May 22nd, 2012

A new study suggests that rivers may be funneling far more toxic mercury into the Arctic Ocean than previously believed, a finding that may portend even greater mercury concentrations in the future as the effects of climate change accelerate the region…

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September 3rd, 2010

Like eel? Tuna? Catfish?
You might want to find some new entrees. The Food and Water Watch’s Smart Seafood Guide for 2010, published this week, warns that many such popular fish and seafood are simply not safe to eat, while others are not ethical to eat. Some marine food sources present both health and ethical problems.

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February 17th, 2010

By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now

Having just read and reviewed Slow Death By Rubber Duck, I had a few questions for co-author Rick Smith, head of Environmental Defence Canada.

And since his book was costing me — some $120 for a new set of stainless steel cookware to replace my stick-free, Teflon-coated set — I thought he owed me some answers.

We chatted earlier this week, while he took advantage of Family Day in Canada, visiting a playground with his young boys, a strong impetus behind his work to educate the public about harmful environmental and household toxic chemicals. The younger generation, he worried, has an even higher ‘body burden’ of chemicals than we adults grew up with.

In the book, he and co-author Bruce Lourie, an environmental consultant, test common toxics to find out how they get from consumer goods and food into our bodies. In fact, they ingest or expose themselves to these chemicals to chart the effects.

The basic idea: Since many of these toxic ingredients have been shown in lab experiments to act as endocrine disruptors and cancer triggers figuring out how to limit or reduce our exposure could have positive health effects, for kids and adults.

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May 1st, 2009

By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now

We hear every day about dangerous chemicals in household products that are linked to cancer, infertility, autism and other diseases – yet many Americans may not realize just how many of these harmful substances they’ve actually ingested in the course of everyday living.

The answer? About 48. That’s according a study by the Environmental Working Group and Rachel’s Network, in which five leading minority women environmentalists from different parts of the country volunteered to have their blood tested for toxins. The results, say EWG experts, show that regulation of chemicals in the U.S. is weak and “antiquated” and needs a major overhaul.

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April 27th, 2009

By Christopher Peake
Green Right Now

For most of us, walking into a seafood store is an exercise in both ignorance and hope: we’re ignorant of what’s available but we hope we’ll leave with what we want. We all know fish come in two colors: the red one is salmon and the rest are white. Here is what you should know about fish:

Mark Musatto, a partner at Airline Seafood in Houston, says “There are three basic feelings I want every customer to have when they enter my store: they should feel, smell and see the freshness; notice that fresh fish has a sheen and a translucency and I want customers to tell me how they plan to cook their fish and we can talk about the best fish for that method.

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February 9th, 2009

From Green Right Now reports

A group of pro-environment organizations is urging the U.S. to support a legally binding mercury treaty at a United Nations meeting next week in Nairobi, Kenya.

The coalition of green activists was scheduled to meet with U.S. state department officials today, at which they planned to present a letter signed by 50 U.S.-based groups and another 40 abroad, urging President Obama to support a mercury treaty.

Countries around the globe have been discussing options to control mercury pollution since 2001 and in 2003 agreed that enough was known to warrant immediate action to reduce global mercury pollution, according to the letter. Most countries now favor the negotiation of a legally binding international agreement as the most viable approach to deal with this problem, the activists say.

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July 9th, 2008

By John DeFore The compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) intended to replace standard incandescents aren’t perfect, but one argument against them – that breakage or improper disposal introduces small amounts of mercury (a neurotoxin) into the environment – may soon become less potent.

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June 26th, 2008

By John DeFore Big American retailers like Wal-Mart and Home Depot have been embracing compact fluorescent light bulbs for a while now, but some customers who read the fine print have been peeved that, since they contain mercury, the twisty little energy-saving bulbs are easier to buy than to dispose of properly. This week, Home [...]

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January 28th, 2008

By John DeFore Eco-conscious sushi lovers have for some time had to reconcile their habit with its likely consequences. Popular species of fish are so in-demand that they’re threatened with extinction; just today, a Reuters report discussed decisions by European supermarket chains to voluntarily stop selling bluefin tuna from the Mediterranean in an effort to [...]

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