Pollution

A rash of headaches, coughing fits, red eyes, and other symptoms has closed Oak Ridge Elementary School in North Carolina while local, state, and federal officials figure out what is causing it.

"A measure approved by the House would require the EPA to develop a system that would allow the public to be made aware of contamination within hours of sampling."

"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is demanding answers to dozens of long-standing questions about the handling of wastes contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls, PCBs, at U.S. Army ammunition production facilities nationwide."

"The 'dead zone' in the Gulf of Mexico, an area choked by low oxygen levels that threatens marine life, is smaller than expected this year but more deadly, the government said on Monday."

"For decades, one of the nation's most widely used dry cleaning solvents was billed as a marvel of modern chemistry that could safely remove dirt and stains from clothing. ...But over the years, with little if any notice to the public, the often sloppy use of perchloroethylene has poisoned hundreds of sites in Illinois."

"Sewage spills that have contributed to water pollution in San Francisco Bay will be reduced under two settlements reached last week between the nonprofit San Francisco Baykeeper and the Town of Hillsborough and the neighborhood of Burlingame Hills."

Fumes from long-ago industrial activity are still seeping into the homes of some Baltimore-area residents. Those fumes include cancer-causing chemicals like trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene. The site was one of the first Superfund cleanups, but the cleanup was not thorough enough.

With a push from EPA and some stimulus money, two contaminated Alaskan mines will be cleaned up.