Chemical Safety Helpdesk

3901. February 25, 2013 | BBC
Guildford car park chemical incident victim treated, UK
A man has been taken to hospital following an incident involving chemicals in a car park in Surrey...

3902. February 25, 2013 | The Independent
Plastic packaging containing chemical BPA ‘harming brain and nerve cell growth in babies’, UK
A chemical widely used in plastic packaging and food containers may be toxic to the central nervous system by interfering with a key gene involved in the development of nerve cells, a study suggests...

3903. February 25, 2013 | GlobalPost
20,000 evacuated and five injured after Chinese chemical plant blast, China
Five have been injured and 20,000 evacuated after a chemical plant in southwestern China blew up early Feb 25th, igniting a potentially toxic blaze that firefighters are continuing to battle...

3904. February 25, 2013 | China Daily
Ministry refuses to release soil pollution info, China
The Ministry of Environmental Protection refused to release data from a national soil contamination investigation launched in 2006, saying it involved national secrets, the Legal Daily reported on Monday...

3905. February 25, 2013 | eurekalert.org
Higher levels of several toxic metals found in children with autism, USA
TEMPE, Ariiz. -- In a recently published study in the journal Biological Trace Element Research, Arizona State University researchers report that children with autism had higher levels of several toxic metals in their blood and urine compared to typical children...

3906. February 24, 2013 | United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Hundreds of Runners Celebrate Nairobi as Global Environment Capital, Kenya
Dickson Chumba and Philes Ongori Claim Top Prizes in UNEP Half Marathon...

3907. February 24, 2013 | The Raw Story
EPA finds higher-than-expected levels of toxic chemical in air and water near Superfund site, USA
The Environmental Protection Agency says that an area larger than previously thought has been affected by the toxic chemical TCE at an underground Superfund site and has been “leeching into the air” in two specific spots, reported NBC Bay Area...

3908. February 24, 2013 | The Hindu
Fire at chemical godown, India
A major fire broke out at a chemical godown in Vignapuri colony of Kukatpally on Saturday afternoon, triggering panic in the residential area...

3909. February 24, 2013 | Agence France-Presse (AFP)
Reviving Manila’s toxic river, Philippines
MANILA - Boys shout in delight as they flip backwards off a bridge. Fishermen quietly cast rods out. They are joyful acts that should belong to an earlier era, before the Philippines’ Pasig River turned toxic...

3910. February 23, 2013 | United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Half-Marathon to Celebrate Stronger UNEP and Support Peace to Take Place, Kenya
As well as celebrating UNEP's new universal membership, the race is in support of The Sports for Peaceful Elections Campaign...

3911. February 23, 2013 | The Time of India (TOI) | TNN
Pollution making Delhi winter days colder?, India
NEW DELHI: Rising air pollution is not just a serious health threat to Delhiites, it may also be playing a part in changing the city's weather...

3912. February 23, 2013 | The Daily Star
Pollution’s link to birth weight, Pakistan
Exposure to air pollution during pregnancy raises the odds of having low-birth-weight babies, a large international study that appeared in Environmental Health Perspectives has found.

3913. February 23, 2013 | TVNZ
Toxic asbestos found dumped at side of road, New Zealand
Almost two tonnes of highly toxic asbestos roofing has been found dumped in a public area in west Auckland...

3914. February 23, 2013 | masslive.com
Radioactive, toxic wastes leaking from underground tanks in Washington, USA
YAKIMA, Wash. — Federal and state officials say six underground tanks holding a brew of radioactive and toxic waste are leaking at the country's most contaminated nuclear site in south-central Washington, raising concerns about delays for emptying the aging tanks...

3915. February 22, 2013 | United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Mongolia Named as Global Host of World Environment Day 2013, Kenya
WED celebrations began in 1972 and have grown to become the one of the main vehicles through which the UN stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and encourages political attention and action...

3916. February 22, 2013 | United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
UNEP Strengthened and Upgraded to Implement The Future We Want, Kenya
Governments Call for Governing Council to be Transformed into UN Environment Assembly...

3917. February 22, 2013 | United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
UN Launches New Centre to Accelerate Use of Technology in Tackling Climate Change, Kenya
Facility will Focus on Technology Transfer to Developing Nations...

3918. February 22, 2013 | cjr.org
Beijing’s blinding pollutionm, China
As resources become scarcer and cutbacks in foreign bureaus more common, international reporting is becoming geographically biased. This trend was evident in the heavy coverage of the thick smog in Beijing in recent months...

3919. February 22, 2013 | medicalnewstoday.com
Chemical Reaction With Methylene Blue, Potential Alzheimer's Drug, Modifies Tau Proteins
The chemical compound known as "methylene blue" is a potential candidate for treating Alzheimer's, as it prevents the harmful clumping of so-called tau proteins typically associated with this disease...

3920. February 22, 2013 | Hindustan Times
Indoor air pollution kills a million people every year in India, India
Over a million people in India die every year because of indoor air pollution, among highest in the world, but the country's top advisory body the Planning Commission wants more epidemiological studies to agree for national indoor air pollution norms...