Free Republic

Independent analysis of Environmental Protection Agency data concerning the fallout of the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, has revealed that, contrary to previous claims made by EPA officials, there continue to be abnormally high levels of airborne toxins that could jeopardize the long-term health of residents in the area. A team of researchers from Texas A&M have scrutinized EPA data and found elevated levels of chemicals known to cause not only various symptoms including headaches and eye and lung irritation, but possibly also cancer. Researchers noted in a Friday Twitter post that the levels of benzene,...

Procter & Gamble issued a voluntary recall last Friday of nearly three dozen aerosol hair products, including dry shampoos and dry conditioners, due to the potential presence of benzene, a cancer-causing agent. The affected brands include Pantene, Aussie, Herbal Essences, and Waterless produced in the United States. The company also recalled certain Old Spice and Secret aerosol spray antiperspirants and Old Spice "Below Deck" spray products last month due to the presence of benzene. Upon closer examination, they found "unexpected levels" of benzene in the rest of its aerosol products. "Following recent reports that indicated traces of benzene in some...

MARSHALL - Due to higher than acceptable levels of Benzene in the air, the Calhoun County Health Department is recommending the immediate evacuation of the residents who live on, in, and around the Kalamazoo River Oil Spill. This area has approximately 30 to 50 homes North and Northwest of the spill site. Benzene is a chemically commonly found in crude oil. According to the health department, It is a colorless, or light-yellow liquid at room temperature. It has a sweet odor, and is highly flammable. People who breathe it in may develop drowsiness, dizziness, irregular heartbeat, headaches, tremors, confusion or...

SNIPPET: "After the 4 July DDoS attacks, wrongly attributed to North Korea, it’s wise to treat reports of DPRK security hacks with some caution. Nevertheless, The Korea Times reports the following: Classified Info on Dangerous Chemicals Hacked Hackers stole classified information on dangerous chemicals in their raid on the South Korean army computer network in what was believed to be an attack by North Korea, Yonhap News Agency reported Saturday, quoting government officials." SNIPPET: "The Sydney Morning Herald adds more information: A North Korea cyber warfare unit hacked into a South Korean military command earlier this year and stole some...

After Youssef Megahed and Ahmed Mohamed were arrested in South Carolina, deputies recorded the men talking to each other in Arabic in the back of a patrol car. Megahed's attorneys want a judge to limit the use of the recording at the men's upcoming trial, arguing that the recording largely is unintelligible. Consequently, they argue, transcripts of translations of the conversations are so limited that any comments that are intelligible are out of context. Megahed and Mohamed were arrested Aug. 4 after deputies found pipe bombs in the trunk of their car, authorities said. The defense has filed different transcripts...

WASHINGTON - Cancer-causing benzene has been found in soft drinks at levels above the limit considered safe for drinking water, the Food and Drug Administration acknowledged Wednesday. Even so, the FDA still believes there are no safety concerns about benzene in soft drinks, or sodas, said Laura Tarantino, the agency's director of food additive safety. "We haven't changed our view that right now, there is not a safety concern, not a public health concern," she said. "But what we need to do is understand how benzene forms and to ensure the industry is doing everything to avoid those circumstances." The...

<p>It isn't an anniversary to celebrate, but Chicago passed the one-year mark of gasoline above $2 per gallon. And, thanks in part to our federal government, another year at this level is a real possibility.</p> <p>According to the Department of Energy, Feb. 28, 2005 was the last time gasoline averaged $1.99 per gallon in Chicago. By early March, it hit $2 and has stayed well above that level since.</p>

JIAMUSI, China - The United States said Tuesday that it was sending experts to help China cope with a river-borne toxic spill that is approaching Russia's Far East, while Beijing promised to work closely with Moscow to limit the damage. The U.S. ambassador to China said the communist government had accepted the offer of an Environmental Protection Agency assessment team that would suggest ways to remedy effects of the 90-mile chemical slick. Addressing business leaders in Hong Kong, Ambassador Clark T. Randt expressed concern that Beijing failed to react quickly enough to the benzene spill, which has disrupted water supplies...

Another river is poisoned as city waits for water By Hamish McDonald Herald Correspondent in Beijing and agencies November 26, 2005 ANOTHER chemical plant has exploded in China, spewing toxic benzene into the water supply of a central region as authorities in the country's north-east struggle to protect millions of people from an earlier spill. The blast on Thursday at the Yingte Chemical Co in Dianjiang, part of the huge Chongqing municipality straddling the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, killed one worker and forced the evacuation of 6000 nearby residents and the closure of schools. People in the area...

Saturday November 26, 2005 5:46 PM AP Photo XIN108 By JOE McDONALD Associated Press Writer HARBIN, China (AP) - Premier Wen Jiabao visited this city in China's northeast Saturday and expressed concern for the 3.8 million residents enduring a fourth day without running water while they wait for a spill of toxic benzene in a nearby river to pass. The government warned residents that water supplies, suspended to protect the city after a chemical plant explosion, would not resume until 11 p.m. Sunday, a full day later than initially planned. China has been criticized by environmentalists for its slow response...

Thursday November 24, 4:27 PM 80-kilometer slick flows into China's Harbin city HARBIN, China (AFP) - An 80-kilometer-long (48-mile) slick of highly toxic benzene flowed along the icy Songhua river into one of China's biggest cities, contaminating water supplies for up to four million people. The carcinogenic chemical reached the outskirts of Harbin, capital of China's northeastern Heilongjiang province, about 5:00 am on Thursday, authorities said. Although water supplies were cut off about 30 hours before the poisoned water reached the city and there were no reports of people being contaminated, the environmental impact of the potential disaster was still...

....unless you could be the type of person to be concerned about trifles like cancer, death from inhalation problems and the odd birth defect (to name a few). Latex is a natural rubber or is not in the slightest elastic (high modulus) until it undergoes a process called vulcanization. This requires a large number of additives. Latex even in its natural form has proteins known to cause allergic reactions (Types I, II and IV -fatal). The additives in vulcanization include: - Benzene - Short term exposure to benzene may cause irritation to the nose, throat and lungs. It can also...

New US government website attacked for comments on sexuality and effectiveness of condoms (Extract from one of the many articles in the gay and liberal press attacking the new semi honest position on useless condoms) The wording of information about condoms on the site is also potentially misleading (they mean factual). US abstinence education programmes usually only mention condoms when referring to their potential for failure. The 4parents.com site suggests that condoms offer only “moderate” protection against HIV and gonorrhoea, “less” protection against Chlamidya, herpes and human papilloma virus, and that the ability of condoms to protect against syphilis “has...