U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., introduced legislation Tuesday that would toughen safety standards for cosmetics, including requiring regular government testing of products for hazardous ingredients.
via Product testing: Bill would require cosmetics to be tested for hidden hazards – chicagotribune.com.
“We are continually exposed to a mélange of potentially toxic chemicals through the air we breathe, food and water we consume, and products that come in contact with our skin. Some of these chemicals are suspected of interfering with hormone function; causing cancer, asthma or other respiratory harm; damaging the brain and nervous system; and [...]
Oakland has many neighborhoods where social action has improved food access, in West Oakland in particular. But many people continue to live in areas that qualify as food deserts, where there are no outlets to purchase healthy food within walking distance. Even more, lack awareness of food justice as an organizing issue, and of food distribution networks, community gardens and urban food co-ops and farmers markets as ways to start to address these issues. Use our map to find resources–but also to note where they are lacking.
Environmental Health News study synopsis by Heather Stapleton:
“Another study raises concerns about e-waste recycling and its health effects after researchers report that pregnant women in China who live nearer the facilities have higher levels of toxic chemicals and depressed levels of thyroid hormones.”
via Chemicals higher, thyroid hormone lower in pregnant women near e-waste recycling. — [...]
Although asbestos use in the U.S. plummeted from a peak of 803,000 metric tons in 1973 to just 1,460 metric tons in 2008, the nation’s epidemic is far from over. As many as 10,000 Americans still die of asbestos-related diseases each year; one expert estimates that 300,000 or so will die within the next three [...]
The State of California will end the sale of eggs from out-of-state battery cage facilities beginning January 1, 2015.
On Tuesday, July 6, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law Assembly Bill No. 1437, which requires all sales in California of shell (whole) eggs for human consumption to comply with the state’s Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty [...]
Nice work, Alexandra!
“Alexandra Reau, who is 14, combines a little bit of each: last year, she asked her dad to dig up a half acre of their lawn in rural Petersburg, Mich., so she could farm. Now in its second season, her Garden to Go C.S.A. (community-supported agriculture) grows for 14 members, who pay $100 [...]
Another good reason to eat your vegetables!
“The overuse of antibiotics in farming may have significant health consequences for consumers, according to testimony from the Food and Drug Administration. Now lawmakers are looking to curb the use of antibiotics in raising livestock, a move that puts them at odds with agribusiness interests.”
via FDA Calls Antibiotic Use [...]
Scientists are reporting early signs that the Gulf of Mexico oil spill is altering the marine food web by killing or tainting some creatures and spurring the growth of others more suited to a fouled environment.
Along the coast, droplets of oil are being found inside the shells of young crabs that are a mainstay in [...]
Dozens of chemicals and pharmaceuticals — antidepressants, veterinary hormones, even cocaine — have been detected in the Ohio River upstream and downstream from Louisville.
Researchers who conducted the study downplayed the potential effects for the 5 million people along the 981-mile river who use it for drinking water. The contaminants, they said, are in extremely low [...]
LOS ANGELES (AP) – A filmmaker whose interviews are a critical part of hearings about the validity of a multimillion dollar judgment against Dole Food Co. insists he “wasn’t here to be a yes man” for either side in the dispute over damage to Nicaraguan banana workers.
Jason Glaser acknowledged he was being paid by lawyers [...]
North American industrial facilities released or transferred more than 5.7 billion kilograms of toxic pollutants in 2006, the Commission for Environmental Cooperation said in its annual report released Tuesday.
That’s up from 5.5 billion kilograms reported in 2005.
The pollutants were released in the air, water and on land, dumped or taken to recycling sites, the [...]
Arsenic in irrigation water or soil congregates in the top layers of soil where rice roots grow, allowing the plants to incorporate the toxic metal into the grain.
People are exposed to arsenic primarily through diet and drinking water… rising arsenic contamination in water and food supplies threatens food security, food safety and quality, and long-term [...]
WASHINGTON – Beef containing harmful pesticides, veterinary antibiotics and heavy metals is being sold to the public because federal agencies have failed to set limits for the contaminants or adequately test for them, a federal audit finds.
Overuse of the antibiotics helps create antibiotic-resistant strains of diseases.
The audit “shows clearly the need for quick action [...]
Cargill, with the help of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), will begin a review of its palm oil suppliers later this year to see how they are progressing toward more sustainable practices.
Groups like WWF and the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) have pushed companies to be more aware of their palm oil supply chains [...]
Employees getting exercise, eating healthier foods, saving money: Win/Win/Win.
“From the end of June through the beginning of October, we’re harvesting once a week for our office delivery, and sometimes we harvest twice a week,” said Liz Morris Otto, who owns the “Dude Ranch” land.
Those who work regularly on the crop get first pick, but every [...]
Alachua County, in partnership with Florida Organic Growers, Abundant Edible Landscapes, UF Young Entrepreneurs in Leadership and Sustainability, and the Downtown Rotary Club, will plant an organic demonstration garden Saturday, July 10, 2010, beginning 10 a.m., at the County Administration Building on the corner of University Ave. and Main St. in Downtown Gainesville. The public [...]
Moorhead, Minn. — The Minnesota Department of Health on Thursday released a list of hundreds of chemicals that pose a potential health risk.
The state’s list includes 1,755 substances, among them lead, mercury, arsenic and cadmium. But it also includes many other organic chemicals that include pesticides, flame retardants, dyes and other chemicals used in industry [...]
VOTE EVERYDAY IN JUNE to help Harvest of Hope, a Gainesville Foundation operated by Phil and Ed Kellerman, win a grant to help support migrant workers!
via Provide emergency financial aid to migrant agricultural farmworkers. | Pepsi Refresh Everything.
Learn more about Harvest of Hope: www.harvestofhope.net
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