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☆ Toxic chemical ‘Hall of Shame’ calls out retailers in time for holiday shopping
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-14 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“This is a critical time of year, the time when most retailers make a lot of their money,” Schade said. Only four companies in the top 50 retailers earned an A or A- — Apple, Sephora, Target and Walmart. Three companies — Ulta Beauty, IKEA and Whole Foods Market — received a B grade, while 26 companies were equally split between C and D grades. “We also grade companies on whether the changes requested from their suppliers are actually implemented, if they have truly ‘banned the bad,’ so to speak,” Peele said. Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the number of retailers who earned an A or A-.

Persons: —, “ It’s, ”, Mike Schade, ” Schade, “, Dunkin ’, Jimmy John’s, Joe’s, Ahold, Hannaford, Tard, Sherwin, Williams, Sally Beauty, Jodi Caro, Alimentation, Cheri Peele, ” Peele, Peele, Homer Swei, Swei, Schade, Perfluoroalkyl, Julianna Bragg Organizations: CNN, Toxic, Black, Brands, KFC, Taco Bell, Inspire Brands, Baskin, Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Canadian, Lion, Nordstrom, Walmart, National Retail Foundation, Companies, “ Retailers, Environmental, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, US, “ Locations: United States, Canada, Chipotle, Target, Nordstrom

☆ Blurred vision, shortness of breath, massive bills: Residents near a Georgia chemical plant fire say they’re suffering a month later
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-10 | by ( Holly Yan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +20 min

Conyers residents Kisha and Akeno Reid say they have suffered ongoing symptoms since the BioLab fire more than a month ago. Rockdale County issued a shelter-in-place advisory for 90,000 residents, and about 17,000 residents had to evacuate. Peter Zay/Anadolu/Getty Images/FileAbout 15,000 students from Rockdale County Public Schools couldn’t go to school for three weeks and had to learn remotely. The announcement came the same day Rockdale County lifted its nightly shelter-in-place advisory, which lasted for weeks. “The damage is already done.”Like other residents, Smith worries about her property value plummeting and possible long-term hazards to her family.

Persons: ”, Kisha Reid, she’s, haven’t, Akeno, won’t, it’s, Akeno Reid, Holly Yan, –, Reid, “, Mr, Brandy, Conner, Darryl Brown, Alicia, Curtis Compton, Hurricane Laura, Bryan Vasser, Vasser, ” Vasser, they’re, …, Kisha Reid Conner, Hydroxyzine, he’s, “ I’m, ” BioLab, BioLab, Conyers, “ That’s, ” Weeks, Peter Zay, Rockdale County Public Schools couldn’t, Terry Oatts, Reid’s, Ms, ” Ms, KIK, ” Conner, Christine Smith, Smith, ” Smith, defecating, ” Christine Smith, CNN Smith, Weeks Organizations: Georgia CNN, ” CNN, CNN, US Chemical Safety, Hazard Investigation, “, Atlanta –, for Disease Control, Prevention, CDC’s Agency, Toxic Substances, Disease Registry, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, Air, Agency, Getty, Rockdale County Public Schools, KIK Consumer Products, Distribution, U.S . Chemical Safety Board Locations: Conyers, Georgia, Kisha, ”, BioLab, Richfield, Rockdale, Rockdale County, Westlake , Louisiana, Hurricane, Atlanta, Conyers , Georgia, Conyers ’, Anadolu, Texas, Cairo

☆ Additives to food often bypass FDA oversight, critics say
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-03 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

Soon, Daily Harvest had narrowed its internal investigation to a new ingredient used for its high-protein content: tara flour. Tara flour is one of two products made from the seed pods of a thorny shrub native to Peru. The pods of the tara plant are used to make tara gum and tara flour. As some consumers had discovered, tara flour was not safe, the FDA decreed in May 2024 — nearly two years after the ingredient sickened hundreds. During that time, however, other manufacturers could have used the now-“unapproved food additive.”“This incident shows how broken our food regulatory system is.

