Environmental News Network

Some 1.5 bln people may starve due to land erosion
Rising land degradation reduces crop yields and may threaten food security of about a quarter of the world' population, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said on Wednesday. >> Read the Full Article
Use of nanomaterials in food packaging poses regulatory challenges
Engineered nanoscale materials (ENMs), which contain novel properties that offer potential benefits for use in food packaging, raise new safety evaluation challenges for regulators and industry, according to a report released today by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN) and the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA). >> Read the Full Article
Natural disasters contribute to rise in population displacement
A new report by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees(UNHCR)says conflicts, climate change and rising food prices are some of the factors leading to the rise in global displacement to 11.4 million refugees worldwide-up from 9.9 million last year. >> Read the Full Article
Credibility Gap: Toxic Chemicals in Food Packaging and DuPont's Greenwashing
In 2006, under pressure from the U.S. EPA, DuPont and 7 other companies promised to phase out by 2015 a cancer-causing chemical called PFOA, used to make Teflon and also found in grease-resistant coatings for food packaging. In its place, the chemical industry is pushing new, supposedly â€œgreenâ€ food package coatings. >> Read the Full Article
It's Like Oil, But Different
Presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain are missing a monumental opportunity to save millions of lives and radically change the course of world history. Global warming, the oil crisis, and HIV/AIDS are finally receiving serious attention, and yet we continue to avoid an issue that perennially threatens the lives of children. The issue could not be more basic, more important, or more ignored: The issue is water. >> Read the Full Article
Despite Economic Dip, Organic Food Sales Soar
If there's a recession, organic food doesn't know it. Even in a down economy, green consumers have shown a willingness to pay more for organic, natural or environmentally-friendly products, per a study released last week by the Natural Marketing Institute and The Nielsen Co. (which is parent to Brandweek). >> Read the Full Article
Iowans assess damage from deadly flood waters
Officials moved paintings, books and documents out of harm's way on Sunday as record flooding in parts of the U.S. Midwest partly submerged the University of Iowa campus in Iowa City. Fifteen campus buildings were flooded, including the Iowa Museum of Art, despite what university president Sally Mason termed "herculean efforts" to contain the rushing Iowa River. >> Read the Full Article
Road pollution blamed for higher allergy risk in kids
New evidence blames traffic-related pollution for increasing the risk of allergy and atopic diseases among children by more than fifty percent. What's more, the closer children live to roads, the higher their risk. >> Read the Full Article
Vinyl Shower Curtains Release 100 Toxic Chemicals
As many as 100 toxic chemicals associated with adverse health effects are released into the air from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) shower curtains. These chemicals make up that "new shower curtain smell" unique to PVC vinyl shower curtains and shower curtain liners, according to "Volatile Vinyl: The New Shower Curtain's Chemical Smell." >> Read the Full Article
FDA has tomato Salmonella reports in 17 states
U.S. health officials said on Wednesday they are still receiving reports of people falling ill from eating Salmonella-tainted tomatoes and that they now have 167 reported cases from 17 states. Representatives from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said they are continuing to search for the source of the Salmonella outbreak, which has hit New Mexico and Texas the hardest. >> Read the Full Article