Environmental Health

Safe? Not Even Congress Can Get Secret EPA Test Data on Toledo Water

"U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo) has told The Blade she is demanding more transparency from environmental regulators after inadvertently learning during a conference call Sunday that Toledo's tap water has been as high as 3 parts per billion for the toxin found in microcystis algae - three times higher than the World Health Organization standard of 1 ppb."

Source: Toledo Blade, 08/05/2014

North Carolina: "Groups: GOP Has Gutted State Pollution Programs"

"CHARLOTTE — When Republicans took control of the North Carolina legislature four years ago, they promised to do away with environmental regulations they claimed hurt economic growth. But environmental groups say lawmakers have gone too far, gutting laws aimed at protecting the public's health."

Source: AP, 08/04/2014

Industrial Sludge Could Be Headed for Farmland in 7 Virginia Counties

"A Baltimore-based company wants to spread waste called industrial sludge on more than 16,000 acres of farm fields in seven Virginia counties, including Hanover and Goochland, but opponents have raised such a stink that Virginia officials are taking extra time to consider the issue."

Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch, 08/04/2014

"Lobbyists Use Secretive White House Office To Block Gov't Regs"

"When Washington lobbyists fail to derail regulations proposed by federal agencies, they often find a receptive ear within the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, an arm of the White House Office of Management and Budget that conducts much of its business in secret."

Source: ProPublica, 08/04/2014

"Hundreds of Thousands Still Under Water Advisory Across Toledo Area"

Several hundred thousand residents of the Toledo, Ohio, area remained Monday morning under an advisory not to drink their tapwater. Labs found microcystin, a toxin produced by blue-green algae, in the water. The algae are blooming in western Lake Erie, from which the city draws its water, because of phosphorus frpm farm runoff, lawn fertilizer, and sewage overflow. At a 3 am news conference, Mayor D. Michael Collins said the advisory would ramain in effect for some hours although tests showed microcystin in the water returning to safe levels. The crisis disrupted people's lives on a massive scale as bottled water was distributed.

Source: Toledo Blade, 08/04/2014

"USDA Overhauls Poultry-Inspection System to Better Fight Pathogens"

"The U.S. Department of Agriculture unveiled on Thursday the first major overhaul of the nation's poultry-inspection system in more than 50 years. It said the new system was part of an effort to better fight pathogens while placing more responsibility and trust on companies to protect the quality of their chicken and turkey."

Source: Wall St. Journal, 08/01/2014

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