In last five years, water for more than 49 million people has contained illegal concentrations of chemicals - arsenic, uranium, sewage bacteria - with majority of violations at smaller water systems. As many as 19 million Americans may become ill each year due to parasites, viruses and bacteria in drinking water; research links certain cancers - breast, prostate - to pollutants like those found in drinking water. Though EPA is expected to announce new policy on policing nation's 54,700 water systems, regulators say they are skeptical that any change will occur, since management remains the same. And: The Toxic Waters series (click 'See also').

By Charles Duhigg

The New York Times 2009-12-08

See also

EPA finalizes CO2 endangerment finding

EPA finalizes finding that greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, pose threat to human health, welfare. Finding, a signal that U.S. is prepared to contribute to climate treaty, is useful tool during Copenhagen summit. And: EPA said it would impose new rules only on large factories, refineries, power plants and other facilities emitting more than 25,000 tons a year of carbon dioxide; greenhouse gases come from millions of auto tailpipes, airplanes, ships, home furnaces, even digestive tracts of cattle (click 'See also').

By Bryan Walsh

Time magazine 2009-12-07

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Opinion: Maybe health care begins in our plastic food containers

As debate continues on health insurance and mammograms, lingering question is whether our ills have more to do with contaminants in our water or air or in plastic containers. What if surge in asthma, childhood leukemia reflect, in part, poisons we impose upon ourselves? Physicians at cancer symposium say they avoid microwaving food in plastic or putting plastics in the dishwasher, because heat may cause chemicals to leach out; they say avoid plastics numbered 3, 6 and 7. And: Lawmaker pushes for legislation to study links between women's reproductive health and chemicals that may cause hormone disruption (click 'See also').

By Nicholas D. Kristof

The New York Times 2009-12-05

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Opinion: Divert Big Ag subsidies to community food infrastructure

PBS.org

Helping rebuild ecologically sane, accessible local-food economy proved extremely challenging for reporter-turned-farmer. Food industry consolidation shuttered community-scale processing facilities, created factories geared to large-scale farms. Explosion in size of operations means dirt-cheap, low-quality food that generates massive ecological, social problems. For sustainable food, feds must make smart, relatively low-cost investments beyond USDA's Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food program. Reducing Big Ag subsidy payments and diverting the proceeds into local-food infrastructure is change we can believe in ... and savor.

By Tom Philpott

Newsweek.com 2009-11-11

Farm groups, atrazine maker protest safety review of weedkiller

Farm groups, manufacturer of atrazine protest decision to review Syngenta weedkiller's safety, saying EPA bowed to environmentalists. Agency said it wants to examine studies of chemical's cancer-causing potential in farm workers. Atrazine is used on about 60 percent of Iowa's corn acreage. And: Atrazine is one of most common contaminants in drinking water; new studies suggest that taint is associated with birth defects, low birth weights and reproductive problems among humans (click 'See also'). Other studies show that atrazine interferes with development and hormone systems of some animals.

By Philip Brasher

The Des Moines Register 2009-11-04

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Environmental sleuths take to air on hunt for chicken litter

Network of volunteer pilots, sleuths on aerial hunt for chicken litter around Chesapeake Bay as EPA steps up enforcement, targets concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). Livestock operations generate about 500 million tons of manure annually. Waste can contaminate water, depleting oxygen, killing fish, and sometimes harbors e.coli. And: In trial against poultry industry, state of Oklahoma says since companies own birds from hatching to slaughterhouse, they also own their manure; Tyson, Cargill, other companies argue waste is responsibility of contract growers (click 'See also').

By Lauren Etter

The Wall Street Journal. (may require subscription) 2009-11-03

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Mapping waste in UK meat, fish industry to cut carbon, save cash

UK plans to map food, water, packaging waste in meat, fish industry in bid to cut carbon, save cash. Information will be gathered on poultry, beef, lamb and pork and 20 fish types at all points along wholesale and retail supply chain. Meat, fish industries have been targeted because of higher greenhouse gas emission linked to their production.

By Rory Harrington

nutraingredients.com/Decision News Media 2009-11-04

At FDA, Team Tomato pits germ vs germ in battle against food pathogens

Building on 1917 discovery of bacteriophages - viruses that live within bacteria and can kill other bacteria - FDA scientists have found what they believe are powerful, naturally occurring 'good' bacteria that can slaughter 'bad' bacteria on fresh fruits, vegetables. In experiments, microorganisms kill salmonella, listeria, e.coli O15:H7 on tomato surfaces; only vibrio, found in warm seawater that can contaminate oysters and other seafood, has stood its ground.

By Lyndsey Layton

The Washington Post 2009-10-31

Opinion: We have two choices - cheap meat or health

Factory farming of animals is chief cause of global warming, animal suffering, a decisive factor in diseases like bird and swine flu, cause of food-borne illness. Beyond illnesses linked to them, factory farms foster growth of drug-resistant germs, contribute to risk of pandemics like H1N1 swine flu, avian flu. Factory farm industry has more power than public health professionals because we fund industry by eating factory-farmed animal products. Perhaps, in deafening silence about this problem, we understand that something terribly wrong is happening. And: Factory farming's 335 million tons of manure annually hold infectious microbes that infiltrate air, soil, water, and are transported by houseflies, farm trucks, farm workers (click 'See also').

By Jonathan Safran Foer

CNN 2009-10-28

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Toxins at Cold War-era missile sites threaten water supplies

Cleanup continues at dozens of former nuclear missile sites tainted with trichloroethylene, or TCE. In Colorado, one site is near Poudre River, where planned reservoir would partly submerge site and could contaminate river, municipal water supplies. In '90s, chemical was discovered in Cheyenne city wells, which are within eight-mile-long plume of TCE within Ogallala Aquifer. Cleanup is part of work at 9,000-plus sites projected to cost $17.8 billion. And: Pentagon, nation's biggest polluter, has about 25,000 contaminated properties across U.S. (click 'See also').

By Mead Gruver

The Associated Press; The Washington Post 2009-10-11

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Victor awards garbage disposal certificate after election

After Republican wins North Carolina town's city council seat, he fulfills promise to give gift certificate for garbage disposal. Challenger set up raffle to mock effort by incumbent to ban garbage disposals in Raleigh. And: To cut down on sewer back-ups and resulting environmental damage to streams from food scraps, grease, Raleigh City Council in 2008 prohibited new garbage disposals from being installed or connected to municipal sewer system (click 'See also').

By Sarah Ovaska

The News & Observer (NC) 2009-10-10

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Alfalfa, sugar beet rulings signal new U.S. view of GM crops

Farmers who shun genetically modified crops find hope in recent alfalfa and sugar beet rulings (click 'See also') criticizing regulators who ignored potential economic impact of GM crop cross-pollination on organic, other farmers. Lawsuits have prompted first environmental impact statement ever for a GM crop, due in 2009. Though U.S. has passed no legislation on GM crops, 95 percent of U.S. sugar beet crop, which supplies about half the nation's sugar, now engineered. Eighty-five percent of corn crop genetically modified, and, as high-fructose corn syrup, is throughout food system. Some 90 percent of soy, cotton crops include genes from Monsanto Co., Dow Chemical, DuPont.

By Paul Voosen

Greenwire/The New York Times 2009-10-08

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Cut CO2 now to protect food source for salmon, herring, scientists say

Limit carbon dioxide emissions now to stop major disruption to global food chain, scientists urge. In many regions around north pole, Arctic seawater likely to reach corrosive levels within 10 years and will begin to dissolve shells of mussels, shellfish. Tiny mollusk, Limacina helicina, is eaten by North Atlantic salmon, herring, baleen whales, various seabirds. About a quarter of carbon dioxide pumped into atmosphere by factories, power stations and cars now falls into the oceans - 6.6 million tons daily.

By Robin McKie

The Guardian (UK) 2009-10-04

Leafy greens top risk list for foods overseen by FDA

Ten riskiest foods overseen by FDA, which regulates 80 percent of food supply, are leafy greens, eggs, tuna, oysters, potatoes, cheese, ice cream, tomatoes, sprouts and berries, consumer watchdog study shows (click 'See also' for report). Meats, poultry, some egg products not considered because they're regulated by USDA. Tainted foods contained bacteria, from E.coli O157:H7 in spinach to scombrotoxin in tuna; victims suffered range of illnesses, from mild stomach cramps to death. One in four Americans sickened by foodborne illnesses and 5,000 die each year, says CDC.

By Lyndsey Layton

The Washington Post 2009-10-06

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Farm groups endorse Monsanto phosphorous mine

Idaho's Farm Bureau Federation, Grain Producers Association, Sugarbeet Growers Association endorse Monsanto's proposed Blackfoot Bridge mine to replace its existing mine, which is leaking selenium, heavy metals into Blackfoot River tributaries. Other mines in region blamed for killing livestock poisoned by selenium. New mine would allow for continued domestic production of agribusiness giant's Roundup, a weed killer that generates more than $1 billion in gross profits annually (click 'See also).

