Climate Change - Over 100 Icebergs Drifting to New.Zealand

More than 100, and possibly hundreds, of Antarctic icebergs are floating towards N. Zealand in a rare event which has prompted a shipping warning, officials said on Monday.

An Australian Antarctic Division glaciologist said the ice chunks, spotted by satellite photography, had passed the Auckland Islands and were heading towards the main South Island, about 280 miles northeast.

Scientist Neal Young said more than 100 icebergs -- some measuring more than 650 feet across -- were seen in just one cluster, indicating there could be hundreds more.

He said they were the remains of a massive ice floe which split from the Antarctic as sea and air temperatures rise due to global warming.

"All of these have come from a larger one that was probably 11.6 square miles in size when it left Antarctica."

When icebergs last neared New Zealand in 2006, a sheep was helicoptered out to be shorn on one of the floes in a publicity stunt by the country's wool industry.

The Earth is Not One Giant Ashtray

Environmental impact of cigarette butt litter

The filters on cigarettes -- four fifths of all cigarettes have them -- are made of cellulose acetate, a form of plastic that is very slow to degrade in the environment. A typical cigarette butt can take anywhere from 18 months to 10 years to decompose, depending on environmental conditions.

But beyond the plastic, these filters -- which are on cigarettes in the first place to absorb contaminants to prevent them from going into the lungs -- contain trace amounts of toxins like cadmium, arsenic and lead. Thus when smokers discard their butts improperly -- out the car window or off the end of a pier or onto the sidewalk below -- they are essentially tossing these substances willy-nilly into the environment.

Studies done by Johns Hopkins University, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and even the tobacco industry itself show that these contaminants get into soils and waterways, harm or kill living organisms, and generally degrade surrounding ecosystems.

Some 5.5 trillion cigarettes are consumed worldwide each year. According to the Ocean Conservancy, cigarette butts are the most commonly littered item found on America's salt and freshwater beaches. While individual discarded cigarette butts may be small, they add up to a huge problem.

Sunscreen & Sun Safety

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) tested 1,606 sunscreens and found that 3 out of 5 offer inadequate protection from the sun or actually contain toxic ingredients.

The Food and Drug Administration does not require UVA filters in sunscreens, and most manufacturers have never included them in their formulations.

Most sunscreens protect from UVB, or sunburn radiation. Higher SPFs indicate more protection. Far fewer brands contain ingredients that block UVA radiation, even though a growing number of studies show it is even more harmful than UVB radiation.

EWG tested leading sunscreens from name brands like Coppertone, Banana Boat, and Neutrogena, and the results were not pretty. Despite improvements, 42% of tested sunscreens still contained the chemical oxybenzone, a hormone-disrupting chemical that readily absorbs through human skin.

http://www.ewg.org/cosmetics/report/sunscreen09/investigation/summary-of-findings

Why It's Best to Avoid Hand Sanitizer Gel

Scientists have long expressed worries about the way triclosan is showing up in hundreds of products, especially for its potential to encourage the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, as well as possibly leaving children more prone to allergies and asthma.

The CDC found triclosan in the urine of nearly 75 percent of humans tested over the age of 6 (interestingly, “triclosan levels were greater among people in the highest income bracket”), as well as in the breast milk of nursing mothers — even those women who did not use personal care products containing the chemical.

According to a new study in Environmental Health News: “A bacteria-killing chemical widely used in an array of consumer products has made its way down kitchen and bathroom sinks and into dolphins living in US coastal waters."

This sums up the hand sanitizer craze well:

"You want some hand gel?"

The moment it was apparent I was pregnant, I started getting this question. It was asked so often it started to remind me of the drug pushers who used to hang around Washington Square Park when I was a teenager: "Smoke? Smoke?"

"No, thanks," was – is – my standard reply. I did already know that certain hand purifying gels contained, among other undesirables, the hormone disrupting antibacterial/antifungal agent triclosan, which can form dioxins when it comes into contact with water and has scientists worried it will create resistant strains of bacteria. Most people stared at me oddly or made a face when I turned the stuff down. Their sneers seemed to say, Didn't I know my hands had horrible scary germs on them that were about to kill my unborn child? I understand their fervor – I feel this way about toxic chemicals, not so much about germs. Well, actually, I am a germ freak, but these chemicals worry me more than microorganisms. I try to think about the hygiene hypothesis – that exposure to germs helps build a healthy immune system – when something dirty bothers me.

Of course when my itty bitty vulnerable newborn arrived in the world, the hand gel offerings grew a zillion-fold. Every person who came to meet her popped a bottle of the stuff out of their bags, slathered it all over their hands, then reached for her. I was horrified. This was in my apartment, mind you. They could have walked two inches to the bathroom and used soap and warm water to greater – and much safer – effect. But Americans like their products.

Here's what to avoid: Any of the conventional gels. The first thing that MUST be avoided is anything claiming to be antibacterial or containing triclosan.

Waterless, antibacterial hand sanitizers are marketed as a way to 'wash your hands' when soap and water aren't available, and they are especially popular among parents of small children. But research shows that they do not significantly reduce the overall amount of bacteria on the hands, and in some cases they may even increase it. Hand sanitizer can't take the place of old-fashioned soap and water at home or anywhere else.

