The Birds and The PCBs talks about....Birds and PCBs

When I started this blog, I didn't think I was going to literally be blogging about birds and PCBs. But apparently I wrong.

I now present you with a heartbreaking story of songbirds, toxic chemicals, and tainted love. Sigh.

Researchers have found that chickadees that are exposed to very small, allowable levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) can’t keep a tune as well as other birds. Like many bird species, in chickadees, the females go for males with the best songs. So, PCB-exposed birds might lose out on mates, says Sara DeLeon, an ecologist at Cornell University.

The Cornell scientists examined chickadees living along New York’s Hudson River, not far from a General Electric power plant that used PCB insulators from 1907 until the 1970s, dumping some 500,000 kilograms of the toxic chemical into the river. The US government ordered GE to clean the PCB-contaminated waters, one of the country’s largest waste cleanups. Even though current levels are below EPA's regulatory limits and thus deemed "safe," traces remain in many sites on the river, and are impacting wildlife in subtle ways

PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, are a class of yucky chemicals that were banned in the 1970s for being persistent organic pollutants (POPs). They are found to bioaccumulate in people and animals. They also have subtle effects in human, such as influencing sex ratios.

While the lackluster love songs of the PCB-contaminated birds could be a warning to the female chickadees that their mates aren't healthy, this could pose some serious problems for bird populations. "[E]ven female choice against chemically tainted birds, as is the case with the Hudson River chickadees, can threaten local birds if males don’t seem a good mating prospect and females move elsewhere in search of untainted love, DeLeon says. 'Populations could end up declining and birds might not end up living there.'"

And there you have it. Heartbreak, heartache, and chickadees.

Source: New Scientist

I'll have the plankton soup with my soupy swill, please

According to a report by two U.S. scientists, "Spreading Dead Zones and Consequence for Marine Ecosystems," there are 405 asphyxiating dead zones in our oceans. At this rate, one scientist says, all that will be left for the next generation to harvest from the sea is "plankton soup."

Dead zones are caused by nutrient pollution, such as fertilizer runoff from agriculture, that adds phosphates and nitrogen to the water, causing massive algae blooms. The algae then die, and sink into the ocean, where bacteria consume it, sucking up the oxygen from the water and causing what is known as hypoxia, or a dead zone.

North America's largest dead zone is in the Gulf of Mexico: a 22,000-sq-km sea morgue the size of New Jersey.

Other dead zones have been discovered off California, in Lake Erie, around the Florida Keys, in North and South Carolina creeks and in Washington's Puget Sound. Together, they have turned 246,048 sq km of the seas - an area the equivalent of all five of the Great Lakes - into marine wastelands.

Because fish and other organisms can't live without oxygen, dead zones can be extremely detrimental to the fishing industry, as well as to aquatic ecosytems.

The good news is that with proper pollution prevention dead zones may be reversible. But, if we keep going the direction that we are going, all we have to look forward to is seas emptied of fish and filled with "soupy swill" - algae, bacteria and jellyfish and their ilk - the "rise of slime." This brave new ocean will resemble ancient oceans - a soup of primeval muck where "microbes and jellyfish . . . may constitute the only surviving commercial fishery"

Happy International Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Ahoy, mateys!

In honor of today, September 19th, being International Talk Like a Pirate Day, I've decided to take a break from the usual talk of toxic chemicals, environmental destruction, and the irreversible damage we've caused to the planet to offer some dumb hilarious environmental-themed pirate jokes!

Q: Whats a pirate's favorite owl?
A: A baaaarrrn owl

Q: Where does a pirate buy his/her groceries?
A: At the faaarrrmer's market (If pirates can buy local food, you can too)

Q: How do pirates fight global warming?
A: By reducing their caaaarbon footprint!

Q: Whats a pirate's favorite toxin?
A: Aaaaarsenic!

Q: What kind of milk do pirates drink?
A: aaaRBGH-Free (pirates say no to bovine growth hormone. obvs)

Leave your dumb hilarious eco-themed pirate joke below.

Consumer Rumors: Time to stop buying tissues

From Greenpeace's website, a new reason why we should all be wiping our noses with reusable hankies and wiping our bums with recycled toilet paper:

Shocking new photos released today reveal the existence of a massive stockpile of old-growth logs that are destined to become disposable products like Kleenex tissue and Cottonelle toilet paper for tissue giant Kimberly-Clark Corporation (K-C). The logs originate from the Ogoki Forest, the single most ecologically valuable area left in Ontario’s southern Boreal Forest and the site of growing controversy.

The stockpile is evidence of Kimberly-Clark’s egregious mismanagement of the forests despite company claims that “much of [the] fiber from the Canadian Boreal forest comes to K-C in the form of wood pulp produced from sawdust and chips – or leftovers – of the lumber production process.”

