U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases begin to increase again. In a submission to the United Nations climate organization, the U.S. said its greenhouse gas emissions grew by 3.2 percent in 2010, following two years of declines. Officials said the increase stemmed from rising energy consumption due to the nation’s economic recovery. The data showed that the U.S., the world’s second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases after China, would need to move aggressively to achieve President Obama’s targets for tackling climate change. Yet the gas emissions total in 2010, 6.82 billion metric tons, was still below the 7.25 billion recorded in 2007 before the onset of the global recession. Agence France-Presse
Critics increasingly raising concerns about chemicals in food from plastic packaging. The federal government, based on the premise that the dose makes the poison, has approved a number of potentially hazardous substances for food-contact uses, including phosphoric acid, vinyl chloride and formaldehyde. But critics now question that logic. For one thing, it doesn’t take into account the emerging science on chemicals that interfere with natural hormones and might be harmful at much lower doses than previously thought to cause health problems. The Washington Post
Fewer young children and teens dying in accidents. A new federal report found that the death rate for youths ages 19 and younger from unintentional injuries dropped 29 percent from 2000 to 2009, and the number of deaths fell over that period, too, from about 12,400 to 9,100. A sharp drop in traffic fatalities was the biggest reason for the improvement. Federal officials didn’t analyze what caused that decline, but they believe it was helped by measures like graduated driver’s licenses and use of child safety and booster seats. Childhood deaths from drownings, fires and falls also declined. At the same time, the figures showed an alarming jump in deaths from prescription drug overdoses. The Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal
22 people arrested in eastern China on suspicion of selling medicine capsules containing excessive chromium. The official Xinhua News Agency said police are investigating 43 capsule manufacturers in the coastal Zhejiang province, and authorities announced that they have suspended the sale of 13 medicines likely to have been made with the contaminated capsules. State broadcaster CCTV said the capsules were made from industrial gelatin, which has more chromium than edible gelatin. The episode highlights China’s continuing battle with food and drug safety as well as what analysts say are mounting cost pressures amid the government’s health-care overhaul. The Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal
Groggy pilot, unbuckled seat belts blamed in Air Canada incident that injured 16 people. The incident occurred after a groggy co-pilot who mistakenly believed his jet was about to smash into another plane forced a sudden dive during an overnight flight from Toronto to Zurich in January, 2011. The co-pilot was napping during a rest period aimed at combating pilot fatigue when he was awakened by the captain’s report of their flight position. An investigator for Canada’s Transportation Safety Board said the incident “underscores the challenge of managing fatigue on the flight deck.” Investigators also noted that those hurt, 14 passengers and two flight attendants, hadn’t buckled their seat belts. The Canadian Press
Compiled by Stuart Silverstein
