A group of villagers on the Pacific isle of Guam have given researchers substantial insight into an environmental toxin found in algae blooms that may play a role in the development of Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.
A federal study on the potential link between cancer and artificial turf – particularly the crumb rubber variety – has been approved by the Obama administration.
The study will examine the turf, which is composed of recycled tires and is spread across fields to make them softer and to provide traction for football players, hockey players, and other athletes.
The world is in a state of panic over the Zika virus, an infection spreading like wildfire and is believed to cause microcephaly in babies. But Latin American doctors believe something else is causing microcephaly in Brazil: Pyriproxyfen, a pesticide used in that country since 2014 to halt the development of mosquito larvae in drinking water tanks.
In January, another piece of research drew attention to the fact that plastics pollute every corner of the earth. Everywhere on the planet, cigarette butts, old CDs, supermarket bags, and nylons litter the landscape. [1]
Photograph: Erik de Castro/Reuters
A federal hearing will occur on February 3, 2016 to address the Flint, Michigan water crisis. Hopefully it will include some stark discipline for those who ignored Flint citizens’ concerns that their water was too polluted to drink.
A federal appellate court has now given Dow Chemical Company the green light to revive World War Two-era, weed-killing chemicals that will be sprayed on our crops to an even greater degree than the ones currently in use.
Government officials put the lives and safety of Flint, Michigan, residents in jeopardy to keep a dollar in the bank and save face, but the story of what hundreds of plumbers did to help those residents will restore your faith in humanity.
The term “generally recognized as safe” was the basis for a federal judge’s decision on January 29 to order Greek yogurt-maker Chobani to stop airing ads that insinuated that competitors’ products were “unsafe or harmful” and contained chemicals used to kill bugs or clean swimming pools.
Judge David Hurd of the U.S. District Court for Northern New York called the ads “misleading” and ordered Chobani to halt the ads.
For the average person, the Zika virus is no big deal. Most people never even have symptoms, and those that do have red eyes and feel like the flu. The infection usually clears up within a few days.
In rare cases, Zika can cause Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare autoimmune disorder that can lead to life-threatening paralysis.
Citing concerns that glyphosate has been proven to be an endocrine disruptor, along with other health and environmental issues, 67 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have written a letter to the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Vytenis Andriukaitis, asking that glyphosate, the main ingredient in Monsanto’s Round Up weed killer, NOT be re-approved.