As these new photos and recent government correspondence reveal, Kimberly-Clark is currently purchasing huge quantities of pulp made primarily from whole, old-growth trees from intact areas of Canada’s Boreal Forest.

And, some astonishing facts from a recent report that Greenpeace put out on Kleenex, "Cut and Run":

• Kimberly-Clark uses hundreds of thousands of tonnes of tree fibre from the Kenogami Forest every year to produce disposable tissue products, including Kleenex.
• Kimberly-Clark directly managed and logged the Kenogami Forest for 71 years, from 1937 to 2004.
• Since Kimberly-Clark started logging there, 71 per cent of the Kenogami Forest has been fragmented. Woodland caribou have been driven out of 67 per cent of the forest, and wolverines have completely disappeared from its boundaries.
• Between 2001 and 2006 alone, 220,500 hectares (544,635 acres) of intact forest was fragmented—an area more than twice the size of Dallas.
• Caribou are predicted to die-off in 95 per cent of the forest within the next 20 years, due to the logging that has already been done. Eighty per cent of the monitored species in the forest are predicted to decline substantially within the next 100 years.
• Many of the remaining intact and old-growth forest areas in Kenogami, including critical threatened species habitat, are slated to be cut under the 2005–2010 and draft 2010–2011 plans.

(Eds note: Congrats to Rachel C. for winning the contest for naming this feature!)

Children do not need to be made fire retardant

A new study by the Environmental Working Group found that toddlers and preschoolers typically have 3 times as much toxic flame retardants in their blood as their mothers. In total, they found 11 different flame retardants in the children, and 86 percent of the time the chemicals were present at higher levels in the children than their mother.

Why is it a bad idea to have flame retardants in kids' bloodstreams? Flame retardants, or PBDEs, are widely used in in furniture foams, industrial textiles, and consumer electronics. PBDEs have been found in human breast milk, wildlife, and in food. In 1998, Swedish scientists discovered that PBDEs may pose significant risks to human and environmental health. As a result, the European Union and the states of California, Hawaii, Maine, New York and Washington took action to reduce, or ban, the use of PBDEs.

The good news is that the Michigan Legislature is currently discussing legislation to ban deca-BDE, a type of toxic flame retardant that shouldn't be used anymore. I just took action to get deca-BDE banned in Michigan, and if you live in Michigan, you should take a second to take action as well: http://www.mnceh.org/take.deca.php

Interesting Fact of the Day

Did you know that what we eat accounts for more than twice the amount of greenhouse gas emissions as how much we drive?

It may surprise you to learn that our diets account for up to twice as many greenhouse emissions as driving. One recent study suggested that the average US household's annual carbon food-print is 8.1 tonnes of "equivalent CO₂ emissions" or CO₂eq (a measure that incorporates any other greenhouse gases produced alongside the CO₂). That's almost twice the 4.4 tonnes of CO₂eq emitted by driving a 25-mile-per-US gallon (9 litres per 100 kilometres) vehicle 19,000 km - a typical year's mileage in the US.

Next time you are at the grocery store, make sure you look for local and organic food.

Source: New Scientist

Things That Make You Say Duh, Vol 4

"If you have an old forest on the ground, it's probably better to leave it there than to cut it"

The quote comes from a report showing that old growth forests absorb more carbon dioxide than they release into the atmosphere. There are a hell of a lot of other reasons to keep old growth forests around, but if this one will have an effect on decisions of whether to save old growth forests, then great.

If the forests get cut down, I guess we can always get the hippies to come and cry over the dead trees. Do you think that crying hippies are carbon sinks or carbon sources?

Source: AP

In Defense Of Community Organizing: Make Sarah Palin Apologize

In her acceptance speech last night at the Republican National Convention, Vice Presidential nominee and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin said, "I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a `community organizer,' except that you have actual responsibilities."

Nominally, her words were an assault on Barack Obama's early career as a community organizer on Chicago's south side. But the impact reaches farther than that and is a direct affront to the thousands who have dedicated their lives to making America great.

Community organizing is the heart and soul of American democracy. We are privileged to live in a country where people with the energy and passion to dream of a better world can put in the sweat and shoe leather to build social movements from the ground up. Indeed, if it weren't for the sacrifice of organizers, we wouldn't have many of the opportunities we take for granted today -- from the 40-hour work week and the minimum wage to protections for a woman's right to choose and the right of African Americans to vote.

In fact, Sarah Palin would never have been able to take the stage as the nominee at a national political convention if it weren't for community organizers of the past who dreamed of, fought for, and won the right of women's suffrage.

Americans dedicate themselves to public service in many ways, and everyone who gives of themselves for the betterment of our nation -- from small-town mayors to community organizers -- should be recognized and honored for their valuable contribution.

Tell Governor Palin to apologize for her remarks regarding community organizers. Sign the petition.

