Study
Finds Thousands of Schools on or Near Toxic Waste Sites (Washington
Post 1/22)
A new study reveals that hundreds of thousands of children throughout
the country are attending schools that were built on or near toxic waste
sites, putting them at increased risk of developing asthma, cancer, learning
disorders, and other diseases linked to environmental pollutants. The
report, prepared by an environmental coalition called Child Proofing Our
Communities Campaign, found that most states and public school systems
lack environmental standards for selecting school construction sites.
Instead, school projects are regulated only by local land-use laws, which
the report called haphazard when it comes to evaluating environmental
hazards. Consequently, the report said, many cash-strapped systems have
opted to build on relatively cheap land on or near toxic waste sites.
The study focused mainly on five states with large school-age populations
-- Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Michigan, and California -- and
concluded that more than 600,000 students were attending almost 1,200
public schools that are within a half-mile of federal Superfund or state-identified
contaminated sites. |
| Children's
Health: |
Washington:
Mercury Poisoning Bill Could Set National Precedent (Seattle
Post Intelligencer 1/27)
A bill, which would ban the sale of some mercury-containing products
and make manufacturers responsible for the safe disposal of items
containing the toxic element, is being considered by the Legislature.
Ten other states have more limited laws restricting mercury use
and disposal, but SB 6533 would be the most far-reaching. SB 6533
would: require manufacturers of mercury-containing items to label
the products with information saying the item contains the toxin
and should not be tossed out with the trash; require manufacturers
to pay for programs to collect products for recycling or hazardous-waste
disposal; make it illegal for consumers to knowingly throw out mercury-containing
items; make illegal the sales of mercury-containing novelty items
such as games, toys, ornaments, jewelry, thermometers (with some
exceptions), and thermostats; ban the sales of motor vehicles manufactured
in 2003 with mercury switches found in anti-lock brakes and lights;
and, ban schools from using or buying mercury-containing items.
Concern is growing over mercury circulating in the environment.
There have been recent warnings about the consumption of bottom-
feeding fish and tuna by women of childbearing age and children
under 6. Mercury can cause brain damage in the fetus and problems
with the digestive and nervous systems in children. |
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New
Jersey: Chemical Companies Settle with Toms River Cancer Victims
(Associated Press 1/26)
Sixty-nine families, whose children were stricken with cancer they
believe was caused by water pollution, will share at least $13.27
million from Union Carbide and Ciba-Geigy. From 1979 to 1995, 90
children in Dover Township, which includes Toms River, were diagnosed
with cancer. The families alleged their children were sickened by
drinking water polluted by a Ciba-Geigy chemical plant and a site
where Union Carbide dumped toxic wastes in 1971. |
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| Saving
Wildlands: |
Kansas:
State Considers Ban on Sale of Invasive Plant (Lawrence
Journal-World 1/24)
Although the purple loosestrife's magenta plumes make it popular
with many Kansas gardeners, state officials may outlaw the sale
of the invasive plant because of damage it does to wetlands and
waterways. One plant can produce thousands of seeds, which usually
are spread by water and grow rapidly in wet environments. "It
just clogs up the waterways," said Tom Sim, manager of the
state's plant protection and weed control program. "The areas
at risk would be from farm ponds to wildlife refuges, any of the
lakes, and they also would interfere with people's recreation activities.
It's an invasive plant that will displace native plants." Twenty-seven
states have taken steps to prevent the spread or introduction of
purple loosestrife. |
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New
Hampshire: Legislature Considers Snowmobile Fees to Preserve Trails
The Associated Press reported today that the New Hampshire Legislature
is considering a bill that would require snowmobilers to either
join a club or pay a $30 fee when they register their machines.
The money would go into a fund to maintain the 6,800 miles of trails
that crisscross the state. Sixty-five thousand snowmobilers are
registered to ride in New Hampshire, but fewer than 10,000 belong
to snowmobile clubs that maintain the trails. The rest are what
officials call "freemobilers." The Senate Transportation
Committee will hold a public hearing on the bill Tuesday. |
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| Natural
Resources: |
Iowa:
Assault on Bottle Bill Continues
As reported in last week's Wildlines, Iowa's deposit bottle and
can recycling system is under attack by the Iowa Grocery Association,
which claims that empty cans contain pathogens and returning them
to a supermarket could contaminate food. Last week, the association
released test results from a private laboratory, which found "bacteria,
mold, and pathogens that threaten public health." The test
results are now being used in television ads that urge state legislators
to scrap the bottle-deposit law. Meanwhile, state health officials
continued their efforts to calm growing public fears, reiterating
that there is little chance organisms on bottles and cans would
survive a trip through the store long enough to harm anyone and
that, in the programs' 30-year history, there has never been a documented
case of food being contaminated by bottles or cans that were returned
to a store. |
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Washington:
Town Re-Uses 100% of its Wastewater
A water reclamation project in Yelm, Washington was honored last
week for reclaiming and re-using 100 percent of its treated wastewater.
