Lawsuit Against Massey Energy Co.

Five subsidiaries of Massey Energy Co. are being sued by the Sierra Club and three other environmental groups for violations of surface mining laws and the Clean Water Act. The claims against the company includes the dumping of toxic aluminum as well as violating standards iron, pH, and suspended solids levels. "The lawsuit...demands that Massey conduct monitoring and sampling to determine what environmental harm it has caused, then repair any problems and 'restore the environment to its prior uncontaminated condition.'"

Water pollution is incredibly difficult to track down and hold people accountable for, but I think it is extremely important that companies are held accountable for the waste that they produce and the proper disposal of it, so as to minimize the contamination of the water supply.

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9FBLH4O0.htm

Mystery Fish

Several hundred fish were found dead near Ponte Verde Beach, Florida between April 14 and April 18. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is still unsure of what could be the most probably cause for the bizarre event. Earlier this year, a similar incident occurred, but the deaths were attributed to the unusually cold weather during the winter and was not isolated to just Ponte Verde Beach and it's surrounding inland water reservoirs. The spokesperson for the Conservation Commission stated that it could be a low level of dissolved oxygen. She then went on to say that determining the cause of the lowered DO levels would be quite a daunting task since there could be a variety of reasons. Some examples could be heavy rain, which has not occurred in the area recently, or stirring of the bottom sediments. The stirring could stimulate the decomposition of organic matter in the water by bacteria that has now surfaced, which would deplete the dissolved oxygen.

http://staugustine.com/news/2010-04-26/pv-fish-kills-mystery-authorities

Fertilizer Contamination of Water Sources.

The increase in the use of fertilizers in recent decades has over-loaded systems with nitrogen.

The figure below shows a graph of the growth trends in fertilizer use worldwide.

Fertilizer Use is Climbing

Estimated Growth in Fertilizer Use, 1960-2020

Source: Balu Bumb and Carlos Baanante, World Trends in Fertilizer Use and Projections to 2020, 2020 Brief No. 38 (International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, D.C., 1996), Table 1. According to the World Resources Institute, nitrate is the United State's most common and widespread groundwater pollutant and "22 percent of wells in U.S. agricultural areas contained levels of nitrate in excess of the federal limit". Nitrate contamination is most dangerous to infants, as it can cause a disorder that causes their red blood cells to malfunction, causing what is know as "blue baby syndrome". More information on this topic can be found at the the World Resources Institute's website on this topic: http://www.wri.org/publication/content/8439

Llama Dung, a Possible Water Supply Decontamanent

In La Paz, the capital city of Bolivia, the main water supply is being polluted by water seeping from abandoned mines in the Andes Mountain Range. Mine water is dangerous to the environment because it is rich in sulfate and heavy metals (iron and aluminum). As the polluted mine water flows through creeks and streams, algae is smothered with a health hazardous coating that makes it up the food chain through fish and small water animals. In addition, metal particles coat the fish gills and kill fish.

A research team is working with a low-cost development to neutralize the acidic, metal-rich water through an organic filter that uses llama droppings as the decontaminant. Llama excrement was used treat dangerous mine run-off that pollutes a Bolivian alpine lake. The low-tech system utilizes manure microbes to neutralize the acidic water. The process removes most of the dissolved metals. This was tested in the UK with horse and cow dung previous.

Today, the area's mining industry in the region is quite extinct but the trail of abandoned mines still carries the burden of polluted mine run-off water. In these areas, "dead zones" were created in pools of mine. In the UK, the researchers developed a water way system containing cow and horse manure. As the mine water flowed through the organic filter, the acidity neutralized from a vinegar equivalent to drinking water.

Clean Water Supply

Rain Harvesting Supported in Some Arid Western States

Technology improvements have lead to a popularity gain in the eco-friendly activity of rain harvesting. Water storage systems are manufactured and promoted in New Mexico and Arizona. A one inch rain on a 2000 sq. ft roof generates over 1000 gallons of free water.

Drinking and bathing in the collected rainwater is not recommended unless it is treated to health department standards. Roof water carries leaves, dust, bugs, bird excrement into rain capture storage systems and should be filtered. It is heavily suggested that rainwater is used in a manner that returns the moisture to the earth near the location where it fell.

