The World Health Organization estimates that up to 1/4 of all disease stems from environmental toxins. If this is truly the case, it means that toxic chemicals released by humans into the environment are sickening millions of people around the globe. At the greatest risk of health degrading chemical exposure are those living in developing [...]

Until recently, drilling for natural gas trapped in shale formations was not favored by drilling companies due to higher extraction costs. New technologies and a new push for oil independence have natural gas drilling companies clambering for a share in drilling the Appalachian basin’s Marcellus Shale formation. The largest of the U.S. shale gas reserves, [...]

 A recent study by a team of investigators from the National Cancer Institute, the University of California, Berkeley, and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, has linked very low levels of benzene exposure with a decrease in white blood cell production. The study "Hematotoxicity in Workers Exposed to Low Levels of Benzene," compared [...]

The European Commission has stated that it agrees with the European Parliment’s vote to approve legislation to cut health harming vapor emissions from gas stations. "This directive will improve the protection of European citizens’ health by contributing to the attainment of agreed EU air quality standards for two harmful pollutants — ground level ozone and [...]

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has withdrawn it’s controversial report  that downplayed the risks of chemicals found in the water supply of Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base in North Carolina. The report is being pulled due to factual omissions and scientific inaccuracy. The report acknowledged the presence of chemical contamination in [...]

Yesterday thirty-eight workers and villagers were poisoned and hospitalized after inhaling benzene gas at a village in east China’s Zhejiang Province. The poisoning took place as workers dismantled tanks that had contained the chemical. Short term exposure to benzene causes immediate depression of the central nervous system. Symptoms include drowsiness, headache, dizziness, loss coordination, loss of [...]

Scientists at the University of Alaska (UAS) have discovered significant levels of benzene and other organic solvents in snowpacks around Valdez Alaska. The town is located at the end of the trans-Alaska pipeline and is where tankers are loaded with crude oil. The researchers took snow cores from around Valdez and compared them to samples [...]

A mysterious odor near S. 9th St. and W. National Ave in Milwaukee has caused some residents to vacate their homes. The smell, which residents describe as similar to gasoline, paint thinner, and furniture stripper, comes and goes in all weather without any notable pattern. As a result of the complaints of concerned residents, the [...]

A Chance to Save A Life For those suffering from blood disorders caused by benzene exposure, such as aplastic anemia, myelodysplastic syndromes, and acute myelogenous leukemia, bone marrow stem cell transplants can be a life saving therapy. May is National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) month, is a great time to consider a life saving marrow [...]

In Texas City, Texas, 143 residents have filed a lawsuit against BP (British Petroleum) in response to a 2007 incident in which the refinery released toxic chemicals into the air, negatively affecting workers, and those living near by.  Apparently there were two releases, one involving a powdery cloud that caused residents skin and eye  irritation, [...]