Idaho Statesman 2009-09-19

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Humane Society, senators, livestock emissions and Clean Air Act

Humane Society petitions EPA to list concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) under Clean Air Act. Animal feeding operations produce 500 million tons of manure every year. And: Other senators join John Thune, Chuck Schumer in co-sponsoring S. 527, legislation that would permanently prohibit Clean Air Act permit system for emissions - including carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, water vapor, or methane - associated with biological processes of livestock production.

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 2009-09-28

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Buried dump beneath closed park leaches toxins into water

As Connecticut city proposes $2 million for running waterlines to residences near former park atop a buried and leaking landfill, neighbors worry about health effects of drinking tainted well water. 'I'm no tree hugger, but this just ain't right,' says one, whose wife has psoriasis and whose preschooler has hair loss. Landfill, unlined and permeable, is bordered by wetlands to north. Toxins also threaten city's aquifer and North Stamford Reservoir. Full-scale cleanup unlikely; EPA says city is providing appropriate response.

By Magdalene Perez

The Advocate (Stamford, CT) 2009-09-27

EPA lacks oversight on safety of school water

In last 10 years, toxins found in drinking water of public and private schools in all 50 states, but problem has gone largely unmonitored by feds. EPA lacks authority to require testing for all schools; it does not specifically monitor incoming state data on school water quality. Tainting most apparent at schools with wells. Schools with unsafe water represent small percentage of nation's 132,500 schools; EPA says violations spiked because of stricter standards for arsenic, disinfectants, other toxins. And: It's time to ban arsenic from chicken feed (click 'See also').

By Garance Burke

The Associated Press; The Washington Post 2009-09-25

See also

At some schools, green is the new cool at lunch, in class, in garden

Some Philadelphia schoolchildren measure coolness by green quotient of their lunches - reusable sandwich wraps and water bottles, recycled lunch boxes, cloth napkins. Science teachers encourage 'waste-free Wednesdays;' in environmental science classes, students compost food scraps, fertilize the herb garden that then is used for the school kitchen, thus reducing pesticides that run into nearby Wissahickon Creek, which feeds into water supply of their city.

By Meredith Broussard

The Philadelphia Inquirer 2009-09-24

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Bill would ban arsenic in nation's poultry industry

New York congressman introduces bill to ban use of arsenic compound known as roxarsone as a food additive. Bill 3624 called Poison-Free Poultry Act of 2009. And: Feeding arsenic to chickens promotes their growth (click 'See also'). EPA says 70 percent of the 8.7 billion broiler chickens produced annually are fed arsenic. In study, 55 percent of raw supermarket chicken contained arsenic; nearly 75 percent of breasts, thighs, and livers from conventional producers did too. Carcinogen contributes to heart disease, diabetes. Some drinking water naturally high in arsenic; runoff from fields covered with arsenic-laden chicken manure adds to problem.

washingtonwatch.com 2009-09-22

See also

Pesticides, pollution in food supply linked to obesity epidemic

Environmental chemicals may well account for good part of obesity epidemic, especially in those under 50, and may cause spike in infant obesity rates. Certain hormone-mimicking pollutants throughout food chain act on genes in developing fetus, newborns to reprogram precursor cells into lifelong fat cells, and they may alter metabolic rate, turning body into physiological Scrooge, research shows. Other research reports that the more pesticides children were exposed to as fetuses, the greater their risk of being overweight as toddlers; children exposed to higher levels of PCBs and DDT-related chemical before birth were fatter than others.

By Sharon Begley

Newsweek magazine 2009-09-21

River pollution suit against Tyson, Cargill, may affect meat prices

Oklahoma's pollution lawsuit against Tyson, Cargill, others in Arkansas poultry industry begins in Tulsa on Sept. 24 is being closely watched by industry. At issue is practice of spreading chicken waste on fields in Illinois River watershed, which state say caused runoff that polluted river. Industry says Arkansas, Oklahoma sanctioned practice by issuing farmers permits to spread waste. And: Oklahoma Attorney General asks if Big Poultry owns birds, feed, drugs (click 'See also'), doesn't it own chicken litter, too? If poultry companies lose the case, industry spokesperson says U.S.-raised meat prices will go up.

By Justin Juozapavicius

The Associated Press; Duluth News Tribune 2009-09-20

See also

Farm runoff taints tap water, rivers, streams

Agricultural runoff is single largest source of water pollution in nation's rivers and streams; 19.5 million Americans fall ill each year from waterborne parasites, viruses, bacteria. In Wisconsin county, agriculture and dairy bring in $3 billion a year but dairies together produce up to 1 million gallons of manure daily. Regulators say excessive manure, slaughterhouse waste, treated sewage spread on fields there tainted tap water. Clean Water Act largely regulates only contaminants moving through pipes or ditches. EPA has rules for biggest farms, but thousands of animal feedlots don't file paperwork. Powerful farm lobby has blocked previous environmental efforts on Capitol Hill, and in states. And: Other stories in Toxic Water series (click 'See also').

By Charles Duhigg

The New York Times 2009-09-18

See also

Former Marines link their cancers to tainted water at Camp Lejeune

From 1950s to mid-1980s, Camp Lejeune water for hundreds of thousands of Marines, families was laced with then-unregulated chemicals from an off-base dry-cleaning company and from industrial solvents used to clean military equipment. Now, cluster of cancer cases has appeared, and more than 1,600 former base residents have filed claims against feds, seeking $34 billion. And: Dry-cleaning chemicals taint soil, water in Illinois (click 'See also').

By David Zucchino

Los Angeles Times 2009-08-26

See also

Spiking weedkiller in drinking water OK, says EPA; critics disagree

EPA says Americans aren't exposed to unsafe levels of atrazine, a weedkiller used on cornfields, gardens, lawns, golf courses that washes into drinking water, particularly in summer. Others say EPA rules are insufficient, that local water systems must monitor atrazine more often, issue alerts of spikes. 43 water systems sue Syngenta, other chemical companies to force them to pay for removing poison from water. Studies suggest link of small amounts of atrazine to birth defects, premature births, menstrual woes. Home filtration system can avoid exposure. And: Atrazine linked to frog decline, egg production in male fish, and found in Washington, D.C.'s Potomac River (click 'See also').

By Charles Duhigg

The New York Times 2009-08-22

See also

Food processors' waste taints water, environment

In west Michigan, untreated wastewater from processors has tainted drinking water, streams, killing aquatic life and nearby trees. State officials have known of polluting for 10 years; residents say they're bearing costs - stench, orange fingernails, useless gardens, failed businesses, ruined plumbing, fear of eventual ills from tap water. Officials say there's no acute health threat. Review found probes have dragged out for years. Companies denied responsibility, failed to meet cleanup deadlines, violated law with leaks, spills, illegal dumping of fruit waste. Agriculture made more than $63 billion last year; food processing firms employ thousands. (Click 'See also' for part 2.)

By Tina Lam

Detroit Free Press 2009-08-09

See also

California resumes review of chemical for strawberry fields

California pesticide regulators resume review of methyl iodide for strawberry fields. Carcinogen OK'd for use in every state except California, Washington, New York. Federal law requires growers to set up buffer zones, prohibits workers from entering field for 48 hours after methyl iodide is applied, but critics worry about safety of those living or working near the plots. And: In Mississippi's delta, Roundup drift, from crop-dust pilots or ground-level applicators, can damage off-target crops, trees, gardens (click 'See also').

By Amy Littlefield

Los Angeles Times 2009-08-03

See also

Two deaths linked to nanoparticle exposure in factory

Two Chinese women die, 5 others hurt after working after working without proper protection in factory using nanoparticles. Tiny diameter (nanometer is one-billionth of a meter; nanoparticles are between 1-100 nanometers) allows particles to penetrate body's natural barriers, particularly through contact with damaged skin or by inhalation or ingestion. Nanotechnology also used in food packaging, household appliances, cosmetics, sunscreen, clothing. And: Nanotechnology spurs dreams of food scientists (click 'See also').

By Tan Ee Lyn

Reuters; NewsDaily 2009-08-19

See also

Pollution history shouldn't stop more mining, Monsanto says

Monsanto's history of polluting Idaho shouldn't stop more mining for Roundup ingredient, company says. Three of firm's previous mines in region now under federal Superfund authority; a fourth is now violating federal clean water laws (click 'See also'). Two fertilizer makers J.R. Simplot, Agrium also linked to pollution there. Roundup will generate $1 billion-plus in gross profits annually; in one county in mining region where 7,000 people live, Monsanto pays more than $29 million in wages, benefits.

