Tag Archives: epa

Three Ways to Improve Your Indoor Air Quality Naturally

By Guest PostApril 28, 2015Environment, Small Businessconsumers convenience, epa, humidity, hvac, indoor air quality, michelle patterson, mobile friendly sites, multiple myelom, online store, pollutants, shopping videos, skin treatments, ventilation

While outdoor pollution always seems to be on the forefront of all of our minds, many people don’t stop to consider the quality of the air indoors and inside their own home. It is a little known fact that indoor air quality can be up to five times worse than outdoor air quality. Additionally, the EPA has ranked indoor air pollution as one of the top five environmental concerns that we face on a daily basis and that up to 50% of illnesses are caused or made worse by inadequate indoor air quality. When you stop to think about these statistics, it is concerning that we spend most of our time in our homes being exposed to these pollutants. This article will discuss some simple ways to improve your indoor air quality in your home naturally so that you and your family can remain safe and healthy.
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Dispersant from Deepwater Horizon Spill Found to Persist in the Environment

By Guest PostOctober 20, 2014Environmentbacteria, bp, chris reddy, deepwater horizon spill, doss, elizabeth kujawinski, Environment, epa, fruehjahrsputz staub, gomri, gulf of mexico, hantavirus infektionen, helen white, infektionsrisiko durch hantaviren, krank durch fruehjahrsputz, mini brains, oceanographic institution, puumala virus, puuv infektionen, puuv virus, roetelmaus, whoi, woods hole

The 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) spill in the Gulf of Mexico was the largest accidental release of oil into the ocean, with approximately 210 million gallons gushing from the blown out well. In an attempt to prevent vast quantities of oil from fouling beaches and marshes, BP applied 1.84 million gallons of chemical dispersant to oil to oil released in the subsurface and to oil slicks at the sea surface. The dispersant was thought to rapidly degrade in the environment. (more…)

Biotech Crops vs. Pests: Successes, Failures from the First Billion Acres

By Guest PostJune 11, 2013Environmentbacillus thuringiensis, bacterium, Beijing, biotech crops, bruce tabashnik, bt, bt crop acreage, bt toxins, cirad, epa, evolutionary theory, france, global assessment, insecticidal proteins, kongming wu, million hectares, organic farmers, pest resistance, pests, pink bollworm caterpillar, rapid evolution, resistance in pests, sprays, thierry brevault, university of arizona, world, yves carriere

A new global assessment helps scientists explain why genetically modified crops have suppressed some pests for longer than a decade, while others adapted in a few years.

Since 1996, farmers worldwide have planted more than 1 billion acres (400 million hectares) of genetically modified corn and cotton that produce insecticidal proteins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt for short.

Bt proteins, used for decades in sprays by organic farmers, kill some devastating pests but are considered environmentally friendly and harmless to people. However, some scientists feared that widespread use of these proteins in genetically modified crops would spur rapid evolution of resistance in pests. (more…)

New Robotic Instruments to Provide Real-Time Data on Gulf of Maine Red Tide

By Guest PostJune 2, 2013Environmentalexandrium bloom season, alexandrium fundyense, amnesic shellfish poisoning, asp, chris scholin, coast of portsmouth, coastal waters, current status, dennis mcgillicuddy, diatom, don anderson, environmental sample processors, epa, espchris, espdon, esps, fda, greg doucette, gulf of maine, habs, harmful algal blooms, kohl kanwit, MIT, molecular biology labs, neracoos, new england, new robotic instruments, nh, noaa, paralytic shellfish poisoning, pseudo nitzschia, psp, real time data, red tide, sea grant program, single celled algae, toxins, WHO

Deployment could lead transformation of toxic HAB monitoring

A new robotic sensor deployed by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Gulf of Maine coastal waters may transform the way red tides or harmful algal blooms (HABs) are monitored and managed in New England. The instrument was launched at the end of last month, and a second such system will be deployed later this spring.