Yelm reclaims all of its wastewater to irrigate landscaping at churches,
parks, a football field, and one residence. The water also is added
to streams and is used to recharge water underground at a city wetland
park that includes a catch-and-release fish pond for rainbow trout.
The Ecology Department says Yelm is a role model to the rest of
Washington's cities on how to accommodate the increasing water demands
by residences, businesses, and environmental needs. |
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| Clean
Energy: |
New
Jersey: Two More Dirty Air Power Plants Get Caught Expanding
(Environmental News Service 1/25)
PSEG Power, one of the nation's largest independent power producers,
has agreed to spend more than $337 million to install state-of-the-art
pollution controls on two of its New Jersey power plants to settle
allegations that the utility company expanded the capacity of the
two coal-fired power plants without upgrading their emissions control
equipment. These power plants were two of thousands that were "grandfathered
in" when the federal Clean Air Act was enacted over 30 years
ago. Under the Act, they are not allowed to expand their capacity
without abiding to modern air standards. Last week's agreement is
the second settlement since Tampa Electric Company admitted to similar
wrong-doing in January 2001. |
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| Saving
Wildlife: |
Colorado:
State Paying Landowners to Protect Prairie Dog Habitat
(Denver Post 1/24)
The Colorado Division of Wildlife, often criticized for not doing
enough to conserve populations of the colonial rodent, has committed
$600,000 to its Shortgrass/Black-tailed Prairie Dog Habitat Incentive
Program. Landowners that have at least 40 acres of active prairie
dog habitat are eligible. Grants will be awarded on a competitive
basis. Landowners will offer the Division of Wildlife a per-acre
bid. Bidders who offer the best habitat at the least cost will be
accepted into the program. The program is supported by lottery funds. |
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| Urban
Issues: |
Kentucky:
Smart Growth Plans Debated (Louisville Courier Journal
1/25)
Governor Paul Patton has proposed a new smart growth plan that includes
tax credits for people who renovate historic properties and for
companies that help redevelop distressed neighborhoods. It also
would re-establish a planning committee that would, among other
things, review state construction projects that cost more than $2
million or affect 50 or more acres of prime farmland. But some,
including Rep. Jim Wayne, D-Louisville, say the governor's initiatives
don't go far enough. Last week Wayne introduced legislation that
would require all 120 counties to adopt planning and zoning. Wayne
noted that comprehensive planning is occurring in just 28 of Kentucky's
120 counties -- proof of the need for a mandate. "When you're
building a chicken farm next to a half-million-dollar house, somebody
has to say whose interest do we protect here? Where's the balance?"
Wayne said. "That balance can come about with proper planning." |
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| Resources: |
Study:
Toxic Waste Landfills Pose Birth Defect Risks
A new study published in the medical journal, "The Lancet,"
says women living within two miles of a hazardous waste landfill
site have a 40 percent greater risk of conceiving a child with a
chromosomal birth defect, such as Down's syndrome. The findings
are a companion to 1998 results suggesting a 33 percent increase
in the risk of non-chromosomal birth anomalies such as spina bifida.
Both studies were carried out under the European Commission funded
"Eurohazcon" project, and involved epidemiological research
in the vicinities of 23 landfills accepting hazardous waste in Denmark,
Italy, Belgium, France, and England. |
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| Conferences/Workshops: |
Ecological
Consequences of Artificial Night Lighting - February 23-24
- Los Angeles, CA
Scientists will review the profound effects of the loss of natural
patterns of light and dark on wildlife and plants, and practitioners
will lead a workshop on programs and proposals to protect and restore
the under-appreciated ecology of night. Contact: Travis Longcore,
The Urban Wildlands Group, Email: [email protected]; Web
site: www.urbanwildlands.org. |
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Building
Energy 2002 - March 20-23 - Bedford, Massachusetts
Experts on renewable energy join commercial and residential green
building professionals to explore avenues that lead to a more sustainable
future while promoting economic growth. Contact: Jack Kraichnan,
Email: [email protected], Web site: www.nesea.org/buildings/be/. |
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