Black market for body parts grows in Europe. Facing grinding poverty, some Europeans are seeking to sell their kidneys, lungs, bone marrow or corneas, experts say. The spread of illegal organ sales into Europe has been abetted by the Internet, a global shortage of organs for transplants and, in some cases, unscrupulous traffickers ready to exploit economic misery. In Spain, Italy, Greece and Russia, advertisements by people peddling organs — as well as hair, sperm and breast milk — have turned up on the Internet, with asking prices for lungs as high as $250,000. In late May, the Israeli police detained 10 members of an international crime ring suspected of organ trafficking in Europe, law enforcement officials said. The New York Times
Congress is set to vote on providing health care to those harmed by toxic drinking water at Camp Lejeune. The North Carolina military base is the site of what may be the largest case of water contamination in U.S. history. From the 1950s to the mid-1980s, the Marines who lived on the base with their families drank water laced with cancer-causing chemicals. Hundreds of thousands of Lejeune residents were exposed. Many died and others are still getting sick. After years of bureaucratic battles over which agency should pay for the health care, a legislative deal for the Department of Veterans Affairs to take responsibility is in the works, and the bill could head to the president’s desk soon after July 4th. ABC News
Consumer Product Safety Commission urges caution for riders of all-terrain vehicles. As FairWarning has reported, more than 10,000 people have been killed in ATV crashes since federal authorities began keeping track in the 1980s. The CPSC said its preliminary figures show that, since just the beginning of this year, 130 adults and 28 children under age 16 have died in ATV accidents. The agency urged a variety of safety precautions, including wearing helmets, not driving on paved roads, taking safety courses from certified instructors and preventing children below the age of 16 from driving or riding on adult ATVs. CPSC
Researchers say blazes burning in Western states offer a preview of potentially worse fires. The comments came from scientists as wildfires rage in Colorado, where blazes have killed four people, displaced thousands and destroyed hundreds of homes. “What we’re seeing is a window into what global warming really looks like,” said Michael Oppenheimer, a Princeton University professor of geosciences. “It looks like heat, it looks like fires, it looks like this kind of environmental disaster … This provides vivid images of what we can expect to see more of in the future.” Separately, other researchers say fiercer fires are likely both because of the warming climate and a “fire deficit” in the West over the past century. Reuters, DailyClimate.org
Lawmakers agree to greater federal oversight of public transit systems. The action, part of a major transportation bill expected to receive final Congressional approval by the end of the week, is largely in response to a Washington, D.C., Metro system crash of two subway trains three years ago that killed nine people. The oversight plan will require transit authorities to develop safety plans, evaluate safety risks, set repair criteria and put employees through a federally certified safety training program. The Obama administration had sought the legislation, which was championed by Sens. Barbara A. Mikulski and Benjamin L. Cardin, both Maryland Democrats. The Washington Post
Workplace safety inspectors cite employers in Georgia and Texas. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration charged Spruill Products, which makes storage racks and other goods, with 26 violations at its Atlanta plant. The federal agency accused the company of repeat violations of failing to ensure that employees wear eye and face protection, failing to develop “lockout/tagout” procedures to prevent machines from starting up unexpectedly and other charges. OSHA proposed $86,200 in penalties. Separately, OSHA accused Southwest Feed Mills of 12 violations, including exposing workers to combustible dust, at a Dallas operation. It proposed $45,000 in penalties. OSHA
Recalls: exhaust fans sold at Lowe’s, Hot Spring Spas and Limelight Hot Tubs, Ikea track lighting systems
Compiled by Stuart Silverstein
