OPPT NEWSBREAK Monday 2 August 1999 Today's "Toxic News for the Net" Brought to you by the OPPTS Chemical Library http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/oppt_nb.txt NEWS "EPA Is Moving To Restrict Use Of 2 Pesticides" Wall Street Journal, 2 Aug 99, B5. "Restrictions Coming On 2 Widely Used Pesticides." USA Today, 1 Aug 99, 1A. "A Pesticide Balancing Act." Washington Post, 2 Aug 99, A1, A8. Due to evidence of toxicity to children, the EPA will announce restrictions on the use of two pesticides that are widely used among fruit and vegetable growers: axinphos-methyl and methyl parathion. This action, the first EPA has taken under the 1996 Food Quality Protection Act, is expected to put U.S. growers at a disadvantage against foreign producers who can sell products in the U.S. that have been treated with these pesticides. Farmers have few alternatives, most of them more expensive. Anticipated changes will take effect next year and will primarily impact growers of peaches and apples. "EPA Concedes Gas Additive Has Polluted Water Supplies." Washington Times, 2 Aug 99, A8. EPA agrees that trace amounts of the carcinogen methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) threaten some of the nation's water supply. While the substance has helped reduce smog as a gasoline additive since 1990, it can now be found in 5 to 10 percent of the drinking water supplies in high-smog areas where use of the additive has been required. Groups that want to end the use of MTBE say studies have shown that MTBE has done little to clean the air and that EPA needs to address possible health effects including the links found between medical conditions like asthma and unexplained coughing and MTBE. Reformulated gas is mandatory in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia, three areas with severe air-pollution problems. "Drought Is Worst Since Depression." Washington Post, 2 Aug 99, A1, A7. "Temperatures Drop Across the Midwest." Washington Times, 2 Aug 99, A6. In the mid-Atlantic and Northeast U.S. the ground is drier than it has been since the Great Depression according to Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman. While just an inconvenience to some, the drought has devastated farmers and acres of corn and soybeans. 182 people have died from the sweltering temperatures in the northeast half of the United States, 30 in Chicago. A statewide emergency was declared for Maryland last week and 11 localities in Virginia have asked for federal disaster assistance. The East Coast is also suffering from poor air quality, worsened by the heat and drought. New York's smog conditions are the worst they have been in a decade. With no relief in sight, water restrictions have been enforced in several areas. Food prices are not expected to increase significantly. "Wells Drying Up in New Jersey Hills." New York Times, 2 Aug 99, A15. Water deep in the bedrock of northwestern New Jersey is becoming scarce as underground water tables and aquifers affected by the summer's drought are dropping, causing hundreds of domestic wells to run dry in Sussex and Passaic Counties. Well drillers are inundated with requests to deepen existing wells to an average of 450 feet. Municipal water officials, concerned for the future of the well fields on the banks of the Ramapo River, say conservation efforts are needed beyond the restrictions currently placed on lawn watering. "Flat CO2 Emissions Give Experts Hope [Economy]." Wall Street Journal, 2 Aug 99, A2, A6. Last year emissions of man-made carbon dioxide dropped world-wide, but remained almost flat in the U.S. despite 4% growth in the nation's economy. The positive trend in results is expected to make ratification of the global Kyoto Treaty, under which countries are required to cut CO2 emissions, easier. As it turns out, the assumption made by experts that economic growth would mean more energy consumption and more CO2 emissions, is not founded. How this finding changes concerns about emissions trading between countries under the Kyoto Treaty is discussed in the article. ACROSS THE USA, FROM USA TODAY "Montgomery, Alabama [Across the USA]." USA Today, 30 July 99, 10A. A poll taken by the Capital Survey Research Center shows that 68% of the state's residents want environmental protection to be prioritized. 23% of the voters favored industrial development over the environment. "Daytona Beach, Florida [Across the USA]." USA Today, 30 July 99, 10A. 38 beachfront businesses in Volusia County have been ordered to reposition their outside lights because they disorient baby sea turtles, causing them to travel towards the light instead of towards the water. Many die of exhaustion or predators. "Atlanta, Georgia [Across the USA]." USA Today, 30 July 99, 10A. A lawsuit over water pollution violations throughout the city of Atlanta's sewer system has been settled with federal and state regulators. The city paid $700,000 in fines and agreed to bring its sewer system into compliance with the Clean Water Act and the Georgia Water Quality Control Act by 2013. "Houma, Louisiana [Across the USA]." USA Today, 30 July 99, 10A. The Trebonne Parish Council wants state environmental officials to adopt a proposal that will allow local governments to veto, by not sending a letter of approval, hazardous waste incinerators within 25 miles of their jurisdictions. "Baltimore, Maryland [Across the USA]." USA Today, 30 July 99, 10A. Environmentalists do not want the Army Corps of Engineers to dump 18 million cubic yards of sand and silt dredged from the Chesapeake Bay shipping lanes to another part of the bay, a decision which the Corps has delayed until next summer. "Pittsfield, Massachusetts [Across the USA]." USA Today, 30 July 99, 10A. State environmental regulators ordered General Electric to test for PCBs at the King Street dump and in part of the Housatonic River, two sites at which GE dumped chemicals in the early 1970s. "Butte, Montana [Across the USA]." USA Today, 30 July 99, 10A. The Forest Service is warning people not to swim in Homestake Lake, near Butte, because of a large and possibly toxic algae bloom that has been robbing the lake of oxygen and killing fish there. "Reno, Nevada [Across the USA]." USA Today, 30 July 99, 10A. The U.S. Postal Service will conduct an environmental assessment on its plan to relocate a mail sorting hub to Reno-Tahoe International Airport. Residents near the airport are concerned about noisy jets and late-night takeoffs. "Charleston, West Virginia [Across the USA]." USA Today, 30 July 99, 10A. Effective Sunday, Michael Castle will become the new Director of the Division of Environmental Protection. Predecessor Michael Miano resigned to take a job with the Division of Highways. TOXICS IN THE NEWS: POULTRY'S PRICE: THE COST TO THE BAY "Permitting a Pattern of Pollution [Poultry's Price: The Cost to the Bay: Second of Three Articles]." Washington Post, 2 Aug 99, A1, A10."Chicken Waste Trucked to Maryland [Poultry's Price: The Cost to the Bay]." Washington Post, 2 Aug 99, A11. "A Look Inside The Modern Poultry Plant [Poultry's Price: The Cost to the Bay]." Washington Post, 2 Aug 99, A10. Harmful amounts, i.e. millions of gallons, of slaughterhouse waste from chickens processed by Perdue Farms Inc. and smaller plants are legally dumped into the Chesapeake and coastal bays that are shared by Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. A unified vision among the bay states' legislators on how to regulate chicken waste is lacking and the EPA says the water quality is deteriorating. Algae growth is overstimulated by the unlimited release of nitrogen, causing depletion of oxygen needed to support water life. In addition to nitrogen, data collected by EPA shows there is an increase in phosphorus, which, along with nitrogen, scientists have linked to outbreaks of the toxic microbe Pfiesteria piscicida. Such an outbreak closed several rivers in Maryland two summers ago. The lengthy report continues to describe the operations that occur at slaughterhouses, the hundreds of violations that occur without fines due to loose interpretations of existing regulations and other concerns that are resulting from increased consumer demand for highly processed chicken, which requires using lots of water. BIOTECHNOLOGY "France's Fickle Appetite [Op-Ed]." New York Times, 2 August 99, A19. Diane Johnson, who divides her time between Pairs and San Francisco, and is the author of "Le Divorce," discusses French attitudes towards generically modified food. She concludes by pointing out that the U.S. government has conceded that they have not yet done long-term studies on the effects of genetically altered farm products. "So we are insisting that Europeans accept products of ours that they don't want, but we haven't actually done the research yet to prove the safety of these products? Neither the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Agriculture, nor the Environmental Protection Agency have thoroughly examined genetic modification. They have left it to agribusiness to determine the safety of these products. But after the tobacco mess, aren't we skeptical of corporate claims?" SCIENCE POLICY "Attack of the Killer Toaster [Editorials]." Washington Times, 2 August 99, A18. The WT comments on the recent news that Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory scientist Robert Liburdy falsified information in his studies that purported to show a link between electromagnetic fields and cancer. The Times uses this as an example of why the Shelby amendment to the Freedom of Information Act which calls for release of information from any federally funded scientific study. They explain why those calling for a repeal are wrong, and how sensitive trade and private information is protected. TOXICS IN THE NEWS: LEAD & PCBS "When Kids Get Poisoned [Letter To The Editor]." Washington Post, 2 August 99, A18. John Peterson Myers, director of the W. Alton Jones Foundation, which works to protect the environment, comments on William Raspberry's July 23 op-ed column "blaming the Brain" which brought of issues of personal responsibility in criminals who have genetically damaged brains. He poses the question of whether corporations or landlords could be held responsible for lead or PCB damaged children's actions and disabilities. LIVING IN THE INFORMATION AGE "Cutting Through the On-Line Clutter: Media Digests Help Busy Readers Cope With Avalanche of Data [Media]." New York Times, 2 aug 99, C10. Reporters and editors from many news organizations are among the discerning crowd of people that are increasingly relying on Net digests, Web sites where up-to-date collections of Web links to news, gossip or alternative sites are compiled. Web addresses are given for several Net digests, including Media Grok and Davenetics (www.davenetics.com) and Mediagossip.com. * All items, unless indicated otherwise, are available at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxics Substances (OPPTS) Chemical Library Northeast Mall, Room B606 (Mailcode 7407) Washington, D.C. 20460 (202) 260-3944; FAX x4659; E-mail for comments: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Due to copyright restrictions, the library cannot provide photocopies of articles.) *Viewpoints expressed in the above articles do not necessarily reflect EPA policy. 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