An Indian company that produces endosulfan -- a pesticide banned in Europe because of suspicions it causes birth defects and death -- is pushing to keep the U.N. from restricting its use.

Bisphenol A, an estrogen-mimicking building block of polycarbonate  plastics and food-can coatings, is being found in beach sand and coastal seawater around the world. A Japanese chemist reported the findings, and he suspects the source may be certain resins used in marine paint.

"Gov. Chris Gregoire signed a handful of environmental protection bills into law Thursday, including a ban on the sale of children’s drinking cups that contain the plastics hardener bisphenol-A, or BPA."

"Warning that the powerful poisons can endanger some dogs and cats, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will require new instructions and labeling for on-spot flea products."

"Illinois is moving to phase out the use of perchloroethylene, or perc, a common dry-cleaning chemical linked to cancer, liver damage and neurological problems."

"The federal 'vaccines court' ruled Friday in three separate cases that the mercury-containing preservative thimerosal does not cause autism, a finding that supports the broad scientific consensus on the matter but that greatly disappointed parents who are convinced that their child's illness was caused by vaccines."

"Federal safety regulators recalled a line of Christmas-themed bracelets Thursday, expanding their effort to purge children's jewelry boxes and store shelves of items containing high levels of the toxic metal cadmium."