Phthalates found in plastics could block hormone involved in sexual, cognitive function Men, women and children exposed to high levels of phthalates – endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in plastics and some personal care products – tended to have reduced levels of testosterone in their blood compared…
Virginia Tech researchers who were using a disinfectant when handling mice have discovered that two active ingredients in it cause declines in mouse reproduction. Although the chemicals responsible for the declines are common in household cleaning products and disinfectants used in medical and food preparation…
As the oil and gas drilling technique called hydraulic fracturing (or “fracking”) proliferates, a new study on the contents of the fluids involved in the process raises concerns about several ingredients. The scientists presenting the work today at the 248th National Meeting & Exposition of…
Groundwater and air quality testing before, during, and after natural gas drilling – which includes hydraulic fracturing – should be key components of efforts to ensure the safety of communities near these sites, according to an expert panel convened to weigh in on public health…
A drug that is commonly used to treat anxiety in humans and which regularly finds its way into surface waters through wastewater effluence has been shown to reduce mortality rates in fish. The results, which have been published today, 8 August, in IOP Publishing’s journal…
New research published in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry addresses the effects of two broad-spectrum systemic insecticides, fipornil and imidacloprid, on honeybees. These insecticides are widely used in agriculture, and the authors conclude that fipronil and imidacloprid are inhibitors of mitochondrial bioenergetics, resulting in depleted cell…
by Andrew Martin Alexandra Bryant Morton is an independent biologist who settled in Kwikwasut’inuxw Haxwa’mis First Nation in British Columbia, Canada to study wild orca (killer whales) in 1984. Morton made her home in Echo Bay – a community without roads, electricity or stores. In…
In the United States, natural-gas production from shale rock has increased by more than 700 percent since 2007. Yet scientists still do not fully understand the industry’s effects on nature and wildlife, according to a report in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment….
Prominent doctors, scientists and business leaders today urged Congress to pressure the Obama administration to reject an application to market “Enlist Duo (TM),” a new toxic herbicide mix of 2,4-D and glyphosate. The Environmental Protection Agency is currently reviewing an application from Dow AgroSciences, a…
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) denied an emergency application to use a hazardous pesticide on 3 million acres of Texas cotton fields, after groups representing environmental, public health, and organic farm interests urged the agency to reject the request based on environmental effects and…
A deadly combination of the excessive use of Glyphosate herbicide on GM soybean crops and inaction by local doctors has allegedly left two children dead and 33 people (including 18 children) with poisoning symptoms in the Canindeyú region of Paraguay. 3-year-old Adelaida Alvarez died suddenly onMonday…
By Heather Callaghan Netherlands researchers fear the second coming of Silent Spring “Neonicotinoids were always regarded as selective toxins. But our results suggest that they may affect the entire ecosystem,” says Hans de Kroon of Radboud University and co-author of a study recently published in…
by Joe Martino Genetically modified foods (GMOs) have been getting a bad rep for years now as studies continue to come out revealing the dangerous nature of GMOs. Whether it be the harm they cause to people eating them, or the environment, many believe GMOs…
by Alanna Ketler Did you know that the average American is still producing nearly 3 pounds of trash every day? That is a monumental amount of trash! Where does that trash go? It’s actually very unfortunate that this trash is hauled off to dumps and…
A study co-authored by a University of Guelph scientist that involved fitting bumblebees with tiny radio frequency tags shows long-term exposure to a neonicotinoid pesticide hampers bees’ ability to forage for pollen. The research by Nigel Raine, a professor in Guelph’s School of Environmental Sciences,…
Mice exposed to low doses of arsenic in drinking water, similar to what some people might consume, developed lung cancer, researchers at the National Institutes of Health have found. Arsenic levels in public drinking water cannot exceed 10 parts per billion (ppb), which is the…
The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Agroecology, Chaired by the Countess of Mar, met in the Houses of Parliament in London on June 18, to discuss the possible harm caused by the world’s most popular herbicide – Roundup. In what was one of the most…
Debris collected during expedition Researchers have demonstrated the existence of five large accumulations of plastic waste in the open ocean, which match with the five major twists of surface water circulation. However, central surface waters of the oceans may not be the final destination of…
by Jeffrey Green The full range of dangers presented by the DNA-damaging endocrine disruptor and neurotoxin Bisphenol-A (BPA) is finally being understood and widely communicated by the scientific community. It has been linked to obesity, infertility and reproductive disorders in both genders, diabetes, breast cancer,…
Many chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, can disrupt not only the human body’s reproductive hormones but also the glucocorticoid and thyroid hormone receptors, which are necessary to maintain good health, a new study finds. The results were presented Monday at the joint meeting…