By John Miller

The Associated Press; The Spokesman-Review 2009-08-09

See also

Council says no to biotech sugar beets on public open space

After 47 of 58 speakers show opposition, Colorado county's food policy council considers that it represents taxpayers, votes against recommending GMO sugar beets for planting in open space land. Dilemma for group was balancing economic well-being of six farmers with community. Genetically modified corn already is allowed on public land. And: Because public acceptance of biotechnology in Europe is lower than in U.S., all Kellogg products sold in Europe are free of any biotech ingredients (click 'See also').

By Laura Snider

Daily Camera (CO) 2009-07-31

See also

Investors say BPA risks food firms' value; feds mum on chemical's use

Investors representing $26 billion tell FDA that continued use of bisphenol A (BPA) in food and beverage can linings could threaten companies' value. Group says FDA assessment of safety, lack of federal regulation discourage search for alternatives. And: Consultants use Big Tobacco tactics to protect BPA market from regulation; EPA has no real program to regulate industrial chemicals, says environmental health specialist at Pew Charitable Trusts (click 'See also').

By Rory Harrington

nutraingredients.com/ Decision News Media 2009-06-24

See also

House, USDA, FDA move toward improved food safey

House OKs food safety bill; opposition had centered on lesser provisions that critics said would add burdensome bureaucracy for farmers. Legislation applies only to FDA, will not cover meat or poultry products, USDA territory. And: USDA to begin regular testing of meat trimmings used to make ground beef; FDA issues voluntary guidelines for growing, processing tomatoes, leafy greens, melons (click 'See also').

By William Neuman

The New York Times 2009-07-30

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Opinion: EPA's endocrine-disruptor testing old, incomplete

EPA's endocrine-disruption tests for assessing pesticide safety use old information. EPA's testing program addresses only segment of organs, tissues, systems, and won't detect chemicals that can alter development, function of pancreas, and its hormone, insulin, which could lead to diabetes, obesity. Nor will it detect chemicals that alter intelligence, behavior. And: Glyphosate, atrazine included in list of pesticides for Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (click 'See also,' then scroll to page 17583 of Federal Register).

By Theo Colborn

Scientific American; Environmental Health News 2009-04-27

See also

Nanoetech spurs dreams of food scientists, concerns of environmentalists

Interest grows in food nanotechnology - manipulating matter at a scale one-1,000th the width of a human hair. Grocery trade group says likely first applications for food ingredients will be technologies that add nutrients, antioxidants, or even flavors. But others want more environmental health, safety studies. And: Nanoparticles could risk water, soil ecosystems, studies show (click 'See also').

By Carolyn Y. Johnson

Boston Globe 2009-07-27

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Dry-cleaning chemicals taint drinking water, soil

Often sloppy use of dry-cleaning chemicals, primarily perchloroethylene, poisoned soil, drinking water at hundreds of sites in Illinois but decades later, cleanup efforts lag. Residents are exposed to to perc by drinking tainted water or showering in it, playing in polluted dirt and breathing vapors. And: Lawsuit filed by cancer victim says feds knowingly exposed hundreds of thousands of Marines, sailors, their family members, civilians to drinking water tainted with dry-cleaning solvents, industrial sources at Camp Lejeune (click 'See also').

By Michael Hawthorne

Chicago Tribune 2009-07-26

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Opinion: Regulate mercury now to protect human health

EPA should issue tough rule to control mercury spewed from coal-fired power plants, knowing that it is essential to protect human health - toxin is found in increasingly high concentrations in fish. Another reason: GAO, found that, in some cases, mercury emissions were reduced up to 90 percent at average cost of $3.6 million, or pennies a month on consumers' electric bills. And: Mercury-contaminated fish advisories, state by state (click 'See also').

The editors

The New York TImes 2009-07-25

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Review: A can-do book on reducing food waste

Rigorously researched, uplifting book on food waste offers list of difficult but possible improvements from farmers through food producers, supermarkets and restaurants to consumers and governments. Solutions could aid those facing famine, help Britain meet international targets on climate change. And: Changing ways food is produced, handled and disposed of can feed world's rising population, help environment, says UN study (click 'See also').

By Linda Christmas

The Telegraph (Great Britain) 2009-07-16

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As plastic bag use drops In UK, other problems await

In UK, shoppers eschew plastic bags, nearly halving their use nationwide. But critics say that grocers fought the campaign, and that plastic bags issue has obscured more pressing problems, such as packaging reduction, carbon and energy use, and waste.

By John Vidal

The Guardian (UK) 2009-07-17

Industrial farming growing, dispersing drug-resistant pathogens

Kellogg Schwab/

Sampling the air for pathogens in a poultry house.

Adding antibiotics to farm animal feed is fostering, dispersing drug-resistant bacteria that imperil public health, researchers are learning. Chicken, cow, pig manure - 335 million tons annually - distributes pathogens through fertilizer and manure lagoons, where infectious microbes infiltrate air, soil, water, and are transported by houseflies, farm trucks, farm workers. Government requires no disclosure on microbial use in agriculture. In his 1945 Nobel Prize address, Alexander Fleming, who discovered penicillin, had warned of ease in making microbes resistant; Pork Board spokesperson isn't convinced.

By Dale Keiger

Johns Hopkins Magazine 2009-06-01

River-polluting Iowa farms need most federal aid, group says

iastate.edu

Mississippi River Basin and major tributaries

Advocacy group urges targeted investment of conservation funds in Iowa farms that pollute Mississippi River. But USDA, state officials say formula accounts for 'impaired waters' (click 'See also'). Program subsidizes manure collection system setup, reducing tillage, building terraces; $7 million of this year's fund reserved for specific projects - beginning organic operations, beginning or low-income farmers.

By Philip Brasher

The Des Moines Register 2009-05-29

See also

Opinion: When farmers choose biofuel crops, hunger, pollution rise

Farmers can grow food crops for one price, or same crops for biofuel for more plus tax credits. In 2007, amount of food turned into fuel could have fed 450 million for a year. Corn-based fuel additive use caused 10 percent to 15 percent of food price rise in one year. Higher food prices could cost Americans $900 million more for food stamps and child nutrition programs. Plus, amount of nitrous oxide (300 times more potent than CO2) released from farming corn, rape for biofuels had been underestimated by factor of 3 to 5 times.

By Ed Wallace

Business Week 2009-05-26

Hormone disruptor increases in volunteers drinking from bottles

After drinking cold beverages from polycarbonate baby bottles, 77 volunteers showed nearly 70 percent increase of bisphenol A (BPA) in their urine, CDC/Harvard study shows. BPA, a plastics component and synthetic estrogen, is linked to reproductive problems, heart damage, diabetes, obesity. Made by petrochemical giant Sunoco, chemical shown in 2007 to have leached into more than half the canned foods, beverages, canned liquid infant formula tested. And: Chicago bans BPA in baby bottles, sippy cups (click 'See also').

Environmental Working Group 2009-05-13

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Determined mother uncovers trail to polluted drinking water

After Illinois mother refuses to stop asking questions about her teenage son's leukemia during toddler time, state officials and newspaper learn that for 20-plus years, town frequently, secretly, turned valve to draw water from well polluted with dry-cleaning chemicals. State EPA shut well in December 2007, after testing water for first time in 20-plus years. Update: Federal agents raid Crestwood Village Hall, cart documents away for criminal investigation; senator asks feds to look for links between water, illnesses (click 'See also').

By Michael Hawthorne

Chicago Tribune 2009-04-19

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Agency takes step toward banning songbird-killing pesticide

EPA bans carbofuran and will remove it from market because pesticide does not meet food safety standards. Meanwhile, it still can be used on field corn, potatoes, pumpkins, sunflowers, spinach grown for seed, pine seedlings. In 2006, agency identified significant dietary, ecological and worker risks from use of carbofuran. And: Our appetite for year-'round vegetables, grains is killing our songbirds with pesticides (click 'See also').

By Richard Keigwin

EPA 2009-05-11

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In Mexico, flu focuses complaints about Smithfield farms

Flu outbreak focuses complaints in poor neighborhoods near industrial pig farm owned by Smithfield subsidiary in Mexico. Overpowering stench, dogs feasting on pig carcasses, massive manure lagoons among neighbors' concerns. Conglomerate says it has funded reforestation, irrigation and has bought computer equipment for schools. It says it has built clinics and provides free medical care, and that Mexican health officials attribute persistent illness in area to temperature changes, malnutrition, unsafe drinking water.

By Steve Fainaru

The Washington Post 2009-05-10

Endocrine disruptor linked to childhood obesity

Phthalates, an endocrine disruptor used in cosmetics and to soften plastic pacifiers, toys, linked to obesity, study of 400 9- to 11-year-old girls in East Harlem shows. Such chemicals affect glands, hormones that regulate bodily functions. Researcher compares endocrine disruptors' effect on childhood obesity to that of lead on a child's IQ. And: EPA regulates phthalates as water, air pollutants (click 'See also').

