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☆ Time to Expose the Liar at Work?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Roxane Gay | More About Roxane Gay | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

It is getting to the point that I’ve considered firing them as a client, but I love their mission — and the work itself is very interesting. You can also tactfully share your concerns with your main contact, outlining how the transitional chaos is complicating your work. I consistently encounter one employee wearing her lab coat completely unbuttoned and wearing a cropped tube top underneath. Safety policies exist for a reason, and asking someone to follow those policies is ensuring that the workplace stays safe and helps to avoid sanctions and/or fines. Part of your job is to pay attention to how your team is adhering to safety policies.

Persons: rashly, you’ve, I’m, You’ve Locations: Boston

☆ Marijuana users have more heavy metals in their bodies
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Users of marijuana had statistically higher levels of lead and cadmium in their blood and urine than people who do not use weed, a new study found. Marijuana users also had 22% higher cadmium levels in their blood than non-users, and 18% higher levels in their urine, Sanchez said. “Our study wasn’t able to tease apart whether or not self-reported cannabis users were using medical or recreational cannabis, so we can’t say definitively if medical cannabis users specifically had higher metal levels,” she said. Heavy metals aren’t just in marijuana — tobacco smokers are exposed to even more types of toxins. While that’s good news for the environment, it’s worrisome for marijuana users.

Persons: ”, Tiffany Sanchez, Sanchez, Beth Cohen, ” Sanchez, can’t, Dr, Leonardo Trasande, NYU Langone, I’m Organizations: CNN, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, US Environmental Protection Agency . Marijuana, University of California, Environmental, National Health, Cleveland Clinic, NYU, US Department of Agriculture, District of Columbia Locations: New York City, San Francisco, Italy

☆ Singapore workers are the world's fastest in adopting AI skills, LinkedIn report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( Goh Chiew Tong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

According to LinkedIn, Singapore has the highest "diffusion rate" of AI skills — where the share of members adding such skills to their profiles grew 20 times compared to January 2016. Workers in Singapore are the world's fastest when it comes to adopting artificial intelligence skills, according to LinkedIn's latest Future of Work report. Finland (16x), Ireland (15x), India (14x), and Canada (13x) round out the top five countries with the highest rates of AI skills diffusion, according to the report. Skills 'potentially augmentable' by AIIn 2022, the five fastest-growing AI-related skills added to member profiles were all ones "hinting at the emergence of generative AI," according to LinkedIn. Share of skills potentially augmentable by generative AI Software engineer: 96%Customer service rep: 76%Cashier: 59%Salesperson: 59%Teacher: 45%Event manager: 39% Just 3% of software engineers' skills need to be performed by humans.

Persons: Pooja Chhabria, Chatbot ChatGPT, Goldman Sachs, GAI, Chhabria Organizations: LinkedIn, Workers, CNBC, Big Tech, Google, Microsoft Locations: Singapore, Finland, Ireland, India, Canada, Asia, Pacific

☆ Opinion: Hitting the gym or going to yoga? Your workout clothes could be doing more harm than you realize
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Opinion Alden Wicker | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

BPA is an endocrine disruptor, meaning that it mimics or interferes with the body’s hormones. It governs weight management and your energy levels, not to mention your skin’s appearance and your ability to fend off illness. Others have tried to argue that some of the chemicals in clothing fell within the legal and regulatory limits. The signs that something is very, very wrong with our reproductive health and endocrine systems are myriad. After all, you might be undoing the benefits of hitting the gym every day when your workout clothes could be doing so much damage to your health.

