There has been significant success in decreasing the levels of chemical contaminants in our nation’s water ways in recent years, thanks to the Clean Air and Water Acts passed by Congress. However, low levels of many contaminants (such as metals, pesticides, and synthetic molecules like PCBs) persist in many rivers and streams, home to salmon and related trout species.

Read more of this story »

While there are many conservation issues that regularly top the policy bill, such as destruction of habitat, over-hunting, fisheries collapsing and so on, a new concern has recently emerged through scientific studies. Wildlife cancer. In a report entitled ‘Wildlife cancer: a conservation perspective’ Denise McAloose and Alisa L. Newton provide a range of evidence about pollution linked cancers in a number of species.

Read more of this story »

Read more of this story »

But a new article on the University of California, San Francisco site claims that neuroscientist Michael Merzenich has performed research that may make some leaning toward formula fulling tip over the edge.

Merzenich tested newborn rats by dosing them with the proportionally even amount that newborn humans get from human breastmilk of the chemicals PCBs and PBDEs. The outcome, he said, was

brains that were more degraded in their organization developmentally in these rats than we have ever seen before

So it’s as simple as that, eh? Breastmilk causes autism. Not so fast, there, Nestle.

Read more of this story »

The US Environmental Protection Agency has imposed a record fine on a toxic ship dealer for attempting to export a ship containing deadly polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) to the infamous shipbreaking beaches of South Asia.

Toxic Trade pressure group Basel Action Network claimed victory after Global Shipping LLC and Global Marketing Systems, Inc. were ordered to pay $518,500 for the alleged illegal distribution and export of a ship containing PCBs in violation of the Toxic Substances Control Act.

Commenting on the judgement, Jim Puckett, Executive Director of Basel Action Network said, “”While half a million dollars is not much of a financial deterrent for such actors when a single ship can be worth well over $5 million in scrap steel, they are now on notice - another such export would be a “knowing and willful” criminal violation, and they could find themselves behind bars.”

The action was brought after Basel Action Network and the Save the Classic Liners Campaign informed the EPA when they discovered that Global Marketing Systems, Inc. had bought the SS Oceanic, a cruise ship formerly known as the SS Independence.

The company towed the toxic ship out of San Francisco Bay intending to scrap the vessel on the beaches of India and Bangladesh in South Asia.

“While the Oceanic wasn’t recalled to the U.S., we’re very happy that EPA took their job seriously and that one of the world’s leading exporters and exploiters of the infamous shipbreaking beaches of South Asia has finally been held to account,” said Puckett.

Around 700 toxic ships are exported to the once pristine beaches of Asia for scrapping. The coastline is now strewn with a cocktail of polluting material including, machinery parts, oil rags and leaking barrels. The local air is poisoned by open fires, the land and surrounding water are contaminated by asbestos, heavy metals, dioxins and other persistent organic pollutants and the workers are unprotected from toxic substances, explosions and falling steel.

Image Credit - misserion via flickr on a Creative Commons license

And a good piece of salmon makes our me very, very happy indeed.

That’s no exaggeration; salmon does, indeed, relieve depression and stress. Beyond, that, though, salmon is great for you. It’s an excellent source of protein and B-vitamins. It’s chock-full of essential omega-3s — those handy little fatty acids that protect against some cancers, lower blood pressure, protect against rheumatoid arthritis, aid cardiovascular health, and even help fight wrinkles (that’s right. Salmon fights wrinkles, like nature’s own Botox). But this fish is also quick; you can cook it up after a long day in a matter of minutes, while children pull at your pant legs.

Not to mention, it tastes great.

This week, I splurged on a fabulous piece of wild-caught salmon.

Read more of this story »