Maybe the world needs more hippies crying over dead trees

Hippies Wail for Dead Trees - Watch more free videos

Toxic Chemicals Do the Darndest Things

In honor of recent news headlines, my undying love of lists, and the successful completion of the first week of my new environmental health graduate program, The Birds and The PCBs is happy to present:

The top 6 weirdest health effects that toxic chemicals can cause:

6. Obesity: Apparently, pollution can make you fat, according to a groundbreaking new Spanish study. The results indicate that exposure to chemicals before birth makes children more likely to grow up and become obese. This is just the latest in a series of studies showing that fetal exposure to chemicals can interfere with hormone processes and affect weight later in life. (Thanks to Brian from Arsenic and Old Face for sending this to me!)

5. Baby Girls: As I reported back in August, PCBS and other chemicals can interfere sex ratios and cause an abundance of baby girls. In fact, one village in the Arctic only has baby girls being born. And, a study from earlier in the summer found that women in San Francisco with high levels of PCBs in their bodies who became pregnant were a third less likely to give birth to a baby boy

4. Violent Crime: Studies show that even low levels of lead can cause brain damage and, surprisingly, make those exposed to lead more likely to commit violent crimes. In fact, studies have linked lead exposure with higher numbers of juvenile deliquency acts. One of my environmental justice professors wants to study lead levels of prisoners, and I wouldn't be surprised if they have higher levels of lead in their bodies. For more info on lead exposure, see Sustaino's excellent post "Lead (Pb) Belly."

3. Hermaphrodism: As I reported back in August, researchers in Florida have found that in heavily farmed areas, 40% of male toads have abnormalities that make them more like female toads, likely due to agricultural pollution. This study is strengthened by studies coming out of UC Berkeley showing that the most commonly used herbicide in the US, atrazine, feminizes frogs and turns them into hermaphrodites- even at low levels allowable by EPA in waterways. Scary stuff!

2. Impaired Art Skills: Pesticides are known to affect learning and behavior in small children. A chilling example of this comes from a study of children in the Yaqui Valley, Mexico. Dr. Elizabeth Guillette studied two villages- one where pesticides were heavily used in agriculture, and one where pesticides were not used. Although the children exposed to pesticides did not have any overt symptoms, they children demonstrated decreases in stamina, eye-hand coordination, memory and in the ability to draw a person. While the unexposed children drew pictures of people normal for their age and developmental stage, the pesticide-exposed children's drawing were so different, it was shocking. See for yourself:


1. Teen pregnancies: And finally, one of the weirdest effects of toxic chemical exposure. Lead exposure in young mothers has been found to be associated with repeat teen pregnancies, as well as tobacco use. The study, "Environmental Injustice: Childhood Lead Poisoning, Teen Pregnancy, and Tobacco," was just recently published. The authors explain that lead poisoning can delay cognitive development in young women. "Because lead poisoning potentially impacts both cognitive ability and executive functioning, these two factors may operate synergistically in reducing the teen’s ability to avoid pregnancy."

Watch as our planet melts

One of my professors today showed us this handy tool for tracking the most up-to-date satellite images of Arctic ice and comparing it to any day in the last 30 years. The results are truly horrifying. See for yourself: http://igloo.atmos.uiuc.edu/cgi-bin/test/print.sh

Not the fireflies also!

As someone who grew up on the east coast spending hours as a kid chasing around fireflies, its always been weird when I find someone who has never seen them before. It seems like that might become more and more common, however, as experts are reporting that firefly populations are dropping significantly. In fact, populations are down as much as 70%.

Possible causes include urban sprawl, industrial pollution, and artificial lights. It doesn't say it in the article, but I'm going to guess that global climate change isn't helping these little guys.

Fireflies seem to be just the most recent in a long list of species that are in declines, from honeybees to bats to amphibian populations, it seems like more and more species are in serious trouble.

Important Message From Community Activists in the Gulf Coast

Dear friends:

As tropical storm Gustave bares down on the Gulf of Mexico we find ourselves in a very dire situation. Our organization has worked to assist the residents of Plaquemines parish recover from the devastation of Katrina over the last three years and now we are faced with another evacuation to places unknown.

At present, as we make plans to leave our FEMA Campers and partially rebuilt homes and our communities we will be under a "Mandatory Evacuation" by Saturday August 30, 2008. We have about 30 men, women, children and elderly that are in need of assistance and care through out this difficult and stressful time. We have purchased food, water and are looking to arrangement for shelter and have exhausted our resources.

Monique Harden and her organization has donated $300.00 dollars towards the housing and care of these good people. We have plans to house ourselves at Jelly Stone Park in cabins that can sleep 6 to 10 people. These cabins are $80 to $110 dollars per day and allow us to house groups in a situation we can accomodate the kids and elderly in our group. We are asking for your help to provide for these needy people.

Because we do not know the direction or severity of this storm, we may have to go further north if it moves inland and the parish we are going to has a mandatory Evac as well. Hotels and other housing alternatives are all booked up as far as Tennessee and we may have to move these folks further north to a safe location.

