January 5, 2011, 12:05 AM
If state environmental and health regulators have their way, the chemical inspiration behind the true story of Erin Brockovich will be limited in state drinking water. The state Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment submitted a draft proposal last week to limit the amount of...
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December 3, 2010, 12:05 AM
Environmentalists are accusing the Schwarzenegger administration of gutting a landmark California law designed to reduce the number of harmful chemicals in consumer products. Expectations were set high when the Green Chemistry Initiative was created two years ago and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger...
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October 29, 2010, 12:05 AM
Allies of Syngenta, a company that produces a ubiquitous but controversial herbicide, have continued attacks on UC Berkeley Professor Tyrone Hayes, a leading critic of the chemical who has fought the company through outrageous e-mails laced with rap lyrics, original rhymes and raunchy put-downs....
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October 27, 2010, 12:05 AM
Spina bifida and other neural tube defects are more common in babies whose mothers live in neighborhoods with high air levels of benzene – a chemical released from oil and gasoline refineries as well as traffic exhaust. That finding was reported this week by scientists who analyzed data...
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September 10, 2010, 12:05 AM
Parents packing their kids' lunch for the first days of school may be unaware of the potential dangers in one type of lunchbox. Or that some pencil pouches and a Spider-Man backpack that were available this summer could pose a threat to their children's neurological development. High...
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September 3, 2010, 12:05 AM
Something’s happening to the babies of Kettleman City. Since the state started tracking birth defects in 1988, only one birth defect was detected in 20 years. But that has changed. According to a story in the current issue of Mother Jones, in the last two years and 10 months,...
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August 30, 2010, 12:05 AM
Five out of nine members of a scientific panel that advises the state on toxic chemicals have been fired in recent weeks, following disputes with the chemical industry and a conservative group that targets environmental laws. "It's been gutted," said Paul Blanc, a professor of...
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August 20, 2010, 12:05 AM
The Environmental Protection Agency has denied a request from Ohio authorities that would allow exterminators to use small amounts of a toxic chemical to kill bedbugs in their clients’ homes. The chemical, propoxur, can kill insecticide-resistant bedbugs. But the EPA has banned the...
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August 18, 2010, 12:05 AM
The federal government announced on Tuesday a ban of a pesticide commonly used on food crops such as citrus, peanuts and sugar beets because of concerns about the chemical's effect on young children who may eat foods tainted with the chemical. The ban will take immediate effect on all...
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August 12, 2010, 12:05 AM
If visions of broken legs and whiplash isn’t enough for anxious parents watching kids romp in a giant, vinyl air-filled castle, California’s Attorney General has another nightmare scenario to add to the list: lead exposure. Jerry Brown’s office filed suit Wednesday against...
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August 9, 2010, 12:05 AM
The Environmental Protection Agency is reviewing scientific assessments of a controversial strawberry fumigant scheduled for use in California, as well as opening up a public comment period on the toxic pesticide, according to U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein and the environmental law group Earthjustice...
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July 15, 2010, 12:05 AM
The chemical that caused a massive recall of Kellogg’s cereals in June has been identified: It’s a petroleum byproduct known as methylnaphthalene. On June 25, Kellogg Co. recalled 28 million boxes of Corn Pops, Honey Smacks, Froot Loops and Apple Jacks. The move was in response to...
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July 6, 2010, 12:05 AM
El Dorado County has agreed to spend around $7 million to clean up a polluted and abandoned garbage dump outside the city of South Lake Tahoe. The settlement, announced last week, is the result of claims filed against the county by the U.S Justice Department and U.S. Forest Service to clean up...
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July 2, 2010, 12:05 AM
A bill banning the chemical bisphenol A from baby products narrowly passed the state Assembly yesterday after a long and pitched battle. Sen. Fran Pavley, D-Santa Monica, wrote the bill and characterized it as creating a David-vs.-Goliath conflict pitting the health of children against the...
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July 1, 2010, 12:05 AM
UPDATE: Upon further research it was discovered that the 16 pieces of jewelry with lead in them were from Richmond except two from Oakland and one from Emeryville, rather than all of the stores being from Richmond except two from Oakland and one from Emeryville. Pieces of jewelry purchased...
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