just important.
Dead zones. Dead zones--large areas of water with little oxygen--occur when excess fertilizer and untreated sewage seep into the waters. Living On Earth.
Federal clean-air deadline 'an impossibility'. After struggling for several years to clean up Dallas-Fort Worth's air, Texas plans to throw in the towel on meeting a mandatory 2010 federal deadline to cut pollution. Dallas Business Journal
(and to follow up last week's Vegetables of Mass Destruction) No poison in plan to suffocate crop bugs. Researchers have developed a safe replacement for the fumigant methyl bromide that uses nothing more than carbon dioxide, a vacuum pump and a little alcohol. Sacramento Bee
A fix for fireworks disposal. The man who helped make "Star Wars" flare and "Ghostbusters" glow has agreed to work off a hazardous waste penalty by developing a new, cleaner way for the state to destroy tons of seized fireworks, which contain perchlorate.
Sacramento Bee
Order of the day: Keep digging. The digging for pollutants on the Ford Motor Co. dump sites goes on, and it has yet to hit bottom. Bergen County Record
Long-haul birds 'returning early.' Birds that migrate long distances have adapted to the world's changing climate in unexpected ways, a study shows. BBC
China may lift ban on modified rice. China could soon become the first developing country in the world to allow the sale of genetically modified rice. Boston Globe
Scarce fresh water an investment boon. The world's biggest investors are choosing water as the commodity that may appreciate the most in the next several decades. The United Nations estimates that by 2050 more than two billion people in 48 countries will be short of water. Bloomberg News.
Four Texas sites vying for federal bioterror lab. Texas might be well-positioned to land a $450 million Department of Homeland Security laboratory to combat threats to people and the food supply from a biological attack. Austin American-Statesman
Cities confront global menace. The lessons of Al Gore's global warming roadshow are reflected in the communities' new growth plans, which acknowledge that human-induced climate change could reshape life in the Central Valley. Modesto Bee
Good for you. Most Hawaii consumers, like their national counterparts, don't know that more than 70 percent of processed foods in the U.S. market contain at least one genetically modified (GM) ingredient. Honolulu Hawaii Business
Activist: clean water is running low. Clean water, not oil or food, may be the main necessity over which people struggle, fight and die within a surprisingly short period of time. Barre-Montpelier Times Argus
Green Party promises help for organic food sector. The growing worldwide trend for healthy eating hasn't bypassed the Czech Republic, where the organic food market is showing significant growth, and the Green Party (ZS) intends to push policies that further the organic agenda. Czech Business Weekly
Nation prioritises environmental protection. In its socio-economic strategy for the 10 years from 2001-10, Viet Nam wants to achieve a society boasting sustainable development based on the three main columns of economics, environment and society. Vietnam News
Combining business with ecology, Indian expert shows way. A combination of economics and industrial ecology, however, can show an environment-friendly way to create more jobs and ensure development, said visiting Indian environmental activist Ramesh Ramaswamy. Indo-Asian News Service
Time to curb mercury emissions. President Bush already has plenty of reasons to accelerate his administration's leisurely approach to curbing mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants. Perhaps a new study by California health officials will stir him to start pushing for major changes. Lakeland Ledger, Florida. Editorial
Industry tax breaks have stalled Superfund cleanups. The rate of Superfund cleanups has declined more than 50 percent since President Bush took office. In each of the last three years, only 40 Superfund sites, of 1,200 nationwide, have been declared ''construction complete'' -- the point at which the physical mechanism for cleaning up a site is in place. Allentown Morning Call, Pennsylvania. Opinion
Awareness the first step to cleaning valley air. A new survey by the Public Policy Institute of California says air quality and pollution concerns rank ahead of crime with Central Valley residents. Modesto Bee, California.
If only gay sex caused global warming. No one seems to care about the upcoming attack on the World Trade Center site. Why? Because it won't involve villains with box cutters. Instead, it will involve melting ice sheets that swell the oceans and turn lower Manhattan into an aquarium. Los Angeles Times
Store your own nuclear waste. You generate it, you dispose of it. That's how nuclear waste should be dealt with instead of the more than 40,000 metric tons of highly radioactive waste generated by 103 commercial nuclear plants that are being stored in pools and dry storage at reactor sites in 35 states. Cedar City Spectrum, Utah. Opinion
A case-control study in the San Francisco area finds that risk of autism is increased in areas with higher levels of mercury, cadmium, nickel, trichloroethylene and vinyl chloride in the air. These results, indicating a 50% increase in risk in the top quartile of exposure, suggest a potential association between autism and air pollutants, specifically certain metals and solvents. The results require confirmation and more refined estimates of exposure. EHP. More...
Thousands of documents reveal a 40-yr trail of government deceit and neglect concerning contamination by a lead smelter in Belledune, New Brunswick. Fully aware of health risks, public servants commissioned or altered studies which were used to downplay or deny the risks, deliberately keeping victims in the dark. Dying for development -- The legacy of lead in Belledune. Published by Conservation Council of New Brunswick.
A series of Republican- controlled Congresses allowed the industry taxes that support Superfund to expire. Over one thousand sites await cleanup, many having languished a decade or more. Superfund's plight threatens public health across the country. Over three million children live within one mile of a site. The toll of Superfund neglect. Published by Center for American Progress.