Modular OcTank Rain Capture System

Rain Harvest

Chemical leaching due to Microwaves

It's safer and more healthy to use heat-resistant glass or ceramic containers when heating foods in microwaves. Being conscious in the types of materials you place in a microwave is also positive in lowering greenhouse gas emissions because heating plastics releases carbon dioxides.
Heating plastic materials causes chemicals to pass into (especially fatty) foods.

Microwave in Glass

Testing has also found chemicals after normal heating of the following 'microwave safe' plastics:

BPA leaches from 'safe' products

Arsenic Poisoning in India/Bangladesh is a disaster of heavy consequence

In Bangladesh and India, arsenic poisoning intensifies malnutrition and poverty among the poor villagers. 85 million of its 125 million people have been accidentally poisoned with arsenic-contaminated drinking water. This disaster is proclaimed as a higher destructive magnitude than the Chernobyl tragedy. Arsenic related cancer is on the rise. The epidemic of arsenic related cancer has just begun. So far, no aid has reached the people.


"Green Revolution," refers to a 1943 - late 1970 expansion of irrigation infrastructure, and distribution of hybridized seeds, synthetic fertilizers, and pesticides to farmers. This is a possible cause of poisoning contaminated ground water of Bangladesh and India, along with ignorance and negligence of the organizations responsible for monitoring the waterways for hazards.

Tragedy in Bangladash/India

Colorado Rainwater Ownership Controvers

Harvesting rainwater is an activity that environmentalists commit to to conserve water to use in drier times. In some states gathering this water in containers is deemed illegal because state law
deems that the water belongs to those who bought the rights to waterways.

In Denver, conservationalist Kris Holstrom knowingly defies this law.
She uses 55-gallon buckets underneath the gutters of her house to catch rain and snowmelt. This recycled water is used to irrigate a small private vegetable garden.

Colorado state law declares that the rain water should be allowed to fall to the ground and flow unimpeded into surrounding creeks and streams. The the law states that it is the property of waterway right purchasing farmers and water agencies and not hers to keep and use.


"If you try to collect rainwater, well, that water really belongs to someone else," said Doug Kemper, executive director of the Colorado Water Congress. "We get into a very detailed accounting on every little drop."

Frank Jaeger of the Parker Water and Sanitation District sees water harvesting as a vicious attempt to take water from developers that have paid for the resource.


Nevertheless, I believe, along with Organic farmers and urban environmentalist, that water harvesting makes economic sense and should be a legal and invited practice.

Who owns Colorado's Rain water?

Environmental Lawsuit

The desalination plant in Carlsbad is facing a lot of legal trouble. The Surfrider Foundation has filed suit against the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board for approving a permit for the desalination facility despite the fact that it does not comply with state law. It is believed the the Poseidon Resources' desalination plant will kill countless marine organisms, failing to minimize casualties as required in California. The plant would suck in 300 million gallons of ocean water daily to produce more than 50 million gallons of drinking water a day, which seems great, but millions of organisms would also be sucked in with the ocean water. Currently, there does not appear to be a system established by the desalination plant to reduce the number of potentially trapped sea life.

Poseidon Resources denies the claims in the lawsuit, but this is not the first time it's been smacked with legal trouble. Twelve other challenges have been filed; all by two have been rejected. The negative reaction by environmentalists really begs the question: Can we build a desalination plant that can produce enough drinking water to make an impact on society without destroying a significant amount of marine life? What are the long-term effects of allowing Poseidon Resources to destroy marine organisms on a daily basis, if the allegations of the lawsuit are true?

You can watch to a news report on this issue here: http://www.760kfmb.com/Global/story.asp?S=12367356

Safety of Melamine Dishware

This post is a response to the questions raised in class about the safety of plastic dishware, especially the variety sold at stores like Target. Much of this dishware is a hard plastic, labeled “melamine” on the bottom. Melamine was involved in a 2007 pet food recall, when pets became sick from eating pet food contaminated with melamine. It was also the center of a scandal in China, when it was discovered that infant formula had been laced with melamine to make the protein content appear higher. This article (http://healthychild.org/blog/comments/melamine_in_formula_in_candy_in_kids_dishes/) states that melamine itself is not toxic, but causes kidney problems when combined with cyanuric acid. Although trace amounts of melamine in food are not thought to be dangerous to adults (in amounts below 0.63 mg per kg body weight per day), the FDA dictates that no level of melamine is safe for infant formula. As for melamine dishware, there have been studies that reported leaching of the material, especially into warm or acidic food. Most of the dishware I have seen is not microwave safe because the high temperature of the microwave or oven could melt the material and cause it to leach into food. Also, the material itself is actually a polymer of melamine and formaldehyde, which is a known carcinogen. Despite these facts, the consensus seems to be that as long as it is used properly, melamine dishware is generally safe because trace amounts would not exceed the exposure level that adults can withstand.