Persons: Gwyneth Paltrow, Serena Williams, “ I’ve, ” Cory Silverstein, Silverstein, Luke Wesley Pearson, tara, we’ve, Rachel Drori, GRAS, —, It’s, ”, Pieter Cohen, Cohen, “, Tara, Tragically, Alexi Giannoulias, Sarah Gallo, “ GRAS, ” Gallo, Sarah Silbiger, Melanie Benesh, BVO, Giannoulias, Benesh, ” Benesh, Jim Jones, ” Jones, Thomas Galligan Organizations: CNN, Leek Crumbles, Harvest, CNN Business, Food and Drug Administration, FDA, Daily Harvest, Daily, Cambridge Health Alliance, The New England, of Medicine, Consumer Brands Association, Office, Natural Resources Defense Council, Environmental, Industry, Union, Illinois Food Safety, Illinois Senate, Getty, European Union, Human Foods, Center for Science, “ Locations: Peru, United States, Somerville , Massachusetts, The, California, Illinois, Jena

☆ Fire at Biolab in Rockdale County, Georgia prompts shelter in place
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-29 | by ( Cindy Von Quednow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A fire at a Georgia chemical plant apparently caused by a sprinkler head malfunction Sunday morning is forcing evacuations and road closures in the area, according to Rockdale County officials. Water from the malfunctioned sprinkler head “came in contact with a water reactive chemical and produced a plume,” county officials explained on their website. A fire broke out on the roof and firefighters were able to contain the blaze, but the fire reignited hours later, Rockdale County Sheriff Eric Levett said in a video message posted on Facebook. A fire at a Georgia chemical plant apparently caused by a sprinkler head malfunction Sunday morning is forcing evacuations and road closures in the area, according to Rockdale County officials. The sheriff said he will ask for assistance from the Georgia Department of Public Safety and the Georgia State Patrol.

Persons: Eric Levett, Eric Wood “, ” Levett, we’re, BioLab, Hurricane Laura, Conyers Organizations: CNN, Facebook, Georgia Department of Public Safety, Georgia State Patrol, Rockdale County Health, US Chemical Safety Board Locations: Georgia, Rockdale County, BioLab, Conyers , Georgia, ”, Sigman, Salem, Turner, Gwinnett, Newton, Hurricane, Atlanta

Three EPA whistleblowers told ProPublica on Thursday that their complaints were the subject of the reports (which redact employee names). After endorsing Trump, Kennedy wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that the U.S. could “revisit pesticide and other chemical-use standards” if Trump wins. “The EPA was sort of paralyzed under the Trump administration,” she said. It’s not yet clear what Kennedy’s role might be in a potential Trump administration, or which decisions he’d help to make as part of the transition team. Even with Kennedy’s ties to Trump, Gartner said she would expect the EPA under a second Trump administration to act similarly to the first one.

Persons: Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Donald Trump, Kennedy, Trump, ”, Maria, Sean O’Donnell, ProPublica, Remmington Belford, “, Kennedy —, Tucker Carlson, ” Karoline Leavitt, ” Kennedy, Sharon Lerner, Lerner, Michal Freedhoff, , Freedhoff, Biden, Karen McCormack, McCormack, Trump’s, —, Eve Gartner, Danielle Alvarez, It’s, Carlson, Steven Cheung, Gartner Organizations: Environmental Protection Agency, NBC News, Trump, EPA, Chemical Control, Environmental Defense Fund, EPA’s, Trump ., RFK Jr, RFK, European Union, The, of Chemical Safety, Toxic, Federal, Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control Locations: U.S, Milwaukee, ”

☆ Chemical toxins from food processing migrate into our bodies, study says
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-16 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

“The study also shows that food contact materials can contain mutagenic chemicals that harm our DNA, such as heavy metals,” Wagner said. Another chemical group in food packaging that has migrated into people is phthalates, the research revealed. “We’ve got, say, 60 years of research into the migration of chemicals into food from food processing and packaging equipment. “Given that there are (tens) of thousands of food contact chemicals, biomonitoring programs do not have the capacity to test for all chemicals we are potentially exposed to,” Wagner said. “However, there are also important gaps that need to be addressed as we undertake the work to strengthen our food chemical safety activities,” he said.

