Bisphenol A, or BPA—a fairly ubiquitous chemical used in polycarbonate plastic products, including baby bottles and metal can coatings could be linked to a range of hormonal problems—according to a recent and preliminary government report developed by a group of scientists from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Institutes of Health (NIH).  The federal National Toxicology Program said experiments on rats found precancerous tumors, urinary tract problems, and early puberty when animals were fed or injected with low doses of BPA.  The report claims that while such studies provide “limited evidence” of BPA’s risks, the effects on humans “cannot be dismissed.”

In March, a group of North American environmental and health groups released a paper revealing many popular baby bottle brands leach BPA and called for a moratorium on its use.  At that time, the FDA and the infant formula industry—which adheres to federal packaging guidelines—said BPA is legal and safe.  Critics disagreed and maintain that BPA, which mimics the hormone estrogen, causes hormonal, neurological, and behavioral problems.  Over 90 percent of Americans are exposed to trace amounts of BPA, according to the CDC and last month said animal testing revealed BPA has hormone-like effects on the reproductive system. (more…)

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will offer refunds to people who bought toxic FEMA trailers.  The toxic FEMA trailers issued to Hurricane Katrina survivors are contaminated with formaldehyde.  FEMA’s prior recommendation for fixing the problem was for families to open windows and turn on the air conditioner.  Despite mountains of evidence to the contrary, David Paulison, FEMA’s administrator said, “I don’t know that the trailers are causing” any sickness.  The federal government began selling trailers in 2006 through online auctions and to victims of the devastation of Gulf Coast hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  Sales were suspended last July due to concerns over formaldehyde, which can cause respiratory problems.  Hundreds of people in Louisiana and Mississippi are suing manufacturers, accusing them of providing FEMA with toxic trailers that contained high levels of the toxin.

Today, the government says 86,000 families are still living in those white FEMA travel trailers across the Gulf and many of them are suffering with a host of health problems tied, medical experts believe, to the toxic FEMA trailers.  The trailers’ floors and cabinets were built with particleboard containing the chemical formaldehyde.  Formaldehyde is an invisible gas that is known to cause cancer. It can also cause other illnesses ranging from nose bleeds to chronic bronchitis. The chemical was used as glue in the FEMA trailers and mobile homes. At least two deaths of FEMA trailer residents have been linked to formaldehyde exposure. Under hot, humid conditions, formaldehyde lets off toxic fumes, especially harmful to young lungs.

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An asbestos whistleblower is claiming that has been demoted for speaking out about asbestos problems at New York City schools. According to a press release from his lawyer, John Kielbasa, a 22-year veteran steamfitter for the New York City Department of Education (DOE) has been reassigned to sweeping warehouse floors.  Nicknamed the “Serpico of the Schools” by co-workers, Kielbasa has been vigilant about reporting loose friable asbestos in a variety of New York City Schools over the last 15 years.  Kielbasa was recently informed by a New York City Law Department employee that the city recovered and continues to pursue claims against asbestos manufacturers; however, recovered monies are earmarked for the general fund and not asbestos abatement.  Breathing high levels of asbestos fibers is linked to increased risks of lung cancer, mesothelioma—a cancer of the lining of the chest and abdominal cavity—and asbestosis—in which lungs become scarred with fibrous tissue.

Until 2003, the notification method for loose friable asbestos in schools was to simply contact a supervisor by telephone.  This outdated system did not mandate documentation so there is no known proof of asbestos notifications prior to 2003.† Kielbasa’s attorney, Pete Gleason, believes the system was more malevolent than incompetent, guaranteeing no legitimate record would ever be maintained, much less created.  Public records confirm some city Schools were closed in the early 1990s for asbestos contamination.  In 2003, the DOE set up a fax notification system for asbestos in the schools; however, this system has not resulted in increased asbestos in schools.

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Sales of the CSI Fingerprint Examination Kit have been halted by the Department of Consumer Protection in Connecticut, which is alerting consumers to return the dangerous asbestos-laden toy to the original place of purchase.  “With the success of crime shows like CSI, it’s no surprise that kids want to get in on the excitement by pretending to be crime scene investigators, but our own investigation of the CSI Fingerprint Examination Kit identified a real-life culprit that must be promptly eliminated,” said Consumer Protection Commissioner Jerry Farrell Jr.  “We are immediately embargoing and recalling this item in Connecticut.”  The Department purchased the dangerous toys and Farrell Jr. contacted the Department of Public Health to request testing after reading a report identifying asbestos in the kit.  Department inspectors are embargoing the product at all retailers statewide—including Sears, Toys ‘R Us, Kay-Bee Toys, Walgreen’s Wal-Mart, and Costco—and is sending relevant information to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which may issue a national recall.

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Asbestos is present in many toys and consumer products, according to the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization.  The group, the nation’s largest asbestos victim’s organization, was created in 2004 by asbestos victims and their families, and has spent over $165,000 for government-certified laboratories to examine hundreds of consumer products and to determine asbestos contamination. 

