A legal challenge to the EPA’s rule limiting mercury and other toxic emissions from power plants was shot down yesterday by the three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
Earth Day activities highlight simple measures to take
April 16, 2014
Individual action can make a difference in protecting the climate, according to the EPA, which is using Earth Day – coming up on April 22nd – to educate the public about ways to combat climate change.
The EPA is trying to reassure state energy regulators that the upcoming rule to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants would give states flexibility.
NIOSH would no longer consider technical achievability to control exposures
March 28, 2014
The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) expresses its appreciation to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) for the opportunity to comment on the NIOSH Draft Current Intelligence Bulletin “Update of NIOSH Carcinogen Classification and Target Risk Level Policy for Chemical Hazards in the Workplace."
As the number of chemical disasters and injuries continues to mount in 2014, evidence shows that the risks that chemical facilities present to the local communities in which they are located are greater than many residents previously understood. The Center for Effective Government has created a set of maps, showing how close many of these facilities are to schools and hospitals.
New PSA from EPA advises: Be smart. Protect your heart.
February 7, 2014
People with heart disease should check the daily Air Quality Index forecast and avoid exercising out of doors on bad air quality days, according to the EPA, which has issued a new Public Service Announcement (PSA) to educate the public and healthcare providers about the risks of air pollution to the heart.
Total releases of toxic chemicals decreased 12 percent from 2011-2012, according to the EPA’s annual Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) report released this week. The decrease includes an eight percent decline in total toxic air releases, primarily due to reductions in hazardous air pollutant (HAP) emissions.
EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy Statement to Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on the President’s Climate Action Plan. In June of last year, the President reaffirmed his commitment to reducing carbon pollution when he directed many federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, to take meaningful steps to mitigate the current and future damage caused by carbon dioxide emissions and to prepare for the anticipated climate changes that have already been set in motion.
EPA: Radon-related lung cancer causes 21,000 deaths a year
January 9, 2014
As Americans across the country look for ways to improve their health this New Year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is highlighting radon testing and mitigation as a simple and affordable step to significantly reduce the risk for lung cancer.
Blood mercury levels in women of childbearing age have dropped 34 percent in the past 14 years, according to a survey by the EPA. Additionally, the percentage of women of childbearing age with blood mercury levels above the level of concern decreased 65 percent from the 1999-2000 survey and follow-up surveys from 2001-2010.