Any ammount of assistance is a help and will be used to care for this group of people. They all have some money, but it will be used up quickly idf we have to travel 10+ hours to safety.

You can send this assistance to: Martin Denesse with a note for Hurricane Evac Assistance Western Union and e-mail me that you have donated. I will respond to the e-mail and let you know we have recieved it. Western Union should be sent to the New Orleans Location as it willl allow me to access the funds at any western Union Location nation wide.

I would ask one more thing of you, we have lost so much and the stress of this situation is great especially on children and the elderly...pray for us and that God would sustain us and protect us.

Blessings...

Pastor Martin Denesse
Grace Harbour Christian Ministries
Community Technology & Economic Development Center
for Plaquemines Parish
504-208-1479 Office / 318-607-7133 cell
One Parish...One Community...One Nation Under God!

Things that make you say duh, Volume 3

This just in from the United National Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO): The United States and other developed countries waste a lot of food and water every year.

You think?

The amount that the U.S. wastes is quite staggering, however. in the United States, up to 30 percent of food, worth almost $50 billion, is thrown away each year. Wasted food also means wasted water that didn't have to be used to grow the food.

"That's like leaving the tap running and pouring 40 trillion litres of water into the garbage can - enough water to meet the household needs of 500 million people," the report said.

Anyone else think its about time for a new food system?

Source: The Vancouver Sun

How do pirates fight global warming?

By reducing their cAAARGHbon footprints!

(Actually, there is a point to the this blog post, the pirate joke was just a freebie.)

Apparently, increased numbers of pirate attacks on ships carrying large loads of chemicals have raised international concerns about chemical terrorism. According to Chemical and Engineering News, last year there were 263 reports of attempted or actual attacks on vessels worldwide. Of these reports, 23 were on chemical tankers and 29 were on product tankers, which may carry bulk chemical loads that include oil. These numbers are exepected to be grossly under-reported.

Um. If terrorism is the only concern with ships carrying 40,000 tons of cancer causing toxins across the ocean, then I'll be dAARGHned.

This is fracking ridiculous

Fracking* fluids, or fracturing fluids, are fluids that are pumped into the ground to break up rocks and increase oil production in a process known as hydraulic fracking. Around 90 percent of all oil and gas wells in the U.S. uses this process.

The problem is, these fracking fluids are extremely toxic and go largely unregulated. Yet, millions of gallons of these fluids are used every years, and there are hundreds of reported spills.The EPA, however, says that fracking fluids are safe for the environment and groundwater, even though this is clearly not the case. Check out this Newsweek article on the health and environmental effects of fracking, and story of one woman who got poisoned by exposure to fracking fluids.

The upside is that in yet another example of states stepping in where EPA fails, Colorado has just announced it will be issuing regulations on fracking fluid. Yay, Colorado!

*Brian has pointed out that frack is also a swear word commonly used on Battlestar Galactica. For all my sci-fi geek fans (Megan), I apologize for the confusion.

Important Action If You Are In DC On Friday

Take Action to Get Toxic Flame Retardants Banned in MI

The Michigan Legislature is currently discussing legislation to ban deca-BDE, a type of toxic flame retardant that shouldn't be used anymore. Deca-BDE is part of a class of chemicals known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE). They are widely used as flame retardants in furniture foams, industrial textiles, and consumer electronics. Deca-BDE is the most widely used form of PBDE, and is found in mattresses, televisions, computers, and residential upholstered furniture.

PBDEs have been found in human breast milk, wildlife, and in food. In 1998, Swedish scientists discovered that PBDEs may pose significant risks to human and environmental health. As a result, the European Union and the states of California, Hawaii, Maine, New York and Washington took action to reduce, or ban, the use of PBDEs.

I just took action to get deca-BDE banned in Michigan, and if you live in Michigan, you should take a second to take action as well: http://www.mnceh.org/take.deca.php

The Birds and The PCBs is Back

After a brief hiatus that involved an end to my fabulous summer working at Food and Water Watch, a move from DC to Ann Arbor, and a road trip through 7 states, I'm happy to report that The Birds and The PCBs is back in action. Sorry for the delay!

Massive Oil Expansion Slated For Amazon: Could the Amazonian Chernobyl Get Even Worse?

Earlier this week, I was stunned to learn about the "Amazonian Chernobyl." Now, it seems like Ecuador might be just the tip of the iceberg.

According to the Guardian, huge amounts of land in the Amazon are about to be opened up for gas exploration, including in some biodiversity hotspots. The land earmarked by oil companies for exploration spans the size of Texas. Texas!!!

Matt Finer of Save America's Forests, a US-based environmental group, said, "When you look at where the oil and gas blocks are, they overlap perfectly on top of the peak biodiversity spots, almost as if by design, and this is in one of the most, if not the most, biodiverse place on Earth."