California Solar Energy

An article I found from the New York Times (http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/21/californias-solar-scorecard/) summarizes the many viewpoints about California’s goal to install solar panels on one million households by 2018. The article provides the commentaries of several experts in the field and shows that there is a wide range of opinions and expectations regarding the installation and use of solar panels on private homes. The first three opinions range from disappointment to optimism to a realistic perspective and suggestions for improvement. The first reports that, despite the statewide goal, only about 50,000 homes have installed solar panels, and leaders have not done enough to promote the issue. Although improvements have been made, much of the funding going towards the project will likely be used by corporations rather than private homeowners, who will still face a cost of about $24,000 to install the panels. The second commentary focuses on the promise and potential of solar panels, referring to the jobs and competition that have been created. The writer points out two main benefits of the push for solar panel use. He believes that the push has created a new industry and has led to an area of political agreement. He concludes by comparing the US to Germany, where 8 times more solar power was installed last year, and by trying to inspire the US to reclaim its place in the solar industry. The opinion of the third commentator takes a middle ground. He points out that despite the funding being provided to promote solar panel installation, the panels are still relatively inefficient and although the cost for large-scale installations is decreasing, the cost for residential use remains much higher than that of other alternative energy sources. The commentator suggests putting funding into the currently most cost effective alternative energy sources for residential use and continuing to fund research that could make solar panels more efficient in the future.

Climate and Energy Law Symposium

Last Friday, I attended a series of talks at the Climate and Energy Law Symposium. The panel was titled “Instrument Choice Over Time: Stability vs. Ossification.” The overall theme of the panel was to suggest ways in which to make climate and energy laws as effective as possible over time and the types of legal changes that can be made to accomplish this. Leslie Carothers, President of the Environmental Law Institute, spoke about the Waxman-Markey Bill and its purpose to set a maximum number of greenhouse gases and sources from which they can be obtained. The bill would create standards for producing electricity from renewable sources and standards for energy efficiency. It would also introduce a cap-and-trade scheme, which places caps on emissions and distributes emissions allowances via auction and free allocation, increasing the amount auctioned and decreasing the amount of free allocation each year. There is also an option for parties to buy additional allowances from other lower cost sources to reduce the overall cost of the program. According to Carothers, a great degree of complexity is needed in terms of the scope and allowances of the bill as well as with the legislation, to keep costs down and provide greater flexibility. This was a common theme among the speakers of the panel, who suggested ways to incorporate legislation in differing degrees to attain the best possible outcome.

San Diego Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Students in the Environmental Chemistry class at the University of San Diego completed an analysis of the greenhouse gas emissions of several different forms of energy consumption including electricity, industry, and transportation in San Diego County. Greenhouse gas emissions are reported in terms of CO₂, which is one of the most prevalent and significant greenhouse gases and is a potential contributor to global warming. The greenhouse gas emissions are determined by converting the amount of a resource consumed to an equivalent amount of CO₂ released into the atmosphere.

Greenhouse gas emissions for electricity were obtained from San Diego Gas & Electric. The majority of electricity consumption comes from the residential and commercial sectors. Commercial electricity consumption has shown the largest increase since 1990, and the total CO₂ emissions as a result of electricity consumption has increased from 9.3 teragrams CO₂ in 1990 to 13.3 teragrams of CO₂ in 2008. In the residential category, heating and cooling units and kitchen appliances use the most electricity. Suggestions for decreasing CO₂ emissions due to electricity use are to turn off lights and unplug appliances when not in use, and to keep houses well insulated to reduce waste from warm or cold air lost to the outdoors.