By Jennifer 8. Lee

The New York Times 2009-04-17

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Agricultural chemicals exposure linked to Parkinson's disease

People who lived next to fields where fungicide maneb or herbicide paraquat had been sprayed were, on average, about 75 percent more likely to develop Parkinson's, California study shows. And: Maneb often goes on potatoes, tomatoes, lettuce and corn; paraquat is used on corn, soybeans, fruit (click 'See also'). Map of their use mirrors areas of U.S. where people are more likely to die of Parkinson's disease.

Chicago Tribune 2009-04-20

See also

Clean Air Act should exempt cow emissions, says senator

Nebraska senator looks to exempt 'naturally occurring' livestock emissions containing methane and carbon dioxide from Clean Air Act. Legislation, he says, would protect his state, which ranks first in nation in commercial red meat production, from 'cow tax.' And: As meat consumption increases, scrutiny grows over emissions (click 'See also').

www.senate.gov 2009-04-17

See also

'Endangerment finding' for CO2, methane at EPA

Emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride are health hazards, EPA says. Experts say decision will transform feds' role in regulating commercial operations, motor vehicles, power plants. And: Waxman-Markey bill plausible framework to begin urgently needed discussion, action in Congress, say editors (click 'See also').

By Juliet Eilperin

The Washington Post 2009-04-17

See also

Health hazards in 'Poisoned Waters'

PBS/Frontline

Toxins from industry, agriculture, massive suburban development and from face creams, deodorants, prescription medicines and household cleaners now found in drinking water, threatening fish, wildlife and, potentially, human health, Hedrick Smith reports in PBS Frontline program (watch at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/poisonedwaters/view/). And: Study shows pesticide's insidious effect on food chain (click 'See also').

By Diane Buxton

WGBH/Frontline 2009-04-14

See also

Pesticide makers must test for endocrine disruption, EPA says

EPA will require pesticide manufacturers to test 67 chemicals in products to determine whether they disrupt endocrine system, which regulates growth, metabolism, reproduction. Researchers cite male fish in Potomac River bearing eggs. Tests eventually will encompass all pesticide chemicals. And: Cornfield weedkiller linked to frog deaths (click 'See also').

By Juliet Eilperin

The Washington Post 2009-04-16

See also

Genetically modified crop yields suffer from hardy weeds

Rather than boosting yields, corn, soybeans genetically modified to resist insects and herbicide glyphosate have decreased production due to increased number of weedkiller-resistant weeds that compete for soil nutrients and moisture, study shows. Increased yields largely credited to better breeding, agricultural practices. And: Joining France, Luxembourg, Germany bans Monsanto's GM pest-resistant corn MON 810 (click 'See also').

By Tony C. Dreibus

Bloomberg 2009-04-14

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Perchlorate found in baby formula, CDC reports

Fifteen of 15 powdered infant formulas contain perchlorate, a component of rocket fuel linked to thyroid disease, says CDC study, but scientists haven't named brands tested. Legislator calls on EPA to set safe drinking water standard for perchlorate, water testing. And: Pasadena begins construction of perchlorate-removing water treatment plant near Superfund site. Wells nearby have been shut down (click 'See also').

By Liz Szabo

USA Today 2009-04-02

See also

Nanoparticles could risk water, soil ecosystems, studies show

Nanoparticles in hundreds of consumer products can damage beneficial microbes, which may threaten soil, water, aquatic life, ecosystems, efficiency of sewage treatment, studies show. Microbes remove ammonia from sewage, reduce phosphorus in lakes. And: FDA requires manufacturers to provide tests showing that food goods using nanoparticles aren't harmful, but two unknowns are whether nanoparticles in packaging can leach into edibles and the impact of that consumption on human health (click 'See also').

By Matthew Cimitile and Environmental Health News

Scientific American 2009-03-24

See also

Water concerns prompt EPA scrutiny of mountaintop removal permits

umaine.edu

Citing serious concerns about water quality, streams and fragile habitats, EPA plans review of permit requests for mountaintop removal coal mining. Form of strip mining blasts tops off mountains, dumps rock in valleys, burying streams. Industry group says action jeopardizes thousands of jobs. And: Faith-based groups cast opposition to mountaintop removal as 'creation care' and find political support (click 'See also').

By Mireya Navarro

The New York Times 2009-03-24

See also

Vegetables absorb livestock antibiotics through tainted manure

Corn, potatoes, lettuce absorb antibiotics in soil fertilized with manure from livestock treated to increase growth, prevent infections. Nearly 70 percent of antibiotics and related drugs used in U.S. routinely fed to cattle, pigs and poultry - nearly 25 million pounds of antibiotics per year, advocacy group reports. Beyond encouraging development of resistant bacteria (click 'See also'), tainted manure can infiltrate water supplies as it percolates through soil into aquifers or runs off into waterways. Manure composting cut concentrations of some antibiotics up to 99 percent.

By Matthew Cimitile

Scientific American 2009-01-06

See also

In coal country, lawsuits allege ruined water, health

Hundreds in Appalachia sue coal companies, saying that slurry (mix of clay, sulfur, other impurities cleaned from coal) pumped into old mines ruined well water, caused sickness. Seldom-supervised sites also used to store sludge, ash, sand, cement, EPA says. West Virginia Coal Association argues that if injection weren't safe, EPA wouldn't allow it. And: Chemical content of slurry, mostly injected in West Virginia, Kentucky, Alabama unstudied (click 'See also').

By Vicki Smith

The Associated Press; MSNBC 2009-03-18

See also

Factory farms would report emissions under new rule

EPA's revived system for reporting methane, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions would apply to confined animal feeding operations and other large industrial sources. The 25,000-metric-ton threshold is roughly equal to emissions of 4,500-plus passenger cars. Coal-fired power plant spokesperson warns that including schools, hospitals sets 'dangerous precedent.'

By Juliet Eilperin

The Washington Post 2009-03-11

Cutting carbon for food, drink shrinks utility bills in UK

Food, drink industry at forefront on UK emissions reductions, government group reports. Early leader was Walkers, a potato chip maker and subsidiary of PepsiCo, which learned that making fertilizer was 15 percent of footprint. Walkers now works with suppliers, has reduced emissions for some chip-making by 7 percent - and cut its utility bills. Other participants: Tesco, Sainsburys, British Sugar, Cadbury and ingredients supplier DSM.

By Lindsey Partos

nutraingredients.com/Decision News Media 2009-02-27

Low oxygen kills healing bacteria in water 'dead zones'

Dead zones in waterways tenacious because oxygen deficiency neither supports aquatic life nor water-cleaning bacteria. Dead zones caused by excess phosphorous, nitrogen washed from croplands, sewage treatment systems, livestock operations, cruise ship waste dumping, paved areas. Return of sea grass to Chesapeake Bay a hopeful sign and may be result of low rainfall.

By Kari Lydersen

The Washington Post 2009-02-17

Obama backs treaty to cut mercury emissions

Administration calls for cuts to global mercury emissions. Nervous system toxin can travel thousands of miles through air, water. Much drifts into oceans, where it enters food chain and contaminates fish. And: Coal-fired power plants are largest source of mercury pollution in U.S., making them true enemy of tuna sandwich crowd, says writer (click 'See also').

By Tom Maliti

The Associated Press; Chicago Tribune 2009-02-17

See also

Army group can issue Clean Water Act permits, court rules

In victory for coal industry, court overturns ruling that required more extensive environmental reviews of mountaintop removal, which blasts peaks away, dumps debris into valley streams. And: Environmental groups say practice taints water and harms residents, urge Obama to follow up on campaign statements (click 'See also'). The Army Corps of Engineers, responsible for preventing actions that could harm nation's water, had issued original mining permits.

The Associated Press; The Washington Post 2009-02-14

See also

Clean water, air rules to boost mercury control component

With stricter state-based rules on water, air quality, and federal mandates poised to follow, demand is created for powdered activated carbon, which helps control mercury levels. Data suggest demand could surge from current levels of 50 million pounds a year to between 500 million and 750 million pounds, says head of Calgon, which offers purification applications for drinking water, air, food and drugs.

By Jennifer Hoyt

The Wall Street Journal. (may require subscription) 2009-02-11

Hotel finds savings in food waste composting

Hotel separates food waste, benefits accrue: Less money spent on garbage removal, cheaper food waste hauling, and food waste becomes compost. Recycling advocates look for more waste generators to sign on with hotel to create 'wasteshed,' and also hope New Jersey county will create spot for recycling organic waste.

By Ryan Tracy

The Times (Trenton, NJ) 2009-02-04

Food bank distributes state-donated fish, unaware of state mercury alert

Idaho food bank gave away thousands of pounds of lake trout, whitefish caught in Lake Pend Oreille donated by state wildlife agency at same time another agency warned of mercury contamination in fish caught there. Giveaway offers tough choice, says activist: Go hungry, or take mercury-tainted fish that can be dangerous to long-term health of children. And: New York's advisories on fish consumption (click 'See also').

