West Palm Beach, Fla. — Rising from a denuded landscape not far from this area’s famed beaches, the nation’s first new commercial garbage incinerator in 20 years is about to be fired up, ready to blast up to 3,000 tons of trash a day into electricity for thousands of houses. More:
The New York Times

Levels of the flame retardants polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have dropped dramatically in the wildlife of the San Francisco Bay since government regulations led to an industry phase-out a decade ago. Action was taken on PBDEs in the US when evidence emerged that the chemicals can bioaccumulate and may be toxic. More:
ChemistryWorld

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking action to protect the public from certain chemicals that have the potential to cause a range of health effects from cancer to reproductive and developmental harm to people and aquatic organisms. Actions address chemicals proposed for addition to the Stockholm Convention. More:
US EPA

According to the bank, a total of $6.3m was provided as grant to Nigeria to manage the impact of the hazardous chemical, out of which $2.2m was spent between 2012 and 2014. PCBs are chemical compounds used in electrical transformers and capacitors as dielectric fluids worldwide and the substance has aroused global attention due to their documented threats to human and environmental well-being. More:
PUNCH - Nigeria

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has held a workshop to review the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), highly toxic substances released into the environment through human activity. More:
www.spyghana.com - Ghana

Ces résultats font partie du rapport annuel 2012 de l'Autorité européenne de sécurité des aliments (EFSA) sur les résidus de pesticides dans les aliments. Le rapport est basé sur l'analyse de près de 79 000 échantillons alimentaires effectués par 27 États membres de l'UE, l'Islande et la Norvège. More:
EFSA (French)

Using a new imaging technique, National Institutes of Health researchers have found that the biological machinery that builds DNA can insert molecules into the DNA strand that are damaged as a result of environmental exposures. These damaged molecules trigger cell death that produces some human diseases. More:
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences - USA

Los peces de la Antártida acumulan en su organismo distintos compuestos sintéticos de uso agroquímico, industrial o farmacéutico, por lo cual se han usado como “sensores” para registrar la contaminación ambiental. Ahora, científicos argentinos sugieren una estrategia para mejorar la precisión de las mediciones. More:
ARGENPRESS.info (Spanish)

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a sustainable approach to reduce pesticide use and risks of adverse effects on human health and the environment. However, its adoption by European farmers cannot be based only on mandatory regulation by the European Union, a new study suggests. The research identified four key factors driving IPM adoption; including market forces, policy instruments and farmers’ attitudes to the environment. More:
Science for Environment Policy

A more efficient method for sorting plastic electronics waste containing harmful chemicals is proposed by a new study. The method combines two analytical techniques that together can quickly and accurately detect levels of flame retardants in plastics used by the electronics industry. More:
Science for Environment Policy

A United Nations committee of experts recommended the global elimination of the pesticide pentachlorophenol (PCP), widely used for treatment of wooden utility poles and railroad ties. Scientists cite chemical’s persistence, bioaccumulation, long-range transport, and PCP’s toxic impacts in recommending it being listed in the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. More:
Beyond Pesticides

Switzerland - As glaciers increasingly melt in the wake of climate change, it is not only the landscape that is affected. Thawing glaciers also release many industrial pollutants stored in the ice into the environment. More:
AZO Cleantech
Phys.org - When thawing glaciers release pollutants

Suisse - La fonte des glaciers liée au changement climatique menace de relâcher dans l'environnement des polluants d'origine industrielle qu'ils ont stockés. Une étude soutenue par le Fonds national de la recherche scientifique a analysé le cas des biphényles polychlorés sur une période allant de 1940 à 2002. More:
RTS.ch (French)

NCR Corp. continued to produce carbonless copy paper well after learning a chemical involved in the manufacturing process posed a long-term risk to human health and the vitality of the Fox River, a federal appellate court has found. The company knew long before area paper recyclers did that polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, were a problem, the court concluded. More:
www.greenbaypressgazette.com - Wisconsin, USA

BASF ha informado de que se opone a la autorización del uso prolongado del retardante de la llama hexabromociclodecano (HBCD). More:
www.noticierotextil.net (Spanish)

Le ministère délégué chargé de l’Environnement, avec l’appui financier du Fonds pour l’environnement mondial (FEM), a procédé au lancement de la deuxième campagne nationale de collecte et d’élimination des appareils à Polychlorobiphényles (PCB). More:
aufait - Morocco (French)

Four substances have been added in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 13th Report on Carcinogens, a science-based document that identifies chemical, biological, and physical agents that are considered cancer hazards for people living in the United States. More:
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences - USA

Although no longer manufactured in the United States, polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants are still found in imported products as well as in older U.S.-made products; they also persist in the environment. A study suggests that exposure to specific PBDE congeners may be a risk factor for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). More:
Environmental Health Perspectives

Un estudio halla hasta 52 tipos diferentes de plaguicidas en 90 muestras de frutas y verduras; sólo peras y lechugas presentaban hasta 10 sustancias distintas. More:
El Correo (Spanish)

A persistent chemical formerly used in Scotchgard still contaminates most fish in U.S. rivers and the Great Lakes despite a phase-out a dozen years ago, a new federal study shows. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency researchers found perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) in all of the 157 fish sampled from nearshore waters in the five Great Lakes and in 73 percent from 162 rivers. More:
Environmental Health News