Lawsuits filed last month claim that the sludge contained hexavalent chromium.  The suit alleged a link between the sludge and brain tumors occurring in the area.  In response to the lawsuit, Prime Tanning denies the link between the personal injuries alleged in the complaint and its sludge.  The company also denies the existence of hexavalent chromium in the plant’s sludge.

Hexavalent chromium compounds are a group of chemical substances that contain the metallic element chromium in its positive-6 valence (hexavalent) state.

Chromium occurs in the environment primarily in two valence states, trivalent chromium and hexavalent chromium.  Chromium III is much less toxic than hexavalent chromium.  The respiratory tract is also the major target organ for chromium toxicity.

 Indeed, according to research reports, hexavalent chromium will cause an increased risk of lung cancer. Other adverse health effects associated with hexavalent chromium exposure include dermal irritation, skin ulceration, allergic contact dermatitis, occupational asthma, nasal irritation and ulceration, perforated nasal septa, rhinitis, nosebleed, respiratory irritation, nasal cancer, sinus cancer, eye irritation and damage, perforated eardrums, kidney damage, liver damage, pulmonary congestion and edema, epigastric pain, and erosion and discoloration of the teeth.

Look for U.S. EPA to become involved in this matter.  Prime Tanning apparently did not disclose its use of hexavalent chromium at its St. Joseph plant to state authorities. 

This report includes information gathered at the former W.R. Grace plant in Wilder, KY.

This report (1) offers valuable information about facilities that exfoliated asbestos-containing vermiculite, (2) identifies groups who experienced exposure to asbestos from these sites, and (3) recommends re-evaluating existing data for former exfoliation sites where residual asbestos may be present. The report also proposes important public health activities to increase awareness about this type of asbestos exposure.

Download the Summary Report [PDF, 1.96MB]

Download the Summary Report Fact Sheet [PDF, 338KB]

Perchlorate has been found in the drinking water of at least 35 states and the District of Columbia. The chemical can inhibit the thyroid gland’s iodine uptake, interfering with fetal development. As a result, nearly everyone in the U.S. is exposed regularly to low levels of perchlorate.

People are exposed through eating food, and drinking milk and water that contain perchlorate. Fatty tissue in the breasts concentrates perchlorate, causing milk products to have higher levels of the chemical than some other food products.

High levels of perchlorate can affect the thyroid gland, causing changes in how our organs function, especially in fetuses and young children. High levels can be defined as thousands of times greater than those seen in this study, such as levels that were seen in the past when perchlorate was used for medical treatment.

Whether there may be health effects of low-level exposures is unknown. All of the powdered infant formulas tested contained perchlorate. Cow’s milk-based formula with lactose had a significantly higher concentration of perchlorate than the other types.  Having no concrete answers to questions about the long-term effects of exposure to perchlorate on infants, the CDC recommends breastfeeding as optimal for both mothers and babies.  

Parents who do use infant formula should be aware that the U. S. FDA requires that all baby formulas include iodine, which may offset any potential effects of perchlorate in the formula. The study is at: http://www.nature.com/jes/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/jes200918a.html

Despite the existence of perchlorate in drinking water supplies across the country, U.S. EPA does not regulate perchlorate in water.

The symptoms of swine flu in people are similar to the symptoms of regular human flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting associated with swine flu. In the past, severe illness (pneumonia and respiratory failure) and deaths have been reported with swine flu infection in people. Like seasonal flu, swine flu may cause a worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions.

If you get sick, antiviral drugs can make your illness milder and make you feel better faster. They may also prevent serious flu complications. For treatment, antiviral drugs work best if started soon after getting sick (within 2 days of symptoms).  Here is what the government is currently recommending related to swine flu:

1.            Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.  Persons who develop influenza-like-illness (ILI) (fever with either cough or sore throat) should be strongly encouraged to self-isolate in their home for 7 days after the onset of illness or at least 24 hours after symptoms have resolved, whichever is longer. Persons who experience ILI and wish to seek medical care should contact their health care providers to report illness (by telephone or other remote means) before seeking care at a clinic, physician’s office, or hospital.  Persons who have difficulty breathing or shortness of breath or are believed to be severely ill should seek immediate medical attention.

2.            If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. You will help prevent others from catching your illness.  If you are sick, limit your contact with other people as much as possible. Do not go to work or school if ill.

3.            Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick.  Flu viruses are spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing of people with influenza. Sometimes people may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose.  Put your used tissue in the waste basket. Cover your cough or sneeze if you do not have a tissue. Then, clean your hands, and do so every time you cough or sneeze.

4.            If ill persons must go into the community (e.g., to seek medical care) they should wear a face mask to reduce the risk of spreading the virus in the community when they cough, sneeze, talk or breathe.  If a face mask is unavailable, ill persons needing to go into the community should use a handkerchief or tissues to cover any coughing.

5.            Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. Wash with soap and water or clean them with alcohol-based hand cleaner. When you wash your hands — with soap and warm water — do so for 15 to 20 seconds. When soap and water are not available, alcohol-based disposable hand wipes or gel sanitizers may be used. You can find them in most supermarkets and drugstores. If using gel, rub your hands until the gel is dry. The gel doesn’t need water to work; the alcohol in it kills the germs on your hands.

6.            Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.  Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth. Some viruses and bacteria can live 2 hours or longer on surfaces like cafeteria tables, doorknobs, and desks. Frequent hand washing will help you reduce the chance of getting contamination from these common surfaces.

7.            Persons in home isolation and their household members should be given infection control instructions: including frequent hand washing with soap and water.  Use alcohol-based hand gels (containing at least 60% alcohol) when soap and water are not available and hands are not visibly dirty.  When the ill person is within 6 feet of others at home, the ill person should wear a face mask if one is available and the ill person is able to tolerate wearing it. 

8.            Practice other good health habits. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.

9.            Swine influenza viruses are not transmitted by food. You cannot get swine influenza from eating pork or pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked pork is safe. Cooking pork to an internal temperature of 160°F kills the swine flu virus as it does other bacteria and viruses.

10.          A cup or two of warm chicken soup is always a good idea.

Since 1978, satellite data have provided continuous coverage of sea ice extent in both polar regions. For the Arctic, average annual sea ice extent has decreased by 2.7 ± 0.6% per decade, while summer sea ice extent has decreased by 7.4 ± 2.4% per decade.

Thickness data, especially from submarines, are available but restricted to the central Arctic, where they indicate thinning of approximately 40% between the period 1958 to 1977 and the 1990s. This may be an overestimate of the thinning over the entire arctic region however because the measurements are taken from the central part of the Artic.

What level of atmospheric CO2 is safe?  According to leading scientists, the upper ceiling for CO2 in our atmosphere is 350 parts per million.  We are currently at 388.79 PPM for March 2009.   

Rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere is responsible for more global warming than the rise of all the other greenhouse gases combined.  The global warming crisis cannot be cracked or solved without a focus on CO2.