WHO has revealed new information on the extent to which tobacco damages both the environment and human health, calling for steps to make the industry more accountable for the destruction it is causing. The WHO report “Tobacco: Poisoning our planet” highlights that the industry’s carbon footprint from production, processing and transporting tobacco is equivalent to one-fifth… Continue reading Tobacco the twin killer of health and environment, says WHO
Tag: Toxic
Toxic lead in petrol has been eliminated globally
When service stations in Algeria stopped providing leaded petrol in July, the use of leaded petrol ended globally. This development follows an almost two decades long campaign by the UNEP-led global Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles (PCFV). Since 1922, the use of tetraethyllead as a petrol additive to improve engine performance has been a catastrophe for the… Continue reading Toxic lead in petrol has been eliminated globally
Cadmium levels in waste pickers ‘four times higher’
Washington Castilhos Cadmium, lead and mercury are highly toxic and carcinogenic. High levels of cadmium and lead can have neurological, digestive and cardiovascular impacts, while mercury is associated with systemic toxicity in the kidneys and central nervous system. Waste pickers exposed to discarded electronics, aluminium and metal cans have up to four times higher levels… Continue reading Cadmium levels in waste pickers ‘four times higher’
Fishing village hit by chemical leak in China
Early in the morning of November 4, workers at Donggang Petrochemicals were hosing C9 aromatic solvent onto a tanker at Quanzhou’s port. The hose broke and 69 tonnes of the substance leaked into the ocean. C9 is an industrial solvent of similar toxicity to petrol and is an irritant to the skin, eyes and respiratory tract.
12,000 U.S. schools are within a mile of a hazardous chemical facility. What should we do about that?
Elizabeth Grossman In the absence of a federal U.S. policy for schools located near potentially dangerous sites, community activists search for safer solutions. On April 17, 2013, an explosion and fire at the West Fertilizer Company plant in West, Texas, killed 15 people and injured hundreds. It also destroyed more than 150 buildings around the… Continue reading 12,000 U.S. schools are within a mile of a hazardous chemical facility. What should we do about that?
Widespread ingestion of packing chemicals revealed
The growing use of plastic food containers in developing countries means their citizens are now exposed to as much bisphenol A (BPA) as those in rich countries, a research review has found The paper, published in Food and Chemical Toxicology earlier this month compiles data from 16 studies. It found that, for example, BPA levels… Continue reading Widespread ingestion of packing chemicals revealed