HavenWorks.com/safety SAFETY NEWS

A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z

Safety News. News about Safety

HavenWorks

Manufacture

Nancy Nord
China

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Safety

SAFETY News:

20080612

Health

Science

Environmental

Safety

Laws

Manufacturing

Industries

Global

Consumers

Government

Politics

Computer

Privacy

Newborns

"Chemical Law Has Global Impact: [European Union's] E.U.'s New Rules Forcing Changes By [United States] U.S. Firms." ... "Europe this month rolled out new restrictions on makers of chemicals linked to cancer and other health problems, changes that are forcing U.S. industries to find new ways to produce a wide range of everyday products." ... "The new laws in the European Union require companies to demonstrate that a chemical is safe before it enters commerce -- the opposite of policies in the United States, where regulators must prove that a chemical is harmful before it can be restricted or removed from the market. Manufacturers say that complying with the European laws will add billions to their costs, possibly driving up prices of some products." ... "The changes come at a time when consumers are increasingly worried about the long-term consequences of chemical exposure and are agitating for more aggressive regulation. In the United States, these pressures have spurred efforts in Congress and some state legislatures to pass laws that would circumvent the laborious federal regulatory process." ... "Adamantly opposed by the U.S. chemical industry and the [Republican President] Bush administration, the E.U. laws will be phased in over the next decade. It is difficult to know exactly how the changes will affect products sold in the United States. But American manufacturers are already searching for safer alternatives to chemicals used to make thousands of consumer goods, from bike helmets to shower curtains." ... "The European Union's tough stance on chemical regulation is the latest area in which the Europeans are reshaping business practices with demands that American companies either comply or lose access to a market of 27 countries and nearly 500 million people." ... "From its crackdown on antitrust practices in the computer industry to its rigorous protection of consumer privacy, the European Union has adopted a regulatory philosophy that emphasizes the consumer. Its approach to managing chemical risks, which started with a trickle of individual bans and has swelled into a wave, is part of a European focus on caution when it comes to health and the environment." ... "A study by the nonprofit Environmental Working Group found an average of 200 industrial chemicals in the cord blood of newborns." (1, 2) -By Lyndsey Layton

-WashingtonPost

20080509

Consumers - Food - Safety - Humans - Health - Law - Politics - Animals - Agriculture - Business - Kan - US - Japan - "Government asks court to block wider testing for mad cow." ... "The [Republican President] Bush administration on Friday urged a federal appeals court to stop meatpackers from testing all their animals for mad cow disease, but a skeptical judge questioned whether the government has that authority." ... "The government seeks to reverse a lower court ruling that allowed Arkansas City, Kan.[Kansas]-based Creekstone Farms Premium Beef to conduct more comprehensive testing to satisfy demand from overseas customers in Japan and elsewhere." ... "Less than 1 percent of slaughtered cows are currently tested for the disease under Agriculture Department guidelines. The agency argues that more widespread testing does not guarantee food safety and could result in a false positive that scares consumers." ... "Mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, can be fatal to humans who eat tainted beef. Three cases of mad cow disease have been discovered in the U.S. [United States] since 2003." -By Sam Hananel -AP via -SFGate.com

20080508

Oil - Corporations - Air - Environment - Ground - Water - Safety - Health - Science - Politics - "Chevron, 11 Oil Companies to Pay $423 Million in MTBE Lawsuits." ... "Water suppliers in 17 states will collect $423 million from Chevron Corp. [Corporation], BP Plc [Public limited company] and 10 other oil companies as part of a settlement of contamination claims involving the gasoline additive MTBE." ... "The suits claim the oil companies contaminated wells and underground aquifers across the country by adding methyl tertiary butyl ether, or MTBE, to gasoline as a way to reduce air pollution. They claim the oil companies hid information showing MTBE would cause ``massive'' contamination." ... "The settlement was filed yesterday with U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin in New York, who is presiding over the 59 settled lawsuits brought by 153 municipalities. The six oil companies and refineries that didn't settle include Exxon Mobil Corp. [Corporation], the world's biggest publicly traded oil company, according to Robert Gordon, a lawyer for the plaintiffs." ... "The municipalities ``will use the money to continue to treat water so that it is safe and pure,'' Gordon said in a phone interview." ... "MTBE reduces air pollution by making gasoline burn more completely in a car's engine. MTBE discharged into the air contaminates groundwater through rainfall. The additive has been banned in many states." ... "Estimates of the cost to treat contaminated water in the U.S. have reached $30 billion." ... "Scheindlin denied a request by the oil companies to dismiss the suits in 2005." ... "``Innocent water providers -- and ultimately innocent water users -- should not be denied relief from the contamination of their water supply if defendants breached a duty to avoid an unreasonable risk of harm from their products,'' Scheindlin said at the time." ... "The case is In Re: MTBE, 00-cv-1898, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan). " -By David Glovin -Bloomberg

