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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: pollution

pollution stories: 84 news summaries

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fired up

 Cigarette Butts Are 
 Toxic Waste: Study 

Cigarette-soaked water kills fish

Nov 9, 09 5:30 PM CST
(Newser) - The chemicals in cigarette butts are lethal to fish, and the finding is bolstering researchers who want coffin nails classified as toxic waste. San Diego State University researchers submerged filters from smoked cigarettes in tanks of water for 24 hours, then added fish. Within 5 days, half the fish died.... More »

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pollution • smoking • ocean • fish • carcinogens • toxic waste • cigarette

green & green

 Target Will Pay Shoppers
 to Bring Their Own Bags 

Large retailers join smaller niche stores to offer rebates for reusing

Oct 19, 09 2:31 PM CDT
(Newser) - Target and CVS will reward customers for using reusable shopping bags, and the efforts could take a billion plastic bags out of circulation. Though some retailers—notably Wal-Mart—have been slow to hop on the eco bandwagon, initiatives at smaller chains such as Whole Foods and Trader Joe's have met... More »

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retail • recycling • plastic bags • pollution • shopping • environmentalism • CVS • Target • retail shopping • pharmacy • drugstore • reusable bags • rebate

 Test Finds Mercury 
 in Every Fish 

A quarter contaminated beyond EPA safety limit

Aug 20, 09 12:04 PM CDT
(AP) - Catch a fish in one of America's streams, and there's a good chance it will have at least trace amounts of mercury. The most comprehensive survey to date from the US Geological Survey tested more than 1,000 fish from nearly 300 streams around the nation—and found mercury in... More »

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environment • pollution • food contamination • fish • Environmental Protection Agency • trout • contamination • power plant • toxic • US Geological Survey • mercury

(Newser) - "A world of slime without human form": that was how Victor Hugo once described the Seine, the murky, polluted river that divides Paris in two. Yet recent efforts to clean up the river, from skimming the surface to pumping it with oxygen, have led to a resurgent fish population... More »

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pollution • France • salmon • fish • fishing • Paris

(Newser) - Snorkelers and scuba divers aren’t the worst threat to the embattled coral reefs of the world—climate change, commercial fishing, and pollution take top honors—but the casual tourist can lessen, and even mitigate, the damage he or she causes, Slate reports. Of course, snorkelers shouldn’t purposefully snap... More »

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climate change • environment • pollution • global warming • tourism • ocean • coral reef • diving • snorkeling

(Newser) - Nepal's once-pristine natural beauty has been ravaged by years of civil war, neglect, and corruption, the Washington Post reports. Dangerous levels of pollution now cloud Kathmandu, forcing many residents to wear masks. Even the top of Mount Everest is marred by litter left behind by generations of climbers, and many... More »

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environment • pollution • tourism • Nepal • air pollution • Mount Everest • Kathmandu

 Traffic Congestion Dips  
 as Economy Falters 

US sees two-year congestion decline for first time ever

Jul 8, 09 8:40 AM CDT
(AP) - Drivers are spending less time stuck in rush-hour traffic for a second straight year, the first-ever 2-year decline in congestion. Blame high gas prices and the economic downturn, which have forced many Americans to change how they commute. In individual cities, Los Angeles traffic is getting better but is still... More »

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energy • pollution • traffic • gas prices • congestion • economy • traffic jam • rush hour

(Newser) - The Mediterranean Sea is in crisis because of global warming, according to Greenpeace. The group says its latest research documents the catastrophic effect climate change is having on the environmentally crucial body of water, which it dubs a “sea of hell.” Rising temperatures have sent foreign species like... More »

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climate change • environment • pollution • global warming • Mediterranean Sea • overfishing • puffer fish

China Won't Allow Hummer Sale: Report

Country KOs GM deal with manufacturer over environmental worries

Jun 26, 09 1:05 PM CDT
(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. “... More »

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China • environment • pollution • General Motors • automaker • Big Three • US automakers • sale • industrial pollution • Hummer • Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Company

(Newser) - The California government is preparing to enter into the "forest bank" business in a bid to save woodlands and battle carbon pollution and climate change, reports the Los Angeles Times. The state is expected to roll out a California "cabon market" that may be expanded elsewhere in... More »

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California • pollution • carbon footprint • carbon offsets • carbon • air pollution • logging • timber • carbon emissions • redwoods

EPA Backs
Off Promise to
Regulate CO2

Apparent flip follows White House warning on economic fallout

May 12, 09 1:43 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Environmental Protection Agency is backing away from emissions regulation after a White House memo warned of its economic consequences. As administrator Lisa Jackson presented today an agency finding that greenhouse gases endanger public health, she told Congress this “does not mean regulation.” Previously, Jackson said such a... More »

