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.
"Environmental Exposures in the Context of Child Care"
Environmental Health Perspectives, 05/03/2013"Research has proven that infants and toddlers, who spend more time on the floor and experience the world with their hands and mouths, are not merely in closer contact with many indoor pollutants2 but also more sensitive to them. Yet environmental health standards in child care settings nationwide—which can include not just centers but also private homes, workplaces, universities, and places of worship—still lag behind those of schools, where children are older, larger, and somewhat less susceptible to environmental exposures. Unlike with more uniformly regulated schools, child care licensing, permitting, and oversight occur on a variety of levels, resulting in a fractured regulatory landscape."
30 Toxic Chemicals Found at Arkansas Tar Sands Oil Spill Site
DeSmogBlog, 05/02/2013"An independent study co-published by the Faulkner County Citizens Advisory Group and Global Community Monitor reveals that, in the aftermath of ExxonMobil's Pegasus tar sands pipeline spill of over 500,000 gallons of diluted bitumen (dilbit) into Mayflower, AR, air quality in the area surrounding the spill has been affected by high levels of cancer-causing chemicals."
"Lipstick Study Opens Up Concerns About Carcinogen"
USA TODAY, 05/02/2013"Lipstick may brighten your face but may not be good for the rest of you, a study today suggests. Testing of 32 commonly sold lipsticks and lip glosses found they contain lead, cadmium, chromium, aluminum and five other metals — some at potentially toxic levels, according to researchers at the University of California-Berkeley's School of Public Health."
"CDC Probing Valley Fever Outbreaks in Two California Prisons"
LA Times, 05/02/2013"SACRAMENTO — The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stepped in to investigate outbreaks of valley fever in two California prisons where more than three dozen inmates have died after contracting the fungal disease."
"Study Links Insecticide Use To Invertebrate Die-Offs"
Guardian, 05/02/2013"The world's most widely used insecticide is devastating dragonflies, snails and other water-based species, a groundbreaking Dutch study has revealed."
"Thousands Of Kids’ Products Contain Toxic Chemicals, Report Says"
McClatchy, 05/01/2013"More than 5,000 products, including clothing, toys and bedding, contain toxic chemicals that could be dangerous for children’s health, yet stores still stock them and consumers know little about their content, an advocacy group reported this week."
"Chemicals on Federal Radar Pervasive in Chicago Air"
EHN, 04/30/2013"On the brink of federal regulatory review, chemicals in deodorants, lotions and conditioners are showing up in Chicago’s air at levels that scientists call alarming. The airborne compounds – cyclic siloxanes – are traveling to places as far as the Arctic, and can be toxic to aquatic life. “These chemicals are just everywhere,” said Keri Hornbuckle, an engineering professor at the University of Iowa. "
"Kids Put at Risk for Lead Poisoning as Programs Cut"
Detroit Free Press, 04/29/2013"Budget cuts, expired grants and shifted priorities have decimated [Detroit's] response to child lead poisoning. Detroit has some of the highest child lead poisoning levels among all large U.S. cities."
USDA Poised to OK Chicken-Plant Speedups Increasing Risky Chemicals
Wash Post, 04/26/2013The Agriculture Department is poised to approve an increase in line speeds at poultry processing plants. That is likely to mean increased use of toxic, bacteria-killing chemicals which have harmed some workers.
"'Cal Enviroscreen' Ranks ZIP Codes Statewide By Pollution"
KQED, 04/24/2013"It's the first environmental health screening tool of its kind in the country. California's Environmental Protection Agency is rolling out 'Cal Enviroscreen' which helps pinpoint communities that may be particularly vulnerable to pollution."
Kalamazoo Mayor: EPA's Plan for Superfund Landfill Is 'Unacceptable'
Kalamazoo Gazette, 04/24/2013"KALAMAZOO, MI -- Members of the Kalamazoo community gathered at a public forum Monday to learn more about the Allied Paper landfill site and to voice concerns with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's proposal to consolidate and cap the site in Kalamazoo's Edison neighborhood."
"EPA Probes Flame Retardants But Lacks Power To Ban"
Chicago Tribune, 04/23/2013"As the Obama administration launches a broad investigation of flame retardants used in furniture and other household goods, the nation's top environmental regulators are running into the limitations of a federal law that makes it practically impossible to ban hazardous chemicals."
"Coal-Backed Research Takes on Mining Health Studies"
Charleston Gazette, 04/23/2013"CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Scientists backed by a $15 million industry-funded research project are picking apart -- and trying to disprove -- a series of studies that found coalfield residents near mountaintop-removal mining operations face greater risks of serious illness and premature death."
Ark. Oil Spill Probe Falls to Understaffed Agency With Industry Ties
InsideClimate News, 04/23/2013"Underfunded agency faces the challenge of finding answers to key questions: When did Exxon's pipeline rupture and when did the company learn of the spill?"
Watchdog Reports Health Problems From Dispersant Use During BP Spill
New Orleans Times-Picayune, 04/22/2013"WASHINGTON -- Cleanup workers, doctors, divers and Gulf Coast residents interviewed by a Washington watchdog group have reported health problems from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, including blood in the urine, heart palpitations, kidney and liver damage, migraines, memory loss and reduced IQ."

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