IBM Still Paying For Toxic Chemicals Effects On Upstate NY Town From Old Former Repair Site

The Southern District Court of New York ruled that IBM must reimburse the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for past costs incurred by the agency for the toxic waste cleanup of the East Fishkill area of Dutchess County, N.Y.

Water pollution effects from IBM waste. Photo by Laws.com.

The pollution contaminated local drinking water which resulted from the company’s use of a contracted facility (J. Manne Inc.) to clean and repair its computer chip racks.

The majority of the cleanup has been the responsibility of IBM, with oversight from the EPA. So far, the company has spent approximately $46 million on cleanup of the area.

Between 1965 and 1975, J. Manne Inc. operated a facility that used industrial cleaning solvents containing chemicals including tetrachloroethene (PCE) and trichloroethene (TCE), which are volatile organic chemicals whose exposure can cause serious health impacts.

The NYS Department of Health says that short-term exposure to PCE can affect the central nervous system causing problems including dizziness, headaches, sleepiness, lightheadedness, and poor balance.

Long-term exposure to PCE can lead to health impacts including liver and kidney damage, reduced red blood cells, as well as effects on the immune system, such as increasing white blood cell count and antibodies.

The NYS Department of Health has also associated PCE exposure to several types of cancers including bladder cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. Limited studies have also shown links to cancers of the esophagus, kidneys, lungs, liver, cervix, and breasts.

In addition, the NYS health agency looked at the effects of TCE and also found that short-term exposure was liked to problems associated with the central nervous system including effected motor coordination, nausea, headaches, dizziness, sleepiness, confusion, blurred vision, and fatigue.

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Group Wins Lawsuit Against Personal Care Cos. To Remove Cancer Causing Ingredient

The Center for Environmental Health (CEH) has finalized settlement agreements with 14 personal care companies, including Colgate-Palmolive Co., Avlon Industries Inc., and House of Cheatham Inc., to remove a chemical called cocamide DEA from their products in California. The settlements are expected to have national implications.

Graphic courtesy of ameliebeaute.com.

Cocamide DEA is a synthetic chemical made by a reaction between coconut oils and diethanolamine.  The chemical is frequently used in shampoos, soaps, bubble baths, and shower gels as a foaming agent, and as a thickener, says the CEH, which has also found it in shaving creams and some dishwashing detergents.

The concern is that the chemical is a possible human carcinogen and is known to cause cancer in lab animals.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) tested the chemical by applying it to the skins of 100 mice, for five-days-a-week for two years, which resulted in a high incidence of tumors forming on their kidneys and livers.

The IARC said that the increased incidence in mice was “associated with the high level of free diethanolamine that was present in the solutions.”

In addition, the Environmental Working Group said there is strong evidence that the chemical can trigger skin allergies.

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Ten Companies Agree to Final Phase of Toxic Cleanup of New Jersey Industrial Waste Site

Ten companies have reached an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the final phase of a $1.4 million cleanup of the Evor Phillips Leasing Co. Superfund site in Old Bridge Township, NJ. The New Jersey District Court approved the proposal earlier this month.

Evor Phillips Leasing Co. Superfund site in Old Bridge Township, NJ. Photo courtesy of dredgingtoday.com.

The site is an unoccupied six-acre plot of land located about one mile west of Route 9 and about 1.5 miles northeast of Route 18. The groundwater beneath the six-acre site is contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from past industrial activities. The soil is also contaminated with VOCs and metals.

The EPA warns that direct contact with the soil, or accidentally ingesting of contaminated soil or groundwater could create serious health issues, including cancer.

The extent and nature of the potential health effects depends on factors including the level and length of exposure to the pollution, said the agency.

Municipal well data has confirmed the presence of site-related contaminants in the groundwater with leaching occurring into the underlying aquifer, which is a source of drinking water.

Among the most at risk are the Sayreville municipal wellfield located about 1,000 feet southwest of the site, and the Perth Amboy wellfield located about 3,000 feet southwest of the site. “All nearby residents have discontinued use of private wells and are now served by a municipal water supply,” said the EPA.

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7 Million Deaths Linked To Air Pollution In 2012 Says New Report By World Health Organization

The United Nations’ World Health Organization (WHO) just released a shocking report linking severe air pollution – both indoor and outdoor combined – to about seven million deaths across the globe in 2012.

“This finding more than doubles previous estimates and confirms that air pollution is now the world’s largest single environmental health risk,” said WHO.

In the case of outdoor air pollution, a report by the UN’s World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that “there were 3.7 million deaths in 2012 from urban and rural sources worldwide.” Photo courtesy of Clear The Air New Blog.

The health organization said that the new data shows “a strong link between both indoor and outdoor air pollution exposure and cardiovascular diseases, such as strokes and ischaemic (coronary) heart disease, as well as between air pollution and cancer.

“This is in addition to air pollution’s role in the development of respiratory diseases, including acute respiratory infections and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD).” The estimates were based on WHO mortality data from 2012 associated with conditions related to exposure to air pollution.

Looking at indoor air pollution worldwide, the health organization estimated that indoor air pollution was linked to about 4.3 million deaths in 2012, which was related to “households cooking over coal, wood, and biomass stoves.”

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EPA Sued Over Pesticide In Pet Flea Collars Feared To Cause Neurological Damage In Kids

Image courtesy of veterinary.answers.com.

The Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC) has filed a lawsuit this month against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency because the agency has failed, after years of petitions from the group, to remove two pesticides from pet flea collars – propoxur and tetrachlorvinphos (TCVP).  They are known to cause neurological and other problems in small animals, and are considered possible and probable human carcinogens.

Miriam Rotkin-Ellman, a scientist with the NRDC’s health and environment program, expressed on her blog that while the EPA has made progress in that while “most neurotoxic pesticides have been banned or severely restricted for use in the home, propoxur and TCVP in flea collars have been overlooked and continue to pose a serious health threat.

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