The good (well, not good, but not as bad) news is that right now most of that land is in the exploration phase- which is problematic because it means companies are going to be cutting into the forest for their tests, but its not as devastating as full on oil drilling. Once the exploration turns to development is when there are going to be real problems. Not only ecologically, but also in terms of the indigenous people who live on these lands. "The way that oil development is being pursued in the western Amazon is a gross violation of the rights of the indigenous peoples of the region," explains Brain Keane of Land is Life.

Read more from The Guardian if you are interested to learn more.

North Pole Could Be Free of Ice In Just 5 Years

For anyone who doesn't believe that climate change is happening now, read this immediately.

After a record summer of arctic melting, leading scientists are now saying that the North Pole could be free of ice by 2013. I can't say it better than the Guardian, so I'm not going to try:

This startling loss of Arctic sea ice has major meteorological, environmental and ecological implications. The region acts like a giant refrigerator that has a strong effect on the northern hemisphere's meteorology. Without its cooling influence, weather patterns will be badly disrupted, including storms set to sweep over Britain.

At the same time, creatures such as polar bears and seals - which use sea ice for hunting and resting - face major threats. Similarly, coastlines will no longer be insulated by ice from wave damage and will suffer erosion, as is already happening in Alaska.

Other environmental changes are likely to follow. Without sea ice to bolster them, land ice - including glaciers - could topple into the ocean and raise global sea levels, threatening many low-lying areas, including Bangladesh and scores of Pacific islands. In addition, the disappearance of reflective ice over the Arctic means that solar radiation would no longer be bounced back into space, thus heating the planet even further.

Shout out to Gina Johnson for sharing this scary, scary story with us.

More things that make you say "duh"

"Hunting ban leads to whale recovery."

Wait, banning whale hunting is good for the whales? Really?

Still need that witty title

[Seriously though- I'm still waiting for those suggestions to pour in about what to call this section.]
This week, I'm going to feature a company that seems to be actually doing a lot of good. Ecover makes "ecological cleaners." So far I've used only their laundry detergent and dish soap, but according to their website they also have a ton of other products, like surface cleaners, hand soap, floor cleaner, etc etc.

Ecover is petro-chemical free, does not test on animals, and has been referred to as one of the "greenest carbon neutral products sold today." Ecover also does cool things like partner with the international charity Water Aid to provide sustainable access to safe water for communities in rural Ethiopia. Treehugger did an in-depth interview with Ecover not long ago and Peter Malaise, Ecover concept manager and handlebar mustache owner extraordinaire stated, "You never reach sustainability, you are always on the road." Well said, Mr. Mustache, well said.

More on the Amazonian Chernobyl

Great animated video about Chevron's toxic legacy in Ecuador:

Why haven't I heard about the Amazonian Chernobyl until now?

File this under things we should have heard about a long time ago. Apparently, U.S. oil giant Chevron has dumped over 17 million tons of oil waste in Ecuador, in an area with multiple indigenous tribes and thousands of rare species of plants and animals. The contamination is so bad that it is being referred to as the "Amazonian Chernobyl."

The toxic pollution has devastated the wildlife, poisoned the land and water, and sickened the people of Ecuador. 30,000 Ecuadorians have sued Chevron, and in typical form, they are denying responsibility.

Read all about it in the London Daily Telegraph and on Amazon Watch's excellent website, Chevron Toxico.

Have other people heard of this before now? Anyone else feel compelled to boycott Chevron?

Good News To Start The Weekend: Monsanto is a little less evil then they were last week

After this morning's bummer of a post, I decided we could all use some good news. Earlier this week, Monsanto, the evil agricultural mega-corporation, announced that it is selling off its dairy hormone business.

Recombinant bovine growth hormone, also known as rBGH, is an artificial growth hormone developed by Monsanto to increase dairy cows’ milk output. rBGH causes health problems in cows and increases antibiotic use on dairy farms. While the effect on humans consuming rBGH milk is not clear, studies suggest that rBGH increases another chemical that is linked to increased cancer risk. Basically, this stuff is pretty yucky, and environmental groups have become more and more outspoken about the problems associated with it, consumers have stopped buying milk produced with it, and businesses like Starbucks are staying away from it.

I can only assume that Monsanto made this decision based on the excellent letter to the editor I wrote last week.

Source: Food and Water Watch

This Just In: Climate Change Will F*** Things Up

Global warming could make extreme rains even stronger and more frequent, causing bigger floods, greater crop damage, and wider spread of diseases than previous thought, according to a new study by researchers in the U.K. In fact, extreme rainstorms are expected to rise 10 percent by 2050. These changes are already being seen, as evidenced by recent increases in massive downpours and flooding.

