Publication Items

20% of Chemicals in Commerce Claim To Be 'Trade Secrets' [1]

Washington Post reporter Lyndsey Layton writes about the thousands of chemicals exempted from EPA screening for potential harm to the environment and public health — and the three-decades-old Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) that renders it possible, in the interest of protecting manufacturers' bottom lines.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Economy & Business [3]
Chemicals [4]
Health [5]
Laws & Regulations [6]
Government [7]
Environmental Health [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about 20% of Chemicals in Commerce Claim To Be 'Trade Secrets' [1]
EPA Proposes More Monitors for Airborne Lead [11]

Spurred in part by a petition filed in January 2009, the Agency's new rule, if finalized, could add approximately 240 monitors in about 40 states near known lead emission sources.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [12]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [4]
Government [7]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about EPA Proposes More Monitors for Airborne Lead [11]
TRI Analysis Offers State-Level Toxics Info [13]

It's easier to see trends now, and the analysis includes state-by-state fact sheets summarizing statistics for the year, as well as contacts at state agencies.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [4]
Government [7]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about TRI Analysis Offers State-Level Toxics Info [13]
USDA Offers Farmers $$ To Cut Nitrogen and Phosphorus Runoff [14]

Lands targeted for NRCS pilot projects over the next four years program include 41 watersheds in 12 states within the overall
Mississippi River
watershed.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [12]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [15]
Chemicals [4]
Water & Oceans [16]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about USDA Offers Farmers $$ To Cut Nitrogen and Phosphorus Runoff [14]
Industrial Chemical Found in Many Waters and Lands [17]

The synthetic compound dinitrotoluene, contaminating military sites, industrial settings, and other areas, is used primarily to make polyurethane products found in goods such as bedding and furniture, as well as in explosives, ammunition, dyes, and air bags.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [12]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [4]
Health [5]
Pollution [18]
Water & Oceans [16]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about Industrial Chemical Found in Many Waters and Lands [17]
4 Years, 500 Lakes, and A Lot of Polluted Fish: New EPA Study [19]

Results of sampling the tissue of fish caught in freshwater lakes throughout the US reveal widespread contamination by pollutants such as mercury and PCBs.
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [12]
Topics on the Beat:
Fish & Fisheries [20]
Chemicals [4]
Pollution [18]
Water & Oceans [16]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about 4 Years, 500 Lakes, and A Lot of Polluted Fish: New EPA Study [19]
Report: 100s of Millions of Pounds of Toxics Dumped into US Waters [21]

Advocacy group Environment America based its conclusions on 2007 US EPA Toxics Release Inventory data, while overcoming some of the errors and limitations embedded in TRI.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [12]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [4]
Water & Oceans [16]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about Report: 100s of Millions of Pounds of Toxics Dumped into US Waters [21]
US, Canada, Mexico Aim To Coordinate Toxics Databases [22]

The North American Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (NAPRTR) Consultative Group, under the auspices of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, will meet November 10-11, 2009, in Guadalajara, Mexico to review the programs of the 3 countries.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [4]
Region:
International [23]
Canada [24]
National (U.S.) [9]
Mexico [25]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about US, Canada, Mexico Aim To Coordinate Toxics Databases [22]
Older Buildings May Pose Sizable Risk of PCB Exposure [26]

EPA is warning about possible risks from PCBs in the caulking at some schools and older buildings. Are there some in your community?
SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [12]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [4]
Health [5]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about Older Buildings May Pose Sizable Risk of PCB Exposure [26]
Coal Ash Data Waiting for Local Reporters [27]

Use this roundup of sources to write a probing story about the ash, slag, and sludge from coal-burning electric utilities — which containins heavy metals that can pollute water, and even bury people's houses.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [4]
Disasters [28]
Energy & Fuel [29]
Pollution [18]
Government [7]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about Coal Ash Data Waiting for Local Reporters [27]

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