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| Above the fold. News aggregated by www.EnvironmentalHealthNews.org | Read today's editorials |
| Daily links to top stories in the news about environmental health. Health, wealth and race in Oakland, California. In the city of Oakland, just shy of 400,000 residents, people in low-income areas like East and West Oakland are dying more than a decade earlier than people a few miles away in wealthier neighborhoods. Wealth — and, it turns out, good health — are concentrated in certain parts of the city. Can inequality somehow make us sick? UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism Dolphin deaths off East Coast worry federal wildlife officials. Federal wildlife officials raised a formal alarm on Thursday over the deaths of scores of bottlenose dolphins in waters off the east coast, saying that a fast-spreading infection could be attacking dolphin populations from New York to Virginia. New York Times [Registration Required] In North Asia, a growing crisis of confidence in nuclear power. A nuclear power plant in Taiwan may have been leaking radioactive water for three years, the government has said, adding to a growing crisis of confidence in North Asia about nuclear safety. Reuters High levels of arsenic found in groundwater near fracking sites. A recently published study by researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington found elevated levels of arsenic and other heavy metals in groundwater near natural gas fracking sites in Texas’ Barnett Shale. ProPublica China battles breast-feeding rates among the world's lowest amid tainted formula scares. China's rates of breast-feeding are among the world's lowest. But health workers and the government are trying to revive the practice, and a drumbeat of safety scares over commercially produced milk is giving them new leverage. Associated Press China's urban sludge dilemma: Sinking in stink. Trucks are dumping sludge on melon fields near Beijing, highlighting a nationwide struggle with waste. Beijing Caixin, China. China and the environment: The East is grey. China is the world’s worst polluter but the largest investor in green energy. Its efforts to rein in pollution are undervalued; its investments in wind and solar power put others to shame; its carbon emissions will peak sooner than people expect. China will one day be a model for how to clean up the planet. Economist Killings of Brazil's indigenous Indians highlight tensions of land disputes. The Brazilian government is accused of pandering to an agro-business lobby rather than reallocating areas to indigenous peoples. The Guardian, United Kingdom. Recycling’s final frontier: The composting of food waste. A move by New York City to begin collecting food scraps and other organic waste is just the latest example of expanding efforts by municipalities worldwide to recycle large quantities of unused food and slash the amount of material sent to landfills. Yale Environment 360 Charged with the crime of filming a slaughterhouse. "Ag Gag" laws are a species of state-level legislation that has been vigorously pushed by lobbyists over the last several years to criminalize and suppress the exposure of inhumane practices in animal agricultural operations. In essence, the laws protect the industry by making whistleblowers into outlaws. Nation Wal-Mart agrees to upgrade safety policies at 2,900 stores. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has agreed to improve worker safety and health conditions in nearly 2,900 Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores. The corporate-wide settlement includes provisions to improve safety and health policies related to trash compactors, cleaning chemicals, and hazard communications. Bloomberg BNA Silver fire: Multiple factors created dangerous, fast-moving fire. A confluence of ingredients, including tinder-dry conditions and steady winds, combined to create a monster of a fire in Southern California in short order this week. According to officials, it’s a worsening trend. Los Angeles Times [Registration Required] Camels become prime suspects in deadly Saudi virus outbreak. People infected with a deadly virus that emerged in Saudi Arabia last year may have caught it from one-humped camels used in the region for meat, milk, transport and racing. Reuters Three Pennsylvania coal dumps contaminate water, EPA says. Federal regulators have classified three Western Pennsylvania coal waste dumps as sites where there has been evidence of groundwater contamination, environmental groups announced Thursday, saying it supports their contention that state oversight is lax. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Pennsylvania. Tribe, environmentalists sue NV Energy over coal plant waste. Tribal members and environmentalists filed a federal lawsuit Thursday to force NV Energy to clean up the site of a coal-fired power plant the utility plans to shut down by 2017. Las Vegas Review-Journal, Nevada. California lawmakers ask for offshore fracking probe. A group of state lawmakers has asked the federal government to investigate hydraulic fracturing off the California coast where new oil leases have been banned since a disastrous oil spill in 1969. Associated Press Rail agency probes possible safety flaws in crude transit. The Federal Railroad Administration said it is investigating the safety of transporting crude oil by rail, including whether chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing are corroding tank cars. The agency may also fine companies that aren't complying with rules for transporting hazardous materials. Bloomberg News Los Angeles County liable for storm-water pollution, court rules. A federal appeals court dealt Los Angeles County a blow on Thursday in a long-running lawsuit over storm-water pollution when it issued an opinion that the county is liable for excessively high levels. Los Angeles 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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