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Chemical Spill In Illinois Sends 37 People To The Hospital: 7 Critical [1]

"A leak in a container holding hazardous chemicals created a massive chemical spill early Thursday and sent 37 people to the hospital, including seven in critical condition, said authorities in Beach Park, Illinois."

Chemicals [2]
Disasters [3]
Environmental Health [4]
Public [5]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [6]
Source: CNN [7], 04/26/2019

"Is the EPA Stifling Science on Chemical Toxicity Reports?" [8]

"The Environmental Protection Agency is changing its approach to chemical toxicity oversight, according to a report issued recently by the Government Accountability Office. In the overhaul, the EPA reassigned staff from its Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS)—a program that conducts comprehensive scientific reviews—to duties related to the Toxic Substances Control Act, which has a narrower mandate. The agency has also reduced the number of its ongoing chemical toxcity assessments from 20 to three. Former EPA officials contend the shake-up takes chemical assessments out of the hands of career scientists, potentially to the detriment of public health."

Chemicals [2]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Politics [9]
Science [10]
Public [5]
National (U.S.) [11]
Source: Scientific American [12], 04/26/2019

EPA Proposes Weaker Standards on Chemicals Contaminating Drinking Water [13]

"After pressure from the Defense Department, the Environmental Protection Agency significantly weakened a proposed standard for cleaning up groundwater pollution caused by toxic chemicals that contaminate drinking water consumed by millions of Americans and that have been commonly used at military bases."

Chemicals [2]
Environmental Health [4]
Laws & Regulations [14]
Military [15]
Pollution [16]
Water & Oceans [17]
Public [5]
National (U.S.) [11]
Source: NY Times [18], 04/26/2019

"EPA Administrator Failed To Disclose Former Lobbying Client" [19]

"Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler left a former lobbying client off of his financial disclosure documents, according to a new letter from House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings (D-Md.)."

Chemicals [2]
Economy & Business [20]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Politics [9]
Laws & Regulations [14]
Public [5]
National (U.S.) [11]
Source: The Hill [21], 04/24/2019

Court Orders EPA To Make Final Decision On Banning Chlorpyrifos [22]

"A U.S. appeals court is forcing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to make a final decision on whether it will ban the use of a common pesticide linked to developmental disorders in children."

Agriculture [23]
Chemicals [2]
Environmental Health [4]
Laws & Regulations [14]
Public [5]
National (U.S.) [11]
Source: The Hill [24], 04/22/2019

Use EPA TRI Database To Find Toxic Threats [25]

The Toxics Release Inventory database, refreshed annually, has long been the foundation of many a good environmental news story. The latest release is now out, and this week’s TipSheet reminds journalists why the searchable online TRI can be such a valuable reporting tool in tracking toxic dangers.

SEJ Publication Types: 
TipSheet [26]
Topics on the Beat: 
Activism [27]
Air [28]
Chemicals [2]
Disasters [3]
Environmental Health [4]
Government [29]
Health [30]
Journalism & Media [31]
Laws & Regulations [14]
Pollution [16]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [11]
International [32]
Asia [33]
Visibility: 
Public [5]

As Weeds Outsmart Latest Weedkillers, Farmers Running Out Of Easy Options [34]

"There was a moment, about 20 years ago, when farmers thought that they'd finally defeated weeds forever."

Agriculture [23]
Chemicals [2]
Public [5]
National (U.S.) [11]
Source: NPR [35], 04/12/2019

Chemicals: EPA's Confidentiality Proposal Lacks Key Details, Greens Say [36]

"EPA's new plan for verifying chemicals that companies claim as trade secrets has some of the same shortcomings as a previous regulation currently tangled in litigation, according to critics."

Chemicals [2]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Politics [9]
Journalism & Media [31]
Laws & Regulations [14]
Public [5]
National (U.S.) [11]
Source: Greenwire [37], 04/12/2019

"New York Plans To Sue EPA Over GE's 'Incomplete' Hudson River Cleanup" [38]

"New York state officials plan to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for allowing General Electric Co to stop clearing the Hudson River of PCB contamination before the cleanup work was finished."

Chemicals [2]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Politics [9]
Laws & Regulations [14]
Pollution [16]
Water & Oceans [17]
Public [5]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [39]
Source: Reuters [40], 04/12/2019

Styrofoam Facts — Why You May Want To Bring Your Own Cup [41]

What makes styrofoam good — like its insulating, shock-absorbing qualities that make it suitable for hot coffee cups, coolers, helmets and packing material — is also what makes it bad … for the environment, that is. This month’s Backgrounder looks at the technical and environmental aspects of this long-troubling plastic pollution source.

SEJ Publication Types: 
Backgrounders [42]
Topics on the Beat: 
Chemicals [2]
Consumer [43]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Politics [9]
Food [44]
Government [29]
Health [30]
Pollution [16]
Science [10]
Waste [45]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [11]
International [32]
Visibility: 
Public [5]

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Links
[1] https://www.sej.org/headlines/chemical-spill-illinois-sends-37-people-hospital-7-critical [2] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/chemicals/toxics [3] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/disaster [4] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-health [5] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81 [6] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-lakes [7] https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/25/us/chemical-spill-illinois/index.html [8] https://www.sej.org/headlines/epa-stifling-science-chemical-toxicity-reports [9] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-politics [10] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/science [11] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national [12] https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-the-epa-stifling-science-on-chemical-toxicity-reports/ [13] https://www.sej.org/headlines/epa-proposes-weaker-standards-chemicals-contaminating-drinking-water [14] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws [15] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/military [16] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution [17] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water [18] https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/25/us/epa-chemical-standards-water.html [19] https://www.sej.org/headlines/epa-administrator-failed-disclose-former-lobbying-client [20] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/business [21] https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/440299-epa-administrator-failed-to-disclose-former-lobbying-client [22] https://www.sej.org/headlines/court-orders-epa-make-final-decision-banning-chlorpyrifos [23] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/agriculture [24] https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/439748-court-orders-epa-to-make-final-decision-on-banning-controversial [25] https://www.sej.org/publications/tipsheet/use-epa-tri-database-find-toxic-threats [26] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication/tipsheet [27] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/activism [28] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/air [29] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government [30] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/health [31] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media [32] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international [33] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international/asia [34] https://www.sej.org/headlines/weeds-outsmart-latest-weedkillers-farmers-running-out-easy-options [35] https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2019/04/11/710229186/as-weeds-outsmart-the-latest-weedkillers-farmers-are-running-out-of-options [36] https://www.sej.org/headlines/chemicals-epas-confidentiality-proposal-lacks-key-details-greens-say [37] https://www.eenews.net/stories/1060154313 [38] https://www.sej.org/headlines/new-york-plans-sue-epa-over-ges-incomplete-hudson-river-cleanup [39] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/northeast [40] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-new-york-epa/new-york-plans-to-sue-epa-over-ges-incomplete-hudson-river-cleanup-idUSKCN1RN29W [41] https://www.sej.org/publications/backgrounders/styrofoam-facts-why-you-may-want-bring-your-own-cup [42] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/backgrounders [43] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/consumer [44] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/food [45] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/waste [46] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/108/all/feed [47] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/108/all/feed?page=240 [48] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/108/all/feed?page=237 [49] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/108/all/feed?page=238 [50] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/108/all/feed?page=239 [51] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/108/all/feed?page=242 [52] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/108/all/feed?page=243 [53] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/108/all/feed?page=244 [54] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/108/all/feed?page=245 [55] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/108/all/feed?page=504