In related news:

• Samoan communities, faced with rising tides, are struggling to survive
  
• Polar bears are trapped on land because the sea ice retreated earlier this year
• Global warming and oil and gas development is threatening the Pacific Walrus, and if the Bush Administration doesn't act to protect them, pretty soon putting two sticks/cheetos/etc in your mouth will just be sad, no longer funny
• More than 4000 species of fish and other sea critters face extinction as coral reefs become ever more threatened

Man, what a bummer. I'll try to find some happier news to post before the workday is out, so I'm not such a Debbie Downer.

I'm pretty sure water isn't supposed to be flammable

This lady in Canada can light her water on fire. Holy crap! Not surprisingly, there is an oil and gas company operating in her neighborhood that is trying to claim that the gas in the water is natural. As much as I hate bottled water, lets hope for her sake that she's been drinking it.

Read all about it in Treehugger.

Gender Bender: Only Girls Being Born In Arctic Village

Really want to have a baby girl? Then I have a great place for you to live. In certain villages in northern Greenland, only baby girls are being born. Not only is this creepy, but its super disturbing as well. Altered sex ratios of population severely hinder the ability of the population to survive. And, this isn't just a problem in the Arctic. The ratio of baby boys to baby girls has been declining in the US and other industrialized countries since the 1970s.

Whats causing this crazy imbalance? I did some digging around, and it turns out that PCBs are one of the main chemicals linked to crazy sex ratios. PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, are a class of yucky chemicals that were banned in the 1970s for being persistent organic pollutants (POPs). They are found to bioaccumulate in people and animals. A study that just came out found that women in San Francisco with high levels of PCBs in their bodies who became pregnant were a third less likely to give birth to a baby boy.

PCBs aren't the only culprit, though: studies have also linked dioxins, methylmercury, air pollution from incinerators, maternal exposure to non-ionizing radiation, paternal exposure to high voltages, paternal occupation, and parental smoking, among other things, to lower birth rates of boys.

Even though we can pat ourselves on the back for having banned PCBs, the fact that altered sex ratios seem to be a growing problem should be a warning that we need to take a hard look at our current system of chemical regulation. There are a ton of chemicals that we are exposed to every day that bioaccumulate in our bodies, and we don't know the effects of them.

Toxin found on Mars...and in your mom

Today, NASA announced that they found a toxin in the soil on Mars, and that hopes for finding life on the red planet were diminished.

Heres the funny thing though (not funny ha ha, funny weird): perchlorate, or rocket fuel, the toxin they found on Mars, is also found on our own planet- and not just in rocket fuel. In fact, its one of the most common pollutants of our waterways- it has been found to contaminate drinking water in at least 28 states. Studies by the Environmental Working Group, academic researchers and the Centers for Disease Control have found perchlorate in food, cow’s milk, human breast milk and the bodies of virtually every American.

I have a crazy idea. What if we stopped spending billions of dollars searching for life on other planets, and instead, invest that money in making our own planet more livable?

Sources: CNN, Environmental Working Group

Bad News To Start the Work Week: Dude Looks Like a Lady

Researchers in Florida have found that in heavily farmed areas, 40% of male toads have abnormalities that make them more like female toads. These reproductive abnormalities are likely to reduce the reproductive success of the toads.

With amphibians on the decline worldwide--there are thousands of species that are threatened or endangered--these ladydude toads are kind of a big deal. Pretty soon, folk singers around the world will be forced to sing "Where have all the cane toads gone?"

Specifically, the researchers found that the number of abnormalities and frequency of male toads with female traits ("intersex" toads) increased with amount of agriculture. Testosterone concentrations were altered and secondary sexual traits were either feminized or demasculinized in the intersex toads.

The authors conclude that: "These reproductive abnormalities could certainly contribute to amphibian population declines occurring in areas exposed to agricultural contaminants."

Anyone who is familiar with the work of Tyrone Hayes of UC Berkeley shouldn't be surprised by this new study. For years, Dr. Hayes has been publishing research showing that the most commonly used herbicide in the US, atrazine, feminizes frogs and turns them into hermaphrodites. Just this past year, Dr. Hayes gave a talk at Michigan that scared the bejesus out of all of us in attendance. Be sure to check out his homepage at: http://www.atrazinelovers.com/

Source: "Agriculture Alters Gonadal Form and Function in the toad Bufo marinus" Environmental Health Perspectives, July 2008 In-Press.

Good news to start the weekend!

The Senate Environment and Public Works committee passed legislation today that addresses toxic substances in drinking water, advances environmental justice issues, limits the release of mercury, tracks hazardous waste, cleans up the Great Lakes, and improves sanitation systems for rural and native villages in Alaska.

Superhero Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chairman of the EPW Committee said: "The bills approved by the Environment and Public Works Committee today tackle some of the most dangerous pollution threatening our families and communities."