Dioxin Pollution May Explain Why As Many As 6 Million Women Can't Breast-Feed Their Babies

The health benefits of breast-feeding are many -- everything from lower obesity rates to lower rates of asthma have been attributed to breast-feeding and other good nutritional habits early in life. For mothers, breast-feeding can actually lower the risk of heart disease, according to one recent study.

But as many as 6 million mothers worldwide are unable to either initiate breast-feeding or produce enough milk, leaving them and their children without the option of the most natural, nutritious diet available for the first months of life.

A new study suggests a novel, and disturbing reason why some mothers have trouble breast-feeding: dioxin pollution inhibits the normal growth of breasts during pregnancy. The effect was indeed profound: A 50% decrease in new breast tissue. In addition, dioxin altered milk-producing genes, resulting in fewer mature lobules and ductal branches which make and deliver milk.

There's little we can do to avoid dioxin exposure. Dioxins made news in 2004, when the chemical was used to poison Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, and Agent Orange is perhaps the best-known dioxin -- but dioxins more typically poison in tiny amounts slowly over time. Exposure has previously been linked to cancer as well as damage to the immune, reproductive and neurological systems.

Dioxins are a byproduct of incineration, and are spread widely through the atmosphere -- which means they rain down on farms where livestock graze and in oceans where they can contaminate fish. Dioxins can be found in the fats of meat, dairy products, fish, shellfish ... and humans.

A 2001 study found that beef and dairy products are the main contributors to dioxin exposure in the American diet. Some recommend choosing only low-fat milk, since dioxins accumulate in fats.

The EPA calls "uncontrolled burning of residential waste" the single largest source of dioxins in the environment today, largely because other major sources have been reduced. Laws against backyard burning of waste are typically adopted town-by-town or county-by-county, so you can reduce local sources of dioxin by supporting local laws to limit or ban outdoor trash burning.

Your Tuna Is Getting More Toxic

Mercury levels in the Northern Pacific have already increased a staggering 30% in about 15 years, and are expected to rise another 50% by 2050. This stunning increase is a direct result of China's rapid industrialization, which has included the construction of as many as one new coal-fired power plant a week, by some estimates.

Mercury is a naturally occurring element, but it's a food supply contaminant because of industry. Mercury is spewed from the smokestacks of coal-fired power plants, cement kilns (which burn coal, and use limestone, both of which can contain mercury) and certain types of mining (gold mining uses mercury to process the rock).

When mercury enters the air, it eventually rains down and is incorporated into aquatic food chains. Larger predatory fish like tuna, swordfish and shark, can accumulate unhealthy doses because they spend a lifetime eating smaller fish and aquatic creatures. Women who are pregnant or nursing, and young children, are most at risk of mercury poisoning, because it can lead to permanent brain damage.

The data comes from a new federal study by the U.S. Geologic Survey that was published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Global Biogeochemical Cycles.

Study Finds High-Fructose Corn Syrup Contains Mercury

HealthDay News -- Almost half of tested samples of commercial high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contained mercury, which was also found in nearly a third of 55 popular brand-name food and beverage products where HFCS is the first- or second-highest labeled ingredient, according to two new U.S. studies.

HFCS has replaced sugar as the sweetener in many beverages and foods such as breads, cereals, breakfast bars, lunch meats, yogurts, soups and condiments. On average, Americans consume about 12 teaspoons per day of HFCS, but teens and other high consumers can take in 80 percent more HFCS than average.

"Mercury is toxic in all its forms. Given how much high-fructose corn syrup is consumed by children, it could be a significant additional source of mercury never before considered. We are calling for immediate changes by industry and the [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] to help stop this avoidable mercury contamination of the food supply," the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy's Dr. David Wallinga

Some Estrogen With Your Energy Drink?

Study finds Bisphenol A -- the hormone-mimicking chemical -- in "significant" concentrations in virtually all sodas and energy drinks tested. The highest levels were found in energy drinks.

It shouldn't come as a surprise, since it's been widely reported that Bisphenol A is commonly used in the linings of cans -- but the emphasis has always been on canned foods, and the results are especially startling, given that the average person, worldwide, consumes more than 22 gallons of soft drinks every year. (Yikes!)
Canada has done more to crack down on Bisphenol A than any other nation. It banned baby bottles with Bisphenol A in baby bottles, while the U.S. has dithered on regulating the chemical, which mimics estrogen. While the National Toxicology Program has raised concerns about Bisphenol A's potential to disrupt the normal development of fetuses and babies, and the Environmental Protection Agency has been criticized for failing to consider the cumulative effect of hormone-disrupting chemicals that Americans are routinely exposed to, the Food and Drug Administration has yet to regulate the use of Bisphenol A.

National Zoo Celebrates Birth of Rare Clouded Leopards

Notoriously difficult to breed, two new clouded leopards are born at the National Zoo’s research facility

Rarely has a birth been so anticipated, or the wait so suspenseful. On March 24, for the first time in 16 years, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s Conservation and Research Center celebrated the birth of clouded leopard cubs.

The smallest of the big cats, clouded leopards weigh just 30 to 50 pounds and are about five feet long—although approximately half of that is tail. Their short legs, long tails and oversized paws help them balance on small branches, and their flexible ankles allow them to run down trees headfirst. The cloud-like pattern of their coats gives them their name, and helps them disappear into the shadows of the forest.