20080507

Water - Infrastructure - Human - Health - Safety - Enforcement - Environment - Underground - Money - History - Weather - Animals - Plants - "Aging systems releasing sewage into rivers, streams." ... "America's aging sewer systems continue to dump human waste into rivers and streams, despite years of fines and penalties targeting publicly owned agencies responsible for sewage overflows, a Gannett News Service analysis shows." ... "The analysis of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data found that since 2003, hundreds of municipal sewer authorities have been fined for violations, including spills that make people sick, threaten local drinking water and kill aquatic animals and plants." ... "DATABASE: Sewer treatment plant reports by state[.]" ... "Local governments across the USA plan to spend billions modernizing failing wastewater systems — some of which are more than 100 years old — over the next 10 to 20 years, EPA, state and local sewer authority officials said." ... "Those improvement efforts face a huge challenge mitigating problems in what the EPA estimates to be 1.2 million miles of sewers snaking underground across the USA." ... "Waste gurgles from manholes and gushes down streams and rivers somewhere in the USA almost every day, the EPA estimates." ... "Gannett News Service analyzed enforcement and compliance records compiled by the EPA and state regulators from January 2003 to February 2008." ... "The analysis found that at least one-third of the nation's large, publicly owned sewage treatment systems were the subject of formal enforcement actions by the EPA or state regulators for sewage spills or other violations. Those enforcement actions included fines as well as orders to fix problems or expand treatment capacity. Fines totaling $35 million were assessed against 494 of the nation's 4,200 municipal facilities that treat at least 1 million gallons of sewage daily, the analysis shows." ... "An EPA 2004 report to Congress estimated that 850 billion gallons of storm water mixed with raw sewage pour into U.S. waters every year from older, combined sewer systems that were designed to overflow in wet weather. These combined systems, built by cities in the 19th and early 20th centuries, are now considered antiquated and a threat to public health and the environment, according to the EPA and environmental groups." ... "The EPA's 2002 Clean Water and Drinking Water Infrastructure Gap Analysis reported the nation's municipal sewer authorities' capital needs to meet clean water requirements from 2000 to 2019 ranged from $331 billion to $450 billion. Based on that data, the National Association of Clean Water Agencies now puts that range at $350 billion to $500 billion for the next 20 years, association spokeswoman Susan Bruninga said." -By Larry Wheeler and Grant Smith with contributions by Robert Benincasa and Dan Klepal -USATODAY

