SafetyIssues Personal and Public Safety News Articles: Environment Risky Business: EPA Builds List of Potentially Dangerous Chemicals ================================================================================ Courtesy of PoliticsDaily on 12/22/10 09:42:00 RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. -- As the rates of learning disabilities, autism and related conditions rise, the Environmental Protection Agency is preparing to release a roster of the pollutants likely to contribute to these or other neurological disorders. In an ongoing, three-year effort, an EPA team has determined which developmental neurotoxicants -- chemicals that damage a fetal and infant brain -- may pose the biggest risk to the American public. ... Air Monitoring for Public Safety: Lessons Learned from the BP Gulf Oil Spill ================================================================================ Courtesy of NRDC on 10/28/10 11:13:00 It can happen anywhere. A train derails releasing a tank car full of toxic chemicals; a refinery accident blankets a residential community in a cloud of gas; or an offshore oil rig explodes, spewing crude oil into the ocean, causing coastal residents to complain of odors and health symptoms for weeks... When environmental disasters like these take place, local communities and health care providers need information fast – they need to know what’s in the air, how high the levels are, and what to do to protect people’s health. That’s where the EPA and other agencies come in. Government emergency response programs are essential for protecting health. Unfortunately, there are gaps in this important safety system. Toxic Air Hovers Over 600 U.S. Neighborhoods ================================================================================ Staff writer for SafetyIssues on 06/30/09 08:30:00 Higher cancer risk due to toxic air exposure threatens about two million Americans, according to the latest National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA) report released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Environmental Impact of Greek Forest Fires ================================================================================ Staff writer for safetyissues.com on 09/03/07 05:20:00 The dramatic pictures of forest fires that blazed across the Peloponnese and other regions of Greece could lead one to think of significant ecological effects. The area around the Mediterranean has had a long history of forest fires and burning bushes. Tennessee Coal Ash Spill: What’s To Come? ================================================================================ Staff writer for safetyissues.com on 01/01/09 04:47:00 The earthen walls surrounding the coal-powered Kingston Fossil Plant in Roane County, Tennessee failed last Dec. 22, spilling over a billion gallons of coal ash sludge over a 3,000-acre area, in what may be the largest environmental disaster in United States history. Wildfires Could Worsen With Climate Change ================================================================================ Staff writer for safetyissues.com on 11/22/08 12:10:00 The wildfires that ravaged 65 square miles in Southern California last weekend spread with ferocious speeds that stunned most residents. Strong 75-mile-per-hour Santa Ana winds fanned the wildfires, with the aid of super-low humidity, high temperatures, and very dry vegetation. Is Bad Air Bad for Economy? ================================================================================ Staff writer for safetyissues.com on 11/13/08 10:17:00 There were 2,521 deaths from motor vehicle accidents in two regions of California in 2006, but more lives (3,812 people) were lost from respiratory illnesses arising from particulate pollution. EPA Toughens Airborne Lead Standard ================================================================================ Staff writer for safetyissues.com on 10/18/08 12:50:00 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its decision to set a more stringent standard of the allowable amount of airborne lead to 0.15 micrograms per cubic meter of air — 90 percent lower than the previous standard of 1.5 micrograms per cubic meter. Air Pollution Worsens Heart Condition ================================================================================ Staff writer for safetyissues.com on 09/10/08 11:57:00 Fine particles in air pollution can interfere with the functioning of the heart and harm people suffering from heart conditions, according to a report by researchers at Harvard University. Will Kidney Stone Risk Rise with Warming? ================================================================================ Staff writer for safetyissues.com on 07/18/08 07:17:00 As the planet becomes warmer, there is a chance for kidney stones to become more prevalent, according to University of Texas at Dallas scientists. What’s Oil Doing In My Yard? ================================================================================ Staff writer for safetyissues.com on 07/25/07 10:10:00 Residents of Burnaby, British Columbia, were just finishing lunch around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, when they looked up to see a geyser of oil shooting up 12 meters into the air. The “eruption” lasted for 25 minutes, coating everything around it with a layer of black lacquer. How, Where Shall U.S. Store Nuclear Waste? ================================================================================ Staff writer for safetyissues.com on 11/14/07 05:50:00 A number of this year’s presidential hopefuls have made public their opposition to the nuclear waste dumpsite at Yucca Mountain, deep in the deserts of Nevada. Pollution Particles Damage Arteries ================================================================================ Staff writer for safetyissues.com on 05/15/08 01:45:00 A new study by University of Michigan researchers has found that particulate matter in air pollution cause increases in blood pressure levels and damage the functioning of blood vessels within 24 hours. This may be the reason air pollution triggers heart attacks, stroke, and other cardiovascular (CV) events. Smog and Premature Death Clearly Linked ================================================================================ Staff writer for safetyissues.com on 04/22/08 06:26:00 The National Academy of Sciences has (NAS) officially concluded that there is a clear and definite link between short-term exposure to smog (also termed ozone) and premature deaths, and therefore these should be considered in estimates of health benefits arising from efforts to lower air pollution.