"Despite sweeping reform of food safety laws intended to make what we eat less dangerous, the number of Americans falling ill or dying from contaminated food has increased 44% since last year, according to a report released Wednesday."

Although predictions are still iffy, Pepco and other utilities around the District of Columbia and the Atlantic seaboard are bracing for winds and water from Hurricane Sandy. Some experts think the impact of the hurricane itself will be worsened by interaction with a large blocking dome of high pressure.

"The outcome of a prominent climate case has become even more shrouded in mystery after one of the three judges considering the matter died this week."

"THREE RIVERS, Tex. — The refinery business has long been the difficult stepchild of the oil industry, expensive to run, prone to accidents and a low-margin headache for executives who preferred drilling for gushers. But signs of the improving fortunes for the industry can be seen at Valero Energy's Three Rivers refinery here, about 70 miles south of San Antonio at the doorstep of a giant new shale oil field."

"OTTAWA -- To attract Chinese investment for development of the Alberta oil sands and other natural resources, Prime Minister Stephen Harper is pushing through a treaty that gives away Canadian legislative and judicial sovereignty with no public debate, warns a Canadian international investment law expert and law professor."

"Researchers say that some chemicals have unexpected and potent effects at very low doses — but regulators aren't convinced."

"For decades, indigenous people in the United States and Canada have been burdened with health problems linked to environmental pollutants. But that isn't their only sacrifice: Pollution is crippling some tribes' culture. Their native foods, water, medicines, language and ceremonies, as well as their traditional techniques of farming, hunting and fishing, have been jeopardized by contaminants and development."

"Documents obtained by Greenpeace show officials controlling information about wildlife affected by the disaster."

"After years of working to obtain permission from the state, Alberta-based U.S. Oil Sands Inc. was given the final go-ahead Wednesday to develop the first commercial oil sands project in the US."

"Genetic engineering of crops is essentially the same as centuries-old, conventional plant breeding, except more precise, scientists say." As voting time nears on California's Proposition 37, arguments about science, safety, and the public's right to know intensify.