US: Help Protect Our Clean Air!
HCWH – The recently introduced or co-sponsored legislation reduces the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reduce air pollutants under the Clean Air Act. These threats to the EPA are also threats to the nation’s health: air pollutants contribute to a range of climate and weather related events, including the development of smog and extreme heat conditions. This legislation could have a significant impact, especially on those with asthma and other chronic respiratory illnesses. Help us protect our clean air. more

Pakistan: Hazards of Burning Trash
Tribune – Trash-burning and medical waste incineration are of particular health concern in Pakistan. The burning of such waste releases dioxins in the air. Furthermore, they are absorbed by humans via the food chain. more

Philippines: Asia Regional Conference on Mercury-free Health Care
HCWH – The conference will be held in Manila, Philippines, March 15-16, 2011. It is being co-organized by HCWH, WHO and the UNDP GEF Global Healthcare Waste Project. Participants from ministries of health, health care institutions and health professionals are invited to attend. more

International: WHO Article on Burden of Disease Attributable to Chemicals
Environmental Health Journal – Continuous exposure to many chemicals, including through air, water, food, or other media and products results in health impacts which have been well assessed, however little is known about the total disease burden related to chemicals. A recent WHO study has systematically reviewed all available information on the burden of disease attributable to chemicals. more

Brussels: Places Phthalates on Toxic Authorisation List
PRW – Phthalates used in the plastics sector have been moved onto a special European Union (EU) control list that will ban them from 2015 unless a specific function has been authorised by the European Commission. more

International: Pollution With Antibiotics Leads to Resistant Bacteria
Science Centric – Swedish scientists show that bacteria in polluted rivers become resistant to a range of antibiotics. International experts fear that this may contribute to the development of untreatable infectious diseases world-wide. more

US: Warming Threatens Public Health, Groups Warn
MedPage – Medical and public health groups are banding together to explain how global warming has taken a toll on human health and will continue to cause food-borne illnesses, respiratory problems, and deaths unless policy changes are enacted.  more

Kenya: Tackling E-Waste
Bikyamasr – The Kenyan government has cemented partnership with international bodies, the corporate sector, and not for profit organizations to establish a strategy of tackling growing menace of e-waste. Senior Officials in the Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources acknowledged that e-waste is a critical and emerging challenge to the environment, health and the economy. more

Notice: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for research and educational purposes. Online articles and links might expire days after their release date.