October 4, 2012, 2:05 PM
A new UC San Diego study suggests that the byproducts of a chemical used in plastic found in the lining of cans may disrupt human hormone function more than the chemical itself. The study, published today in PLOS ONE, may help explain why the chemical bisphenol A, or BPA, has been tied to many...
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July 13, 2012, 2:05 PM
Toxic chemicals used to rid rodents from illicit marijuana gardens in the Sierra Nevada range and elsewhere in California may have inadvertently poisoned dozens of vulnerable weasel-like mammals called fishers, according to a new study released today. Biologists from UC Davis, the nonprofit...
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May 30, 2012, 12:05 AM
After years of failed attempts to regulate flame-retardant chemicals linked to mounting evidence of harm, state legislators and consumer advocates are gearing up to take another look at the risks and benefits. The chemicals have been measured at high levels in some Californians’...
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April 11, 2012, 12:05 AM
A report showing potent chemicals are in nail care products that claim to be toxin-free is prompting a state senator to call for reforms, and the state attorney general's office is reviewing the findings. The state Department of Toxic Substances Control study found that 18 of 25 nail care...
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January 13, 2012, 12:05 AM
The lawsuit over California's approval of a controversial pesticide might hinge on a seemingly straightforward question: Did regulators ever ask themselves what would happen if they didn't approve methyl iodide? In an Oakland courtroom yesterday, Alameda County Superior Court...
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December 14, 2011, 12:05 AM
A year after environmentalists lost a regulatory battle to keep the controversial pesticide methyl iodide off the California market, they appear to be winning the ground war against the chemical. Only six California growers have used methyl iodide – marketed as MIDAS – to zap soil-...
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October 12, 2011, 12:05 AM
State officials will decide tomorrow whether to add a widely used flame retardant to the state's list of cancer-causing chemicals. The chemical, chlorinated Tris [PDF], was removed from children’s pajamas in 1977 over fears that it could cause cancer. It is now the nation...
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September 27, 2011, 12:05 AM
As state officials spar with illegal gold miners in El Dorado County, environmental groups are eyeing a flurry of new claims near Yosemite National Park that they fear could poison the park's animals, plants and water. In the past five years, mining companies have staked 285...
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September 7, 2011, 12:05 AM
In some of California’s top strawberry-growing counties, levels of banned methyl bromide remain nearly as high as they were a decade ago, despite a mandated phaseout, according to an analysis by New America Media. The fumigant was supposed to have been phased out completely by 2005,...
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June 14, 2011, 12:05 AM
Hopefully, you’re a fan of onions, corn and pineapple – and not so sweet on apples, celery and strawberries. That’s because the Environmental Working Group, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group, released its annual Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce. ...
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May 10, 2011, 12:05 AM
An environmental watchdog group is criticizing the federal government for scaling back its radiation monitoring, while simultaneously planning to raise allowable levels of radiation releases in food, water and soil after a nuclear incident. The group, Public Employees for Environmental...
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May 3, 2011, 12:05 AM
Two years ago former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill that would have made access to clean water a legislative mandate. Now community advocates and legislators are trying again. The Human Right to Water package – consisting of six bills – would expand efforts to improve...
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April 29, 2011, 12:05 AM
Coca-Cola shareholders are demanding the company disclose how it is addressing consumer concerns over a controversial chemical used in the epoxy linings of its beverage cans. But the company is refusing to provide that information. More than a quarter of the shareholders voted for...
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April 28, 2011, 12:05 AM
Four authors of a new report concluding that bisphenol A is safe have ties to companies and groups that benefit from the controversial chemical. Two of the researchers – Hermann Schweinfurth and Wolfgang Völkel – reported their affiliations in the report's "declaration of...
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April 18, 2011, 12:05 AM
A study released Friday by UC Berkeley and other researchers found that California children have seven times more flame-retardant chemicals in their blood than their foreign-born counterparts, once again raising concern about an obscure state law. The study focused on chemicals called “...
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