Great work, EPW! (Congress, don't screw it up)

Insert Recurring Witty Title Here

My friend Elizabeth suggested that I have a regular section on consumer products that are either really good or really bad for the environment. While I'm still working on what to call this section (Product Watch? Green or Mean? If you have any clever ideas, leave them below), I love the idea, and will start with a particularly disturbing product recently featured on Slate.

I'm not going to lie. I have a fondness for face washes, including exfoliating face washes. Now that I know that the truth about them though, I'm going to have to part ways with my current face wash forever.

Why? Apparently the exfoliating beads are made of plastic, and when the soaps and face washes that contain them wash down the drain, the tiny plastic beads don't get removed by wastewater treatment plants, and so they end up in rivers and streams and oceans, where the plastic makes its way into marine life. Because plastic doesn't break down quickly, it pretty much just stays in the bodies of marine critters. Researchers don't know the effects of lots of plastic in the stomachs and tissues of marine organisms, but I'm going to bet its not anything good.

The good news, however, is that lots of alternatives exist. Burt's Bees has an exfoliating facewash made out of jojoba beads. St. Ives face wash uses apricot kernals. Or, you could just rub your face on a salt lick.

Bad Ideas for $500: USDA drops data tracking for pesticide and fertilizer use

In what might be the only time that environmental groups and industry and trade groups agree on something, pretty much everyone is upset by USDA's recent announcement that they were ending their tracking program of pesticide and fertilizer use.

USDA has been tracking chemical use on agriculture since 1990, and the data is free and open to the public. I know I've used it plenty of times- in both my non-profit work and my academic work. This is the only data that is free, accessible, and nationwide tracking pesticide and fertilizer use. Because only California has a good state-wide tracking program, this data is irreplaceable. Even EPA, the agency in charge of pesticide regulation, depends on this data.

The USDA blames a lack of funding as the reason they are shutting down the program. I agree with Bill Freese, senior policy analyst with the Center for Food Safety, who said, "It's a really serious blow to efforts to improve the safety of our agriculture. The USDA claims it doesn't have funding, but that's no excuse. If you want to do it, you make it a priority and you get it done."

The bloggers at bushtheidiot.com said it well too: "I am just amazed that there are no funds for the U.S.D.A. to supply information to our farmers and agricultutral scientists, but we can send our tax dollars in the billions to any country and cause outside our own borders."

After a slew of groups, companies, and individuals wrote letters of protest, apparently the Senate Appropriations committee recommended that the funds be made available in the 2009 budget for USDA to reinstate the program. Hopefully, Congress will make this happen, and this valuable resource won't be lost. Already, its too late to collect the 2007 data. After all, if we don't even know whats being sprayed on our fields, how can we stop it?

Source: Environmental Science and Technology

Congress Removes Toxins from Toys, Exxon Proves Itself To Be More Evil Than Originally Thought

In a rare victory in the world of toxic chemicals, Congress decided earlier this week to ban phthalates in children's toys and reduce lead levels. As I reported last week, phthalates are chemicals used to soften plastic that are commonly used in children's toys such as rubber duckies and teething rings. They have been linked to reduced sperm counts, damaged DNA, and undescended testicles in baby boys.

Obviously, taking toxic chemicals out of toys that babies chew on is a good thing. Exxon Mobil, who manufactures DINP, one of the most common phthalates, has a different view on the ban, however: "What's at stake is, in fact, children's safety," said Elissa Sterry, a vice president at Exxon Mobil Chemicals. "If DINP is replaced by alternative products, that's a potential risk to children."

Really, Exxon? Really? You want to play that game? Because that sounds suspiciously like a threat.

And if that wasn't bad enough, Keith Hennessey, director of Bush's Economic Policy Council, wrote to the Senate with a similarly idiotic claim that a ban on toxic chemicals in toys could hurt children. "Banning a product before a conclusive, scientific determination is reached is short-sighted and may result in the introduction of unregulated substitute chemicals that harm children's health," he wrote.

It seems like there is a pretty easy solution to that: Start regulating chemicals that children are exposed to. Oh yeah, and stop being evil.

Source: The Washington Post

Brief Love-Hate Relationship with EPA Reverts Back to Hate-Hate

Oh, EPA. On the same day that I praised you for doing something good, like banning a toxic pesticide, you have to go and screw it all up. The Washington Post reported yesterday that EPA instructed its staff members not to talk to reporters, congressional investigators, and even EPA's own enforcement officers. This is only the latest in a long history of EPA trying to suppress its staff members from speaking out against the agency.

Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a great government watchdog group, made the discovery through an EPA email they got a hold of. Senator Boxer (D-CA), head of the Senate environment committee and part-time superhero, said on Monday that EPA administrator Stephen Johnson had turned "the EPA into a secretive, dangerous ally of polluters, instead of a leader in the effort to protect the health and safety of the American people." Oh, Snap! Take that, EPA.

Things that make you say "duh"

This just in: voluntary measures for industry to reduce greenhouse gases haven't worked so well.


obvi.

