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.
"Chemical Found in Baby Shampoos Not Toxic: Health Canada"
Canwest, 09/07/2009"Health Canada on Friday concluded that a chemical considered a possible carcinogen and commonly found in trace amounts in baby shampoo, bubble bath and liquid soap should not be listed as toxic to human health."
"PCB Risk Feared at Older Northeast Schools"
Boston Globe, 09/07/2009"Window and masonry caulking in hundreds of older schools in New England probably contain very high levels of now-banned toxins that can gradually be released into the air, posing a potential health risk to students and staff, environmental specialists say."
"Mercury Found in Blood of One-Third of American Women"
ENS, 09/02/2009"The level of inorganic mercury in the blood of American women has been increasing since 1999 and it is now found in the blood of one in three women, according to a new analysis of government data for more than 6,000 American women."
"W.Va. Plant To Cut Storage of Deadly Chemical"
AP, 08/27/2009Bayer's plant at Institute, West Virginia, said that it would reduce by 80 percent its production of methyl isocyanate, the highly toxic chemical that killed thousands in the 1984 Bhopal disaster.
"Cancer in Wildlife, Normally Rare, Can Signal Toxic Dangers"
EHN, 08/27/2009"Wild animals normally are killed by cancer only in rare cases. But scientists are finding that some deadly cancers in animals--including Quebec's belugas, California sea lions and North Sea flounder--seem to be triggered or accelerated by environmental contaminants."
"EPA: Chemicals Found in Wyo. Drinking Water Might Be From Fracking"
ProPublica, 08/27/2009"Federal environment officials investigating drinking water contamination near the ranching town of Pavillion, Wyo., have found that at least three water wells contain a chemical used in the natural gas drilling process of hydraulic fracturing."
"Lead-Laden Paint Still Widely Sold Around the World"
Reuters, 08/26/2009"Paint with dangerously high lead levels is still being sold for household use worldwide, putting hundreds of millions of young children at risk of permanent brain damage," new research shows.
"BPA Found in Supposedly Safe Swiss Water Bottles"
Canwest, 08/26/2009Until last August, the Swiss-made reusable aluminum bottles that were an eco-icon, were lined with an epoxy containing trace amounts of BPA, which the Canadian federal government considers a toxic substance.
"Herbicide Found in Water May Pose Greater Danger"
Wash Post, 08/25/2009"Drinking water containing a common herbicide could pose a greater public health risk than previously thought because regular municipal monitoring doesn't detect frequent spikes in the chemical's levels, according to a report released Monday by the Natural Resources Defense Council."
A 'Near Miss' Disaster at Citgo's Corpus Christi Refinery
Texas Observer, 08/25/2009A July 19 fire at Citgo's Corpus Christi refinery released deadly hydrogen fluoride, maimed one worker, and threatened a poor, largely minority community at its fenceline. Now larger questions are being asked -- about how authorities responded to it and whether it could have been prevented.
"Debating How Much Weed Killer Is Safe in Your Water Glass"
NYTimes, 08/24/2009New research suggests that atrazine, a popular weed killer found in some drinking water, causes birth defects and health problems at concentrations lower than previously thought.
"Lawsuit Questions Safety of Herbicide"
Peoria Journal Star, 08/24/2009"A class action lawsuit representing water districts throughout Illinois cites recent research contending atrazine in drinking water is unsafe at any level, even measurements well below U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidelines."
"California Unveils New Goal for Controversial Carcinogen in Water"
EHN, 08/21/2009"In a long-awaited move designed to protect people from cancer, California officials on Thursday proposed a new health goal for chromium 6 in drinking water that is thousands of times lower than the amount contaminating some water supplies."
"Judge Tosses Chemical Weapons Incineration Suit"
NYTimes, 08/20/2009"The Army on Wednesday won a court challenge to its plan to incinerate chemical weapons at storage sites around the country over objections from a watchdog group that says the practice releases toxic pollution."
"DEQ To Help Polluter Seek Federal Break on Mercury Emission"
Portland Oregonian, 08/20/2009"Oregon's top environmental agency plans to side with one of the state's biggest polluters in its effort to seek an exemption from tough new federal rules controlling the release of toxic mercury."

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