By Elise Craig on September 8, 2010
BP on Wednesday released its long-awaited internal report on the Gulf of Mexico oil spill that called the disaster “a shared responsibility” caused by a “sequence of failures involving a number of different parties,” The New York Times reports.
The report cited multiple mistakes by BP and other firms, but did not place blame on its ... Read more »
Posted in Environmental Safety and Health, News & Notes
By Patrick Corcoran on September 7, 2010
Politicians, scientists and businesses are in the midst of a mammoth tug-of-war regarding the safety of bisphenol-A, a chemical used in a wide variety of common household products, the The New York Times reports.
Some scientists, including a number on White House advisory panels, link BPA, as bisphenol-A is commonly called, to cancer, liver disease and ... Read more »
Posted in Environmental Safety and Health, News & Notes, Product Hazards and Recalls
By Jessica Roberts on September 3, 2010
Residents of a small Wyoming town near extensive natural gas drilling have been warned by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency not to drink their local water following new water testing in the area.
The investigative news organization ProPublica reports that the EPA cautioned residents of Pavillion after a new round of testing and analysis of 23 ... Read more »
Posted in Drinking Water, Environmental Safety and Health, News & Notes
By Lea Yu on September 1, 2010
Following revelations of bribes, favoritism and sexual liaisons between oil industry executives and regulators, the federal agency that oversees offshore drilling has imposed its first-ever ethics policy, The Associated Press reports.
Michael R. Bromwich, director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, issued guidelines this week to prevent inspectors from dealing with a ... Read more »
Posted in Environmental Safety and Health, News & Notes, Workplace Safety
By Lea Yu on August 30, 2010
Water testing at California beaches has dramatically declined to its lowest level since state law mandated ocean monitoring just over a decade ago, putting beachgoers at greater risk for exposure to contaminated water, the Los Angeles Times reports.
An analysis of state records found that the number of annual bacteria tests has dropped by nearly half ... Read more »
Posted in Environmental Safety and Health, News & Notes
By Lea Yu on August 27, 2010
Toxic metals from the ash of coal-fired power plants have polluted ground and surface waters at scores of locations across the nation, says a new report by a coalition of environmental groups.
Contamination has been found at 137 sites in 34 states, about double the number of locations previously identified by the Environmental Protection Agency, according to the report. At one site–Hatfield’s Ferry in Pennsylvania–groundwater tests revealed ... Read more »
Posted in Environmental Safety and Health, News & Notes
