The year that Richard Nixon declared the war on cancer in 1971, the U-S
spent 170 million dollars on cancer research. This year, that
figure will top 3 billion. Despite this dramatic increase in funding,
cancer rates continue to rise. As Great Lakes Radio Consortium
commentator Suzanne Elston has discovered, the answer may lie in where
we are spending our cancer dollars:
Tag: chemicals
Trees Used to Clean Up Toxins
Researchers are finding ways to use plants to clean up contaminated
sites. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports on a
project to use genetically altered trees to pull certain kinds of
pollution from the ground:
EPA’s Search for Endocrine Disrupters
For years scientists have been trying to see if certain chemicals used
in industry affect the reproductive and neurological health of humans.
The U-S Environmental Protection Agency is getting ready to design tests
for the chemicals, but as the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester
Graham reports, money, politics and ignorance are interfering:
Feds Test for Endocrine Disrupters
The U-S Environmental Protection Agency is working to identify whether certain chemicals disrupt human reproductive and neurological systems. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports that the process will take years, and for now, scientists recommend avoiding suspect chemicals found in some foods:
Beekeepers Fight Mite Infestation
Honeybees pollinate crops, flowers, and wild plants, but now the
U.S. honeybee industry is in trouble because of a mite infestation. The
Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports that a quick solution
isn’t likely, because there’s no profit in finding new chemicals to get
rid of the mites:
Plastics in Microwave May Pose Health Risks
A recent Wall Street Journal article has again raised the issue of
plastic food wraps used in microwave ovens. Citing a recent study by
Consumer Reports, the Journal cast doubt on the safety of plastics that
can leak chemicals into foods–some of these chemicals can interfere with
our body’s hormones. While scientists differ in their assessment of the
risks, most agree that consumer caution is warranted. The Great Lakes
Radio Consortium’s Haven Miller has more:
Consumer Group Calls for Pesticide Ban
A consumer’s group wants the E-P-A to ban 40 pesticides that are usedon food children often eat. The Consumers’ Union says there are saferalternatives, but farmers say those alternatives are not available yet.The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports:
Superfund Remediation – The Next Step
Just outside the city of Rochester, New York is one of nearly a thousand inactive hazardous waste sites tagged by that state’s officials for cleanup under New York’s Environmental Superfund Program. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Bud Lowell has been following New York’s efforts to clean up this site and has this report:
Mass Balance Study Underway
For the past four years, scientists have been hard at work around Lake Michigan, taking hundreds of water, sediment, and air samples and analyzing the data. It’s part of a study like no other—the largest of it’s kind. And the results are expected to have world-wide applications. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Wendy Nelson reports:
EPA Re-Examines Effects of Pesticides on Children
For the past few years, environmentalists have been warning consumers that pesticides applied to fruits and vegetables could be extremely dangerous to children. Soon, the Environmental Protection Agency will tackle the issue. Armed with a new federal law, the EPA is taking a fresh look to see if pesticides applied to produce carry health hazards. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Julie Edelson Halpert has more: