Chemicals

‘Endangered’ USGS Pesticide Database Shows Wide Chemical Impact

Pesticides are a major environmental and public health issue — harming vulnerable human populations, as well as contributing to declines in insect populations and even the birds that feed on them. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox explores an invaluable government database that reports estimates of county-level use of a wide array of these chemicals, but which recently faced severe cutbacks. Read more about the Pesticide National Synthesis Project.

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Farm to Trouble: Curbing The Runoff Fueling The Gulf’s ‘Dead Zone’

"Flowing down the Mississippi River, the excess fertilizer that washes off vast swaths of farmland fuels a persistent “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico and threatens drinking water supplies upstream. Yet despite more than a quarter-century of federal effort and billions spent on potential solutions, experts say the watershed is “not even close” to its targets for fixing the problem."

Source: Mississippi R. Ag & Water Desk, 07/03/2024

For India’s Garbage Pickers, A Dangerous Job Made Worse By Extreme Heat

"The putrid smell of burning garbage wafts for miles from the landfill on the outskirts of Jammu in a potentially toxic miasma fed by the plastics, industrial, medical and other waste generated by a city of some 740,000 people. But a handful of waste pickers ignore both the fumes and suffocating heat to sort through the rubbish, seeking anything they can sell to earn at best the equivalent of $4 a day."

Source: AP, 07/02/2024

Court Won't Block Rule On La. Plant's Likely Cancer-Causing Emissions

"A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., has refused to block a new federal rule requiring Denka Performance Elastomers to dramatically limit the release of chloroprene, a likely cancer-causing chemical, within 90 days or shut down its LaPlace plant."

Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune, 07/01/2024

"Another Chemical Recycling Plant Closure Offers ‘Flashing Red Light’"

"For the second time this year, a chemical recycling plant built to turn waste into usable products has closed, casting further doubt on the viability of an upstart industry that has been plagued by financial and technical challenges in its effort to scale up."

Source: EHN, 06/28/2024

Railroad Erred In Burning Vinyl Chloride Cars In East Palestine: NTSB

"Norfolk Southern and its contractors botched the decision to blow open five vinyl chloride tank cars after last year’s disastrous derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, and trackside detectors that might have prevented the crash failed to accurately detect the temperature of a burning wheel bearing 20 miles (32.19 kilometers) beforehand, according to the National Transportation Safety Board."

Source: AP, 06/26/2024

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