Studies confirm that breathing high levels of asbestos fibers is linked to increased risks of lung cancer, mesothelioma-a cancer of the lining of the chest and abdominal cavity-and asbestosis-in which lungs become scarred with fibrous tissue.  The risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma increases with the number of fibers inhaled.  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) have banned several asbestos products and manufacturers have voluntarily limited asbestos use.  Many feel every exposure to asbestos fibers is associated with an increased risk of disease, thus, using asbestos-containing products may explain-in part-why some non-smokers get lung cancer and persons with no occupational exposures develop mesothelioma.

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Wednesday’s violent New York City steam pipe explosion has raised questions regarding Con Edison’s maintenance of the pipe network that runs under the city. And apparently, the steam pipes under 41st Street and Lexington Avenue, the site the massive underground explosion, had been the subject of concern for some time. According to a New York Times report, a leaking steam main under the street had been repaired this past March, and the pipe had been inspected only seven hours before it ruptured. Con Edison characterized the March leak as minor, and said it could not yet say whether the repair played any part in the blast.

Wednesday’s explosion occurred when a 24-inch Con Edison steam pipe burst. New York City officials have said they suspected that cold water from recent heavy rains had collected around the pipe, causing the steam inside to condense. The building pressure inside the pipe caused it to burst, sending hot vapor and asbestos-laden debris hundreds of feet into the air. One woman died as a result of the explosion, and as many as 40 people were injured.

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Asbestos has been found in the debris left behind from the New York City Con Edison steam pipe explosion that rocked Manhattan yesterday. Officials for the city’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) said in a press release that more than half of the debris samples taken from the site of the steam pipe explosion came back positive for the toxic substance Asbestos. Air samples taken at the same time showed no asbestos in the air around the site. Officials believe that because the explosion occurred in a wet environment, the dust settled quickly, leaving the air safe to breath.

Despite the clean air findings, the asbestos in the debris is still dangerous. Therefore, the city will continue to enforce a “frozen zone” between 40th Street and 43rd Street, and between Vanderbilt and Third Avenues. While people already in the frozen zone will be permitted to stay, no one will be allowed to enter the area while clean up is taking place. The city said it would shrink the closed off area as the clean up progresses.

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A steam pipe used by Con Edison in New York City violently exploded yesterday, injuring more than 30 people, and leaving one dead. The force of the explosion in Manhattan left a 25-foot crater in the NYC street and sent a giant plume of steam and debris hundreds of feet into the air.

The blast occurred at 5:47 p.m. at East 41st and Lexington Avenue. Mayor Michael Bloomberg promptly announced that New York City was not under terrorist attack, saying instead that an aging steam pipe had exploded underground. The Mayor characterized the blast as a “failure of our infrastructure”. The pipe, which was installed in the NYC street in 1924, could have exploded as a result of cold water collecting around it. The 24-inch pipe is part of a network used by the Con Edison Steam Business Unit to provide heat to 1,800 buildings in Manhattan. New York City has had heavy rain recently, and if cold water collected around the pipe, it could have created a “vapor condition”, causing the steam inside to condense. Eventually the pressure inside the pipe would have caused the steam pipe to explode. Con Edison said that the pipe involved in this incident had been inspected six weeks ago.

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World Trade Center rescue workers, many of them sickened by contaminated dust, finally had a chance to hear from former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Christine Todd Whitman at a congressional hearing investigating the government’s response to the terrorist attacks. Many first-responders hold Whitman and the EPA responsible for health problems they’ve suffered since aiding in the rescue efforts at Ground Zero. They contend that statements released by the agency and its former head led them to believe the air around the fallen buildings was safe to breath.

Calling the accusation that she deliberately misled the public “utterly false”, Whitman claimed that assertions she made a week after the WTC attack regarding air quality in lower Manhattan was safe were based on what experts had told her. But her testimony contradicts a 2003 report by the EPA’s own inspector general which found that the agency did not have any scientific facts to back up claims it made following the 9/11 attacks. Shortly after the tragedy, the EPA issued a series of statements assuring the public and the WTC Emergency Rescue Workers that the air around Ground Zero was safe to breathe. On September 18th Whitman herself was quoted in a press release: “Given the scope of the tragedy from last week, I am glad to reassure the people of New York and Washington, DC that their air is safe to breathe.” As a result, many rescue workers spent weeks sifting through the debris with little protective gear.

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Word Trade Center rescue workers and lower Manhattan residents were exposed to deadly dust due to misleading Information from the EPA. A report is shedding new light on misleading EPA claims in the wake of the 9/11 terrorism attacks on New York City. According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), residents of Lower Manhattan were never told the truth about dust contamination in their apartments and condominiums. As result of this inaccurate information, only a fraction of the 20,000 eligible residents and building owners bothered to take part in a special program designed to protect them from toxic World Trade Center dust.

In a report released last Wednesday, the GAO said that the Environmental Protection Agency used faulty methodology when it reported the results of a residential cleanup program in Lower Manhattan in 2002 and 2003. In that program, more than 4,000 residences in the area where decontaminated. At the time, the EPA reported that only a fraction of the air samples taken from those dwellings showed unsafe levels of asbestos. What the Agency did not admit at the time was that the vast majority of those samples came from homes that had previously been through the decontamination process.

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