Despite Democrats' promises, a Congressional investigation into whether military contractor KBR knowingly exposed soldiers to toxic sodium dichromate in Iraq seems to be going nowhere.

"Twenty percent of the drinking fountains and faucets at Utica elementary schools tested positive for lead, according to results of a voluntary testing program released Tuesday."

"Under rules to be proposed this week, the Department of Veterans Affairs plans to add Parkinson's disease, ischemic heart disease and hairy-cell leukemia to the growing list of illnesses presumed to have been caused by Agent Orange, the toxic defoliant used widely in Vietnam."

Carbonless copy papers, used for most credit card receipts, are coated with a powdery layer of Bisphenol A, an endocrine disruptor.

"An overhaul of federal toxics regulations will require prioritizing tens of thousands of chemicals currently in the marketplace, representatives of industry and advocacy groups agree. At issue: the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act."

"The Environmental Protection Agency plans to conduct a new study about the potential health risks of atrazine, a widely used weedkiller that recent research suggests may be more dangerous to humans than previously thought."

"A new study adds to the growing concern that prenatal exposure to the chemical bisphenol A could harm children's development. In the study of 249 pregnant women, the first to examine the effects of BPA on children's behavior, researchers found that girls whose mothers had the highest levels of BPA during pregnancy were more aggressive and hyperactive at age 2 than other girls."

"If birds hosting flu virus are exposed to the waterborne pollutant, they might develop drug-resistant strains, chemists worry."

"With more and more toxic chemicals turning up in people's bodies and the environment, the Obama administration asked Congress Tuesday to draft a tougher law for how the government regulates tens of thousands of chemicals."

"Dirty water from residential washing machines is a significant source of a toxin polluting Puget Sound, according to a study released Tuesday."

"A federal judge on Monday dismissed most of a lawsuit filed against chemical giant DuPont Co. by Parkersburg (W.Va.) residents over the pollution of their city's water with the toxic chemical C8."

"New research raises questions about the safety of eating wild game, and triggers a renewed debate about banning lead ammunition."

"The US Environmental Protection Agency is recommending that owners of older buildings – including schools – test brittle, aging masonry and window caulking for high levels of likely cancer-causing chemicals."

"A Madison County [Ill.] class-action lawsuit filed in 2004 over the use of the popular herbicide atrazine is gaining steam, and one lawyer says it could reshape farming practices nationwide."

"Two top U.S. natural gas producers called on the industry to release data about the chemicals they use in the fast-growing Marcellus shale development to counter fears it was polluting water supplies."