By John Miller

The Associated Press; Bonner County Daily Bee 2009-01-28

See also

USDA, FDA test Alabama livestock for chemical taint

EPA discovers record amounts of nonstick chemical - perfluorooctanoic acid - in sludge near Decatur, Ala., and issues drinking water advisory. Now, USDA, FDA test livestock that grazed on grass fertilized with the sludge for contamination (click 'See also). EPA seeks information from 14 companies with Alabama operations, including 3M, Japan-based chemical manufacturer Daikin, Toray Flurofibers, as well as privately held Alabama waste company.

By John Sepulvado

Georgia Public Broadcasting News 2009-01-22

See also

Cholera epidemic spreads from Zimbabwe

Cholera epidemic moves with victims to rural Zimbabwe and into South Africa. Disease, caused by drinking water tainted with sewage, took hold after health, sanitation systems collapsed under economic crisis in troubled country. Nearly 2,500 people have died; more than 40,000 are infected. And: Cholera is a measure of government's failure (click 'See also').

By Nelson Banya

Reuters 2009-01-22

See also

Contaminated beef may have prompted EPA guideline

New EPA limits of nonstick chemical in drinking water appears linked to discovery of contaminated beef from cattle that grazed in Alabama pasture fertilized with chemical (PFOA)-laden sewage sludge. But EPA doesn't require water treatment plants to test for perfluorochemicals. And: If sludge applied to grazing lands over 12 years did taint meat, possible sources are wastewater from nearby manufacturing plant, consumer products (click 'See also').

By Michael Hawthorne

Chicago Tribune 2009-01-16

See also

Study shows pesticide's insidious effect on food chain

Malathion, used to kill insects and mosquitoes, affects interactions within food chains, scientists learn. They added seemingly harmless levels to ponds holding tadpoles. Concentration killed most of zooplankton, which let phytoplankton bloom, depriving periphyton (tadpole food) of sunlight. Tadpoles went hungry, thus weren't mature enough to hop away by the time the ponds dried, so they died. And: Weedkiller linked to frog decline (click 'See also).

By Rhitu Chatterjee

Environmental Science & Technology 2008-10-15

See also

Science-based decisions vowed by EPA nominee

Lisa Jackson, Obama's EPA nominee, tells Senate panel she would consider regulating coal ash waste from power plants in aftermath of recent spills (click 'See also'). Her conscience, she says, is Americans suffering from 'environmental negligence' - effects from untended Superfund sites, government's botched response to Hurricane Katrina.

By Juliet Eilperin

The Washington Post 2009-01-14

See also

Toward limits, controls on pesticides, weedkillers in EU

European Parliament votes to tighten rules on pesticides, ban at least 22 toxins. New rules would limit or ban use of toxins near schools, parks, hospitals, aquatic environments, drinking water; wholesale aerial crop-spraying would also be banned; honeybees and other pollinators (click 'See also') would be protected. Opposition predicts loss of one-fourth produce, high vegetable prices. Rules must be OK'd by 27 member states' governments.

BBC News 2009-01-13

See also

Chesapeake Bay coalition sues EPA over cleanup failure

Coalition sues EPA over 25-year failure to deliver on Chesapeake Bay cleanup promises. Lawsuit is attempt to force Obama administration to treat bay as priority. It asks for cuts in pollution from sewage plants, power plants and storm sewers and for better farm cleanup programs.

By David A. Fahrenthold

The Washington Post 2009-01-06

Coal ash dumps unregulated despite threat to water supply, human health

Vast coal ash pond that ruptured in Tennessee is one of 1,300-plus in 46 states. All contain heavy metals - arsenic, lead, mercury, selenium - that threaten water supplies, human health, yet aren't federally regulated or monitored. Instead, coal ash used for construction fill, mine reclamation, on golf course (where it spoiled groundwater), even on croplands. Dumps growing mostly because pollution controls capture contaminants that once spewed through smokestacks. Leaching toxins near dumps can decimate wildlife.

By Shaila Dewan

The New York Times 2009-01-07

Coal ash spill toxins, sediment, threaten fish, mussels

Already laden with PCB, lead, arsenic and other contaminants, aquatic life - including spot fin chub, ashy darter, newly introduced lake sturgeon - in Emory River and larger Tennessee River system now face more toxic chemicals, possible suffocation from massive coal ash spill. Sediment, water samples near spill show high amounts of arsenic, with one sample containing more than 149 times the maximum safe level.

By Andy Johns

The Chattanooga Times Free Press 2008-01-03

Opinion: Backbone needed for true Chesapeake cleanup

After 25-year, $6 billion failed effort, it's clear: Saving the Chesapeake requires political will to regulate farm runoff, institute and enforce wastewater limits, limit crab and oyster catches and mandate green-building techniques. And: Budget shortages, bureaucratic inertia, political opposition blocked progress (click 'See also').

The editors

The Washington Post 2009-01-02

See also

Missed goals, 'rosy picture' on Chesapeake Bay pollution cleanup

After 25 years of cleanup, pollution of extra 4.3 million residents to area, and opposition from agricultural, fishing interests, Chesapeake Bay's last crab harvest was 60 percent less than in 1983, oysters were 96 percent less, and 17 percent of its water had lowered oxygen levels. Leaders ask: How much will public sacrifice to clean North America's largest estuary, once brimming with sturgeon, ducks and reefs of oysters? And: An effort impeded (click 'See also').

By David A. Fahrenthold

The Washington Post 2008-12-27

See also

Sushi implicated in actor's excessive fatigue

TV Guide

Twice-daily diet of sushi, use of herbal remedies blamed for elevated levels of mercury in actor's bloodstream. Jeremy Piven, who was starring in 'Speed the Plow' on Broadway, had complained of excessive fatigue, exhaustion. He later left production. And: Eating six pieces of tuna sushi weekly in New York exceeds EPA's safe levels of consumption (click 'See also').

By Dave Itzkoff

The New York Times 2008-12-18

See also

EPA excuses factory farms from emissions reporting

Concentrated animal feeding operations - factory farms - exempted from reporting hazardous emissions from manure. EPA says requirements created unnecessary burden, weren't acted upon. Factory farms produce more waste than Philadelphia annually. And: Livestock producers whose emissions meet or exceed specific thresholds are subject to Clean Air Act requirements, GAO says (click 'See also').

By Stephen Power

The Wall Street Journal. (may require subscription) 2008-12-12

See also

Amid political turmoil, cholera, hunger worsens in Zimbabwe

Cholera, spread by feces-fouled drinking water, has sickened 16,000-plus Zimbabweans since August. Nearly 1,000 have died (click 'See also); cases could surpass 60,000. Fresh water supplies captive to chaos of Mugabe regime; hospital system shut down by an exodus of workers whose salaries are worthless from hyperinflation. Millions enduring severe and worsening hunger. And: UN, running out of funds, may cut food rations there (click 'See also').

By Celia W. Dugger

The New York Times 2008-12-12

See also

Nanotechnology oversight lacking, says report

As use of nanotechnology grows and researchers plan for use of tiny particles as food additives, in medical treatments and in electronics, report lists serious gaps in federal plan for determining risks and calls for ensuring safety of workers, consumers, environment. And: Studies are lagging behind technology (click 'See also'). One nanometer equals a billionth of a meter.

By Julie Steenhuysen

Reuters 2008-12-10

See also

Opinion: Tough calls welcome on protecting Chesapeake Bay

Maryland's chicken farms generate $845 million - and 650 million pounds of manure - annually. Combined with stormwater runoff from overdevelopment, manure runoff into bay kills fish, crabs, oysters that have fed region's growth. Now, Maryland is correctly pushing to limit both by taking land, shoreline off market and by regulating manure disposal.

The editors

The Washington Post 2008-12-08

Opinion: Blocking pollution for public, planetary health

Bush-Cheney plan to measure emissions of coal-burning power plants hourly instead of annually could mean more pollution - and enormous cost to public health, planet. And: Fish from Catskills waterways unsafe to eat; they and their predators - bald eagles - contaminated with methylmercury, a power-plant toxin. (click 'See also') .

The editors

The New York Times 2008-11-28

See also

Alarming level of neurological toxin in fish-eating birds

NYDOH

Smallmouth bass, favorite prey fish of bald eagles, are on a NY mercury advisory list.

Bald eagles - fish-eating barometers of environmental health - show rising mercury levels in Catskills, site of drinking-water reservoirs for New York City. Most mercury comes from coal-burning power plant emissions blown from Midwest; toxin falls into water and becomes methylmercury, which contaminates worms, then fish. And: New York advisories limiting amount of state's fish that can be safely eaten (click 'See also').

By Anthony DePalma

The New York Times 2008-11-24

See also

First 'organic' fish standards set, pleasing producers

Panel OKs criteria for 'organic' label for farmed fish, pleasing producers but angering environment, consumer advocates. They question rule allowing up to 25 percent of wild fish as feed (organic meats require 100 percent organic food) and note that open-net pens allow fish waste, disease to pollute ocean. And: One-third of world's fish catch - mostly anchovies, menhaden, sardines - is fed to animals but should feed people, scientists say (click 'See also').