20080502

Stephen Johnson - Corporate - Government - Politics - Fetal - Human - Health - Science - Environmental - Safety - Enforcement - Emergency - Wildlife - Soil - Water - Law - Manufacturing - History - Michigan - Illinois - "EPA's top Midwest regulator forced out: Mary Gade, based in Chicago [Illinois], says [Republican President] Bush administration made her quit over Dow Chemical case." ... "The Bush administration forced its top environmental regulator in the Midwest to quit Thursday after months of internal bickering about dioxin contamination downstream from Dow Chemical's world headquarters in Michigan." ... "In an interview with the [Chicago] Tribune, Mary Gade said two top officials at the U.S. [United States] Environmental Protection Agency headquarters in Washington stripped her of her powers as regional administrator and told her to quit or be fired by June 1." ... "Gade said she had told the agency she would resign her position, based in Chicago [Illinois]." ... "For the past year, Gade has been locked in a heated dispute with Dow about long-delayed plans to clean up dioxin-saturated soil and sediment that extends 50 miles beyond its Midland, Mich. [Michigan], plant into Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron." ... "Gade, a former corporate attorney appointed by Bush in September 2006, invoked emergency powers last year to force Dow to clean up four hot spots of dioxin, including the largest amount of the cancer-causing chemical ever recorded in the United States." ... "In January, Dow urged officials at the EPA's [Environmental Protection Agency's] headquarters to intervene after Gade broke off negotiations intended to renew the terms for a more comprehensive cleanup. Neither side would reveal details, citing confidentiality agreements, but Gade said Dow resisted taking steps needed to protect human health and wildlife." ... "Though regional EPA administrators typically have wide latitude to enforce environmental laws, Gade drew fire from officials in Washington last month after she sent contractors to test soil in a Saginaw [Michigan] neighborhood where Dow had found high dioxin levels." ... "She said top lieutenants to Stephen Johnson, the national EPA administrator, repeatedly questioned her aggressive action against Dow, which long ago acknowledged it is responsible for the dioxin contamination but has resisted federal and state involvement in cleanup plans." ... "Dow dumped dioxin-contaminated waste into the waterways for most of the last century. The chemical, which is so toxic that it is measured in trillionths of a gram, was a manufacturing byproduct of the Vietnam-era herbicide Agent Orange and other chlorinated herbicides." ... "Company documents show Dow knew by the mid-1960s that it could make people sick or even kill them." ... "Citing years of independent studies, the EPA says dioxin can cause cancer, disrupt the immune system and alter fetal development." ... ""We have a responsibility to make sure people are living in a healthy and safe environment," Gade said. "This problem has been out there for more than 30 years, and it's unconscionable that action hasn't been taken."" (1, 2) -By Michael Hawthorne -ChicagoTribune

20080423

Safety - Politics - I-35W Bridge Disaster - Investigation - Transportation - Construction - Minnesota - "Congressman, NTSB chairman clash on bridge investigation." ... "A Democratic congressman on Wednesday urged the National Transportation Safety Board to reverse its decision not to hold an interim public hearing on last year's deadly bridge collapse in Minneapolis [Minnesota]." ... ""In the greater Minnesota area, there is huge skepticism about the objectivity of the board in conducting this inquiry," [Minnesota Democratic Represenative] Rep. Jim Oberstar, D-Minn. [Democratic-Minnesota], told NTSB [National Transportation Safety Board] chairman Mark Rosenker at a congressional hearing. "And I'm not asking you, I'm telling you, that a public hearing will dispel, go a long way to dispel, the questions raised and the lack of trust in the board's actions."" ... "The board's three Republicans, including Rosenker, voted against a public hearing, while the two Democratic board members voted to hold one." ... "Oberstar, the chairman of the House Transportation Committee, said at a subcommittee hearing Wednesday that he's more concerned with a thorough investigation than a timely one." ... "A final cause on the [August] Aug. 1 bridge collapse, which killed 13 people and injured 145, won't be determined until later this year. But NTSB memos point to undersize steel plates and heavy loads of construction materials as the likely cause of the deadly collapse. In January, Rosenker called the undersized plates, known as gusset plates, "the critical factor" in the bridge collapse." ... "That early pronouncement has angered some Democrats, especially Oberstar, who has argued that it could commit the board to conclusions that will be difficult to change in light of further investigation. Meanwhile, the state's Republican governor, Tim Pawlenty, has viewed it as some vindication because the initial focus by critics had been on maintenance and upkeep." -By Frederic J. Frommer -AP via -SeattleTimes

20080422

Smog - Science - Elderly - Children - Environmental - Safety - Government - Politics - Fuel - Industry - Clean Air - Law - "Scientists: Smog contributes to premature death." ... "Short-term exposure to smog, or ozone, is clearly linked to premature deaths that should be taken into account when measuring the health benefits of reducing air pollution, a National Academy of Sciences review concludes." ... "The findings contradict arguments made by some [Republican President Bush] White House officials that the connection between smog and premature death has not been shown sufficiently and that the number of saved lives should not be calculated in determining clean air benefits." ... "The report released Tuesday by a panel of the Academy's National Research Council says government agencies "should give little or no weight" to such arguments." ... ""The committee has concluded from its review of health-based evidence that short-term exposure to ambient ozone is likely to contribute to premature deaths," the 13-member panel said." ... "It added that "studies have yielded strong evidence that short-term exposure to ozone can exacerbate lung conditions, causing illness and hospitalization and can potentially lead to death."" ... "Ground-level ozone is formed from nitrogen oxide and organic compounds created by burning fossil fuels and is demonstrated often by the yellow haze or smog that lingers in the air. Ozone exposure is a leading cause of respiratory illnesses and especially affects the elderly, those with respiratory problems and children." -AP via -CNN

