Environmental News Network

USEPA Proposes One â€“ Hour Sulfur Dioxide Standard, to Drop 24 -hr and Annual Primary Standards
The US Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a new one â€“ hour Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) standard. The SO2 standard has not been changed since 1971. There has not been a health based standard shorter than 24 hrs for SO2 since short term acute effects have not been well known. A secondary standard of 3-hrs has been in effect. This was set to address welfare considerations, not health. >> Read the Full Article
Nanoparticles Used in Common Household Items Shown to Cause Genetic Damage
Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles, found in everything from cosmetics to sunscreen to toothpaste to paint to vitamins, caused systemic genetic damage in mice, according to a comprehensive study conducted by researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. The TiO2 nanoparticles induced single- and double-strand DNA breaks and also caused chromosomal damage as well as inflammation, all of which increase the risk for cancer. >> Read the Full Article
Air Pollution Takes a Toll on Young Lungs
Early exposure to airborne pollutants could increase the risk of infection in newborn babies. The findings suggest that parents and pediatricians need to work together to reduce infants' exposure to traffic and other sources of dirty air, said study author Catherine Karr, an academic pediatrician at the University of Washington, Seattle. >> Read the Full Article
Hurricane Ida Approaches US Gulf Coast
Hurricane Ida continues to move north towards the US Gulf Coast this morning. At 3am it was in the central part of the Gulf of Mexico, moving north-northeastward at 16 mph. >> Read the Full Article
Ida Kills 42 in Salvador, Heads Northward
Hurricane Ida strengthened off the Mexican resort city of Cancun on the Yucatan Peninsula on Sunday as the storm's heavy rains killed at least 42 people in El Salvador. El Salvador's interior minister said more victims were expected to be found as rescue workers moved into areas cut off by mudslides in the Central American nation. >> Read the Full Article
Americaâ€™s Most Toxic Cities List Released With Surprising Results
Las Vegas has far from a clean reputation, but in Forbes' list of America's Most Toxic Cities, Las Vegas is named the least toxic of 40 major metropolitan areas. Forbes ranked the cities based on the number of Superfund sites in the principal city, number of facilities that release toxic chemicals, amount of toxic chemicals released in the area and air quality ranking. >> Read the Full Article
Ethiopian Rift Shows How Continents Can Split, Create New Ocean
A new study reported by the Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia and the University of Rochester sheds light on how the continents move, and oceans are created. In 2005, a gigantic, 35-mile-long rift broke open the desert ground in Ethiopia. At the time, some geologists believed the rift was the beginning of a new ocean as two parts of the African continent pulled apart, but the claim was controversial. Now, scientists from several countries have confirmed that the volcanic processes at work beneath the Ethiopian rift are nearly identical to those at the bottom of the world's oceans, and the rift is indeed likely the beginning of a new sea. >> Read the Full Article
Margaret Thatcher, Lyndon Johnson were Right!
President Lyndon Johnson and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher made stark warnings about global warming decades ago, but convincing evidence for action only amassed in recent years, experts say. A 190-nation U.N. conference in Copenhagen in December is due to agree a new U.N. pact to curb greenhouse gas emissions to slow a rise in temperatures to prevent floods, droughts, wildfires or rising sea levels. >> Read the Full Article
ENN is pleased to be a media partner with Robert Batemanâ€™s Innovative Contest that Challenges Youth to Connect with Nature
In an unprecedented collaboration, over thirty major organizations have joined forces to invite young Americans to discover nature by entering the Robert Bateman "Get to Know" Contest. These partners include the US Forest Service, US Fish & Wildlife Service, National Wildlife Federation, the Children & Nature Network, the Wyland Foundation, and many others. The Get to Know Contest invites any American age 18 or younger to go outdoors, to "get to know" their wild neighbors, and then to share their experience by creating art, writing, or photography. >> Read the Full Article
Cast Your Vote Today for the Environment (and Other Important Issues!)
Do your part to help shape the course of local and world events by casting your vote for your candidate of choice this Election Day. Your decision could have a big impact on the environment, as well as on other important issues, from the economy to healthcare, education, taxes, human rights and much more. >> Read the Full Article