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pollution • carbon dioxide • White House • Environmental Protection Agency • Obama administration • President Obama • Lisa Jackson

(Newser) - Federal regulators have consistently looked away as Big Pharma and other manufacturers poured at least 271 million pounds of drugs into waterways that supply US drinking water, the AP reports. Records kept unintentionally by the FDA and EPA show that 22 compounds, some considered dangerous by scientists, have leaked into... More »

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drugs • pollution • pharmaceutical companies • manufacturer • drinking water • water supply

(Newser) - The EPA's decision today to declare carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases dangerous pollutants could have enormous consequences for US businesses, writes Andy Stone in Forbes. The big winner: green technology. The ruling could eventually give the EPA unprecedented regulatory control over everything from power plants to oil refineries... More »

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climate change • pollution • greenhouse gases • carbon dioxide • global warming • Environmental Protection Agency • pollutants • industry • Obama administration • President Obama • Lisa Jackson

Robot Fish
Will Help
Battle Pollution

High-tech 'carp' find chemical contaminants in Spanish harbor

Mar 20, 09 10:51 AM CDT
(Newser) - Robots will soon be patrolling the harbor of Gijon, Spain, and if all goes well, the local sea life won't notice a thing, reports the Financial Times. The pollution-detecting bots cost $30,000 each and are modeled after carp, complete with shiny scales and an undulating swimming motion. "We... More »

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technology • Spain • pollution • European Union • robot • carp • Gijon, Spain

 Ozone Kills, Slowly: Study 

High-level areas like LA face 50% increase in risk of death from respiratory illness

Mar 12, 09 2:40 PM CDT
(Newser) - Long-term exposure to ozone can greatly increase the risk of death from respiratory diseases, the Los Angeles Times reports. An 18-year study of half a million people in 96 cities found that an increase of 10 parts per billion in ozone concentrations correlated to a 4% increase in deaths from... More »

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California • pollution • Los Angeles • Riverside • smog • ozone • respiratory problems • EPA

 Court Reinstates 
 Bush Clean Air Rule 

Federal judges reverse position on clean air rule, giving Obama time to replace it

Dec 24, 08 6:05 AM CST
(Newser) - A federal appeals court has decided that a flawed clean air law is better than no clean air law, the New York Times reports. Reversing an earlier judgment, the court ruled to temporarily reinstate the Clean Air Interstate Rule—which limits emissions from coal-fired power plants in 28 states—while... More »

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Bush administration • pollution • coal • Clean Air Act • Environmental Protection Agency • coal power • EPA

EPA Pick Has Toxic Record, Critics Charge

Jackson promised NJ cleanup effort, then didn't follow through

Dec 15, 08 10:51 AM CST
(Newser) - Lisa Jackson, Barack Obama’s choice to head the Environmental Protection Agency, will bring some controversy with her, ProPublica reports. Critics say that after promising to speed efforts to clean up toxic waste sites as New Jersey’s top environmental official, Jackson failed to follow through. A defender says Jackson... More »

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pollution • Jon Corzine • New Jersey • Environmental Protection Agency • superfund • Obama administration • Lisa Jackson

Obama to Pick Corzine Aide
as EPA Chief

Many tout Jackson's record; others say pick too industry-friendly

Dec 11, 08 12:00 PM CST
(Newser) - Barack Obama’s pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency is a trained scientist praised as open-minded, though her history of accommodating business gives some environmentalists pause, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Lisa Jackson, who would be the first African American in the job, is currently chief of staff to New... More »

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pollution • environmentalism • Jon Corzine • New Jersey • business • Environmental Protection Agency • President Obama • Obama Cabinet • Lisa P. Jackson

EPA to Loosen Clean-Air Rules in National Parks

Bush moves to allow coal-fired plants nearer US land preserves

Nov 19, 08 6:29 AM CST
(Newser) - Polluting facilities like coal-fired power plants could soon be allowed to operate closer to national parks, according to documents obtained by the Washington Post. Rules being finalized by the EPA—against strong objections from several officials—will weaken Clean Air Act protections by averaging out emission counts over a year,... More »

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pollution • Clean Air Act • Environmental Protection Agency • air pollution • emissions standards • national park • National Park Service • EPA

Smog Costs California
$28B a Year

Toxic air kills more than car crashes in some areas, researchers find

Nov 13, 08 2:40 AM CST
(Newser) - Health problems caused by pollution choke $28 billion out of California's economy every year, according to a new study. Most of the cost is linked to 3,000 smog-related deaths each year, along with days of work missed by workers with respiratory problems aggravated by pollution spewed from tailpipes and... More »

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environment • California • pollution • vehicle emissions • diesel • air pollution • respiratory problems • particulate soot

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