industrial pollution

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Oceans Acidifying at Highest Rate in 300M Years

Columbia researchers warn of dangers to marine life

(Newser) - Industrial emissions are causing the oceans to acidify at a fast rate—the fastest in 300 million years, say researchers from Columbia University. That could spell danger for sea creatures. In the last century alone, the pH of the oceans dropped by 0.1 units. That's 10 times faster...

EPA Set to Loosen New Pollution Rules

10 states could face less stringent limits on emissions

(Newser) - The EPA finalized a new rule to curb industrial pollution this summer; three months later, the agency has proposed to loosen the restrictions in 10 of 27 affected states. The Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, meant to cut power-plant emissions that can blow across state lines, has faced sharp criticism from...

Poisoned Chinese Workers Appeal to Apple

137 injured making iPhone screens

(Newser) - Chinese workers poisoned while working for an Apple supplier say they've appealed to the company for help without success. The workers— seriously injured by a toxic chemical used in the manufacture of iPhone screens —complain that the contractor they work for, Wintek, has pressured them to resign and accept...

China Won't Allow Hummer Sale: Report

Country KOs GM deal with manufacturer over environmental worries

(Newser) - Beijing will halt GM’s sale of the Hummer brand to a Chinese machinery firm over pollution concerns, according to Chinese state radio. The purchase would run counter to the government’s goal of reducing pollution caused by manufacturing, the BBC reports. The Chinese firm shrugged off the report. “...

Calif. Smog Kills 24K Each Year
 Calif. Smog Kills 24K Each Year 
May 22, 2008 11:39 AM CDT

Calif. Smog Kills 24K Each Year

Pollution deaths three times higher than earlier estimates

(Newser) - Air pollution is responsible for the deaths of 24,000 people in California annually—three times higher than previous estimates, according to new research. Rates of heart attacks, strokes, and other serious disease increase exponentially after even minimal exposure to particles of metal, dust, or other pollution from vehicles and...

Pollution Decreasing Off US Shores: Study

Past 20 years have seen general contaminant decline

(Newser) - Levels of pesticides and other toxic chemicals in US coastal waters are generally decreasing, McClatchy reports. A 20-year study by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration's Mussel Watch looked at levels of 140 chemicals and found decreasing trends. Laws banning many of the chemicals were passed in the 1970s, but...

Google's Juicy Addiction: Cheap Electric

Not-so-green tech giants show insatiable appetite for power

(Newser) - No industrial smokestacks rise from that cute Google logo, but each click of the search button takes an environmental toll, Harper's reports. Google and its competitors are guzzling electricity to power ever-larger server complexes, and a renewable-energy initiative is more about making amends than benevolence. A new taxpayer-subsidized Google center...

7 Stories