20080417

- - Media - Politics - Corporate - Network - 2008 Election - - - - - Torture - - Human Rights - - Consumer - - - Safety - - - - Death Penalty - "Okay, Now I'm Bitter." [Mary Mapes on what DISNEY/ABC didn't cover in the 2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate debate in Pennsylvania with Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama] ... "In Iraq, we've seen a rebound in suicide bombings and gotten the disquieting information that Iraqi soldiers have been fleeing the battlefield in frightening numbers." ... "Americans learned that detailed discussions of torture techniques had been held in the [Republican President] White House -- our White House -- and President Bush revealed that he knew this and approved." ... "[Home] Foreclosure rates have spiked to frightening levels." ... "U.S. [United States] shoppers were told that food prices in this country are rising at a higher pace than at any time in the past 17 years." ... "The airline industry floundered through dreadful days of groundings, amidst safety concerns, economic ailments and passenger anger." ... "Oil prices are setting new records almost every day and $4 a gallon gas is coming soon to a service station near you." ... "The anguish over China's human rights record and its handling of Tibet turned the Olympic torch relay into a cross between Spain's Running of the Bulls and 3rd grade keep-away." ... "[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain, acting like a mean old man trying to chase those pesky voters off his lawn, refused to endorse a new GI bill that would help those currently serving our country get a college education." ... "The Supreme Court issued a fractured opinion on the death penalty that for the first time in years raises the real possibility of a national debate on the value and morality of the ultimate punishment." ... "And we are in the middle of what is clearly the most important, most consequential election of my lifetime -- and I'm no spring chicken." ... "Instead, I sat in front of my TV open-mouthed, listening to a hodgepodge of juvenile questions about flag jewelry, the possibility of a "dream" ticket, elderly radicals, Charlie Gibson's personal tax concerns and ministers who emote too much. What, no time for a question about Cindy McCain's purloined pork chop recipe?" -By Mary Mapes -HuffingtonPost.com

20080410

Safety - Enforcement - Corporate - Politics - Federal - Aviation - Lawmakers - Ill - Texas - "Lawmakers blame FAA for mass flight cancellations." ... "Outrage over mass cancellations of American Airlines flights spilled into Congress on Thursday as lawmakers blamed regulators at the Federal Aviation Administration for indirectly contributing to the hardships shouldered by thousands of stranded travelers." ... "Nicholas Sabatini, the FAA's associate administrator for safety, endured relentless questions by members of a Senate subcommittee on aviation, who took turns denouncing "systematic" regulatory failures by the FAA. Several suggested that the cancellations may not have been necessary if the agency had been tougher in the past." ... "In the past three days, American Airlines has grounded nearly 2,500 flights to repair wiring bundles in the wheel wells of its MD-80 fleet. The repairs were ordered after the FAA toughened its oversight of commercial airlines following allegations that FAA officials in Texas allowed Dallas-based Southwest Airlines to fly potentially unsafe airplanes that were overdue for inspections." ... ""I don't think there is any question that the FAA has been lax in enforcing safety regulations," [Illinois Democratic Representative] Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Ill. [Democratic-Illinois], chairman of the House aviation subcommittee, said in a telephone interview." -By Dave Montgomery -McClatchyDC.com
Food - Safety - History - "U.S. Hasn't Put Lid on Food Poisonings: Nation's Food Safety Not Improving, According to Latest CDC [Centers for Disease Control] Report That Shows No Drop in Food Poisoning Cases." ... "Efforts to improve U.S. [United States] food safety have not yet borne fruit, a new CDC report shows." ... "The CDC's Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network, called FoodNet, began tracking cases of food-borne illnesses in 1996 in 10 U.S. states. The idea is to track infection trends for the 10 most important causes of food poisoning." ... "The 2007 FoodNet numbers are here." ... "... [T]here has been no significant improvement since 2004. Compared with 2004-2006, there's been no real decline in cases of food-borne disease caused by campylobacter, listeria, salmonella, shigella, E. coli, vibrio, or yersinia bacteria." ... "Cases of infection with the waterborne parasite cryptosporidium went up...[.]" ... "2007 was also a year in which there were several widespread outbreaks of salmonella infection, including outbreaks from contaminated peanut butter, frozen pot pies, puffed vegetable snacks, and live pet turtles." -By Daniel J. DeNoon -WebMD.com