Funny but sad headline of the day

"These nipples are dangerous."

Apparently pacifiers and other baby paraphernalia have been found to contain heavy metals, including lead, cadmium, and chromium.

Thanks for sharing the article, Brian.

EPA Proves Me Wrong, Protects Health and the Environment

Just when I lambasted EPA for being too lax on chemical regulation, they go and do something good. Last week, they announced that they were banning carbofuran, a particularly nasty pesticide that is toxic to birds--especially eagles and migratory songbirds--and causes a host of health effects in humans, from nausea and dizziness to respiratory paralysis and death.

While carbofuran isn't used a whole lot in the United States, it is commonly used abroad on crops such as coffee, bananas, corn, rice, and sugarcane. By banning carbofuran residues in food, the rule will have a big effect worldwide on the way that crops are grown.

Grist says it best:

Using language we didn't even think was in the EPA's vocabulary, the agency's James Gulliford said, "While there is little exposure today [to the pesticide], we don't think there's a need, a reason for any exposure."

Good work, EPA! I still have my eye on you though...

Maine Does EPA's Job Better Than EPA

Since You-Know-Who took office in 2001, environmentalists, social activists, and those who like rainbows and sunshine have had to look places other than the federal government--namely, states and municipalities--for positive change. While not all states have been successful at passing laws for environmental protection (ahem, Michigan), some like California and now Maine, have been able to actually pass state legislation.

In the absence of EPA doing its job and protecting the public from toxic chemicals, Maine has stepped up and passed its own legislation to identify and investigate "chemicals of concern" in consumer products. It sounds like they are going to have their hands full. I suggest they start with phthalates, triclosan, and flame retardants (oh my!).

Good work, Maine! Way to step up again Lord Voldemort. I mean, President You-Know-Who. I mean...

Don't Let Dingell Be a Dingaling

Fellow Michiganders and people who like babies and squishy toys-

Old Man Dingell has a key vote in a piece of legislation that could lead to a ban of phthalates. Phthalates are hard to pronounce chemicals (seriously though, who thought it would be a good idea to have so many consonants in a row?) that are included in adorable children's toys like rubber duckies and teething rings.

Adorable, right? Wrong. Phthalates have been linked to reduced sperm counts, damaged DNA, and undescended testicles in baby boys.

Tell Congressman Dingell to include the ban on phthalates on the legislation he is working on this week by going to this form. Or, if you are super lazy like me, you can take action by going to this website, where they do all the work for you.

Source: The Detroit Free Press

Bacteria Makes Scary Things Scarier

Surfactants are chemicals that are used in the production of detergents, pesticides, and plastics. According to the Environmental Working Group, surfactants are highly toxic to aquatic organisms, and suspected endocrine disruptors. Endocrine disrupting chemicals are chemicals that mimic or inhibit natural hormones. Endocrine disruptors have been linked to reproductive disorders, alterations in neurodevelopment, cancer, immune suppression and other negative health effects in humans and in wildlife.

Think thats scary? Researchers from Europe have just found that when bacteria and microbes break these surfactants down, they degrade into a chemical known as nonylphenol. Numerous studies have shown that this breakdown product is toxic and endocrine-disrupting. Because it mimics the natural hormone estrogen, organisms treat this chemical as if it was estrogen. In fact, at levels as low as 50−100 parts per billion (ppb), nonylphenol is capable of feminizing male fish.

Nonylphenol and nonyphenol ethoxylates, the surfactants that break down to nonylphenol, have been banned in the European Union because of their hazardous nature to human and environmental safety. Current regulations in the U.S., however, don't take into account the complexity of breakdown products, despite the fact that many common chemicals break down into more toxic substances.

Source: Environ. Sci. Technol., 2008, 10.1021/es800577a

Bush Administration Threatens Worker Health and Safety...Yet Again

In yet another example of the Bush administration failing to protect public health, the Washington Post reported yesterday on a proposed rule that would make it harder to regulate workplace exposure to toxic chemicals. If the proposed rule were to pass, it would add an extra step to the rule-making process for regulating chemical exposures workers. In other words, the new rule would give corporations more ways to delay and derail safety regulations. The rule has not yet been published in the federal register.

Peg Seminario, AFL-CIO's health and safety director, said: "This is flat-out secrecy. They are trying to essentially change the job safety and health laws and reduce required workplace protections through a midnight regulation." Senator Kennedy (D-MA) and Representative Miller (D-CA) agreed: in a letter to the Secretary of the Labor Department, the lawmakers accuse the department of trying "to slip through a rule that may have a profound negative impact on the health and safety of American workers."

As my friend Elizabeth said, how can someone actually want their legacy to be that they have made it easier for corporations to poison their workers? Perhaps Gina Johnson was right- maybe I should have made this website eatmyassgeorgebush.com.