GENEVA - A summit on chemicals and hazardous wastes ended Friday with an agreement to globally phase out a widely used flame retardant and to accept stricter requirements for disclosing information about exports of four other chemicals. More:
StarTribune World

Chlordecone once used on banana crops is threatening livelihoods and public health by polluting soil and sea. After polluting the soil, the chemical is wreaking havoc out at sea, an environmental disaster that now threatens the whole economy. More:
The Guardian
Le Monde - Guadeloupe : monstre chimique (French)

Researchers found that children of mothers who had high PBDE levels during their second trimester showed cognition deficits when the children were five years old as well as higher rates of hyperactivity at ages two to five. More:
Scientific American

An Environmental Health News analysis of thousands of reports from America’s largest companies shows that toys and other children’s products contain low levels of dozens of industrial chemicals, including some unexpected ingredients that will surprise a public concerned about exposure. More:
Environmental Health News

ELLSWORTH, Maine — New research by a Blue Hill scientist shows that during a fire, firefighters are exposed to dangerous levels of toxic, cancer-causing chemicals created when commercial flame retardants burn. More:
bangordailynews.com

Un estudio realizado en Italia, España, Bélgica y Portugal evidencia la presencia de pesticidas y productos industriales en el aire interior de las viviendas, cuyos niveles llegan incluso a superar en ocasiones a los detectados en el exterior. More:
noticias.terra.es (Spanish)

The Conference of Parties to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, meeting in Geneva, approved non-chemical as well as chemical alternatives to endosulfan on Thursday. More:
www.thehindu.com

Le Havre, France - L'association Robin des Bois vient de réactualiser son atlas des sites pollués aux PCB. Pour la Haute-Normandie, le bilan est lourd : 17 nouveaux sites viennent noircir la carte. More:
www.76actu.fr (French)

Babies with higher PFOS exposures in the womb are born smaller and sooner, reports a new study from Taiwan. The effects were found at levels of the perfluorinated chemical similar to those measured in U.S. and Canadian babies. A persistent compound that repels stains, water and grease, it hasn't been produced in the United States since its manufacturer completed the phaseout in 2002. More:
Environmental Health News

Synthetic chemicals added to consumer products to meet federal and state flammability standards are showing up in waterways, wildlife and even human breast milk.More:
The Washington Post

Toxic chemicals are accumulating in the ecosystems of the Himalayas and the Tibetan plateau, researchers warn in the the first comprehensive study to assess levels of certain organic pollutants in that part of the world. More:
Nature

Health and environmental groups will launch a national campaign Thursday to prod 10 major retailers — including Walmart, Target and Costco — to clear store shelves of products containing hazardous chemicals. More:
USA Today

Rats exposed to the common flame retardant Firemaster 550 before birth and while nursing gained weight earlier and were obese as adults. Males were 32 percent heavier and females were 22 percent heavier when compared to unexposed adults. The two levels tested represent mid-range and high exposures in people. More studies are needed to understand the health effects of this replacement for the phased-out pentaBDE mixtures. More:
Environmental Health News

A tree’s bark provides a large surface area that takes in chemicals as both vapor and particles. Also, because a layer of bark remains on the tree for five years or so before being shed, it provides a unique record of the environment over time. More:
Voice of America

From the moment they are born, sea turtles fight to survive. Buried alive, they dig themselves out and evade hungry crabs and birds as they crawl to the ocean. One out of 1,000 will survive into adulthood. And those that do will bear a toxic burden. Scientists are discovering that sea turtles are highly contaminated with industrial chemicals and pesticides. More:
Environmental Health News

A new study has linked exposure to two common perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) with osteoarthritis. The study looked at the associations between perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), and osteoarthritis. More:
www.trustedhealthproducts.com

Women exposed before birth to the banned pesticide DDT may have a greater risk of developing high blood pressure later in life, according to a study published today. The study of San Francisco Bay Area women is the first to link DDT exposure in the womb to hypertension, which raises the risk of stroke and heart disease. More:
Environmental Health News

A new type of flame-retardant coating for textiles has been developed from a most unlikely source. Researchers from Italy have used DNA, extracted from herring sperm, to fireproof samples of cotton, and have found its performance to be on a par with commercially manufactured materials. More:
RSC Chemistry World

Lesser-known PCBs continue to be generated and released into the environment, not from intentionally created commercial products but as unintentional by-products of manufacturing processes including, according to recent studies, those used to make certain pigments used in dyes, inks, and paints. More:
Environmental Health Perspectives

En Argentina, todavía se encuentran transformadores eléctricos de baja y media tensión que contienen aceite refrigerante de PCB. Un transformador con buen mantenimiento y trabajando sin exceso de carga, puede tener una vida útil de treinta años. Posteriormente y por diversas causas, son susceptibles de liberar aditivo con PCB con riesgo de contaminación al suelo, y acuíferos en una amplia superficie. More:
El Tribuno (Spanish)