By Juliet Eilperin and Jane Black

The Washington Post 2008-11-20

See also

Opinion: Melamine links industrial waste to U.S. food production

Melamine has pervaded U.S. food system. It's added to fertilizer and accumulates in the farm fields. Last year, millions ate chicken that had been fed tainted gluten from China; Tyson Foods butchered hogs that had eaten tainted feed too. Meat was not recalled. China melamine scandal is opportunity for U.S. to pass fertilizer standards and to test for chemical.

By James E. McWilliams

The New York Times 2008-11-17

As deadline looms, EPA asked to rethink rule on water toxin

With rocket fuel component in drinking water of 35 states and its documented toxicity to humans, scientists argue that EPA decision not to regulate perchlorate needs 'compelling scientific basis.' Rule was based on industry-funded computer model; critics say CDC studies ignored. Opinion: Congress should require EPA to explain disregard of toxin that reduces thyroid function, creates risk of lifelong lower IQ for babies (click 'See also').

By Juliet Eilperin

The Washington Post 2008-11-14

See also

Court decision will alter UK pesticide safety assessments

Rural dwellers, workers, students near farmland must be considered in assessing pesticide risk, UK government rules. Current rules considered only occasional, short-term 'bystander' exposure, not repeated exposure to crop spraying, chemicals over years. And: 'Pesticide nun' and plaintiff Georgina Downs holds industry, politicians accountable (click 'See also').

By David Adam

The Guardian (UK) 2008-11-15

See also

Congress has power to stop pollution deregulations

With Congressional Review Act, new president's OK, lawmakers could rescind upcoming Bush administration rules that otherwise could have lasting impact on water standards, air cleanliness, among other areas. And: Last deregulation push relaxes standards for drinking water, air as well as pollution from farms, mining (click 'See also').

By Avery Palmer

CQ Politics 2008-11-06

See also

A last push to lower drinking water, air standards

In waning days of power, Bush administration works to relax drinking-water standards, ease controls on carbon dioxide emissions of pollutants from power plants and other factories, remove environmental impact statement requirement for some commercial ocean fishing interests, and lift restriction of mountaintop-removal coal mining in Appalachians.

By R. Jeffrey Smith

The Washington Post 2008-10-31

Cornfield weedkiller linked to frog decline

Farmers' 50-year habit of spraying cornfields, other crops with tens of millions of pounds of long-lived weed killer atrazine may cause frog deaths in waterways by providing more food for snails, which carry frog parasite, study shows. And: Potomac River, source of drinking water and a fish habitat, contains Syngenta's herbicide atrazine, other suspected endocrine disruptors (click 'See also').

By Dan Charles

National Public Radio/All Things Considered 2008-10-29

See also

Exchanging recyclables for grocery coupons

Seeing gold in garbage, two entrepreneurs offer coupons redeemable for groceries, coffee, in exchange for recycling. Recycling rate jumps in one town from three percent to 32 percent in a year, and in another town, participation is up tenfold. 'Our customer is anyone who lives in a home and buys stuff,' says founder, who is aiming for profit by 2010.

By Keith Naughton and Daniel McGinn

Newsweek 2008-10-06

Beyond spiritual discipline, is kosher/halal green?

Keeping kosher or halal can reduce or increase carbon footprint, depending on replacements for pork (mid-range emissions) and shrimp (energy-intensive, environmentally damaging). Good substitutes: produce, chicken, herring, wild salmon. And: Poultry industries have worked since 2005 to persuade EPA to ease reporting requirements of ammonia emissions from their vast manure lagoons (click 'See also').

By Emily Gertz

Scientific American 2008-09-25

See also

House panel questions EPA bid to exempt factory farms from manure emissions reporting

House panel pressures EPA to rethink exempting factory farms from reporting toxic manure gas, 'particulate matter' emissions. Report says agency lacks information, strategy for regulating mega-farms, some of which produce 1.6 million tons of manure annually. And: EPA proposed dropping requirement after communities filed suits against several big farms, seeking damages and stricter controls of emissions (click 'See also').

By Stephen Power

The Wall Street Journal. (may require subscription) 2008-09-24

See also

Economy-weary rediscover tap water

As economy slides lower, so do sales of bottled water, delighting those concerned with impact of plastic bottles on the environment. In US, where consumption is highest, supermarket sales are at slowest rate since bottled water became the rage 10 years ago.

By Jenny Wiggins

Financial Times (London) 2008-09-15

Deformed child's parents say they worked fields wet with pesticides

In closely watched case of farm workers against Ag-Mart that began in 2005, parents of deformed baby say they were forced to work in North Carolina tomato fields still wet from pesticides, that pesticides were sprayed while they ate. Company, which sells Santa Sweets and Ugly Ripe tomato brands, also runs farms in Florida, New Jersey, Mexico. And: Company agreed to pay for lifelong care of field worker's limbless child (click 'See also').

By Kristin Collins

The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) 2008-09-11

See also

Targeting poultry farmers along Chesapeake Bay

Maryland targets powerful poultry industry in effort to reduce dead zones in Chesapeake Bay. Chicken and turkey farms, which industry group says add $845 million to state's economy, currently aren't subject to manure contamination and storage rules required for dairy and hog farms.

By David A. Fahrenthold

The Washington Post 2008-09-12

New weedkiller touted for Roundup-resistant weeds

As horseweed, Palmer amaranth, johnsongrass and other weeds develop resistance to Monsanto's Roundup, Arkansas farmers pin hopes on Bayer CropScience LibertyLink soybeans. New soybeans will be resistant to Ignite, a potent weedkiller. And: EPA classifies active ingredient, glufosinate ammonium, as 'persistent' and 'mobile' (click 'See also').

By David Bennett

Delta Farm Press 2008-08-13

See also

Mississippi River oil spill delays grain exports

Coast Guard opens Mississippi River to limited traffic two days after oil spill; some nearby suburbs find another source for drinking water; fate of fish unknown. And: Between 55 percent and 65 percent of all U.S. corn, soybean and wheat exports leave from the Gulf of Mexico (click 'See also').

By Adam Nossiter

The New York Times 2008-07-25

See also

Bird, bee-killing pesticide banned over toddler safety risk

Citing safety risk to toddlers, EPA bans residue of carbofuran. It's used mostly in developing countries on rice, bananas, coffee, sugar cane, corn, potatoes, soybeans and alfalfa. It kills bees and, over last 40 years, it has killed millions of wild birds, including golden and bald eagles, red-tailed hawks and migratory songbirds, environmental groups say.

By Juliet Eilperin

The Washington Post 2008-07-25

Using what's flushed for fertilizer, fuel

As fertilizer and energy prices rise with concern for environment and food security, push to reform sanitation gains global currency. Ecological sanitation spurs new farming practices, fuels stoves and creates awareness: Why taint 4,000 gallons of potable water per person, per year, with a relatively small amount of pathogenic material - primarily feces?

By Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow

The Boston Globe 2008-07-13

EPA sets new rules for fumigant pesticide use

New soil fumigant restrictions, including buffer zones and community outreach efforts, set to protect farm workers, bystanders from pesticide exposure. The poison, which is injected or incorporated into soil, is used primarily on potatoes, tomatoes, strawberries, carrots and peppers.

EPA 2008-07-10

Nation's biggest polluter resists drinking water, soil cleanups

As concerns grow about toxic chemicals seeping into drinking water and soil, Defense Department resists EPA orders to clean up Fort Meade in Maryland, Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida and McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey. Pentagon has about 25,000 contaminated properties in all 50 states. And: EPA's Superfund sites (click 'See also').

By Lyndsey Layton

The Washington Post 2008-06-30

See also

Backyard gardens poisoned across UK, Wales

Gardeners across UK, Wales, warned not to eat homegrown produce if they used Dow herbicide-tainted manure. Extent of problem, which could extend to market gardeners, unknown. Affected crops include potatoes, raspberries, onions, leeks, beans, peas, carrots and salad vegetables, which wither or become deformed.

By Caroline Davies

The Observer (UK) 2008-06-29

Review: 'The World According to Monsanto'

Marie-Monique Robin, filmmaker and veteran journalist, conducts Google searches onscreen.

Filmmaker explores history of biotech seed company Monsanto, including: Its manufacture of Agent Orange and PCBs; its Roundup weedkiller; its aggressive use of patents; its success in persuading U.S. to approve its genetically modified seeds without scientific testing; the revolving door between the U.S. government and Monsanto's executive board; and its domination of U.S. commodity crop markets with its GM seeds. To watch the film, click 'See also.'

By Malcolm Fraser

Montreal Mirror 2008-05-22

See also

Scrutiny on food waste

As food crisis deepens and environmental alarms sound, calls are renewed for food recovery and gleaning, as well as composting to reduce methane belched from landfills. Americans discard 27 percent (a pound a day per person), Britons toss a third. In Africa, improper storage spoils a quarter or more of the crops before they can be eaten.

