For the first time, the EPA is proposing to set emission limits for formaldehyde, benzene, acrolein and other air toxics from certain stationary diesel and gas-fired engines. In 2008, over 1 million of these engines generated electricity, powered equipment and operated during emergencies at industrial, agricultural and other facilities.
The new rule would only [...]

According to new research Children born in areas with increased traffic-related pollution may be at greater risk of developing asthm due to genetic changes acquired in the womb. The study from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and the University of Cincinnati (UC) is published in the journal PLoS ONE.
Researchers studied umbilical cord blood [...]

Will agency finally admit the chemical is a health risk.
In a stunning reversal, the an advisory panel of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) admitted that the agency was wrong in August when it said that bisphenol A (BPA) is not a health risk. BPA is a chemical used widely in plastic [...]

First of its king study looks at effect of greenness on inner city children’s weight over time.
Childhood obesity can lead to type 2 diabetes, asthma, hypertension, sleep apnea and emotional distress. Obese children and youth are likely to be obese as adults, experience more cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and stroke and incur higher healthcare [...]

Lead pollution is especially dangerous for children.
In another example of what is considered “safe” levels of exposure to toxic chemicals can change dramatically, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) dramatically strengthened the nation’s air quality standards for lead, especially for children. The new standards tighten the allowable lead level 10 times to 0.15 micrograms of lead [...]

Exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) may reduce the effectiveness of chemotherapy treatments, say University of Cincinnati (UC) scientists. The findings are reported in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
The research study found that BPA—a man-made chemical found in a number of plastic products, including drinking bottles and the lining of food cans—actually induces a group of [...]

For the millions who love lobster, here is another reason to step away from the plastics. 
The search for what causes a debilitating shell disease affecting lobsters from Long Island Sound to Maine has led one Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) visiting scientist to suspect environmental alkyphenols, formed primarily by the breakdown of hard transparent plastics.
Preliminary evidence [...]

Campaign to ban the bags gets a boost with the bags to be banned by 2010.
Los Angeles has became the second US city to issue a ban on the use of plastic bags in grocery stores. The city council overcame an intense effort by bag manufacturers and unanimously approved a plastic bag ban.
The ban will [...]

Innovative concept might make wave energy more affordable.
A device consisting of a giant rubber tube may hold the key to producing affordable electricity from the energy in sea waves. Wave-generated electricity is carbon-free and so can help the fight against global warming.
Invented in the UK, the ‘Anaconda’ is a totally innovative wave energy concept. Its [...]

Numerous studies over the past four decades have established that pesticides, which are typically applied at the land surface, can move downward through the unsaturated zone to reach the water table at detectable concentrations. The downward movement of pesticide degradation products, can also contribute to the contamination of ground water.
Once in ground water, pesticides and [...]