By CHERYL HOGUE
The so-called Teflon chemical continues to make headlines. This synthetic compound, known as PFOA (short for perfluorooctanoic acid) or C8, is found in the blood of most people around the world, including you and your audience. But just where this chemical is coming from remains an open question.
"Scientists are scrambling to get a handle on the levels of perfluorochemicals in treated municipal sewage sludge as further details emerge about the unexpected discovery of these compounds in fields near Decatur, Ala."
"The federal government is reconsidering whether sports fields and playgrounds made from ground-up tires could harm children's health after some Environmental Protection Agency scientists raised concerns,"
New evidence indicates the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry fails to protect communities from dangers such as the now-disappearing plumes of toxic groundwater carrying cancer-causing chemicals far beyond the Kelly Air Force Base near San Antonio, TX.
NYT: "The goal is to open up a system in which the agency failed to inform the public that a widely prescribed heartburn drug was especially toxic to babies; that a diabetes medicine and a painkiller increased heart attack risks; and that antidepressants increased suicidal thoughts and behavior in children and teenagers."
The Newark Star-Ledger reports a move by a top New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection official to prevent public disclosure of scientific information that should be public until political appointees without science credentials and press officers have approved it.
California's Senate narrowly passes a ban on BPA, a chemical that threatens child development, in baby bottles and sippy cups. Industry groups are mounting a big PR and lobbying blitz to stop it in the state Assembly.
After a letter from key Congressmen, the FDA is reviewing its Bush-era decision that BPA, a chemical used in baby bottles and food containers, is safe.
By MIKE DUNNE
Ever wonder what lies beneath your feet – what's down there in the ground on which we walk?
The Toledo Blade's Tom Henry has an editor, Jim Wilhelm, who asked that question and the result was an interesting look at what the government is doing – or not doing – to clean up gasoline spills from leaky underground tanks.
"The federal government should ban the use of lead weights, those fingertip-size chunks of metal that balance the tires of cars and trucks, says a petition filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last week."
Advertisements 