20080408

Drug - Safety - Investigation - Wis - US - China - Animals - Corporation - "Reports of deaths linked to blood-thinner heparin triple." .. "The number of reports of deaths linked to all versions of the blood thinner heparin -- including a tainted version of the drug sold by Baxter International Inc. [Incorporated] -- have tripled, according to a new report released Tuesday by the U.S. [United States] Food and Drug Administration." .. "The FDA [Food and Drug Administration] said there are now 62 reports of deaths of patients who experienced one or more allergic reactions and who were infused with heparin from Jan. [January] 1, 2007 through the end of last month, the agency said. That compares to just 19 deaths from an earlier FDA report." .. "Baxter recalled the drug in February after a spike in severe allergic reactions in patients. Further investigation revealed a significant amount of an unidentified foreign substance contaminated batches of heparin." .. "The suspected ingredient originated at a Changzhou, China, plant owned by Scientific Protein Laboratories, a Baxter supplier based in Waunakee, Wis. [Wisconsin] Last month the FDA disclosed that low-cost animal cartilage made its way into Baxter's heparin but has not determined a specific link to allergic reactions." -By Bruce Japsen -ChicagoTribune

20080403

Corporate - Government - Aviation - Safety - Audit - Transportation- Law - Texas - "FAA Whistleblower Says He Was Threatened: Tells Congress Agency Viewed Airlines More Like "Customers" Than Companies To Be Regulated." ... "The FAA [Federal Aviation Agency] last month took the rare step of ordering the audit of maintenance records at all domestic carriers following reports of missed safety inspections at Dallas[Texas]-based Southwest. The airline was hit with a record $10.2 million fine for continuing to fly dozens of Boeing 737s that hadn't been inspected for cracks in their fuselages." ... "Both FAA whistleblowers - Charalambe Boutris and [Douglas] Peters - said the agency views the airlines as its "customers" instead of companies to be regulated. They said the FAA's chief maintenance inspector at Southwest, Douglas T. Gawadzinski, knowingly allowed Southwest to keep planes flying that put passengers at risk, and that another inspector knew of the problem and did nothing." ... "Gawadzinski is still employed by the FAA, but has no responsibility for safety decisions, said Nicholas Sabatini, the agency's associate administrator for aviation safety. The FAA will "take whatever action the law will allow" when the investigation into the Southwest episode is complete, he added." ... "Gawadzinski was not asked to testify at Thursday's hearing because he was considered to be a hostile witness who would most likely refuse to answer questions that could have incriminated himself, according to a spokesman for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee." -AP via -CBSNews
Corporate - Federal - Aviation - Safety - Transportation - Law - Jobs - Politics - Censorship - Minn - "FAA Inspectors Say Jobs Were Threatened: Committee Investigating 'Culture Of Coziness'." ... "The whistleblowers who exposed maintenance and inspection problems at Southwest Airlines told Congress Thursday that their jobs were threatened." ... "They also told U.S. [United States Minnesota Democratic Represenative] Rep. Jim Oberstar, D-Minn. [Democratic-Minnesota], and other members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee that their reports of noncompliance were ignored for years by their superiors." ... "Federal Aviation Administration inspector Douglas Peters choked up during the hearing and needed a few sips of water to tell lawmakers about how a former manager came into his office, commented on pictures of Peters' family being most important, and then said his job could be jeopardized by his actions." ... "Oberstar said FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] managers' actions displayed "malfeasance bordering on corruption," adding that if presented to a grand jury, the evidence would result in an indictment." -KCTV5.com

