EnviroLink News ServiceThe EnviroLink News Service compiles the most relevant news stories of interest to the global environmental community from sources around the Internet.Rising lead, crime linked.- June 19, 2008 A new study from the University of Cincinnati suggests that there's a connection between young children with high levels of lead in their blood and whether they commit crimes as adults.http://www.envirolink.org/external.html?itemid=200805281635500.849546 B.C. leads the nation in contaminated sites.- June 19, 2008 B.C. has the largest number of contaminated sites on federal land of any province in Canada--4,088. And the provincial government has identified almost 8,000 more contaminated sites on B.C. Crown and private land.http://www.envirolink.org/external.html?itemid=200806131711450.440394 In Vermont, conflict around an aging nuclear plant.- June 19, 2008 Debate over the fate of an aging nuclear power plant in Vermont brings into sharp relief two objectives long held by environmentalists: combating nuclear power and stopping global warming.http://www.envirolink.org/external.html?itemid=200805281635580.591076 New European Chemical Safety Law Has Global Impact- June 19, 2008 Europe this month rolled out new restrictions on makers of chemicals linked to cancer and other health problems, changes that are forcing U.S. industries to find new ways to produce a wide range of everyday products.The new laws in the European Union require companies to demonstrate that a chemical is safe before it enters commerce -- the opposite of policies in the United States, where regulators must prove that a chemical is harmful before it can be restricted or removed from the market....http://www.envirolink.org/external.html?itemid=200806131713150.345704 USGBC to Outsource LEED Certification- June 19, 2008 In a move that will likely have far-reaching ramifications for the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and its influential LEED rating systems, the organization has announced that as of January 2009 it will no longer certify buildings. That responsibility will pass to independent, accredited certifiers overseen by USGBChttp://www.envirolink.org/external.html?itemid=200805281633410.0355251 That 'new shower curtain smell' gives off toxic chemicals, study finds.- June 19, 2008 Vinyl shower curtains sold at major retailers across the country emit toxic chemicals linked to serious health problems, a new report by a national environmental organization finds.http://www.envirolink.org/external.html?itemid=200806131711060.977071 Study Supports U.S. Wind Expansion- June 19, 2008 Wind energy can supply 20 percent of U.S. electricity needs by 2030 at a "modest" cost difference, a new U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) report says.The analysis predicts that the 20 percent wind scenario would cost about 2 percent more than sticking with the current energy mix, which relies more heavily on traditional fossil fuels.http://www.envirolink.org/external.html?itemid=200805281633350.621407 Port Arthur incinerator set to burn toxic PCBs.- June 19, 2008 The U.S. EPA is poised to grant a request for a Port Arthur incinerator to import up to 20,000 tons of highly toxic PCBs from Mexico for their disposal. To many living on the city's predominantly black west end, the proposal is the ultimate affront.http://www.envirolink.org/external.html?itemid=200806131711140.0274925 Ministers plot UK nuclear future.- June 19, 2008 The government is inviting communities in the UK to volunteer to host radioactive waste from the country's half-century of nuclear power.http://www.envirolink.org/external.html?itemid=200806131712110.18343 EPA may decide not to limit the amount of a toxic chemical in water supplies.- June 19, 2008 An agency official tells a Senate committee that it's possible there will be no standard set for the amount of perchlorate allowed in drinking water.http://www.envirolink.org/external.html?itemid=200805080659310.607987 |