In industry, the production of CO₂ has increased dramatically since 1990, from less than 0.02 to over 1 MMT (million metric tons) CO₂. The greatest contributor is the use of HFCs, hydrofluorocarbons, as a substitution for other compounds that deplete ozone. A possible solution would be to replace these with hydrocarbons for particular uses. Of the CO₂ emissions from natural gas used in public transportation and aviation, use of natural gas for buses is the primary source of emissions, which have increased by a factor of almost 10 for that category since 1990. Suggestions to reduce emissions included better regulations to prevent and repair leaks in pipelines, as well as continued efforts to find alternative fuel sources.

Of transportation dependent on gasoline, diesel, or ethanol, emissions from gasoline are highest and increased from ~5 to ~11 MMT CO₂ from 1990 to 2008. Gasoline also has the highest consumption, with over 1 million gallons consumed in San Diego in 2008. The total CO₂ fuel emissions for heavy trucks, SUVs, and cars have increased in San Diego since 1990, but within the categories of SUVs and cars, emissions have decreased since 2007. Some alternative fuel possibilities include switchgrass and sugarcane ethanol and soybean and waste grease biodiesel, which have CO₂ emissions less than 50% of the values for petroleum ethanol and diesel.

The research done on greenhouse gas emissions was accompanied by a study called “Beaker World” in which the earth’s atmosphere was simulated in a beaker. Beakers filled with water and crushed ice were arranged with two beakers under a lamp and one in an unlit area. The contents of the beakers were stirred and the temperature measured with sensor probes for a determined time. In a second trial, compounds common in the atmosphere such as soot and acetone, were added to the beaker contents. The experiment was repeated and showed that the addition of these compounds affected the rate of temperature change of the solutions in the beakers.

The photos below show the Beaker World set-up and Environmental Chemistry students working on the experiment.

Solar Water Purification

Considering how small of a percentage of the water on Earth is fresh water that we are able to drink, cheap and efficient water purification is a necessity for modern society. This need was really brought into focus when Hurricane Katrina hit a few years back; one of the major problems following that disaster was a lack of mobile water relief. Did you know that in Asia and Africa two-thirds of the population currently have no direct access to drinking water? That statistic is getting worse year-after-year.

SwissINSO is a company that has offerend an interesting solution: Solar powered water purification/desalination and bottling units designed in transportable containers with photovoltaic panels. Each unit they build is capable of converting 100,000 liters of contaminated water and/or ocean water a day into drinkable water. Particulates are removed from the soiled water that are greater in size than 100 um by an automated filtration system. The water is then run through ultra-filtration via reverse osmosis to remove most organic wastes. A series of circular membranes then remove the rest of the contaminants. This seems like an interesting new way to increase the availability of fresh water across the globe!

For more information, check out the company website:
http://www.swissinso.com/products/water-purification.aspx

Natural Gas Wells Contaminate Water

Chemicals getting released into water systems is a wide-spread problem. Whether it be from heavy metals, pesticides, or industrial waste, the contamination of drinking water is a problem that effects everyone. Recently, hundreds of people were evacuated from their homes in northwest Louisiana after natural gas seeped into the water supply from a near-by natural gas drilling site. The news story that shows further details of this contamination can be found on this link. I find this incident incredibly disturbing. I generally take having safe drinking water for granted and just assume that the water supply provided by San Diego will not be harmful. However, after reading about how some harmful chemicals are beyond water purification plant's detection abilities and finding this story about a town that had to be evacuated due to, what it seems to be, carelessness on the part of the company drilling for natural gas, I am increasingly skeptical about how safe our water actually is.

Too Little Oxygen: The Dead Zone

In an average summer, 6000 square miles of Gulf Coast sea floor has too little dissolved oxygen to support marine life. This "Dead Zone" is caused by runoff of fertilizer nutrients from agriculture in the fertile Mississippi River Valley. The presence of these nutrients allow algae and other organisms to grow, and when they decay and fall to the bottom, they take out the dissolved oxygen in the seawater that marine life depends on. The 2009 Dead Zone was only 3000 square miles in area, but extended closer to the surface than ever before.