Persons: Alden Wicker, Athleta, Alden Wicker Alden Wicker, There’s, bisphenol, Ashley Eskew, “, Thinx, ” Dr, Laura Vandenberg, Down, ”, Shanna, Dr, Graham Peaslee, PFAS, Swan, lipsticks, ‘, ” Eskew, Eskew Organizations: New York Times, Vox, Wired, CNN, Center for Environmental Health, Nike, IKEA, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, CBC, US Environmental Protection Agency, Industry, University of Massachusetts Amherst, of Environmental Health Sciences, Notre, Twitter Locations: Putnam, California, Patagonia, ” North Carolina, Spain

☆ ‘Forever Chemicals’ Are Everywhere. What Are They Doing to Us?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Kim Tingley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

What’s in your tap water?” (If the drinking water is contaminated, formula mixed with it will be, too.) “But they feel heard.”Among the groups most likely to be exposed to PFAS in their drinking water are those in low-income communities or who live near military or industrial sites. determined that two kinds of PFAS — PFOS and PFOA — are “likely to be carcinogenic to humans” and proposed a goal of removing them almost entirely from public drinking water. The problem of PFAS pollution goes beyond drinking water: The Faroe Islands demonstrate as much. One afternoon this spring, Grandjean, Weihe and I sat around the kitchen table in Weihe’s clinic.

Persons: ” Elizabeth Friedman, don’t, ”, Friedman, he’d, Irving Selikoff, Selikoff, Grandjean, Selikoff’s, ” Grandjean, “ Organizations: Children’s Mercy, Children’s Mercy Kansas City, DuPont, Chermours, Toxic, European Chemicals Agency, European Union, Sinai Locations: Children’s Mercy Kansas, Missouri, U.S, United States, Paterson , N.J

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Persons: there's, We've, we've, couldn't, BISSELL, there’s, it's, Junfeng Zhang Organizations: Amazon, Dyson, Samsung, Alexa, LG, Duke University Locations: It’s, Michigan

☆ High levels of a hazardous chemical polluted the air weeks after the Ohio train derailment, an analysis shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Aria Bendix | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

General view of the site of the derailment of a train carrying hazardous waste, in East Palestine, Ohio, March 2, 2023. Soon after the derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in East Palestine, Ohio, a team of researchers began roving the small town in a Nissan van. Longer-term exposure to concentrations of acrolein at the detected levels may be a health concern, the researchers wrote. Low levels of exposure to acrolein are associated with slow breathing and burning in the nose and the throat. The levels of vinyl chloride that were detected, meanwhile, were below the Environmental Protection Agency's threshold for long-term risks.

Persons: Albert Presto, acrolein Organizations: Norfolk, Carnegie Mellon, Texas, Science, Technology Locations: East Palestine , Ohio, Norfolk Southern, Nissan

☆ France will start subsidizing their citizens' shoe repairs
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Clothing repairs are favored by sustainability advocates, but they can be expensive. Beginning in October, the country's government will give a 7 euros, or about $7.79, discount for heel repairs and between €10 and €25 for clothing repairs, Le Monde first reported. Sustainability advocates favor clothing repairs as one way to slow the climate crisis and create a circular economy, in which we reuse existing resources and reduce waste. The organization found that the repairs can be expensive — stains cost an average of $17.34 to remove and other repairs cost up to $34. In April, the government doubled-down on discounts for citizens who repaired their home appliances instead of throwing them away.

Persons: Le Monde Organizations: Service, Le, United Nations Economic Commission, Sustainability, Stewardship Council, Mission, Yale Locations: France, Europe, California

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Persons: Dyson, we've, it's, Junfeng Zhang Organizations: Amazon, Samsung, Alexa, LG, Duke University Locations: Michigan

☆ ‘Forever chemicals’ in water: Nearly half of the tap water in the US is contaminated with PFAS, government study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Jen Christensen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Almost half of the tap water in the United States is contaminated with chemicals known as “forever chemicals,” according to a study from the US Geological Survey. Experts say it’s important for people to understand their risk of exposure through tap water. Water filters may help somewhat if tap water is contaminated, and there are moves to regulate some PFAS chemicals in US drinking water. This US Geological Survey map shows the number of PFAS detected in tap water samples from select sites across the nation. In August 2023, the EPA said it is conducting the “most comprehensive monitoring effort for PFAS ever” at large and midsize public water systems and hundreds of small water systems.

