Chemicals

"The fields are heating up, there are little black rubber pellets everywhere, and feet are covered with blisters."

"The EPA will begin analysing the impacts of Atrazine and Glyphosate, the two most-commonly used pesticides in the U.S., on 1,500 plant and animal species in the U.S. under the terms of a settlement reached today with the Center for Biological Diversity."

"The House on Tuesday approved a bipartisan bill that would update regulation of harmful chemicals for the first time in nearly 40 years."

"Strife within the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) has burst into the open again with one board member seizing control and ordering immediate suspension of the agency’s entire executive staff."

"Drinking water wells in Texas counties that are home to intensive hydraulic fracturing operations contain elevated levels of more than two dozen metals and chemicals, including carcinogens, according to a new study in Environmental Science & Technology."

"The Army set out to develop lead-free bullets to protect the environment. The finished product achieved that goal -- and produced the most lethal rifle round to date."

"The American Medical Association, citing growing concerns about monitoring and tracking long-term human health impacts caused by shale gas development, is calling for the public disclosure of all chemicals used in the extraction technique known as hydraulic fracturing, or 'fracking.'

"A California appeals court ruled this week that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has until the end of this month to decide whether or not to ban a widely used pesticide linked to a number of health problems."

"Selling seeds and pesticides used to be a sleepy, slow-moving business. That was, until about 20 years ago, when the chemical company Monsanto introduced genetically modified crops and started buying up seed companies. Ever since, companies in this industry have been maneuvering like hungry fish in a pond, occasionally dining on pieces of each other, hoping to survive through size and speed."