Heavy Metals

The presence of mercury in the waterways, oceans, and aquatic species of the world is a pressing issue which demands attention. This issue is most troubling, to the author at least, when coupled with the environmental, ecological, and archaeological holocaust which occurs in the construction of massive hydroelectric dams. The construction of these dams floods river valleys, creating an anaerobic environment over formerly dry and verdant land which is prime for the proliferation of bacteria that methylate mercury and other toxic heavy metals. Mercury and other metals are present in trace amounts in almost all rock and sediment and those found in the reservoirs produced by dams are no different. This troubling fact is compounded by the countless other problems that dams create, including a destruction of native fishes, plants, and sediments as has been observed in the Grand Canyon. Furthermore, archaeological sites which represent irreplaceable cultural knowledge are indiscriminately destroyed by dam reservoirs such as was seen at Marmes rockshelter in Washington where some of the earliest remains on the West Coast were uncovered.

The most significant issue encountered here however, is human health, and such health is endangered when large populations of the Southwest are supplied by water which passes through such reservoirs. Hydroelectric power represents a well intentioned idea which has produced unintended yet irreversible consequences.

http://www.briloon.org/pub/media/ValleyNews1.10.07.pdf

Climate Symposium

The introductory discussion of the USD climate symposium featured a question and answer session in which an interesting query was made regarding the current legality of offshore oil drilling. The moratorium, which has been ended, on offshore drilling included the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas in the Arctic circle near Alaska, and parts of the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico. The response from the speaker established that the feasability of offshore drilling would be explored in areas in the so called "military operations zone", which is 125 miles away from the coast and out of sight of beachgoers. This response however, continues the outdated and dangerous policy of "out of sight out of mind" environmentalism. Extraction of oil in and of itself certainly is not a problem, but the extraction of such oil requires massive mobilizations of manpower, machines, and raw material making the process highly carbon intensive especially when exotic locations such as Northern Alaska are in consideration. Furthermore, according to a Harpers magazine article published in October 2007 in the wake of Sarah Palins "Drill here, Drill now" campaign stated that drilling in the Arctic circle would produce a negligible amount of oil in any reasonable timeframe.

The ending of the moratorium on drilling represents a regression into an economy based on fossil fuels which cannot be sustained either economically, politically, or environmentally. Rather than squeeze for the last drops of a polluting fuel from a pristine wilderness steps should be taken to secure a new network of clean and renewable energy.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/31/science/earth/31energy.html

Two-Faced Molecule

I went to a mosque yesterday for my Islamic Studies class and found an interesting story in their Muslim newspaper. The article focused on taking nitric oxide supplements that could be purchased from the mosque to improve your health since the inner lining of blood vessels use NO to signal the surrounding smooth muscle to relax, resulting in vasodilation. That might be a positive attribute of the chemical, but in the atmosphere, nitric oxide destroys ozone to produce oxygen and nitrogen dioxide. It can also lead to nitric acid rain, which is why catalytic converters have been developed in an effort to convert NO back to nitrogen and oxygen gas. In both the biological and atmospheric sense, the compound needs regulation, but the main affect of nitric oxide in the two environments is startling different. Acute excess of nitric oxide in the body can cause direct tissue toxicity and contribute to the vascular collapse associated with septic shock. Chronic expression of NO is associated with various carcinomas and inflammatory conditions including diabetes, multiple sclerosis, arthritis and ulcerative colitis. I thought it was intriguing how nitric oxide can be both a nuisance and a necessity depending on its surroundings.

White House Support

I went to the Climate and Energy Law Symposium on campus on April 9th and had the opportunity to listen to Dr. Jody Freeman discuss what the Obama administration has been doing with regards to issues related to climate change and the energy crisis. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of programs she talked about since you hardly hear anything like this in the news nowadays. During the presidential transition, Obama implemented the Recovery Act which created a Clean Energy sector in the federal government that would be focused on developing renewable energy technologies. Once in office, President Obama signed the Clean Air Act under which the EPA declared that Green House Gases were hazardous to human health and required regulation. In response to this, Obama managed to solidify and agreement amongst the automobile industries to cap emissions and focus on designing fuel efficient vehicles.

Probably one of the most publicized Obama stories with relation to science was the Copenhagen Accord. I remember reading about how the participating countries seemed deadlocked until finally, an agreement was made. According to Dr. Freeman, President Obama developed the compromise that was finally signed by 100 countries both developed and underdeveloped. A 2-degree Celsius temperature change was established as the glass ceiling, forcing all GHG emitting processes to be capped sufficiently enough to prevent the planet from heating any higher than that over time.