Persons: Jamie DeWitt, There’s, ”, DeWitt, They’re, Graham Peaslee, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, “, Peaslee, ” Peaslee Organizations: CNN, Geological Survey, National Institutes of Health, US Environmental Protection Agency, Survey, Eastern Seaboard, Environmental Health Sciences, Oregon State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences, Utilities, EPA, of Physics, University of Notre Dame, CNN Health Locations: United States, Great, Central, Southern California

☆ Ex-Tesla engineer builds Aigen robots to eliminate weeds without pesticides
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Aigen founders: Rich Wurden (CTO) and Kenny Lee (CEO) Courtesy: AigenThe Aigen Element looks like a drafting table on rugged tires. The company behind the robots, Aigen, was founded by Rich Wurden, an ex-Tesla engineer, along with former Proofpoint executive Kenny Lee in 2020. The Aigen Element uses computer vision to spot and eliminate weeds without pesticides. Typically, a fleet of the Element robots would pass over the field continuously, gathering data each time. Aigen's farm robots run on solar and wind power, with a lithium iron phosphate battery pack.

Persons: Rich Wurden, Kenny Lee, Glyphosate, Lee, Wurden, Hodgkins, he's Organizations: U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, Proofpoint, Farmers Locations: U.S, Minnesota, Seattle, cybersecurity

☆ More than 100 Viking cruise passengers were hit with bouts of vomiting and diarrhea amid a nasty norovirus outbreak onboard
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

More than 13% of passengers on board the Viking Neptune this month fell ill with norovirus, the CDC said. The health agency has already logged 13 outbreaks of the contagious virus on cruise ships this year. The Viking Neptune transformed into a cross-continental petri dish as more than 100 passengers onboard the cruise ship fell ill with the highly contagious norovirus this month. Gastrointestinal illnesses have long been frequent guests aboard cruise ships, where cramped quarters allow germs to spread easily, and the highly contagious norovirus is the most notorious cruise ship culprit. In March, more than 300 people on board a Princess Cruise ship fell ill with the virus, and another outbreak hit 177 people traveling on a Celebrity Cruise ship earlier this month.

Persons: Viking Organizations: CDC, Morning, Centers for Disease Control, Viking Cruises, Sanitation Locations: Iceland, New York, Greenland, Canada

☆ Are You Exposed to Too Much Noise? Here’s How to Check.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Emily Baumgaertner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When you open the app, you’ll see noise levels immediately in large numerals. Leave the app open for several minutes — the “Total Run Time” line tracks how long it has been collecting sound readings. When it comes to interpreting your sound exposure, the decibel figure on the “LAeq” line will be the most useful. A 15-minute recording is likely to represent the average noise exposure for the hour, said Edmund Seto, an associate professor of environmental health at the University of Washington who is studying noise across America. What those numbers meanThe health risks of noise exposure can be hard to interpret since they differ based on source and sound qualities.

Persons: Edmund Seto Organizations: University of Washington Locations: America

☆ Air quality alert apps see spike in usage as Canada wildfires burn
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Some apps run on data crowdsourced from relatively affordable air quality sensors sold by companies such as PurpleAir and IQAir. Air quality apps and mapsOutdoor air quality-monitoring apps like AirNow, AirCare and AirVisual have been among the nation's most used apps in past years when wildfires raged in Oregon and California. Like most air pollution trackers, it uses a color-coded visual system to indicate whether air pollution levels are good to hazardous, or whether there is not enough data to issue a rating. These include a Fire and Smoke Map, which provides information on fire locations, smoke plumes and air quality, and the AirNow Interactive Map shows ozone and particulate matter from air quality monitors across the country. Indoor air matters, tooWhile outdoor air quality is important, society doesn't talk or do enough about indoor air quality, said Richard Corsi, University of California, Davis' incoming dean of the college of engineering, currently a professor and dean at Portland State University.

