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| Daily links to top stories in the news about environmental health. Out of sight, out of mind: Carcinogenic chemical spreads beneath Michigan town. Fifteen years after its discovery in Mancelona, Mich., an underground plume of the carcinogenic chemical trichloroethylene, or TCE, is now six miles long and continues to grow. And the TCE swirling beneath this remote, low-income town continues to vex state officials and residents as it creeps toward new wells that were dug to replace tainted ones. Environmental Health News In Chile’s dry north, big mining threatens a vital resource. Amid a growing water shortage, the Huasco Valley struggles to find a balance between mining and agriculture. The influx of mega-mining projects over the last two decades is putting an enormous strain on the region’s shrinking water resources. (Part 1 of 3 in a series on Chile’s water crisis.) Santiago Times, Chile. As reservoirs shrink and farms expand, Chile’s agriculture at risk. A combination of severe drought, climate change, and overuse leaves farmers struggling to compete for a dwindling resource. With the river now dry, farmers must rely on groundwater sources that are much harder to regulate. (Part 2 of 3 in a series on Chile’s water crisis.) Santiago Times, Chile. Fracking in Texas: Seen as the future, also viewed with fear. The Eagle Ford shale geological formation, which unfurls through the lower third of Texas, could turn out to be the largest recoverable oil deposit ever found in the Lower 48. And that, according to Dewitt County Judge Daryl Fowler, is a good thing. But what about the water table? Britain’s debate over fracking ignites popular resistance. This might seem a bizarre place for a battle over energy policy in Britain. A quaint village with a single pub, a well-attended tearoom and a population of about 2,000, Balcombe has become the focal point of a heated debate over hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. Washington Post [Registration Required] Japan to fund costly ice wall around Fukushima reactors. The Japanese government announced Tuesday that it will fund a costly, untested subterranean ice wall in a desperate step to stop leaks of radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear station after repeated failures by the plant’s operator. Associated Press Population growth increases climate fear. An array of events under way – including what scientists have identified as the sixth mass extinction in the Earth's 540-million-year history – suggest that human activity already exceeds Earth's capacity. Climate change is but one of many signs of environmental stress. Sandy's 'freaky' path may be less likely in future. Man-made global warming may further lessen the likelihood of the freak atmospheric steering currents that last year shoved Superstorm Sandy due west into New Jersey, a new study says. Associated Press Firefighters gaining upper hand on Rim fire in Yosemite. Firefighting officials said Monday that they are gaining the upper hand on the massive Rim fire burning in and around Yosemite National Park. Containment jumped overnight from 45 percent to 60 percent, with the weather cooperating, authorities said. Los Angeles Times [Registration Required] Charlotte, North Carolina, heading to a clean-air milestone. Charlotte is on track to log its cleanest air on record. Long bedeviled by ground-level ozone, an irritating gas that causes breathing problems, the metro Charlotte area has not exceeded the federal standard all summer. Charlotte Observer, North Carolina. Red cedar trees rebounded after Clean Air Act. A species of old trees in the Appalachian Mountains is growing faster than expected in the wake of clean-air controls implemented decades ago, a new study shows. LiveScience US and Europe may face off over reducing airline emissions. The Obama administration faces a possible confrontation with Europe over reducing carbon emissions when representatives of 191 countries gather this month in Montreal to develop global standards for aviation emissions. Los Angeles Times [Registration Required] Choking on pollution, Beijing eyes car congestion fee. Faced with often catastrophic air pollution, Beijing is considering taking a page out of London’s playbook: a congestion fee for car owners. Children are exposed to a minefield of labor, mercury for the sake of gold in South Africa. Thousands of children are working in small-scale Tanzanian gold mines, with many using or being exposed to mercury, a new report says. Johannesburg Mail & Guardian, South Africa. Despite contaminated harbor, one species thrives. Researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution conducting a two-decade-long study of killifish say that the ones thriving in the New Bedford Harbor are contaminated with levels of polychlorinated biphenyls that are so high the fish "should not be able to survive." New Bedford Standard-Times, Massachusetts. Going viral. Found in virtually every biome on the planet, bacteriophages powerfully affect genetic change in soils, vegetation, and oceans, regulating nutrient cycling, evolution, and even climate change on a global scale. The Scientist 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. 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