The results will add critical data to weekly real-time forecasts of New England red tide this year distributed to more than 150 coastal resource and fisheries managers in six states as well as federal agencies such as NOAA, the FDA and the EPA. Researchers also plan to add data from the sensor to regular updates provided on the “Current Status” page of the Northeast PSP website. (more…)

Multi-Toxin Biotech Crops Not Silver Bullets, UA Scientists Warn

By Guest PostMarch 31, 2013Environment, Natureafrica, bacillus thuringiensis, bacterium, biotech crops, bruce tabashnik, bt, bt cotton, bt toxin, caterpillars, cirad, corn earworm, cotton bollworm, cry1, cry1ac, cry2 toxins, cry2ab, entomologists, Environment, epa, genetically engineered crops, helicoverpa zea, insecticide sprays, multi toxin, one toxin, pest control, pest killing proteins, pyramid strategy, silver bullets, simulation models, two toxin, university of arizona, US, yves carriere

The popular new strategy of planting genetically engineered crops that make two or more toxins to fend off insect pests rests on assumptions that don’t always apply, UA researchers have discovered. Their study helps explain why one major pest is evolving resistance much faster than predicted and offers ideas for more sustainable pest control.

A strategy widely used to prevent pests from quickly adapting to crop-protecting toxins may fail in some cases unless better preventive actions are taken, suggests new research by University of Arizona entomologists published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Corn and cotton have been genetically modified to produce pest-killing proteins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt for short. Compared with typical insecticide sprays, the Bt toxins produced by genetically engineered crops are much safer for people and the environment, explained Yves Carrière, a professor of entomology in the UA College of Agriculture and Life Sciences who led the study. (more…)

Omega-3 Supplements May Slow a Biological Effect of Aging

By Guest PostOctober 5, 2012Healthaging, alzheimer's disease, american, arthritis, balance, beom seuk hwang, biological process, blood, blood cell, cardiovascular system, cell, coronary, daily intake, dha, diabetes, diet, DNA, docosahexaenoic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, elissa epel, elizabeth blackburn, epa, f2 isoprostanes, fatty acid, fish oil, free radical, good fat, heart, heart disease, il 6, immune system, inflammation, inflammatory marker, interleukin 6, jan kiecolt glaser, jue lin, martha belury, ohio state, oil, omega 6, omega-3, oxidative stress, placebo group, polyunsaturated fatty acid, ratio, rebecca andridge, reduce, ron glaser, segment, supplement, telomeres, type 2, white, william malarkey

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Taking enough omega-3 fatty acid supplements to change the balance of oils in the diet could slow a key biological process linked to aging, new research suggests.

The study showed that most overweight but healthy middle-aged and older adults who took omega-3 supplements for four months altered a ratio of their fatty acid consumption in a way that helped preserve tiny segments of DNA in their white blood cells. (more…)

Super-Strong, High-Tech Material Found to be Toxic to Aquatic Animals by Researchers at MU and USGS

By Guest PostAugust 27, 2012Scienceaquatic animal, baolin deng, carbon nanotube, chironomus dilutes, chromium, cnts, crustaceans, earth, Environment, epa, flies larvae, hao li, hyalella azteca, joseph mwangi, lumbriculus variegatus, mass production, metal, mussels, nickel, pure carbon, strongest material, tennis racket, toxic, united states, university of missouri, villosa iris, waste management, worms

Carbon nanotubes hold promise for industry but need monitoring, say researchers

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are some of the strongest materials on Earth and are used to strengthen composite materials, such as those used in high-performance tennis rackets. CNTs have potential uses in everything from medicine to electronics to construction. However, CNTs are not without risks. A joint study by the University of Missouri and United States Geological Survey found that they can be toxic to aquatic animals. The researchers urge that care be taken to prevent the release of CNTs into the environment as the materials enter mass production.

“The great promise of carbon nanotubes must be balanced with caution and preparation,” said Baolin Deng, professor and chair of chemical engineering at the University of Missouri. “We don’t know enough about their effects on the environment and human health. The EPA and other regulatory groups need more studies like ours to provide information on the safety of CNTs.” (more…)

Sediment Sleuthing

By Guest PostMarch 23, 2012Environmentchristopher sommerfield, coast, contaminant, delaware bay, delaware river, element, environmental science, epa, fukushima nuclear disaster, i 131, Japan, non radioactive, ocean, radiation, radioactive iodine, radioactive medicine, radioiodine, radionuclide, river, schuylkill river, sea floor, sediment, suspended particle, teresa messmore, university of delaware, wastewater

Radioactive medicine being tracked through rivers

A University of Delaware oceanographer has stumbled upon an unusual aid for studying local waterways: radioactive iodine. Trace amounts of the contaminant, which is used in medical treatments, are entering waterways via wastewater treatment systems and providing a new way to track where and how substances travel through rivers to the ocean.

“This is a really interesting convergence of medicine, public health and environmental science,” said Christopher Sommerfield, associate professor of oceanography in UD’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment. (more…)