Persons: ”, Martin Wagner, Wagner, Jane Muncke, ” Muncke, Muncke, “, ” Wagner, “ We’ve, It’s, there’s, Melanie Benesh, you’re, ” Benesh, GRAS, Jim Jones, Benesh Organizations: CNN, Norwegian University of Science, Technology, Food Packaging, Getty, American Chemistry Council, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine, US National Health, Canadian, Korean National Environmental Health Survey, National Health, Environmental, Food and Drug Administration, FDA, US, Committee, Energy Locations: Trondheim, Zurich, Switzerland, phthalates, PFAS, Europe, Biomonitoring California, United States

☆ Activists helped shut down an oil refinery after a series of explosions. The consequences weren’t what they expected
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

Philadelphia CNN —Bilal Motley, utilities manager at a former Philadelphia oil refinery, was working the graveyard shift when a massive explosion broke out in the early morning hours of June 21, 2019. “This oil refinery was talked about and passed down through generations,” Sanders said. Rachael WarrinerPES is no longer functioning as a refining company, but Sunoco, whose subsidiary Evergreen owned the former PES site, did not respond to requests for comment. The PES refinery complex was the largest source of particulate air pollution in Philadelphia. Hilco Redevelopment PartnersBut UPenn’s Neises said given the scale and history of the property, Hilco will need to take its time to redevelop the area of redevelopment.

Persons: Philadelphia CNN — Bilal Motley, I’m, ” Motley, ’, ”, Motley, trekked, Hilco, Ellen Neises, they’ll, Sonya Sanders, Sanders, ” Sanders, “, Rachael Warriner, Rachel Ramirez, Phil Rinaldi, Matt Rourke, Mike Smith, ” Roberto Perez, Amelia Chasse Alcivar, UPenn’s Neises, Neises, she’s, you’re, Philly Thrive’s Sanders, there’s Organizations: Philadelphia CNN, Philadelphia Energy Solutions, US Chemical Safety, Hazard Investigation, Hilco, Partners, CNN, University of Pennsylvania’s Weitzman, of Design, longtime, Evergreen, PES, Environmental Protection Agency, Drexel University, University of Pennsylvania’s School of Medicine, Philadelphia International Airport, City of, City of Philadelphia Refinery Advisory, Hilco Redevelopment Partners, Industrial Realty, ., Philadelphia Energy Solutions Refining, United Steelworkers Union, Oil Bargaining, EPA, “ Locations: Philadelphia, East, Schuylkill, New York City, Chicago, longtime South Philadelphia, South Philadelphia, Grays Ferry, Breeze, City of Philadelphia, New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Bellwether District, ”, Bellwether

The Alabama attorney general's office told federal appeals court judges last week that nitrogen hypoxia is "the most painless and humane method of execution known to man." The execution would be the first attempt to use a new method since lethal injection was introduced in 1982. Three states — Alabama, Mississippi and Oklahoma — have authorized nitrogen hypoxia as an execution method. The Alabama attorney general's office noted that Smith, when previously fighting lethal injection, had suggested nitrogen as an alternative execution method. Courts require inmates challenging their execution method to suggest an alternative method.

Persons: Kenneth Eugene Smith, gurney, general's, Smith, Dr, Jeffrey Keller, ” Keller, Keller, Joel Zivot, Zivot, Prosecutors, Elizabeth Sennett, Sennett, John Forrest Parker, Charles Sennett Jr, Smith “, Mama, ”, Robin M, Maher, Kenny, Jeff Hood, “, Shane Isner, Kay Ivey, Ivey Organizations: American College of Correctional Physicians, Veterinary Medical Association, United Nations Human Rights, ”, U.S . Chemical Safety, Hazard Investigation, WAAY, Alabama, Christian Church, Capitol, Alabama Gov, Associated Press, Department of Corrections Locations: MONTGOMERY, Ala, Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma, U.S

