News tagged with 'Environmental Toxins'

Lead levels in the blood of youngsters has reached a 20 year low, according to a CDC report.  The 84 percent drop in lead levels in youngsters is reminiscent of levels not seen since the 1970s when lead was removed from gasoline and paint. 

The U.S. lags behind the European Union in regulating chemicals dumped into the environment. A new book by the Center for Investigative Reporting, says while the U.S. has registered about 80,000 chemicals for use, the UK requires they be assessed for their potential toxic effects. 

It is a mystery that will take 21 years to solve - how do solents, plastics, chemicals in our environment adversely affect children's health and disease. The NIH and CDC will examine more than 100,000 participants at 105 diverse sites around the country in this ambitious National Children's Health Study. 

A nicotine-based pesticide, neonicotinoid, may explain the collapse of bee colonies. The insecticides, made by Bayer and Syngenta, move through a plant’s vascular system.  Bees pick up the pollen from the plants, which may impact their immune system and behavior.  Billions in agriculture, such as fruits and nuts, are at stake.

It's been a love-fest between chemical manufacturers and the consumer product market over the last thirty years, dumping flame retardants on everything from children's pajamas to electronic components. Now the Environmental Working Group is finding the chemical in children's blood in alarming concentrations.