20080325

American - Workers - Health - Safety - Lawsuit - KBR Halliburton - Corporation - Government - History - Texas - Oil - Construction - Science - Iraq - Cayman Islands - Politics - "Iraq contractor fights suit over toxic exposure: Tax loophole may subject construction firm to damages." ... "When the American team arrived in Iraq in the summer of 2003 to repair the Qarmat Ali water injection plant, supervisors told them the orange, sand-like substance strewn around the looted facility was just a "mild irritant," workers recall." ... "The workers got it on their hands and clothing every day while racing for 2 1/2 months to meet a deadline to get the plant, a crucial part of Iraq's oil infrastructure, up and running." ... "But the chemical turned out to be sodium dichromate, a substance so dangerous that even limited exposure greatly increases the risk of cancer. Soon, many of the 22 Americans and 100-plus Iraqis began to complain of nosebleeds, ulcers, and shortness of breath. Within weeks, nearly 60 percent exhibited symptoms of exposure, according to the minutes of a meeting of project managers from KBR, the Houston[Texas]-based construction company in charge of the repairs." ... "Now, nine Americans are accusing KBR, then a subsidiary of the oil conglomerate Halliburton, of knowingly exposing them to the deadly substance and failing to provide them with the protective equipment needed to keep them safe." ... "But the workers, like all employees injured in Iraq, face an uphill struggle in their quest for damages. Under a World War II-era federal workers compensation law, employers are generally protected from employee lawsuits, except in rare cases in which it can be proven that the company intentionally harmed its employees or committed outright fraud." ... "KBR is citing the law, called the Defense Base Act, as grounds to reject the workers' request for damages." ... "But the company's own actions have undermined its case: To avoid payroll taxes for its American employees, KBR hired the workers through two subsidiaries registered in the Cayman Islands, part of a strategy that has allowed KBR to dodge hundreds of millions of dollars in Social Security and Medicare taxes." ... "That gives the workers' lawyer, Mike Doyle of Houston, a chance to argue to an arbitration board that KBR is not an employer protected by federal law, but a third-party that can be sued." -By Farah Stockman -Boston/Globe

20080313

Federal - Food - Safety - History - Agriculture - Animal - Corporation - Politics - California - "House grills meat packing chief: 'Downer' cow beef may have been consumed." ... "The president of the company that was the subject of the largest meat recall in U.S. history admitted Wednesday that "downer" cattle -- cows that cannot stand because of sickness or injury -- were slaughtered by his company and could have made it into the food supply." ... "Steve Mendell of California-based Westland/Hallmark Meat Packing Co. made the concession to the House Oversight and Investigations subcommittee after he was shown a video provided by the Humane Society of the United States that featured a downer cow being slaughtered in a kill box." ... "Under pressure from federal agriculture officials, the company recalled 143 million pounds of ground beef last month and laid off 220 workers." ... "Ailing cows are at greater risk of carrying E. coli, salmonella bacteria and the fatal neurological disorder known as mad cow disease." -By Whitney Blair Wyckoff -LAtimes -ChicagoTribune

20080310

Water - Drugs - Human - Health - Environmental - Science - Investigation - Industry - Consumer - Safety - Federal - Law - Earth - Wildlife - California - New Jersey - Michigan - Ky - "Sex Hormones, Mood Stabilizers Found In Drinking Water Of 41 M Americans." ... "A vast array of pharmaceuticals _ including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones _ have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, an Associated Press investigation shows." ... "To be sure, the concentrations of these pharmaceuticals are tiny, measured in quantities of parts per billion or trillion, far below the levels of a medical dose. Also, utilities insist their water is safe." ... "But the presence of so many prescription drugs _ and over-the-counter medicines like acetaminophen and ibuprofen _ in so much of our drinking water is heightening worries among scientists of long-term consequences to human health." ... "In the course of a five-month inquiry, the AP discovered that drugs have been detected in the drinking water supplies of 24 major metropolitan areas _ from Southern California to Northern New Jersey, from Detroit [Michigan] to Louisville, Ky. [Kentucky.]" ... "How do the drugs get into the water?" ... "People take pills. Their bodies absorb some of the medication, but the rest of it passes through and is flushed down the toilet. The wastewater is treated before it is discharged into reservoirs, rivers or lakes. Then, some of the water is cleansed again at drinking water treatment plants and piped to consumers. But most treatments do not remove all drug residue." ... "And while researchers do not yet understand the exact risks from decades of persistent exposure to random combinations of low levels of pharmaceuticals, recent studies _ which have gone virtually unnoticed by the general public _ have found alarming effects on human cells and wildlife." ... "The federal government doesn't require any testing and hasn't set safety limits for drugs in water." ... "The AP's investigation also indicates that watersheds, the natural sources of most of the nation's water supply, also are contaminated." ... "Even users of bottled water and home filtration systems don't necessarily avoid exposure. Bottlers, some of which simply repackage tap water, do not typically treat or test for pharmaceuticals, according to the industry's main trade group. The same goes for the makers of home filtration systems." ... "Pharmaceuticals also permeate aquifers deep underground, source of 40 percent of the nation's water supply." -By Jeff Donn, Martha Mendoza, and Justin Pritchard -AssociatedPress via -HuffingtonPost.com