(AP) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday proposed banning the cancer-causing chemical trichloroethylene, which can be found in consumer products including automobile brake cleaners, furniture care and arts and crafts spray coating. “Today, EPA is taking a major step to protect people from exposure to this cancer-causing chemical.”Massachusetts Sen. Edward Markey, who has led the effort to ban TCE, welcomed the move. Political Cartoons View All 1215 Images“With this rule, we can see a future where we will no longer be manufacturing, processing and distributing a chemical known to be deadly,” Markey said. The chemical presents an “unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment” in 52 of 54 uses in industrial and consumer products, the EPA has found. The 2016 law required the EPA to evaluate chemicals and put in place protections against unreasonable risks.

Persons: TCE, Michal Freedhoff, Massachusetts Sen, Edward Markey, ” Markey, “, Anne Anderson, Jimmy, Anne, ” Anderson, Frank, Matthew Daly Organizations: Environmental Protection Agency, of Chemical Safety, “, EPA, Woburn, Andersons, Chemical, Press Locations: WOBURN, Mass, U.S, United States, Massachusetts, Woburn ., America, Woburn, Washington

☆ E.P.A. Proposes Tighter Limits on Lead Dust in Homes and Child Care Facilities
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Coral Davenport | More About Coral Davenport | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Biden administration on Wednesday proposed to strengthen requirements for the removal of lead-based paint in homes and child care facilities built before 1978 to try to eliminate exposure to lead, which can damage the brain and nervous system, particularly in children. If finalized, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the regulation would reduce exposure to lead for as many as 500,000 young children per year. “There is no safe level of lead,” said Michal Freedhoff, the Environmental Protection Agency’s assistant administrator for the office of Chemical Safety and Pollution. “Even low levels are detrimental to children’s health, and this proposal would bring us closer to eradicating lead-based paint hazards from homes and child care facilities across the U.S. once and for all.”The new limits could require millions of homeowners and hundreds of thousands of child care facilities to check for dust and pay for abatement. “It dramatically increases the number of facilities that could be required to inspect and remediate lead paint hazards,” Ms. Feedhoff said.

Persons: Biden, ”, Michal Freedhoff, Ms, Feedhoff Organizations: Environmental, Agency, Chemical Safety Locations: U.S

☆ Angry Ohio townspeople seek answers on train's toxic spill
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Brad Brooks | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Norfolk Southern officials did not attend the meeting, saying they feared violence. The Norfolk Southern Railroad-operated train's derailment caused a fire that sent a cloud of smoke over East Palestine. After railroad crews drained and burned off a toxic chemical from five tanker cars, residents were allowed to return to their homes on Feb. 8. Despite that, state health officials have insisted to residents that East Palestine is a safe place to be. Ohio state officials have said that a plume of pollution in the Ohio River is moving at one mile per hour.

☆ The workers who are supposed to lead the US response to the climate crisis are feeling 'burned out'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

There's a staffing crisis at the nation's top environmental agency, union officials say. The number of Environmental Protection Agency employees today is similar to the Ronald Reagan era. Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest on the culture & business of sustainability — delivered weekly to your inbox. "People are burned out," Marie Owens Powell, an EPA employee and the president of its union chapter known as AFGE Council 238, told Insider. "Communities need to implement these programs, whether it's replacing lead service lines for drinking water or cleaning up environmental pollution."

Sept 28 (Reuters) - BP Plc laid off most contractors at the approximately 160,000 barrel-per-day Toledo, Ohio, refinery it owns with Cenovus Energy Inc (CVE.TO), according to sources familiar with the matter on Wednesday, indicating that the plant will experience a prolonged shutdown following last week's explosion and fire. The more than 100-year-old refinery has been offline since the middle of last week following the explosion and could be shut for several months. Leaking fumes from a crude unit may have caused the ignition in another unit at the facility, a source told Reuters. In August, Cenovus said it would buy the remaining 50% stake it does not already own in the BP-Husky Toledo Refinery. In 2008, Husky Energy Inc formed a joint venture with BP by acquiring a 50% stake in the Toledo refinery.

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