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Environmental Issues

• Climate Change
  • CO₂ Pollution and Global Warming
    Why is carbon dioxide, a life sustaining, compound considered pollution and how do scientists know that humans are responsible for the increasing levels of CO2 in the atmosphere and global warming?
• Consumer Health & Food Safety
  • ADA Recommendation for Fluoride in Infant Diets
    Based on American Dental Association recommendations, many infants and small children may be getting too much fluoride in their diets, which may pose long term health risks including fluorosis.
  • Asbestos
    A three part series on its history, chemical and physical properties, uses, health hazards and the legal implications of asbestosis & mesothelioma.
    • A Brief History of Asbestos Use and Associated Health Risks
    • Asbestos, Chemical & Physical Properties
    • Asbestos: A Manufacturing Health Hazard Dating to Prehistoric Times
  • Dry-Cleaning Chemical Hazard
    • Looking Good, Feeling Bad; or, What's the Problem with Perc?
      According to the EPA, we all may be exposed to percholorethylene because it is found in the air and drinking water nationwide.
    • Are there Realistic Dry-Cleaning Alternatives to Perc?
      The vast majority of America's dry cleaners use perc - are there viable alternatives? The three most prominent non-perc cleaning options are examined and compared.
  • DuPont's Teflon Cover-up
    Teflon is in household products we use every day, but evidence is coming to light that this miracle chemical is not as safe as DuPont has lead us to believe. Court records and internal documents have shown that DuPont has been covering up the true dangers of Teflon for decades.
  • Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Children: Autism and ADHD - April 14, 2008
    While the generally accepted causes of neurodevelopmental disorders like Autism and ADHD include genetic and environmental factors, a wide range of toxic chemicals in the environment have also been associated with these disorders.
  • PCBs are in the Foods You Love
    PCBs a notoriously hazardous group of chemicals have infiltrated our food chain.
  • Seafood Safety
    • Mercury in Fish vs. the The Health Benefits of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Fish Oils
      In spite of the health benefits provided by omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oils, people are decreasing fish in their diets due to high levels of mercury found in some fish.
    • Norwegian farmed salmon production raises global concern
      The quality and safety of Norwegian farmed salmon has recently come into question with a Russian ban, illegal nitrate use and evidence of a Norwegian cover up. A senior scientist in seafood safety for the Norwegian government has exposed an orchestrated cover up of illegal nitrate use and cadmium contamination in farm raised fish.
• Energy
  • Biofueling the future - NEW
    Whatever their motivation - be it energy independence for the U.S. or an attempt at fighting climate change for Europe - world governments are now heavily subsidizing biofuels.
  • Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs): Are They Worth the Switch?
    Do compact Fluorescent lights really save money, how well do they perform? See what we found out, then use our Javascript calculator to calculate your potential savings.
  • Hydrogen Fuel Cells: Energy of the Future
    Energy sources of the future will have to be cleaner and more efficient than current sources - hydrogen fuel cells fulfill these requirements; however, several challenges remain before we will see wide-spread commercialization.
• Environmental Disasters
  • Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster Revisited
    • Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster Revisited
    • The Agricultural and Environmental Impact of Chernobyl
    • Chernobyl, a Turning Point
  • From Bhopal to Hazardous Waste Compliance
    Why would anyone choose to work in the hazardous waste industry?
  • Grown-Ups Don't Do Blue Goo
    An essay in the Love Canal, which became one of the Superfund Act's first Superfund hazardous waste site.
  • New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina, and the Oil Industry
    New Orleans communities were destroyed and lives uprooted as water came cascading onto the Bayou. Did the damage have to be so devastating? Some experts say no.
• Politics and Public Policy
  • Environmental Justice and the NIMBY Principle
    Not in my backyard! In whose backyard does our hazardous waste end up?
  • Prairie Dogs (Small Mammal - Big Controversy)
    • Prairie Dogs: A Threatened Species or Public Health Nuisance?
      In the Midwest of the United States the matter of whether prairie dogs are a threatened species or an over populated public health nuisance that causes severe economic damage has been raging for decades.
    • Prairie Dog Control Part I: Non-Lethal Techniques