20080309

Dick Cheney's - Halliburton KBR - Corporation - US - Iraq - Military - Water -Safety - Inpector - "AP Exclusive: US troops may have become sick in Iraq from contaminated water." ... "Dozens of U.S. [United States] troops in Iraq fell sick at bases using "unmonitored and potentially unsafe" water supplied by the military and a contractor once owned by [Republican] Vice President Dick Cheney's former company [Halliburton Co.], the Pentagon's internal watchdog says." ... "A report obtained by The Associated Press said soldiers experienced skin abscesses, cellulitis, skin infections, diarrhea and other illnesses after using discolored, smelly water for personal hygiene and laundry at five U.S. military sites in Iraq." ... "The Defense Department's inspector general's report, which could be released as early as Monday, found water quality problems between March 2004 and February 2006 at three sites run by contractor KBR Inc.[Incorporated], and between January 2004 and December 2006 at two military-operated locations." (1, 2) -AP via -IHT.com

20080306

Military - Safety - Clothing - Mississippi - Texas - US - Iraq - Afghanistan - "U.S. troops buy own gear for safety, style in battle: Since 9/11, the market for tactical war gear has grown to $150 million annually." ... "The traditional Army credo is that it's guts that win the glory – not fancy long-johns or Oakley sunglasses. But that old-school thinking is wicking away like perspiration through Gore-Tex as US soldiers today go beyond military-issue battle dress uniforms in favor of top-of-the-line gear to help them get home in one piece – and look sharp, too." ... "One reason, critics say, is that military procurement, especially of life-saving equipment, is still too slow. Quietly, however, the Pentagon – with the Army leading the charge – has begun bypassing rigid procurement rules, loosening uniformity requirements, and even spearheading technical innovations in gear, ranging from flame-retardant shirts to low-infrared signature zippers." ... "To some critics, the sight of soldiers buying their own battle gear symbolizes a divide between frontline grunts and rear echelon procurement officers who may never have seen battle. [Mississippi Democratic Representative] Rep. Gene Taylor (D [Democratic]) of Mississippi told the House Armed Services Committee last week that supplies such as body armor and uparmored Humvees "[have] taken entirely too long" to get to frontline troops." ... "In some cases, charity groups have stepped in to help. Operation Helmet, founded by Bob Meaders of Montgomery, Texas, shipped special helmet liners to soldiers to replace what many soldiers said were poorly designed helmet pads issued by the Army and the Marines. Just as Operation Helmet thought its work was done late last year, more requests came in from troops in Iraq and Afghanistan." ... ""The Army is planning a $20 billion future combat system, and they can't provide boots that don't wear out," says Roger Charles, editor of DefenseWatch, an investigative website that advocates on behalf of frontline soldiers. "There's no priority for taking care of relatively mundane items where most people would think, 'Gosh, that's so simple. Why don't they have the best boots, the best uniforms, the best helmets, and the best flak jackets?' " " (1, 2) -By Patrik Jonsson -CSMonitor

