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| Daily links to top stories in the news about environmental health. Landmark Chinese medical study offers first statistical link between pollution and rising cancer deaths. Cancer-related deaths have more than doubled along basins of the heavily-polluted Huai River in the past three decades, according to the first official study by mainland medical experts confirming a link between rising cancer rates and heavy pollution. South China Morning Post, China. South Side neighbors fear contamination risk from former base. When doctors diagnosed Victor San Miguel with thyroid cancer 11 years ago, he didn't have to look far to find others who understood what he was facing. Of the 13 houses on his block of Hollenbeck Avenue – feet from the site of the former Kelly Air Force Base – 11 other residents have suffered from cancer-related disease, he said. San Antonio Express-News, Texas. How San Onofre's new steam generators sealed nuclear plant's fate. San Onofre's replacement generators were supposed to extend the nuclear plant's life and save money. The opposite ensued. Los Angeles Times [Registration Required] Birth defects linked to bad Valley water. An extensive new study confirms a long-suspected link between crippling birth defects and the nitrate contamination that threatens drinking water for 250,000 people in the San Joaquin Valley. Fresno Bee, California. Lead poisoning affects 20 percent of Kolkata kids. It's a silent killer that could be taking a heavy toll on young children. A study by doctors in Kolkata reveals that at least 20 percent of the city's children are affected by lead poisoning, which is turning out to be a bigger threat than anyone imagined. Times of India, India. Study reveals Delhi air is full of cancer-causing particles leading to respiratory ailments. Air pollution has returned to haunt Delhiites and this time it appears to be more lethal than ever. Residents of the national Capital have reason to worry about the air they inhale. India Today, India. City in Russia unable to kick asbestos habit. Asbest, a Russian city on the eastern slopes of the Ural Mountains, is a pleasant enough place to live except for one big drawback: When the wind picks up, clouds of carcinogenic dust blow through. New York Times [Registration Required] High energy snacks and drinks link to bowel cancer. In a major study that has implications for the notoriously sugar-rich Scottish diet, researchers studied the dietary habits of more than 2,000 patients diagnosed with bowel cancer and compared them to the food and drink intake of a similar-sized healthy population. Edinburgh Scotsman, United Kingdom. Revealed: Fracking industry bosses at heart of coalition. The coalition may be promoting the controversial practice of fracking for gas because senior figures from that industry sit in the heart of Government, campaigners have warned. The Independent, United Kingdom. How should cyclists protect against pollution? Following the publication of research showing that air pollution can cause heart failure in people with weak hearts, should cyclists be wary of breathing in toxic traffic fumes? BBC England's dirty beaches set to fail EU's new stricter clean water regulations. New European Union regulations contained in the Bathing Water Directive are scheduled to come into force in two years, introducing rules that are twice as strict as the present ones. London Observer, United Kingdom. Defecation nation: Pig waste likely to rise in US from business deal. Last year, at least 4.7 billion gallons of hog manure in the U.S. came from one company, Smithfield foods, the nation's leading pork producer. The feces load will rise if U.S. regulators green-light a proposed merger that would bring the firm under the auspices of a China-based company. Scientific American Great Lakes area draws world attention for food. Climate change and population growth are making the Great Lakes region's role as a global food producer more important as water shortages become more severe in other parts of the world. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pennsylvania. Models point to rapid sea-level rise from climate change. Sea levels could rise by 2.3 metres for each degree celsius that global temperatures increase and they will remain high for centuries to come, according to a new study by the leading climate research institute. Reuters Pitfalls abound in China's push from farm to city. Li Yongping is directing one of the largest peacetime population transfers in history: the removal of 2.4 million farmers from mountain areas in the central Chinese province of Shaanxi to low-lying towns, many built from scratch on other farmers’ land. The total cost is estimated at $200 billion over 10 years. New York Times [Registration Required] China's consuming billion. The Chinese government's massive plan to move 250 million people from rural to urban areas aims to create a consumer base to