Compared to the last administration, President Obama has made his mark early as an investor in environmental science. I'm curious to see what else will go on during his presidency.

Did Rachel Carson's prediction of a cancer epidemic come to pass? This graph of cancer deaths (from the American Cancer Society webpage) suggests that the only cancer epidemic for men was lung cancer, and that peaked in 1990. The data for females looks similar, with all cancer deaths declining except for lung cancer. But this is deaths. Perhaps we are just getting better at treatment? Still, almost 1.5 million Americans were diagnosed with new cases of cancer in 2009.

Energy Symposium

On Friday morning I attended the USD Energy Symposium and heard the Keynote speaker, Jody Freeman speak. Jody Freeman is currently a Professor of Law at Harvard University and is the former White House Counselor for Energy and Climate change. She spoke about how there are different sort of methods of creating energy laws and policies that can work together in order to create the biggest impact. Cap and Trade has been one of the major energy policies in affect in the United States currently. Dr. Freeman spoke about how other types of policies, both in the from of new taxes and incentives, can work together in order to further progress in sustainability. Here is a link to the Obama Administration's site on energy.

Cognitive Deficits Related to Pesticide Exposure

We talked today in class about neurological deficiencies that can be related to specific chemical concentrations in the body passed through the umbilical chord. Well, here's another example of that! A study done in northern Ecuador has related intellectual slowness with pesticide exposure. Children born from mothers who work as flower-growers and/or have high, long-term exposure to pesticides can be up to two years behind by the time they reach the ages of 6 - 8. The most noticeable areas of cognitive deficits were in motor speed, motor coordination, and visual tasks like copying a picture. These effects were not observed in children who only have a father who works in the flower fields, thus, emphasizing the impact that a mother's exposure can have on the development of her future children.

Here is a link to the article on the study: http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/newscience/prenatal-pesticide-linked-to-delays-high-blood-pressure-later/

Toys Produced in China that were Recalled for being Lead Poisoning Hazards

Toy Recall List With Most Recent First:

Metal Jewelry by Pecoware

Children’s Memory Testing Cards

Girl’s Bracelets by Mission City Press

Children’s Sketchbooks

Toy Garden Rakes

Classroom Reading and Math Aids

Toy Wooden Block and Train Sets from Christmas Tree Shops

ESI-R Screening Materials from Pearson Learning Group

Formula I Racing Cars by OKK Trading

Cranium Cadoo Board Games

Discount School Supply Play Mats

Toy Wrestler Figures

Nemo-Style Fish Change Banks

BabyTown Pacifiers

Red Wagons

Height Measuring Charts

Soldier Bear Brand Toys

Various Toys from Dollar Tree Stores

Various Toys from Dollar Tree Stores

Codeena Princess Metal Jewelry

Children’s Water Globes Sold at Jo-Ann Fabric

Fishing Games Sold at Grocery Stores

Hoseshoe Magnets

Mexican Candy Syrup

Children’s Sunglasses by FGX International

First Years 3-in-1 Flush and Sounds Potty Seats

Collectible Mini Bell Racing Helmets

Boppy Pillows Pillow Covers
Kids Stuff Pencil Pouches by Raymond Geddes & Co.

Buy-Rite Charms and Bracelets

Stretchable Aqua Bracelets

Children’s Metal Necklaces and Bracelets
La Femme NY Children’s Necklaces and Earrings

Crystal Innovations Jewelry

Shaving Paint Brushes by Discount School Supply

Rachel Rose and Distinctly Basics Jewelry
Children’s Sunglasses from Dollar General

Curious George Dolls

Aqua Dots

Retro Toy Robot

Dizzy Ducks Music Box

Spinning Top Recall

Dragster and Funny Car Toy Cars

Big Red Wagons

Imitation Pearl Beads Sold with Girl’s Gift Sets

Galaxy Warriors Toy Figures
Ribbit Board Games

Halloween Ugly Teeth Recall
More garden Tools Recalled by Jo-Ann Fabrics
Orange and Yellow Diego Splashing Boats Recalled
Shrek and Spiderman Flashing Rings

Children’s Jewelry Recall by Dollar Store

Purple Halloween Pails With Witch

Plastic Animal and Dinosaur Toys from Wal-Mart

Plastic Halloween Skull Pails

Winnie-the-Pooh Play Sets

Bendable Dinosaur Toys

Kidnastics Balance Beams

Baby Einstein Color Blocks

Children’s Decorating Sets from Toys “R” Us

Cub Scouts Totem Badges

Bookmarks and Journals

Dollar General Key Chains

KB Toys Wooden Kids Toys

Tumblers (baby and toddler cups)

Eveready Toy Flashlights

Children’s Metal Jewelry

Knights of The Sword
.