20080229

British - Afghanistan - US - Military - Safety - Secrecy - Politics - "Prince's cover in Afghanistan blown by Drudge Report." ... "An American website, the Drudge Report, broke a news blackout yesterday by revealing that Prince Harry has been serving in Afghanistan for more than two months." ... "To the fury of the Ministry of Defence and condemnation from the head of the British Army, General Sir Richard Dannatt, the website announced a "world exclusive" and proclaimed: "They're calling him 'Harry the Hero!"." ... "The article brought to an end an agreement with the media that the Prince's deployment to Helmand be kept quiet in the interests of his safety and that of the soldiers with him." ... "The decision to send Prince Harry, 23, to Afghanistan under a cloak of secrecy came after the furore that followed the revelation of his proposed deployment to Iraq. Much to the Prince's frustration, General Dannatt announced in May last year that it would be too risky, fearing the Prince and his comrades in the Household Cavalry would become top priority targets for insurgents." ... "Immediately, officers decided the only way the third-in-line to the throne could continue to do his duty without creating an additional security risk was to send him secretly, calling on the media to co-operate in a news blackout." -By Terri Judd -Independent.co.uk

20080219

Drug - Safety - US - China - Manufacturers - Corporate - Government - Database - Politics - Michigan - "FDA Says It Approved The Wrong Drug Plant: Heparin Probe Sends Inspectors to China." ... "The Chinese facility that supplies the active ingredient of the widely used blood thinner heparin was never inspected by the [Republican President Bush's] Food and Drug Administration because the agency confused its name with another just like it, agency officials said yesterday." ... "More than 350 adverse reactions to the drug have been reported to the FDA since the end of 2007, including a dangerous lowering of blood pressure, breathing difficulties and vomiting. Four patients who took the drug died. One of its two manufacturers, Baxter International, stopped selling its multiple-dose vials of heparin earlier this month, and yesterday the FDA advised doctors to prescribe alternatives." ... "Millions of people each year are given the drug during dialysis or to prevent complications from surgery, but the FDA has never checked the Chinese plant where the active ingredient is made." ... "[Michigan Democratic Representative John] Dingell noted that the agency seems uncertain even of the number of foreign drugmakers, with one database saying there are 7,000 while another counts 3,000." -By Marc Kaufman -WashingtonPost

20080215

Corporate - Government - Drug - Manufacturing - Safety - Politics - Investigation - Wisconsin - Michigan - US - China - "F.D.A. Broke Its Rules by Not Inspecting Chinese Plant With Problem Drug." ... "The Food and Drug Administration [overseen by Republican President Bush] violated its own policies when it approved for sale a crucial blood-thinning drug without first inspecting a Chinese plant which, along with a plant in Wisconsin, made the drug’s active pharmaceutical ingredient." ... "“It was obviously a glitch” that the drug, heparin, produced and sold by Baxter International, was approved for sale without a plant inspection, said Karen Riley, an F.D.A. spokeswoman." ... "[Michigan Democratic] Representative Bart Stupak, Democrat of Michigan and chairman of a House investigative subcommittee, said that no matter what happened with the heparin inquiry, the F.D.A.’s inability to provide basic information about the Chinese manufacturing plant weeks after concerns were first raised was deeply troubling." ... "“They can’t tell us if they’ve inspected this plant, what other problems might have been identified at this plant, or what other U.S. firms might be getting supplies from this plant,” he said." ... "Over the past year, a wave of tainted goods from China, including deadly pet food ingredients and tainted fish, has prompted concern about whether [F.D.A.] regulators are adequately monitoring imports’ safety." -By Gardiner Harris and Walt Bogdanich with contributions by Andrew W. Lehren -NYTimes

20080214

Peoples - Housing - Safety - Emergency - Politics - Government - Science - Investigators - Censorship - Hurricane Katrina - Hurricane Rita - Weather - "CDC Confirms Health Risks to Occupants of Trailers." ... "Federal health officials have confirmed that high levels of formaldehyde gas pose health risks to hurricane victims housed in 38,000 government trailers on the Gulf Coast, and will recommend that occupants be moved before temperatures rise this spring and summer, [Republican President] Bush administration officials disclosed yesterday." ... "The findings cap nearly two years of internal government deliberation over the housing of hurricane Katrina and Rita survivors in the trailers, and come 23 months after FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency ] first received reports of health problems and test results showing formaldehyde levels at 75 times the U.S.[United States]-recommended workplace safety threshold." ... "[Mississippi Democratic Representative] Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, criticized what he depicted as the [Repblican President] Bush administration's tardy response." ... "FEMA announced plans in July to test the occupied trailers after congression