ban

Boxed macaroni and cheese is often a favorite food among youngsters, but a recent study suggests the packaged food contains dangerous, endocrine-disrupting chemicals that have been banned in toys: phthalates. [1]
Phthalates are a group of toxic additives in plastics. They’re used to make plastics soft and flexible, and are commonly found in artificial fragrances, inks, coatings, adhesives, and other consumer and industrial products, the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) explains.

Israel’s Sorek nuclear reactor center near the central Israeli town of Yavne.
After protracted international talks, an estimated 129 nations are prepared to sign a global ban on nuclear weapons, the first ever such treaty and the first multilateral nuclear disarmament treaty in more than 20 years. Unfortunately, it won’t involve any actual disarmament.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has delayed a safety rule aimed at ensuring that pesticides (which are linked to human health problems) are safely applied by adult agricultural workers. This, just days after 50 farm workers in California were sickened by pesticide poisoning. [1]

If you’ve ever laid on a blanket and looked up at the night sky, you know how mind-blowing it is to consider the sheer number of stars in our galaxy – between 100 and 400 billion, according to scientists. Now, think about how heartbreaking it is to find out that there are more microscopic pieces of plastic in our oceans than there are stars in the Milky Way. [1]
Source: National Ocean Service

Chlorpyrifos is a pesticide that has the potential to harm both children and farm workers, but the EPA – the same agency that drew these conclusions – says it will not ban the chemical.
On March 26, 2017, EPA chief Scott Pruitt rejected his agency’s own chemical safety experts who, under Barack Obama, had recommended that chlorpyrifos – one of the nation’s most widely used insecticides – be permanently banned from agricultural use nationwide because of the danger it poses to farm workers. [1]

After some counties in New York banned trans fats, heart attacks and strokes fell by more than 6%, say researchers from Yale University. With a national trans fat ban scheduled for 2018, the finding shows that deaths, strokes, and non-fatal heart attacks could plummet nationwide.

On March 10, Maryland’s House of Delegates passed legislation to ban hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, 97 to 40. The bill’s next hurdle is the Senate, where a key lawmaker has resisted efforts to permanently prohibit the practice. [1]

by Jonathan Latham, PhD One of the central issues of our day is how to safely manage the outputs of industrial innovation. Novel products incorporating nanotechnology, biotechnology, rare metals, microwaves, novel chemicals, and more, enter ...

21st Century Wire says…
Reactions around the world are mixed with regards to the first salvo of executive orders coming out of the Trump White House, but here’s one that will likely have many readers nodding in agreement… even some reluctant agreement from the left, perhaps?

Actress Taraneh Alidoosti poses for photographers during a photo call for the film Forushande (The Salesman) at the 69th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Saturday, May 21, 2016. (AP/Joel Ryan)
(REPORT) — The Iranian star of the Oscar-nominated film The Salesman on Thursday said she would boycott the awards in protest at President Donald Trump’s “racist” ban on Muslim immigrants.