The U-S-E-P-A is working on a new set of standards for lead content indust and soil in and around homes. Those standards will be mandatory forall federally-owned or assisted housing and voluntary for other homes.Lead is of concern for the E-P-A because studies have found that one outof every 20 children in the U-S suffer from elevated blood-lead levels.But in a September issue of the journal "Science", one physician iscriticizing the way federal authorities are developing those newstandards. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Steve Hirschberg hasmore:
Tag: epa
Fox River a Superfund Site?
Environmentalists are pushing the Environmental Protection Agency todeclare the Fox River in Wisconsin a Superfund site. The Great LakesRadio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports:
Jet-Skis Threaten Water Quality
There’s been a huge increase in the number of watercraft in recent years. Scientists are wondering how the corresponding increase in pollution will affect the nation’s waterways. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports:
Cities Get Federal Money for Brownfields
As cities across the United States attempt to revitalize their downtowns,the Clinton Administration is providing a boost. Vice President Al Gore hasawarded a new round of grants to help clean up and redevelop contaminated,abandoned properties, known as Brownfields. Aboutfour-million-dollars…28-percent of the grant money…is headed to citiesin the Great Lakes region. Ohio will get the most money…Seven Ohio citieswill each receive two hundred-thousand dollars. The Great Lakes RadioConsortium’s Julie Grant Cooper reports on plans to use the funds.
Weapons of Mass Destruction – Part 1
After the 1995 bombing of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Congress approved funding to help cities prepare to defend against acts of terrorism. The Nunn-Lugar-Domenici legislation (also known as The Weapons of Mass Destruction Act of 1996) brings together various federal agencies, such as the Departments of Defense and Health and Human Services, the FBI, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Over the last year, they’ve been visiting the most populated cities to train local emergency responders in dealing with nuclear, biological, and chemical terrorism. In part one of a two part series, the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Julie Grant Cooper reports:
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:
PCB Contamination Through Sewer Overflow
Despite a 1970’s ban, PCBs have remained a problem throughoutthe Great Lakes Region. Now residents in one Detroit neighborhood aresuing the city over PCB exposure. Families on one street say theirhouses have been contaminated with PCB’s from city sewer lines. TheGreat Lakes Radio Consortium’s Jerome Vaughn reports:
Drinking Water Linked to Miscarriages
A new government-sponsored study of three California towns has turned up a potentially serious finding: that some tap water could be dangerous for pregnant women. The study is the first to find that high levels of chemicals used to disinfect water could increase the risk of miscarriage. That’s raised a red flag at the Environmental Protection Agency. And now the EPA’s moving quickly to see if the California findings hold true elsewhere. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Julie Edelson Halpert reports:
EPA to Regulate Livestock Farms
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently announced it would begin regulating large cattle, pork and poultry farms that produce huge amounts of animal waste. Manure spills from these farms have damaged ecosystems and water supplies in many states throughout the nation. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Steve Frenkel reports: