SKCEA.ORG » Pollution

Europe to target pharmaceutical pollution with new water quality rules

admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:02:04 +0000

The European Commission has unveiled a new set of water pollution rules, which will for the first time include certain pharmaceutical products. The Commission is proposing to add 15 chemicals to the list of 33 pollutants that are currently monitored and controlled in EU surface waters. The popular pain-relieving drug Diclofenac is one of three pharmaceuticals to be put on the European water watch-list, which law-makers say is another step towards improving the quality of rivers, lakes and coastal waters. The 15 substances include industrial chemicals as well as compounds used in biocides and plant protection products. They have been selected on the basis of scientific evidence that they may pose a significant risk to health.

NASA GISS Identifies 14 Air Pollution Control Measures to Slow Global Warming, Improve Health and Increase Crop Yields

admin — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 21:19:39 +0000

Fourteen air pollution control measures, if implemented today, could not only slow the pace of global warming, according to an intensive study by NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), but also improve health and boost agricultural productivity. All regions of the world would benefit as a result, NASA found, but the biggest health and agricultural gains would be realized in Asia and the Middle East as a result of greenhouse (GHG) emissions reductions.

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NASA GISS Identifies 14 Air Pollution Control Measures to Slow Global Warming, Improve Health and Increase Crop Yields

Atmospheric Particles causing more rain

admin — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:24:24 +0000

A rise in the atmosphere of aerosols – miniscule particles which include soot, dust and sulphates – has led to more rainfall in certain parts of the world and could provide vital clues for future climate predictions, a scientific study shows. A deeper understanding of rainfall patterns would aid scientists’ ability to predict changing trends in the climate. Aerosols can be produced from burning coal or gas, industrial and agricultural processes or by the burning of forests. As well as being harmful for human health, they are blamed for causing air pollution such as smog and smoke. “For a range of conditions, increases in aerosol abundance are associated with the local intensification of rain rates,” said the study published in Nature Geoscience by scientists from Israel’s Weizmann Institute, NASA, and other institutions.

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Atmospheric Particles causing more rain

What environmental policy could we expect from President Colbert?

admin — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 23:40:35 +0000

by Jess Zimmerman. Stephen Colbert has officially thrown his hat in the ring for definitely possibly considering a run for president. He's already out-polling Jon Huntsman ! So what kind of environmental policy platform could we expect from a President Colbert? Well, for starters, no more EPA! Everyone knows pollution is a job-creator . Reverse the incandescent light bulb ban !

US EPA issuing new Air Quality rules

admin — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:18:34 +0000

The Environmental Protection Agency is introducing its most ambitious clean air rules in decades, though it is making some concessions to election-minded Republicans who oppose them. The EPA, facing backlash from heavy industry, has delayed several of the rules and made adjustments in others. Some industry groups say the rules will cost companies billions of dollars and increase power bills for consumers. The EPA says money saved on healthcare costs will be greater than the amount polluters will need to invest in retooling plants to meet the new standards. So far, the major delay in the rules has been President Barack Obama’s backtracking in September on smog pollution, which came as a disappointment to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. Below are important dates for the clean air rules: 2011: CROSS STATE AIR POLLUTION RULE Finalized by the EPA in July, this rule aims to slash air pollution that blows downwind from coal-fired power plants in the eastern United States. Two days before it was to take effect, a U.S. federal appeals court delayed the implementation, pending further review, after power generators complained about the deadline. The first phase of regulation had been set to begin on January 1, 2012, and the second two years later.

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US EPA issuing new Air Quality rules

Lawsuit Seeks Justice for 1.2 million Residents Living Near SoCal Freeways

admin — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:49:11 +0000

More than a million people in the Los Angeles region are exposed to undisclosed, unhealthy levels of air pollution every day, according to a lawsuit filed today by Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and Communities for a Better Environment. Pollution produced by the region’s millions of diesel and gasoline powered vehicles cause a heavy health burden for everyone living in Southern California, but evidence shows that it harms families and individuals living within approximately 300 yard of LA’s heavily-trafficked roadways even more.

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Lawsuit Seeks Justice for 1.2 million Residents Living Near SoCal Freeways

Photos of the Bygone World of the Early 1970s

admin — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 14:40:00 +0000

EPA’s Documerica photos demonstrate progress made fighting pollution in the U.S.

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Photos of the Bygone World of the Early 1970s

EPA Report Identifies Toxic Contamination in Communities Across the Country

admin — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 09:01:58 +0000

Yesterday, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its annual report of the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI). The TRI consists of information on toxic chemical disposals and toxic air emissions, as well as waste management and pollution prevention activities. The EPA report covers neighborhoods all across the United States for the year 2010. Many of the facilities identified in the TRI are regulated by the EPA and state agencies through various programs such as the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and Community-Right-to-Know (CRTK). Total toxic releases for 2010 were higher than the previous two years, but lower than 2007 and 2006.

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EPA Report Identifies Toxic Contamination in Communities Across the Country

Coal-burning energy company demands more regulation

admin — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 20:38:13 +0000

by Jess Zimmerman. Baltimore company Constellation Energy has retrofitted two coal-burning power plants in anticipation of new EPA emissions laws. Now a lawsuit has delayed the new regulations from being enacted, and Constellation is pissed; if they're going to shell out $885 million to be in compliance, by god everyone else should have to, too. So they're flipping a Uie from usual energy company behavior, and agitating for stricter rules . The new technology allows Constellation's plants to produce 90 percent less nitrogen oxide and 95 percent less sulfur, plus way less of all the other gross stuff too. But it also takes more energy to run the retrofitted plants, plus the whole installation was expensive. So if everyone else gets to delay compliance, Constellation is at a disadvantage — the only thing they come out ahead on is environmental brownie points, and energy companies literally could not care less about those. Essentially, Constellation is like the kid who objects to getting an extension on a paper because he finished by the original deadline. Everyone hates that brown-noser! But on the other hand, it's an interesting indication that regulations might make companies police each other, so that nobody takes advantage of loopholes unless they bring enough for the entire class. Maybe this is just me, but all I can think about is the idea of breeding an animal that WANTS to be eaten:

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Coal-burning energy company demands more regulation

The Perils of Vacuum Cleaners

admin — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 19:55:29 +0000

A vacuum cleaner is a device that uses an air pump to create a partial vacuum to suck up dust and dirt, usually from floors, and optionally from other surfaces as well. Does not sound so bad does it? Some vacuum cleaners — those basic tools for maintaining a clean indoor environment in homes and offices — actually contribute to indoor air pollution by releasing into the air bacteria and dust that can spread infections and trigger allergies, researchers report in a new study. It appears in the ACS’ journal Environmental Science & Technology. Lidia Morawska and colleagues explain that previous studies showed that vacuum cleaners can increase levels of very small dust particles and bacteria in indoor spaces, where people spend about 90 percent of their time. In an effort to provide more information about emission rates of bacteria and small dust particles, the scientists tested 21 vacuum cleaners sold in Australia. The vacuums came from 11 manufacturers, included those marketed for household and commercial use, ranged in age from six months to 22 years and cost from less than $100 to almost $800. They looked at the effects that age, brand and other factors had on the amount of small particles and bacteria released into air.

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The Perils of Vacuum Cleaners

St. Louis Zoo builds love hotel for salamanders

admin — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 19:41:27 +0000

by Sarah Laskow. Ozark hellbenders, aka “snot otters” and “lasagna sides,” are among the world's largest and least cute salamanders. Looking at them, it’s probably not a big surprise that they’re having a hard time breeding — although inexplicably, scientists think it’s NOT because of their pancake heads or beady little eyes, but some problem in the natural environment. Now that there are fewer than 600 hellbenders left in Ozark rivers, scientists at the Saint Louis Zoo decided to step in and create a place for the salamanders to get it on. The salamanders' love nest is a simulated river built to bring out amorous feelings in hideous beasties: The zoo has built a kind of honeymoon resort for salamanders, assembling a mini water treatment plant and carefully tweaking water chemistry to recreate their cold, fast-flowing Ozark streams — minus any distracting predators or pollution. … Buried in the gravel stream bed are concrete boxes with a narrow entrance tunnel at one end. They may not sound very comfy, but to a male hellbender, they're the perfect man cave — just what he needs to hunker down, fertilize and guard his stash of eggs. Apparently they picked exactly the right dim-the-lights, leopard-print-sheets type of ambiance: The males are fertilizing eggs like crazy, and 185 baby hellbenders have hatched at the zoo. This is less cute than literally any other 185 zoo babies, but good news for the species.

Critical List: Ghost octopi in the Antarctic; without ethanol subsidies, gas prices rise

admin — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 18:07:47 +0000

by Sarah Laskow. The creatures discovered living in thermal vents near Antarctica — ghost octopi, limpets, yeti crabs — are le awesome. Two major solar industry groups are merging in order to focus on state-level policies. With ethanol subsidies gone, gas will cost more . Try as it might, Chevron cannot squirm away from responsibility for $18 billion worth of oil pollution damage in Ecuador's rainforest. Green-roofed gas station : STILL A GAS STATION.

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Critical List: Ghost octopi in the Antarctic; without ethanol subsidies, gas prices rise

Your car commute helps cause tornadoes

admin — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 19:03:56 +0000

by Sarah Laskow. Just like humans, East Coast tornadoes work extra hours during the week and take it easier on the weekends. According to a new study, tornadoes and hailstorms are less likely to occur on a Saturday or Sunday. That’s because hail and tornadoes thrive on pollution, which is higher towards the middle of the week. The study looked at summertime storm activity and found above-average rates of storms mid-week and below-average rates on weekends. It turns out that this is because moisture likes pollutants: Water particles cling to those dirty little suckers, float up higher in the atmosphere and create hail. Meanwhile, pollutants also end up indirectly making the air warmer, creating conditions in which tornado-birthing supercell clouds form more easily. At least a tornado-filled workday breaks up the monotony, I guess? All things considered, we'd rather have our workday spoiled than our weekend picnics.

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Your car commute helps cause tornadoes

EPA Air Quality rule on coal plants delayed

admin — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 18:41:47 +0000

A U.S. federal appeals court on Friday issued a last-minute order to delay the January 1 implementation of stricter federal limits on pollution from coal-fired plants, providing a temporary win for utilities worried about the cost of implementation. In a blow to environmental groups, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit granted a request to stay the Environmental Protection Agency’s Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, pending further court review. The EPA finalized the rule in July, setting much stricter limits on sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions from power plants in 27 states to protect the health of residents in states downwind from the emissions. “The EPA firmly believes that when the court does weigh the merits of the rule it will ultimately be upheld,” the agency said in a statement after the court’s decision.

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EPA Air Quality rule on coal plants delayed

Chestnuts Roasting By An Open Fire: Eco-Friendly Or Health Threat?

admin — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 18:42:47 +0000

A Tacoma-Pierce County WA Task Force just sent its recommendations to the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency about how to reduce soot in the air to meet EPA standards. The soot is created partly by diesel vehicles and industry, but the most (53%) is from wood burning stoves and fireplaces. I remember from my days in New York City the ongoing struggle over fireplaces and the particulate pollution they create. The concern has spread nationally too. As the New York Times reported last January, sales of wood stoves and fireplaces have dropped dramatically over the last decade. The Times attributes this drop at least in part to the growing ambivalence towards wood fires. But now that I’m in the Pacific Northwest, I find a different ethos about wood stoves and fireplaces. We feel good about burning wood; trees are abundant and so is firewood. We know instinctively that burning wood produces particulate pollution, we can see the smoke, but we also trust that the winter rains washes those particles away. Even some of our local experts see wood as a future fuel, a serious source of biomass energy. As University of Washington air-pollution researcher Michael Yost told KCTS 9, “We have a fuel that we can use which is relatively eco-friendly. It’s a renewable resource. So there’s a natural advantage to that biofuel use.” But the realities and science of air quality question some of our long held assumptions about the wholesomeness of a fire. Yost explains, “…biofuels by and large across the world are much dirtier and have higher emissions. So we need to balance the use of these fuels versus the emissions they contribute. And probably starting on a local scale, because that’s where the problem starts.”

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Chestnuts Roasting By An Open Fire: Eco-Friendly Or Health Threat?

Critical List: Funding for climate research drops; USDA approves drought-resistant corn

admin — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 17:44:43 +0000

by Sarah Laskow. The federal budget crisis is turning climate denialism into a vicious cycle : skepticism contributes to lower funding, which means less research, which means less information, which means more skepticism. The USDA approved a drought-resistant corn, developed by Monsanto. Congress is cutting a federal program that helps low-income people with heating costs by about 25 percent. One more piece of evidence that Alberta is entirely in thrall to oil sands: the Canadian province's premier thinks personal vehicular emissions are a bigger problem than the oil industry. The new federal solar project in Arizona will have one-hundredth of the water usage projected in the original proposal.

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Critical List: Funding for climate research drops; USDA approves drought-resistant corn

Power plant rules unveiled: Higher bills, cleaner air

admin — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 04:20:50 +0000

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration on Wednesday unveiled rules for coal-fired power plants that mean costly investments passed on to consumers, but also health benefits. Hundreds of older plants — which together make up the largest remaining source of unchecked toxic air pollution in the United States — will have to cut emissions or shut down.

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Power plant rules unveiled: Higher bills, cleaner air

Rick Perry right about something

admin — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 20:47:59 +0000

by Jess Zimmerman. When a town hall attendee asked Rick Perry about groundwater pollution from hydrofracking, he sneered at the idea , saying that it would have had widespread press coverage if it were true: Perry: I am truly offended that the American public would be hoodwinked by stories that do not scientifically hold up. If that was true, it would be on the front page of every newspaper. It would be on ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox News. Everybody would be running that story.

Nitrate in the Thames

admin — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 00:52:18 +0000

Nitrate pollution occurs usually as a result of agricultural practices (fertilizer). Intensive agriculture practices developed during the past century have helped improve food security for many people but have also added to nitrate pollution in surface and ground waters. New research has looked at water quality measurement over the last 140 years to track this problem in the Thames River basin. The Thames River catchment provides a good study example because the water quality in the river, which supplies drinking water to millions of people, has been monitored for the past 140 years, and the region has undergone significant agricultural development over the past century. The nitrate transport route as well as application use was studied for its net effects on the Thames.

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Nitrate in the Thames

Critical List: Seattle bans plastic bags; at least 100 million trees died in Texas this year

admin — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 17:50:39 +0000

by Sarah Laskow. Seattle is banning retail stores from giving out single-use plastic bags. Paper bags will cost a nickel. Google is investing $94 million in solar projects . As many as 500 million trees died in the Texas drought this year. India could join the U.S. in officially complaining that China's been selling solar panels at too low a price. In the Chinese province of Guangdong, protestors are pinning air pollution on a coal-fired power plant and want it moved .

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Critical List: Seattle bans plastic bags; at least 100 million trees died in Texas this year