Persons: AirNow, Yanelli Nunez, Anna Kioumourtzoglou, Nunez, Richard Corsi, Davis, Corsi Organizations: CNBC, U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, ZIP, Apple Watch, Huawei, Columbia University's Mailman, of Public Health, University of California, Portland State University Locations: North America, Europe, Quebec, Ontario, U.S, New York City, Oregon, California, Mexico, Canada, Macedonia, Australia, Swiss, Greater Los Angeles

☆ Rice. Half of Humanity Eats It. And Climate Change Is Wrecking It.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Somini Sengupta | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +12 min

Sometimes there’s not enough rain when seedlings need water, or too much when the plants need to keep their heads above water. Rice farmers are shifting their planting calendars. On top of that, there’s climate change: It has upended the rhythm of sunshine and rain that rice depends on. That’s a fraction of the emissions from coal, oil and gas, which together account for 35 percent of methane emissions. His experiment, carried out over seven years, concluded that by not flooding the fields continuously, farmers can reduce rice methane emissions by more than 60 percent.

☆ Exclusive: Staff at top U.S. farm research center file complaint alleging unsafe work conditions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Leah Douglas | Thomson Reuters | Washington-Based Award-Winning Journalist Covering Agriculture | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

The Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) near Washington D.C. is the largest research facility owned by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and has long been the flagship of U.S. farm research. “Our employees’ health and well-being is our top priority," a spokesperson at USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS), which oversees BARC, told Reuters. STAFF CUTSFounded in 1910, the BARC facility spans nearly 7,000 acres in Prince George’s County, Maryland, near the nation’s capital. The unreliable conditions are affecting research outcomes, making it at times impossible to complete experiments or replicate their findings, said two research employees. On February 22, several BARC employees met with Thomas Shanower, the director of USDA’s Northeast Area, a division that oversees 15 research centers, including BARC.

☆ A growing number of sports bras, shirts and leggings brands found with high levels of toxic chemical, watchdog warns
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The newly tested brands and their products include leggings from Athleta, Champion, Kohl’s, Nike and Patagonia, sports bras from Sweaty Betty, athletic shirts from Fabletics and shorts from Adidas, Champion and Nike. The group had also tested athletic shirts in October from brands that included The North Face, Brooks, Mizuno, Athleta, New Balance, and Reebok and found similar results. Athleta, Nike, Reebok, The North Face and Victoria’s Secret (which owns PINK) did not provide a comment to CNN at the time. BPA (Bisphenol A) is found in a large number of everyday products, from water bottles and canned foods to toys and flooring. Sports bras and athletic shirts are worn for hours at a time, and you are meant to sweat in them, so it is concerning to be finding such high levels of BPA in our clothing,” Allan Sugerman said.

☆ Leaked audio and emails reveal how leaders at flying car startup Kittyhawk scrambled to execute orders when Larry Page returned, and told workers to 'drink the Kool-Aid'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Hugh Langley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Google cofounder Larry Page took back control of his flying-car company Kittyhawk last year. One employee told Anderson it would take three weeks to get ahold of one particular component they needed. "When I told [Larry] three weeks, he was not sympathetic and immediately told me I was wrong," Anderson said. I don't know that you're wrong, but Larry Page tells me you're wrong. "Please ignore Doug's email," Thrun responded in a follow-up email to the company.

☆ The 10 best entry-level jobs that don't require a college degree and their starting salaries
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Indeed analyzed different jobs that don't have a four-year degree requirement, along with other requirements. To find the best entry-level jobs that don't need a degree, Indeed looked at occupations that don't have a four-year college degree requirement, want zero to three years of experience per job descriptions, and pay over $40,000 a year. "In general, for the entry-level jobs that don't require a degree, we did see a little bit of a pattern with a demand for technical skills," Kristen Shah, a career expert at Indeed, told Insider. "This job has an average annual salary of $59,000, and we did find 189% job share percentage increase." Below are the best entry-level jobs that don't usually need a four-year degree based on the jobs that were included in Indeed's methodology.

☆ Risks of Tupperware and other plastic containers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Figuring out the answer to that question for any type of reusable plastic food storage products — not just Tupperware — often comes down to understanding what they’re made of. Risks of container wear and tearPutting stress on plastic food containers by washing them in the dishwasher or with rough scrub brushes “increase the ability of that plastic to leach whatever it was made out of,” Vandenburg said. The “microwave safe” label on some plastic containers doesn’t mean the product is totally safe from a health standpoint, she added. “Some of the plasticizers and chemicals can transfer from the plastic containers into the food during heating,” Rogers said. “If you can’t afford to replace everything all at once, replace them one at a time.”Glass food storage containers are a safer option.

