Fwd: Fw: EHN Monday: Capping Chernobyl; Zapping foodborne bugs
Ed Dickau
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Above the fold. News aggregated by www.EnvironmentalHealthNews.org |
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China’s emissions of nitrous oxide – a potent greenhouse gas and ozone-depleting chemical – will more than triple by 2020 if China’s chemical industry does nothing to control them, according to a new study. Under current scenarios, nitrous oxide emissions in China will reach five times that of the United States, which is the second biggest emitter. More... Daily links to top stories in the news about environmental health.Chernobyl: Capping a catastrophe. With nations debating the future of atomic power as one way to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and fight climate change, a one-of-a-kind arch rising here is stark reminder that nuclear energy, for all of its benefits, carries enormous risks. New York Times [Registration Required] Efforts to zap bacteria in food are slow to catch hold. The nuclear energy that Frank Benso uses to kill bacteria in fruit and oysters has won widespread support from public health officials and scientists, who say it could turn the tide against the plague of foodborne illness. Washington Post [Registration Required] Who's protecting Minnesota's rural rivers from cropland runoff? Four-fifths of the cropland that butts up against the streams and rivers of southern Minnesota is missing at least some of the legally required natural borders that are the first step in safeguarding waters that flow to the Mississippi River, Lake Pepin and eventually the Gulf of Mexico, according to the first detailed mapping of the region’s rivers. Minneapolis Star Tribune, Minnesota. After blast, East Harlem tenants are worried about dust. More than a month after an explosion touched off by a gas leak leveled two buildings and killed eight people in Harlem, over half of the households in buildings affected by the blast have not been able to return to their homes. New York Times [Registration Required] South Africa's 'cancer alley' residents face new threat from port development. The smells drifting into the cramped office of the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance range from sweet and sickly to stomach-churning. Volunteers and others can see oil and gas plants, refineries, landfills, agro-chemical works, shipyards, paper mills and a massively expanding port. The Guardian Environment prize goes to Indian activist who battled coal mine plan. Ramesh Agrawal on Monday will receive the Goldman Environmental Prize, the world's largest award for grass-roots environmental activists. The award for Agrawal highlights the risks faced by Indian campaigners who have tried to challenge powerful business interests. Los Angeles Times [Registration Required] EPA u-turn on bees worries growers in New Zealand. Horticulturists are upset that the Environmental Protection Authority is re-assessing a condition for using some agrichemicals less than six months after completing a major review of pesticide use. Radio New Zealand, New Zealand. Scrubbing skin, polluting water: Microbeads cause little stir in Pennsylvania. Microbeads — tiny plastic particles used in many skin-care products these days — are causing a rash of protests among environmental groups who claim they’re piling up in waterways and poisoning fish. Lancaster Intelligencer Journal, Pennsylvania. Construction halted at Taiwan nuclear plant after protests. Taiwan said Sunday that it would stop construction at a controversial nuclear power plant, after tens of thousands of protesters blockaded a main street in the capital calling for the project to be scrapped. Agence France-Presse Nuclear industry gains carbon-focused allies in push to save reactors. Environmentalists and the nuclear industry are beginning a push to preserve old nuclear reactors whose economic viability is threatened by cheap natural gas and rising production of wind energy. New York Times [Registration Required] Forced to flee radiation, fearful Japanese villagers are reluctant to return. Ever since they were forced to evacuate during the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, Kim Eunja and her husband have refused to return to their hilltop home amid the majestic mountains for fear of radiation. But now they say they may have no choice. New York Times [Registration Required] Steady flow of schemes fails to bring water in Periyar, India. The Periyar would have been a major source of drinking water in the high ranges of Idukki district, now reeling under water shortage. However, the river, like many of its tributaries, has come down to a trickle; that too may disappear soon. Hindu, India. China officials turn blind eye to polluters. Levels of cancer-causing lead 700 times national standards have been found in water in northeastern city Jixi, with local officials accused of turning a blind eye to graphite industry polluters. Shanghai Daily, China. Carmakers promise Chinese drivers a breath of fresh air. Air that's cleaner inside your car than on the outside - in smog-weary China it's an attractive sales pitch. Carmakers have long boasted of their ability to cut their vehicles' harmful emissions - but increasingly, they are also adding in air purifiers to lure China's army of drivers. Agence France-Presse Long-struggling California condor may soar again. California's Yurok tribe has secured federal and state support to locate new reintroduction sites for the critically endangered California condor. The alliance comes on the heels of a historic state law banning the use of lead bullets, the main cause of the birds' high mortality in the wild. Christian Science Monitor More
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Ed. Dickau