By Andrew Martin

The New York Times 2008-05-18

Paying for food system pollution

Our movable feast, made possible by efficient global transport networks, cheap labor elsewhere and megamarkets including Wal-Mart, comes at a cost: pollution, from transportation, packaging and refrigeration. Many say shippers and shoppers should pay costs. European Commission considers toll to change perception that transporting freight is cheaper than local goods.

By Elisabeth Rosenthal

International Herald Tribune 2008-04-25

Fete for food composting

In San Francisco, residents sort refuse into three bins: food scraps (including meat), recyclables and trash. Food scraps and recyclable material are picked up free, but residents pay for trash removal. For delivering 350 tons of food scraps daily to the composting facility, sanitation workers gather twice a year with city officials for fine meal.

By Tess Taylor

The New York Times 2008-04-20

A mountainous appetite

In pursuit of Appalachian coal that fuels a third of Washington, D.C. electricity appetite, drinking water turns orange, then sputters to nothing; streams are buried beneath rubble of mountains once rich in squirrels and wild grapes. 'Mountaintop removal' mining has affected, or could affect by 2012, about 816,000 acres. In Appalachians, tempers run high; mining is dominant employment.

By David A. Fahrenthold

The Washington Post 2008-04-20

See also

After picnic at the beach

Along 33,000 miles of beaches, volunteers collect 587,827 bags; 1.7 million-plus food wrappers, containers, lids, cups, plates and eating utensils; nearly 1.2 million bottles and drink cans. Divers find abandoned fishing lines, crab and lobster traps; and more plastic bags. 'Our disparate and random actions actually have a collective and global impact,' says event sponsor.

By H. Josef Hebert

The Associated Press; San Francisco Chronicle 2008-04-15

See also

Lifestyle endangered, with clams

Chris Kraul

Mari Garcia's day of clam-digging yields barely enough for a meal.

Harvesting clams among the Colombian mangroves is no easy task - ranging calf-deep in mud, watching for snakes, scorpions, centipedes and biting fish. Worse, though are pollution, over-harvesting and drug-trafficking that threaten both food source and way of life for community of slaves' descendants that is unusual in its spirit of altruism and cooperation.

By Chris Kraul

Los Angeles Times 2008-04-14

Fruit of the landfill

Mountain of wasted fruit and vegetables is landfilled across Britain, analysis shows, and is contributing about 15 million tons of greenhouse gases each year to atmosphere. Up to 40 percent of household trash and about a third of all food bought becomes waste. A daily breakdown of whole fruits and vegetables, trashed: apples, 4.4 million; potatoes, 5.1 million; tomatoes, 2.8 million; bananas, 1.6 million bananas, and oranges, 1.2 million.

By Valerie Elliott and Jonathan Weir

The Times (UK) 2008-04-08

Fowl odor at plant

Neighbors complain of noxious odor from a Koch Foods chicken processing center in Alabama. Company says it's wastewater treatment - workers are dredging a 14-foot-deep 150-by-300-foot waste lagoon and drying 180 truckloads of sludge before hauling it to landfill. Company says that there were 'wastewater issues' when it bought the plant from Tyson last spring.

By Andy Powell

The Gadsden Times (AL) 2008-04-03

See also

Opinion: Silent cost of global growing

Marie Read/Cornell Lab of Orthinology

Bobolink populations have dropped by half in 40 years; pesticides are suspected.

Our appetite for year-'round vegetables and grains is killing our songbirds with pesticides. In Latin America, pesticide use, much of it banned in U.S., is up fivefold since the '80s; one application can kill seven to 25 songbirds per acre. Fruits, vegetables from Latin America are three times as likely to violate EPA standards for pesticide residues as the same foods grown in U.S. Best bird-safe buys? Organic coffee, bananas, and nothing imported from Latin America that's not organic.

By Bridget Stutchbury

The New York Times 2008-03-30

See also

Talking trash

As sales of Italy's prized buffalo milk mozzarella plummet and restaurateurs switch to cow's milk version, consortium distances emblematic product from dioxin pollution. For decades, Camorra, an organized crime group, has illegally dumped trash around Naples, where some of the best mozzarella is made. Probe investigates link between shady cheesemakers and what officials knew.

By Ian Fisher and Daniele Pinto

The New York Times 2008-03-26

See also

Something in the water

Potomac River, source of drinking water and a fish habitat, contains Syngenta's weedkiller atrazine, and other suspected endocrine disruptors, plus more chemicals from sewage, farm fields and lawns. In 2003, male fish in tributary were found with eggs growing inside them. In 1996, Congress ordered EPA to create a testing program to identify endocrine disruptors, but the tests have not begun.

By David A. Fahrenthold

The Washington Post 2008-03-18

See also

In the bag

As customers say 'neither' to 'paper or plastic?' at grocers and pharmacies and towns move to ban the bags, industry fights back. Industry groups file lawsuits, call for environmental impact reports, and towns instead OK recycling, or 'voluntary' bans. Each year, grocers and pharmacies dispense 92 billion disposable plastic bags and about 5 billion paper bags.

By Kari Huus

MSNBC 2008-03-14

Greenhouse gases by the numbers

Growing, not transporting, creates most greenhouse gas emissions in food/agriculture sector of economy, which, in total, makes more than one third of global greenhouse gas emissions, UN agency says (click 'See also'). Rearing livestock makes 37 percent of human-induced methane (at 23 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide) and 65 percent of nitrous oxide (at 296 times more powerful than CO2). Livestock sector provides jobs for 1.4 billion.

By Rachel Oliver

CNN 2008-03-17

See also

Pushing ozone limits

Though lower ozone levels protect crop yields, forests and wildlife, Bush administration overrules EPA and law to set higher limits. EPA officials had already raised limits above its scientists' recommendations. Change forced officials to rewrite regulations to avoid a conflict with past EPA statements on harm caused by ozone, which is created when industrial and vehicle pollution reacts with sunlight.

By Juliet Eilperin

The Washington Post 2008-03-14

See also

Drugs in the wild

Fish, wildlife show abnormalities linked to pharmaceutical residues in waterways and environment. Implications are grave: Chronic exposure to trace levels can damage a species at the foundation of a food pyramid. In Pakistan, common vulture virtually disappeared after birds began eating carcasses of cows that had been treated with an anti-inflammatory drug - it made the birds' kidneys fail.

By Jeff Donn, Martha Mendoza and Justin Pritchard

The Associated Press; The Sun Chronicle (MA) 2008-03-10

See also

Rounding up, and up

Global demand, manufacturing costs and tightening controls in China push prices up for Roundup and other weedkillers. Monsanto also credits higher sales of its seeds, which are genetically modified to tolerate its poison. Biotech giant has raised Roundup prices from $1 to $4 per acre "to slow down the demand" and to ensure supply for farmers growing its GMO crops.

By Jason Vance

California Farmer 2008-02-28

See also

Factory farm pollution exemption?

While divided Congress is away, EPA publishes intent to exempt factory farms from requirement of reporting toxic emissions from manure lagoons; comment period ends March 27 (Click 'See also' to comment). Livestock operations generate two-thirds of ammonia emissions reported nationwide. Critics say the reports help rural communities hold large livestock operations accountable for the pollution they produce.

By Elizabeth Williamson

The Washington Post 2009-02-26

See also

Polluting the Gulf

USDA

Midwest farms, with their fertilizer and manure runoff pollution, are main cause of vast 'dead zone' in Gulf of Mexico that grows algae while robbing water and sea life of oxygen, government study shows. Scientists worry that ethanol craze, will make the problem worse and say, too, that decrease in wetlands, which act as filters, contributes. Critics say study is outdated since it is based on 1992 land-use data.

By Philip Brasher and Maureen Groppe

Gannett News Service 2008-02-05

Counting their chickens

Oklahoma lawsuit that accuses confined chicken factory farms in Arkansas of polluting Illinois River watershed moves through court since filing in 2005; now, those with at least 2,500 confined birds, including a judge and a conservation district chairman, are required to register the type and number of their birds each year. The Arkansas registry also tracks chicken litter disposal methods.

The Associated Press; Tulsa World (OK) 2008-02-11

See also

Falling mercury

Ruling against EPA's pollution trading plan may force mercury emissions cuts for new coal-burning power plants. The airborne poison is linked to risk of learning disabilities; when it enters water, it contaminates fish and enters human food chain. EPA blames Asia for most of our mercury pollution and says that most people living near power plants don't eat local fish, but instead pick seafood from international waters.

By Judy Pasternak

Los Angeles Times 2008-02-09

See also

Doing business

Already burdened with high utility, feed and land costs, duck farms along Forge River and in New York State face manure problem as environmental awareness grows and pollution cleanups continue. The Jurgielewicz Duck Farm, the second-largest Pekin duck producer in the country, has been directed to install a waste treatment plant.