☆ Dirty Dozen list: Which fruits and vegetables could contain pesticides
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Each year, a rotating list of produce is tested by USDA staffers who wash, peel or scrub fruits and vegetables as consumers would before the food is examined for 251 different pesticides. Kale, collard and mustard greens contained the largest number of different pesticides — 103 types — followed by hot and bell peppers at 101. Concerned consumers can consider choosing conventionally grown vegetables and fruits from the EWG’s Clean 15, a list of crops that tested lowest in pesticides, the report said. When last tested in 2014, blueberries contained over 50 different pesticides. Testing in 2020 and 2021 found 54 different pesticides — about the same amount.

Persons: nutritionists, Kale, collard, ”, Jane Houlihan, Houlihan, Ian Berry, Alexis Temkin, ” Temkin, we’re, ” Chris Novak, ” Novak, Bryan Hitchcock, Temkin, “, “ Steer Organizations: CNN, Environmental, Produce, US Department of Agriculture, USDA, Environmental Protection Agency, Healthy, American Academy of Pediatrics, Futures, EPA, US Centers for Disease Control, CDC, CropLife, Food Technologists, US Food and Drug Administration Locations: CropLife America

☆ Residents are reportedly getting sick in Ohio town where train derailed with toxic chemicals: 'It's pretty bad'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio earlier this month, leading to the release of toxic chemicals. Now, medical records reviewed by NBC News show illnesses in some residents stemming from likely chemical exposure. The Norfolk Southern train derailed on February 5 and had about 150 cars, of which 20 were carrying hazardous materials, Insider previously reported. The crash resulted in a fire that burned chemicals in derailed train cars. Other symptoms consistent with chemical exposure include headaches, nausea and rashes, which have been reported by residents, NBC News reported.

China’s official count 0 2.5 million 83,150 deaths Model based on Shanghai outbreak 1.6 million deaths LOW ESTIMATE HIGH ESTIMATE Estimate using travel patterns 970,000 deaths Estimate using recent testing data 1.5 million deaths Estimate based on U.S. death rates 1.1 million deaths China’s official count 0 2.5 million 83,150 deaths Model based on Shanghai outbreak 1.6 million deaths LOW EST. But China’s official Covid death toll for the entire pandemic remains strikingly low: 83,150 people as of Feb. 9. Four separate academic teams have converged on broadly similar estimates: China’s Covid wave may have killed between a million and 1.5 million people. Why official data underrepresents China’s outbreak83,150 deaths China’s official count on Feb. 9 0 2.5M 83,150 deaths China’s official count on Feb. 9 0 2.5 millionChina has a narrow definition of what counts as a Covid-19 death. But the work was unwavering in its ultimate conclusion: Ending the “zero Covid” policy was likely to overwhelm the health care system, producing an estimated 1.6 million deaths.

☆ Fact Check-COVID-19 vaccines do not add a ‘third strand’ of DNA
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Moderna’s mRNA COVID-19 vaccine does not alter human DNA or add a third strand to people’s DNA, as claimed in a video circulating on social media and viewed more than 400,000 times on Twitter. This gave me chills.”However, the video offers no evidence for its claim about the vaccine altering human DNA. The messenger RNA (mRNA) in approved COVID-19 vaccines does not interact with human DNA inside cells, and does not enter the cell nucleus where DNA is housed. Reuters has also addressed other false claims that mRNA vaccines alter human DNA (here, here, here). COVID-19 vaccines based on mRNA do not alter human DNA or add a third strand to the DNA double helix.

☆ 'Concerning' map reveals where fish caught in the US are full of hazardous 'forever chemicals'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Fish in lakes and streams across the US are contaminated with hazardous "forever chemicals." Since their invention in the 1930s, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have multiplied and spread. They found PFOS — one of the most notorious substances — was the largest contributor to PFAS contamination in fish. Last year, the EPA lowered the level of PFOS in drinking water it considers safe to 0.02 parts per trillion. He said he's also seen PFAS contamination advisories for fishing spots in Sweden, where he lives.

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