story
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The age of autism: 'Problems' in CDC data. For three years, the CDC has used a study conducted on its own Vaccine Safety Datalink to reassure parents that mercury in vaccines does not cause autism. United Press International
http://www.upi.com/ConsumerHealthDaily/view.php?StoryID=20061122-092219-6168r
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Judge rules district pumping runoff into Lake O illegal. A federal judge in Miami slapped South Florida water managers hard Monday, ruling that their decades-old practice of pumping polluted farm runoff into Lake Okeechobee violates the Clean Water Act. Palm Beach Post, Florida.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2006/12/12/m1a_Ruling_1212.html
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Researcher: dirty electricity common in schools. Some teachers and parents are convinced that dirty electricity could be the reason their  schools have sick building syndrome. La Crosse Tribune, Wisconsin.
http://www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2006/12/10/news/dirty2_1210.txt
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The Great Ethical toy guide is released. Wood is in and plastic is out as gifts under the Christmas tree come complete with a clear conscience. London Independent, England.  http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article2062505.ece
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Capitalism 3.0, Part 2 -  Here we continue our review of the important, thought-provoking book, Capitalism 3.0, by Peter Barnes. Part one of this review can be found here.
The Real Scoop on Biofuels -  The biofuels industry -- typically making ethanol from corn and biodiesel from soy -- is big business and getting bigger fast. New research shows that biofuels are far from environmentally friendly.
Scientists Reveal That Bears Have Stopped Hibernating -  Global warming is scrambling nature, with effects felt far and wide.
Is There A Microchip Implant in Your Children's Future? -  One day we will all happily be implanted with microchips, and our  every move will be monitored. The technology exists; the only barrier is society's resistance to the loss of privacy. An expert on
  surveillance and society lays out how corporations and governments will team up to break down that fragile barrier.
Capitalism 3.0, Part 2 -  Here we continue our review of the important, thought-provoking book, Capitalism 3.0, by Peter Barnes. Part one of this review can be found here.
The Real Scoop on Biofuels -  The biofuels industry -- typically making ethanol from corn and biodiesel from soy -- is big business and getting bigger fast. New research shows that biofuels are far from environmentally friendly.
Scientists Reveal That Bears Have Stopped Hibernating - Global warming is scrambling nature, with effects felt far and wide.
Is There A Microchip Implant in Your Children's Future? -  One day we will all happily be implanted with microchips, and our  every move will be monitored. The technology exists; the only barrier is society's resistance to the loss of privacy. An expert on
  surveillance and society lays out how corporations and governments will team up to break down that fragile barrier.

 

Getting the poor off the grid. Imagine turning the key to a brand-new, four-bedroom, two-bath house with solar panels and other "green" touches. If you think that is out of reach of a single mom making $34,000 a year and supporting a teenage daughter and disabled sister, think again. San Francisco Chronicle, California.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/23/HOGL4N38UJ1.DTL
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From seeds to sickness. The story of how spinach put Lisa Brott in the hospital traces a complex journey from field to table that reveals the failure of the nation's produce industry to devise a reliable system for keeping one of its most popular products safe. San Jose Mercury News, California.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/northern_california/16311661.htm 
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Mandatory anthrax vaccinations raise concerns. The Pentagon is reviving its mandatory anthrax vaccinations despite allegations that the shots have contributed to as many as 23 deaths and sickened hundreds, and perhaps thousands, of soldiers. McClatchy Newspapers  http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/nation/16301061.htm
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Swedes find EU membership a drag on environment, food safety and animal rights. The Scandinavian country recently has scaled back an ambitious drive to raise standards on everything from food safety to ecology. Associated Press
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/columns/html/20061223T150000-0500_116994_OB
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Texas Hill Country development bringing big environmental concerns.  Water pipelines for new developments are a harbinger of troubling environmental issues, including traffic, polluted air, sewage in aquifers, pesticides in creeks and waterways clogged with silt. Austin American-Statesman, Texas.   http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/12/24/24hcpart2.html
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Environmentalists, industry suing EPA over pesticide rule. The EPA is being sued both by the pesticide industry and environmental activists over a new rule it will adopt in January governing pesticide use in or near water. Eugene Register Guard, Oregon.  http://www.registerguard.com/news/2006/12/23/d1.cr.pesticides.1223.p1.php?section=cityregion
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City residents become activists for clean water. Many residents of Madison city, Wisconsin, are tired of waiting for the city to figure things out. They're organizing their own meetings and groups to ensure drinking water is safe. Madison Wisconsin State Journal, Wisconsin.  http://www.madison.com/wsj/mad/top/index.php?ntid=112432&ntpid=1
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Two timber firms pretending to be 'green,' groups allege. Two of the nation's largest timber companies, Weyerhaeuser and Plum Creek Timber, have polished their public images for years by participating in a program that certifies that their logging is environmentally friendly. Washington Post 

 

Several genes are often methylated in four types of epithelial tumors, including lung, breast, colon and prostate cancers. These findings suggest, but do not prove, that loss of expression of the proteins that these genes produce helps convert normal cells to cancer cells. The results may be important for developing new tools for screening and treatment, and might yield clues about cancer prevention. PLoS Medicine.
http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0030486

Democrats eye revamp of toxic-cleanup Superfund. Although 1 in 4 Americans lives within four miles of a designated toxic-waste site, the federal program to clean up the sites has slowed. Christian Science Monitor
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1228/p03s03-uspo.html

Buried drums toxic threat. An emergency $1 million hazardous waste cleanup is under way in Hamilton Township next to a new senior-living subdivision, a bike path and the drinking water source for more than 40,000 residents. Cincinnati Enquirer, Ohio.  http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061228/NEWS01/31227023/1077/COL02

Fort Valley eager to get contaminated area cleaned up. In Fort Valley, the EPA is spending $20 million to excavate and replace soil in nearly 50 residential yards and to decontaminate 63 attics in homes. Macon Telegraph, Georgia.
http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/news/local/states/georgia/counties/houston_peach/16331482.htm

Corzine's chemical security stance draws scrutiny a year into his new job. Senator Jon S. Corzine's measured approach to chemical security has disappointed some of the chemical security experts who helped him form his proposals. New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/28/nyregion/28homeland.html

Ice shelf collapse sends chill. An ancient ice shelf has cracked off northern Ellesmere Island in northern Canada, creating an enormous 66-square-kilometre ice island and leaving a trail of icy blocks in its wake. CanWest News, Canada.
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=e4c99314-a71a-4418-a246-eea457e8b873&k=82636

Christmas counters find fewer birds going south. As the earth has warmed over the past few decades, birders are finding fewer migratory species from the northernmost regions, and more and more species of birds that would never venture this far north. Boston Globe, Massachusetts.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/12/28/christmas_counters_find_fewer_birds_going_south/

hamlet built in harm's way. In an effort to deal with New Jersey's flood-prone neighborhoods, Wayne Township plans to buy and destroy 41 Hoffman Grove homes by next year. Newark Star-Ledger, New Jersey.
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-5/1167284344253540.xml&coll=1

Phosphorus removal: how low can we go? Faced with over-enriched waterways, sewage treatment plants across the U.S. must meet ever-lower discharge limits. Environmental Science & Technology.
http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2006/dec/tech/kc_phosphorus.html

Now looking green is looking good. Green is green. Advertising agencies with a green specialty are sprouting like alfalfa. New York Times .  http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/28/business/media/28adco.html