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Environmental Pollution
Air quality board OKs tighter pollution limits for battery recyclers
Air quality officials imposed stricter emissions limits on two Los Angeles County battery recycling plants Friday, attempting to protect surrounding communities from lead pollution released by Exide Technologies in Vernon. The rules, approved on an 11-to-1 vote by the South Coast Air Quality Management District governing board, come in response to tests since 2013 that found elevated levels of lead in the soil near Exide and in surrounding homes and yards. Lead is a powerful neurotoxin for which there is no known safe level of exposure. The limits reduce by half the amount of lead emissions allowed from the plants, cut the allowed concentrations of lead in the air nearby and require...
Related "Environmental Pollution" Articles
Air quality board OKs tighter pollution limits for battery recyclers
Air quality officials imposed stricter emissions limits on two Los Angeles County battery recycling plants Friday, attempting to protect surrounding communities from lead pollution released by Exide Technologies in Vernon.
The rules, approved on an...
Inside GOP science policy, Part 3: climate change
In Part 3 of our interview with Rep. John Culberson (R-Texas), we turn to climate change, which is surely the most politically contentious topic under his jurisdiction as chairman of the House Appropriations Committee's subcommittee on commerce,...
Cleaner air is linked to stronger lungs in Southern California children
Cleaner air has for the first time been linked to bigger and stronger lungs among school-age children, according to findings released Wednesday from a two-decade study in Southern California.
The research by USC scientists, published in the New...
In China, documentary film on air pollution quickly goes viral
The hottest movie in China this weekend wasn’t “Fifty Shades of Grey” or Jackie Chan’s latest, “Dragon Blade.” Instead, a pointed and emotional environmental online documentary has swept the country by storm, putting its air pollution crisis front and...
California scientists link tiny particles in car exhaust to heart disease
A new study by California scientists has linked chronic exposure to microscopic air pollutants in vehicle exhaust to deaths from heart disease. The finding bolsters evidence that ultrafine particles, which are not regulated by state or federal...
Too much pressure in equipment triggered Torrance refinery explosion
Too much pressure in a piece of equipment at Torrance's Exxon Mobil refinery resulted in Wednesday's large explosion that sent irritating ash, filled with fiberglass and glass wool, into surrounding neighborhoods.
The blast jolted nearby residents...
How did the port shutdown affect L.A. air quality?
Dozens of ships backed up off the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports in recent days, unable to unload cargo because of a protracted labor dispute. Work resumed at the ports Tuesday, but the slowdown in shipping traffic raised concerns that emissions from...
Man-made climate change may need man-made remedies, science panel says
Alarmed by the rapid pace of climate change, a key federal science panel is urging a major research effort into high-tech schemes that could cool the planet if prevention fails, potentially including giant machines to suck greenhouse gases from the air,...
Southern California expected to miss 2015 deadline to curb soot
Southern California is likely to miss a 2015 deadline to clean soot from the air, according to the region’s chief smog-fighting agency, which approved a plan Friday blaming the drought for reversing a long-term decline in fine-particle pollution.
The...
Just how much is Asia's ozone to blame for bad air in the U.S.?
High above the Big Sur coast, Ian Faloona is finding pollution on the edge of the continent, a place that should have some of the country's cleanest air.
From an astronomical observatory on Chews Ridge in the Santa Lucia Mountains, the UC Davis...
On the Big Island, volcanic activity could worsen respiratory problems
Visitors to the Big Island who suffer chronic respiratory problems are being urged to take common-sense precautions because of air pollution caused by volcanic activity.
Conditions are right for increasing particulate levels over southern and eastern...
Beijing seeks to contain its population, and with it, problems
As closing time approaches, the 20-story wholesale clothing emporium called Shiji Tianhe Market is madness. All day, local bargain hunters and retailers from outside Beijing have been sifting through apparel varying from faux fur coats to the latest...
The carbon that's killing India, and how California can help
This week, President Obama is the chief guest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at India's Republic Day celebrations. At the close of the historic visit, the two leaders are expected to announce cooperation on a suite of climate and clean energy measures,...
Newport may bring back controversial beach bonfire rings
The debate over wood-burning fire pits on the seashore is being rekindled in Newport Beach, where city leaders are considering again allowing the popular oceanfront bonfires at some beaches.
If the Newport Beach City Council approves plans Tuesday...
Effectiveness of state's 'parking cash-out' program is unclear
To reduce air pollution and traffic congestion, California legislators passed an innovative law in 1992 to encourage solo commuters to get out of their cars and bike, carpool or take public transit to work.
The measure, by then-Assemblyman Richard Katz...
Utah oil town turns against midwife who asked about infant deaths
Veteran midwife Donna Young prides herself on delivering healthy babies. In 20 years, she has coached hundreds of pregnant women in this energy boomtown.
She calls them her girls.
When one mother delivered a stillborn infant in May 2013 — Young's...
A Pacific Coast model for addressing climate change
The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Lima, Peru, is wrapping up Friday after 12 days of negotiations on global carbon emissions.Yet, even as we work through the complexities of an international agreement, it would be a mistake to miss the...
U.S. satellite spies holiday lights from space
Americans are serious about their Christmas lights -- so much so that a NASA satellite can see them from space.
The Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite, which NASA operates with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, can’t...
L.A.'s freeway-adjacent residents need more protection from pollution
A growing body of research shows that living next to a freeway can significantly increase the risk of asthma, heart disease, pre-term births, reduced lung function in children and premature death. Yet Los Angeles continues to approve residential...
In China, app aims to shame polluters by showing who is fouling air
Sitting at a desk in his small office here, Ma Jun, one of China's best-known environmental advocates, shows off his latest tool in the fight against the nation's crippling air pollution: a computer app.
Displayed on a tablet, the app shows a map of...
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