Industry-funded research raises questions about the integrity of fracking studies. Last week the University of Texas provost announced he would reexamine a report by a professor that said fracking, a controversial drilling technique, didn’t threaten the safety of groundwater. The provost acted after the revelation that the professor pocketed hundreds of thousands of dollars from a Texas natural gas developer. In another controversy of whether academic research on fracking is being influenced by corporate money, the Ohio Ethics Commission is looking into the activities of Robert Chase, a college instructor and energy consultant who was a co-author of a study touting the potential benefits of fracking. Wired
Pacific Northwest’s caffeine culture extends beyond the shore. Researchers have found high levels of the stimulant off the Oregon coast, which may affect aquatic life and also signal that contaminants in human waste are entering the ocean and other water bodies. The researchers, from Portland State and Washington State universities, found that remote areas had higher caffeine levels than sites near waste treatment plants or large towns. Their hypothesis: Less-stringent water-quality monitoring in rural areas may be allowing septic systems or other disposal systems to pollute. Earlier studies have detected caffeine in water elsewhere around the world. The stimulant’s effects on marine life aren’t fully understood. National Geographic
Auto safety officials call devices to prevent child heatstroke deaths unreliable. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration drew that conclusion based on research by Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. NHTSA Administrator David Strickland said the devices — which sound alerts when their sensors detect children left in hot cars — are prone to false alarms and are difficult to install correctly. Researchers say about 500 children died after being left unattended in vehicles between 1998 and 2009. NHTSA urges parents to never leave a child unattended in a vehicle, even if windows are partly open or if the engine and air-conditioning are running. USA Today, Bloomberg
Australian drilling contractor pleads guilty to three safety violations in New Zealand coal mine disaster. VLI Drilling pleaded guilty today to charges that it failed to keep workers safe at New Zealand’s Pike River coal mine, where 29 workers were killed amid a series of methane explosions in 2010. The company faces a maximum fine of $607,000. VLI employed three of the victims. Authorities said the methane detector on VLI’s rig was faulty and needed replacing, and hadn’t been inspected as required. Nine safety and health charges also are pending against the main mine operator, Pike River Coal, which employed the rest of the victims. Pike River Coal’s former chief executive, Peter Whittall, faces 12 charges. The Associated Press
Concrete company cited for delay in calling for emergency help. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration accused Dukane Precast of four offenses — including a willful violation, its most serious charge — related to the company’s response to a February accident at its Naperville, Ill., plant. OSHA said a worker was trapped in a sand bin for more than an hour before Dukane requested emergency workers, violating a requirement to take such action immediately. As the Chicago Tribune reported in February, firefighters pulled out the employee more than four hours after he was buried up to his waist in sand. OSHA said he suffered “serious crushing injuries.” The agency is seeking fines of up to $70,000. OSHA
Recalls: Coconut chocolate chip CLIF bars, Hyundai Santa Fe SUVs and Sonata sedans, Ford Escape SUVs
Compiled by Stuart Silverstein and Bridget Huber
