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.
"Study Finds Possibly Toxic Metals in 32 Lipsticks"
Houston Chronicle, 05/14/2013"Lipstick can give your lips color, sheen and texture, but may also put you at risk of ingesting potentially toxic metals, University of California, Berkeley researchers say."
"Study: N.C. Too Slow To Warn About Yadkin Fish Contamination"
AP, 05/14/2013"RALEIGH — Fish in one of North Carolina’s largest watersheds are more polluted by an industrial contaminant than previously reported, and state health officials have failed to expand warnings against eating PCB-contaminated fish, according to a new study."
"Chemical Depots Fall Under a Patchwork of Rules"
NY Times, 05/13/2013"NEW BRAUNFELS, TX — Off a dirt road connected to ever-flowing Interstate 35, a little metal sign on a wooden fence is the only indication of what lies ahead. Nearby, Buckley Powder, a mining and construction supply company, stores large quantities of ammonium nitrate, the source of the explosion at a fertilizer depot that killed at least 14 people and injured hundreds more last month in West."
"US Approves New Pesticides Linked To Mass Bee Deaths As EU Enacts Ban"
RT, 05/13/2013"In the wake of a massive US Department of Agriculture report highlighting the continuing large-scale death of honeybees, environmental groups are left wondering why the Environmental Protection Agency has decided to approve a 'highly toxic' new pesticide."
"'Chemicals of Concern' List Still Wrapped In OMB Red Tape"
Center for Public Integrity, 05/13/2013"For anyone anxious about toxic chemicals in the environment, Sunday marked a dubious milestone."
"Lubbock, Texas Chemical Leak: Hundreds Evacuated Near Bayer Plant"
Reuters, 05/10/2013"Several hundred people have been evacuated from a section of Lubbock, Texas, after a leaking tank released a chemical that could turn into highly corrosive hydrochloric acid, the city's Fire Department said on Thursday."
Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown Proposes Prop. 65 Changes
San Francisco Chronicle, 05/08/2013"Gov. Jerry Brown said Tuesday that he intends to change California's landmark consumer-safety law in an attempt to reduce frivolous lawsuits and give the public clearer information about toxic chemicals."
"Will Lead Bullets Finally Kill Off the California Condor?"
YaleE360, 05/07/2013"The California condor, the largest bird in North America, was saved from extinction by a captive breeding program that increased its numbers in the wild. But now the condor is facing a new and pernicious threat — the lead from bullets used by game hunters."
"Mercury Exposure Linked To Dramatic Decline in Arctic Foxes"
BBC, 05/07/2013"Scientists say that foxes in Arctic regions who feed on ocean prey are being exposed to dangerous levels of mercury."
"Toxic Waste Sites May Cause Health Problems for Millions"
Science News, 05/07/2013"Living near a toxic waste site may represent as much of a health threat as some infectious diseases, a study in three developing countries finds."
"'Chemicals of High Concern' Found in Thousands of Children's Products"
EHN, 05/06/2013"Cobalt in plastic building blocks and baby bibs. Ethylene glycol in dolls. Methyl ethyl ketone in clothing. Antimony in high chairs and booster seats. Parabens in baby wipes. D4 in baby creams. An Environmental Health News analysis of thousands of reports from America’s largest companies shows that toys and other children’s products contain low levels of dozens of industrial chemicals, including some unexpected ingredients that will surprise a public concerned about exposure."
Flame Retardant Chemicals Bring Firefighters Higher Cancer Risk
Bangor Daily News, 05/06/2013"ELLSWORTH, Maine — New research by a Blue Hill scientist shows that during a fire, firefighters are exposed to dangerous levels of toxic, cancer-causing chemicals created when commercial flame retardants burn."
"Honey Bee Decline Due to ‘Complex’ Multiple Factors" -- Study
ENS, 05/03/2013"WASHINGTON, DC -- Multiple factors are responsible for the steep decline in honey bees across the United States, including parasites and disease, genetics, poor nutrition and pesticide exposure, federal government officials reported today, releasing a new scientific consensus on honey bee health."
"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."
"Decades-Old Question: Is Antibacterial Soap Safe?"
Guardian, 05/03/2013"It's a chemical that's been in U.S. households for more than 40 years, from the body wash in your bathroom shower to the knives on your kitchen counter to the bedding in your baby's basinet. But federal health regulators are just now deciding whether triclosan -- the germ-killing ingredient found in an estimated 75 percent of antibacterial liquid soaps and body washes sold in the U.S. -- is ineffective, or worse, harmful."

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