EJToday is SEJ's selection of new and outstanding stories on environmental topics in print and on the air, updated every weekday. SEJ also offers a free e-mailed digest of the day's EJToday postings, called SEJ-beat. SEJ members are subscribed automatically, but may opt out here. Non-members may subscribe here. EJToday is also available via RSS feed. Please see Editorial Guidelines for EJToday content.
"Lead Poisoning Toll Revised To 1 in 38 Young Kids"
USA TODAY, 04/05/2013"The increase is the result of the government last year lowering the threshold for lead poisoning."
"New Orleans Stench May Be Linked to Exxon Refinery Leak: Coast Guard"
Reuters, 04/05/2013"A 'rank' odor that has spread across parts of greater New Orleans may be linked to a leak from the 192,500-barrel-per-day Chalmette refinery, the U.S. Coast Guard investigating the smell said on Thursday."
"Leak Near Colo. Plant Highlights Pipeline Problems"
AP, 04/03/2013"DENVER -- Authorities are investigating after construction crews discovered a problem with a liquid gas pipeline that allowed a carcinogen to seep into the ground near a large creek that feeds into the Colorado River."
Pesticide Lobby Spends Millions To Defend Chemicals Tied To Bee Deaths
Huffington Post, 04/01/2013"WASHINGTON -- The chemical pesticide lobby is waging a multi-million dollar battle to prevent regulation of chemicals linked to the dramatic escalation in the deaths of pollinating bees over the past year."
"EPA to Study Flame Retardant Chemicals. Finally."
Mother Jones, 04/01/2013"The EPA announced [March 27] that it will study the health and environmental risks of 23 chemicals, with an emphasis on chemical flame retardants that are found in many common products."
Climate, Herbicide May Doom 'Great Migration' of Monarch Butterflies
ClimateWire, 03/29/2013"...Over the past couple of years, the number of monarch butterflies that reach the Mexican sanctuaries has been declining, generating concern among rural communities that rely on spillovers of butterfly tourism activities, as well as entomologists, biologists, ecologists and monarch aficionados around the world. ..."
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"Coal Tar Industry Fights Bans on Sealants"
Chicago Tribune, 03/29/2013"Lobbying group funds research, argues products are safe despite government studies linking them to pollution."
"Chemical Industry Clout Delays EPA Regulation of Hexavalent Chromium"
PR Watch, 03/29/2013The story of hexavalent chromium, a carcinogen, in drinking water is not over, even though Erin Brockovich's legal victory was vaunted in a film 13 years ago. Groundwater near Hinkley, Calif., is still polluted. The story of how industry clout has kept EPA delaying regulation of chromium in drinking water is a tale of the chemical industry's ability to manipulate regulation by sowing doubt. But recent highly dramatized stories on chrome-6 in drinking water may not have helped much, to the extent that they downplayed natural background levels, the importance of dose, and the statistical problems in identifying cancer clusters. The whole saga raises key issues about public relations, lobbying, regulatory politics, the legal system, environmental journalism, and the protection of public health.
"Study: Two-Thirds of Pesticides Got Flawed EPA Approval"
USA TODAY, 03/28/2013"Many pesticides used in consumer products and agriculture received federal approval through a loophole that doesn't require thorough testing, according to a study released Wednesday by an environmental group."
"High Levels of Flame Retardants Found on Airliners"
EHN, 03/28/2013"Spending about 100 hours each month in the air, flight attendants are bombarded with pesticides, radiation, ozone and any illnesses passengers carry on board. Now new research shows that they also fly along with some of the highest levels ever measured for some flame retardants."
Firms Settle for $20 Million in St. Lawrence River Mohawk Pollution
Plattsburgh Press-Republican, 03/28/2013"AKWESASNE — A $20 million settlement may remedy nearly 60 years of environmental pollution to the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation."
"California Pushes Rule Banning Toxic Flame Retardants"
Chicago Tribune, 03/27/2013"SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California officials vowed Tuesday to move forward on a new fire safety rule that could eliminate the use of toxic flame retardants in household furniture and baby products sold nationwide."
Lead Paint, Other Toxic Products Banned In US Still Exported Abroad
Huffington Post, 03/26/2013Products so toxic they are banned in the United States -- lead paint is just one example -- are still being legally exported by U.S. corporations to other countries, where they may harm unsuspecting customers.
"Judge Sides With Wyoming in Fracking Chemical Suit"
AP, 03/26/2013"CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- A judge in Casper has sided with the state of Wyoming and ruled against environmentalists who sought to obtain lists of the ingredients that go into hydraulic fracturing fluids."
"Maker of d-CON Rat Poison Fights EPA Ban"
McClatchy, 03/26/2013"WASHINGTON -- The manufacturer of d-CON, a widely sold and popular brand of rat poison, is taking the rare step of challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to prohibit the over-the-counter sale of one of the nastiest and most effective of the poisons sold to consumers."

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