"New limits for beryllium will save lives and curb illness among foundry workers and those employed in smelting, fabricating and other industries who may be exposed to the cancer-causing metal, OSHA said in a final rule issued Jan. 6."

"Not enough Minnesotans are testing their homes for radon, despite the state having some of the highest average levels of the dangerous gas in the country, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) warned last week."

"The rise in recent decades of diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis suggests that factors in the environment are contributing."

"Some workers who make or work with the endocrine-disrupting chemical have levels 1,000 times higher than the general public, a federal study found."

"Ohio Gov. John Kasich on Wednesday signed a law inspired by a Beachwood fire captain, which will make it easier for firefighters to get worker's compensation and pension benefits when they are diagnosed with cancer."

"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has faced congressional hearings and secret government sanctions over its sloppy lab safety practices, is keeping secret large swaths of information about dozens of recent incidents involving some of the world’s most dangerous bacteria and viruses."

"EPA's revised Worker Protection Standard is scheduled to take effect on Monday (Jan. 2), but the new rules face an uncertain future in the new administration."

"Four children died after someone at their home sprayed water on a previously applied pesticide, causing a reaction that produced toxic phosphine gas, officials in Amarillo, Texas, said."

"Competing against millions of acres of cotton, winegrowers fear federal approval of new herbicides to be used on genetically modified cotton seeds will wipe out the wine industry in the Texas High Plains."

"In a hog barn near Odebolt, veterinarian Paul Thomas's approach sends pigs scurrying. He watches for unusual behavior."