By Rosamaria Mancini

The New York Times 2008-01-13

See also

Factory farm incentive

Our tax dollars help factory farming grow by paying farmers to clean up their air and water pollution and to manage the mountains of manure produced by livestock living in packed conditions. The $1.3 billion program allows a farmer up to $450,000 during the bill's life, and is up for renewal in the farm/food bill. Biggest takers in 2006: Iowa, Wisconsin and North Carolina.

By Andrew Martin

The New York Times 2008-01-13

See also

Ongoing discharge with Smithfield's factory-farmed pork

Smithfield Foods, king of factory-farmed pork, also is king of manure, this 2006 story reports. Toxic pig waste is stored in huge lagoons, which leak and flood and leach into air, wells, and waterways. The company, with 16 operations in 12 states, was fined by the EPA for 6,900 violations of Clean Water Act in Virginia alone. It has since expanded into Poland and Romania. And: Smithfield's response (click 'See also').

By Jeff Tietz

Rolling Stone 2006-12-14

See also

Green on the go

Greenest solution for transporting water and food is re-using what's around the house. Beyond that, there are controversies with "single-use" plastic bottles and hard plastic re-usable bottles; glass breaks and stainless steel is pricey. Plastic bags are cheap to make, but disposal is a problem; wax paper is expensive to make but decomposes.

By Alina Tugend

The New York Times 2008-01-05

See also

Troubled waters

With more than 4.5 million fish farmers, China is producer and exporter to the world. But as factory-farming aquaculture contaminates the fragile water supply, farmers add drugs and pesticides to fish feed. That keeps the fish alive, but further pollutes the water and leaves toxic residue in seafood, which we then eat.

By David Barboza

The New York Times 2007-12-15

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Holiday cost

For Brits, the typical Christmas dinner with the trimmings spews about 9 pounds of carbon emissions, with 60 percent for the turkey, 10 percent for vegetables, 7 percent for home cooking and 4.5 percent for transportation. But an easy cut is cranberry sauce, because it's imported from U.S. and is responsible for half the transport cost, researchers say.

By Niall Firth

Daily Mail (UK) 2007-12-11

Waste not

Scotland towns, in effort to reduce landfill growth and methane emissions from tons of rotting food, asks residents to separate the potato peels and garden trimmings from the cans and plastic for pickup by local services.

BBC News 2007-11-21

Toxic slick

San Francisco's fishing fleets face slick of Cosco Busan's bunker fuel stretching from bay into Pacific Ocean, covering prime salmon, halibut, striped bass and Dungeness crabbing spots; already, sport fishing has seen steep decline and long-term health of seafood questioned.

By Brian Hoffman

San Francisco Chronicle 2007-11-09

Waste not

British government, aghast at food waste that contributes nearly 20 percent to landfills and is a potent source of methane, a greenhouse gas, begins national "Love Food Hate Waste campaign;" effort aimed at raising consumer awareness, and food industry is asked to participate.

By Rebecca Smithers

The Guardian (UK) 2007-11-02

Trading fair:

As market increases for products grown with higher environmental and social standards, fair trade coffee pays off for farmers, who must adhere to rules on pesticides, farming techniques, recycling and even enrolling their children in school.

By Andrew Downie

The New York Times 2007-10-02

Food cycle

Long used in China, integrated aquaculture, with fish waste fertilizing certain plants and fish sold at market, now attractive to researchers and entrepreneurs in Australia; barramundi and Murray cod enrich lettuce, bok choy and herbs.

By Mary-Lou Considine

ECOS magazine; sciencealert.com 2007-08-29

Reducing, recycling

College, university cafeterias in Maine remove trays and see reduction in food waste; schools also institute buying locally, sending food waste to pig farms, composting scraps, buying in bulk and limiting seafood to species that are not vulnerable to overfishing.

By Ann S. Kim

Portland Press-Herald (ME) 2007-09-24

Opting out:

Inspired by environmental justice and groups that feed the homeless with surplus food, freegans in New York eschew capitalism and scavenge for groceries in the 50 million pounds of food garbage discarded annually; they favor D'Agostino's, Trader Joe's and Whole Foods.

By Erika Hayasaki

Los Angeles Times 2007-09-11

No dumping:

Grand Forks city council says sugar beet residue won't smell so sweet, and bans its dumping on rented land west of the city; American Crystal Sugar Co., disagrees, saying that the sugar, which causes odor as it decays, will be gone.

The Associated Press; The Bismarck Tribune 0000-00-00

Barren future?

Banana farm workers sue Dole, alleging that work in the 1970s alongside pesticide called DBCP made them sterile; suit also names Dow Chemical Co., saying that it "actively suppressed information about DBCP's reproductive toxicity."

By Noaki Schwartz

Associated Press; Forbes.com 2007-08-14

Opinion: Bottled tempest

Big water has Coke, Pepsi and Nestle behind all those bottles of all that water being marketed as preferable to the stuff that flows from the tap, with one spokesperson comparing it to French wines and iPods, both of which are shipped long distances.

By Alex Beam

The Boston Globe 2007-08-20

Orphan organics?

Though customers spend more than $14 billion a year on organics and depend on USDA label even for imports, USDA infrastructure, with nine staffers and a $1.5 million budget, languishes; other departments spend about $28 million a year on organic research, data collection and farmer assistance, but the department spent $37 million subsidizing farmers who grew dry peas, an $83 million crop, in 2005.

By Andrew Martin

The New York Times (may require subscription) 0000-00-00

Review: No time

Judging from plastic bottles clogging the landfills and SUVs clogging the highways, the news that we're killing ourselves and our world hasn't kicked in, so that makes "The 11th Hour," an unnerving, surprisingly affecting documentary, essential viewing.

By Manohla Dargis

The New York Times 2007-08-17

Plethora of plastic:

Artist Chris Jordan makes, finds patterns in garbage and other societal markers.

2007-08-16

Starving whales:

Emaciated grey whales seen off the coast of Baja California may show a crucial break in ocean's food chain; algae mats, home to shrimp-like creatures that whales, walrus and sea ducks feed on, have disappeared as ice melts.

By Leonard Doyle

The Independent (UK)

Biodegradable future:

Entrepreneurs find booming business in selling biodegradable and compostable cups, bowls and flatware made of sugar cane and corn plastic to local restaurants, but find they must educate restaurateurs on plastics problems first.

By Joanna Hartman

Sierra Sun; Nevada Appeal

Water wise:

With federal quality standards for bottled water less stringent than they are for tap water and 2 million tons of polyethylene bottles trashed every year in U.S., it makes sense to fill a reusable bottle with filtered water at home, then pack it for work or school.

By Eviana Hartman

Washington Post

See also

Smelling vinyl

EPA says there's only one cancer-causing culprit in family of compounds called phthalates, which are used to make plastics flexible (and make that new shower-curtain aroma), but EU has banned six types for children's toys; in the meantime, use glass for microwaving and wax paper instead of plastic wrap.

By Eviana Hartman

Washington Post

See also

Locavore's dilemma:

Local food advocates trumpet food miles, but the Life Cycle Assessment, with comprehensive accounting of all resources that go into food network, from fertilizer to electricity, offers clearer picture; meanwhile, air shipping is the most fuel-intensive, and the fastest growing sector of food transport.

By Drake Bennett

The Boston Globe

OPINION

New interactive map allows users to tract proliferation of factory farms by state and county - even number of animals - and it raises questions of whether we pursue the logic of industrialism to its limits, and how badly will it harm the landscape, the people who live in it and democracy itself?

The editors

The New York Times (may require subscription)

See also

Saving water

Coca-Cola, Nestle, and Läckeby Water Group join other food, drink producers in UN agreement to use water more efficiently; lack of access to clean water and sanitation undermines humanitarian, social, environmental, and economic goals.

By Ahmed ElAmin

foodproductiondaily.com

Greening caffeine

Starbucks, learning early on that carbon emissions would affect rainfall and temperatures, thus affecting price, quantity and quality of coffee beans (and its bottom line), calculated its carbon footprint and is working to lower the number; other companies are coy.

Sonia Narang

Forbes magazine

Food/Farm bill:

It's a $70 billion annual bill, and before, only agribusiness cared, but a tsunami of activists now believes that its subsidies for corn and soy encourage diet-related disease and climate change; instead, they advocate money for sustainable and organic food production, agricultural conservation and for a priority on fresh, local fruits and vegetables.

By Carol Ness

San Francisco Chronicle

Opinion: Proud of rBST:

Despite activists' efforts to bamboozle public, price-conscious customers appear happy buying milk containing synthetic hormone, and squeezing more milk from cows via drugs saves natural resources, reduces corn prices, greenhouse gas emissions and manure production; in a more rational world, customers would choose milk so labeled.

By Henry I. Miller

The New York Times (may require subscription) 2007-06-29