      A discussion of differenct non-lethal prairie dog control measures
    • Prairie Dog Control Part II: Lethal Techniques
      A discussion of differenct lethal prairie dog control measures
    • Can Prairie Dogs be Managed Utilizing Reconciliation Ecology?
      The concept of reconciliation ecology is to accommodate wild species within a human modified or occupied landscape. So how can this be applied to prairie dog management?
  • Pseudoscience: A Threat to Our Environment
    US Government scientists have always been free to conduct unbiased research for the betterment of society and the environment. Under pressure from industry and special interests, biased research has resulted in pseudoscience that threatens the integrity of science in America.
  • Sorting out Science from Junk Science
    Do you know how to separate science from pseudoscience? Many websites are sponsored by organizations that have specific agendas; when evaluating a website, there are several questions you should ask.
• Pollution - Air
  • Effects of Air Pollution on your health
    Some obvious causes of air pollution would be your car, but there are many not so obvious products that you may use everyday that are potentially damaging to your health.
  • Clean Air Act is Contributing to the Mercury Problem
    When the clean air act was amended in 1970 and 1977, it grandfathered pre-existing plants from the new regulations. This set the stage for the mercury problems we see today.
  • The Heat facing Outdoor Wood Furnaces and Boilers
    Emissions from outdoor wood burning stoves drift across property lines raising health concerns for neighbors who inadvertently breathe the smoke filled air.
• Pollution - Water
  • PCBs in New York's Hudson River: Where Does the Buck Stop?
    Many parties are responsible for the decades-long PCB contamination of the Hudson River. Who must ultimately pay the price for cleanup? Forensic chemistry helps identify the main polluter and pollutant.
  • Increased Mercury Levels Attributed to Industrial Activities
    Outdated coal fired powerplants are contributing to increased mercury levels in lakes and streams.
  • Environmental Pollution of the Concord River, a Historic American Waterway
    In Massachusetts, the Concord River, along with its tributaries, serve as an example of the implications that pollutants can have on our environment.
• Sustainablity
  • Biofueling the future NEW
    Whatever their motivation - be it energy independence for the U.S. or an attempt at fighting climate change for Europe - world governments are now heavily subsidizing biofuels.
  • Global Trends in Energy Technology Innovation: An Introduction
    In a mere 100 years we have consumed the equivalent of millions of years' of years' worth of solar energy captured by ancient microorganisms and plants, and locked up in vast oil, gas and coal reserves which are being rapidly depleted. Inevitably, we must solve our energy problems in ways that are both profitable and environmentally aware.
  • Nanotech-cleantech: bridging the gap to real sustainability
    What is nanotech, how can it help us bridge the gap to sustainablity and what are its risks? This article takes a closer look at these issues.
• Waste & Recycling
  • Guide to Handling Household Chemicals
    There are a lot of dangerous chemicals in your home. Here are some things to do to make it safer
  • How Well Do You Know Recycled Paper
    Just like anything else, the recycled paper you buy may not always be what it seems.
  • Protecting Wildlife from Trash
    Many solid waste management companies and municipal landfills have the situation well in hand; do you?
  • Plastics - From Recycling Bin to New Product
    Where do recyclable plastics go? If a plastic makes it into the recycling loop, it will go through many processes before it emerges as a recycled product.
  • RoHS: Europe's Initiative to Control Technological Waste
    What will be done with the debris of the information age? The European Union (EU) member states are taking action and holding manufacturers responsible for the hazardous materials in their products.
  • The History of Waste
    Do you want to be a Garbologist?
  • Traditional Medical Waste Treatments
    Gives insight as to how medical waste is disposed of in America.

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To ensure regulatory compliance when transporting hazardous materials or dangerous goods, one must receive proper training and certification from a qualified instructor and refer to a copy of the current year's Code of Federal Regulations Title 49 (49CFR) or your country's shipping regulations. When shipping hazardous cargo by air, one should refer to IATA regulations. In matters regarding workplace safety, one should refer to current OSHA regulations (29CFR) and NIOSH guidelines or your own country's health and safety regulations. No one should ever enter into a hazardous environment without proper training from qualified instructors.

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