drive the economy. How much stuff will they now buy? But China's road to an urban, consumer-based future is not an easy one (video). New York Times [Registration Required] The dirty secret of Britain's power madness. Thousands of dirty diesel generators are being secretly prepared all over Britain to provide emergency back-up to prevent the National Grid collapsing when wind power fails. London Daily Mail, United Kingdom. Will coal plans hurt Missouri? Missouri is home to two of the largest coal companies in the country, and coal-fired plants supply most of the state's electricity. So it's no wonder Missouri's coal interests — from Peabody Energy Corp. in St. Louis to City Utilities in Springfield — are on edge. Springfield News-Leader, Missouri. Reid files cloture on McCarthy nomination, setting up likely July 16 confirmation vote. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid filed a cloture motion July 11 for Gina McCarthy, President Obama's nominee for administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, setting up a confirmation vote that probably will occur July 16. Bloomberg BNA Paducah nuclear fuel shutdown financially shaky. Its stock is sliding. Its economic future is in question. But the company that operated and is now responsible for shutting down the Paducah nuclear fuel plant insists it will meet its obligations to safely and cleanly return the aging facility to the US Department of Energy next year. Louisville Courier-Journal, Kentucky. Louisiana seafood: Shrimp, crab catch mixed post BP oil spill, river diversions. While the oyster harvest east of the Mississippi River has dropped precipitously in the years since the BP oil spill and an influx of fresh water from several Mississippi River diversions, white shrimp and blue crab fared much better there. New Orleans Times-Picayune, Louisiana. In wake of BP spill and river diversions, oysters show strain. Some scientists say it remains impossible to gauge the 2010 spill’s precise environmental and biological toll. Asked about a 15-percent drop in the statewide oyster harvest in the two years following the spill, experts say the spill definitely continues to be a potential factor. New Orleans Times-Picayune, Louisiana. Vermont takes major step toward reducing wasted food. More than a third of the food grown, raised or caught around the world is wasted, a devastating figure given global hunger and the significant natural resources involved. Vermonters will soon be playing a larger role in reducing this waste thanks to state legislation. Burlington Free Press, Vermont. Environmental advocacy groups gear up for Keystone protests. Environmental groups CREDO, Rainforest Action Network and the Other 98% say they are organizing more than 750 activists to lead mass acts of civil disobedience around the country, should the State Department sign off on the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. Huffington Post Pesticides at Hawaii middle school violate federal law. Atrazine, chlorpyrifos and bifenthrin somehow made it inside Waimea Canyon Middle School, and according to an attorney, federal regulations forbids it from ending up there. Kauai Garden Island, Hawaii. [related stories] Bill to phase out potentially toxic chemicals from children's toys dies in Senate. A bill to track and phase out potentially toxic chemicals in children's toys fell on the cutting room floor as the Legislature finished business Monday. Portland Oregonian, Oregon. The fight over engineered food lands in Washington. A national fight over labeling of genetically engineered foods is touching down in Washington this fall, fueled by money from organic and food-safety advocates. On the other side, large agribusiness and food industry groups are giving mightily to efforts that oppose Initiative 522. Tacoma News Tribune, Washington. Like-minded rivals race to bring back an American icon. Capping decades of research, two groups of plant breeders and geneticists appear to have arrived independently within reach of the same arboreal holy grail: creating an American chestnut tree that can, at long last, withstand the devastating fungus blight that wiped the trees out by the billions in the first half of the 20th century. New York Times [Registration Required] More news from today Shortcuts to stories from today about The good news, Avian flu, Climate, Children's health, Air pollution, Cancer, Reproductive disorders, Endocrine disruption, Birth defects, Learning and developmental disabilities, Immune disorders, Environmental justice, Superfund, Water treatment/sewage, Food safety, Integrity of science, Green chemistry. You can also read last weekend's news. Plus: If you were on vacation last week, don't miss last week's top stories... Would you like to display the news stories from EnvironmentalHealthNews.org on your own web site? Check out our RSS feeds. Compiled by Environmental Health Sciences | |
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