Target Children’s Gardening Tools and Chairs

Spinning Wheel Metal Necklaces

Fisher-Price Bongo Band Toys

Fisher-Price Geo Trax Locomotives

Barbie Accessories by Mattel

Wooden Coloring Cases

Watering Cans for Children

Guidecraft Puppet Theaters

Toy Rakes

SpongeBob SquarePants Address Books and Journal

Divine Inspiration Charm Bracelets

Original TOBY and ME Metal Jewelry Recall

Various Characters From Fisher Price

Children’s Earrings Sold at Wal-Mart Stores in Florida

Future Industries Metal Jewelry

Children’s Necklaces by GeoCentral

Tween Brand Jewelry Sold at Limited Too

Troy-Bilt Children’s Gardening Gloves

Children’s Rings

Children’s Necklaces, Bracelets and Rings

Rings from Cardinal Distributing

Children’s Necklaces by Oriental Trading Company

Necklaces and Charm Bracelets

Huge Children’s Bracelet Recall

Dollar General Key Chains

Claire’s Children’s’ Necklaces

Necklaces at Accessories Palace

Boys Jackets

DM Merchandising Bracelets

Rachael Rose Kidz Rings

Butterfly Necklaces

Powerpuff Girls Necklaces

Cars Movie Toy Chests

Juicy Couture Children’s Jewelry

Reebok Bracelets – Death Involved

Beaded Photo Charm Bracelet

Art Accentz Changlz Charms

US Recall News

Orca Whales- facing high levels of pollution and endangerment

In this study, blubber samples from orca whales were taken, using a dart gun. Eight live free-ranging whales showed contamination levels 6 to 20 times higher than other Arctic species. Norwegian orca whale contamination levels surpassed the levels found in harbor seals, polar bears, and white whales. High levels of PCBs and chlorinated pesticides were found in the tissues of killer whales, likely due to their high concentration in the whales’ primary diet source, herring.

Three orca pods living in Puget Sound from May through October, known as the southern resident killer whale population, were declared federally endangered late last year by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the federal agency responsible for protecting marine species. According to a NMFS spokesman, "it is highly likely that this population of killer whales will be extinct within 100 years if conditions do not improve...""

Science Daily

National Wildlife Federation

A New Vision for an international effort to promote biofuel development and allow all countries to equally participate in a global energy marketplace

Brazil has a long-standing progressive history of exploring the potential of bioethanol created sugarcane alteration as an alternative fuel that can be used for transportation. A national campaign was launched to promote its incorporation. Recently, US and Brazilian chemists have been working together to increase the productivity of the project. This process allows for truckloads of sugarcane to be converted into sugar, bioethanol, and electricity. The process has a low observed waste output. Currently, a progressive group of scientists have begun exploring the potential of combined bioethanol and biodiesel fuels. These progressive sugar/biofuel transformation processes are a method of extending fossil fuel supplies. A new generation of technologies for converting cellulosic biomass to fuels and chemicals are expected to cause change in the global economy.

While helpful, these operations must be carefully conducted. Reckless biofuel development would ignore the balance of regional and global sustainability. In effect, social and economic failures could ensue, along with environmental degradation and imbalances in trade. Visionaries strive to promote an international agenda to promote biofuel development and allow equal participation among all countries in a global energy marketplace.


Cover Story

Tesseractually a conceptual hybrid

Tesseract from Yamaha is a concept bike which has 4 wheels. Yet, it still looks like a bike. The bike is a hybrid which sports both a V-Twin engine and an electric motor. Supposedly it is the same width as a regular bike and can stay stood up when not in use. It’s a cool concept idea and one that will be interesting to see built.