The Green Grok Blogs on Health
The Nano Race
by Bill ChameidesNov 03, 2009
filed under: Pulse of the Planet, research, health, policy, carbon, nanotechnology
The race between finding new applications for nanoparticles and determining if they are safe is still very much in question.
Statistically Speaking: Mercury Rising? Why?
by Bill ChameidesOct 19, 2009
filed under: mercury, toxins, pollination, Pennsylvania, fish, coal, health, China, Ohio, policy, Indiana, fossil fuels, seafood, Texas, power plants
A recent report [pdf] shows American power plants could slash their mercury emissions by more than half. That’s a lot of toxicity to let slip out of the smokestack.
Urban Air Pollution: Stay on the Windy Side of the Street
by Bill ChameidesOct 14, 2009
filed under: science, air quality, air pollution, cars, research, particulate matter, traffic, automobile, Environmental Protection Agency, transportation, pollution
Thinking of an urban stroll to clear the head, move those bones, and take in a breath of fresh air? Be careful that noxious car exhaust doesn’t put a dent in your healthy walk. A new study helps point the way.
Living on the Edge
by Bill ChameidesSep 28, 2009
filed under: social science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, climate change, nutrient runoff, water pollution, climate disruption, agriculture, Anthropocene, The Limits to Growth, boundaries, particulate matter, ocean acidification, carbon dioxide emissions, oceans, global warming, water, chemical pollution, Holocene, climate, biodiversity, Thomas Malthus, ozone hole, Club of Rome, pollution
Are there limits to how much we can grow as a society and survive?
GDP: Not All It’s Cracked Up to Be?
by Bill ChameidesSep 23, 2009
filed under: climate change, water pollution, Nicolas Sarkozy, politics, overfishing, Peter Bartelmus, Green GDP, air quality, Joseph Stiglitz, China, policy, gross domestic product, economy, ecosystem services, global warming, global economy, ecosystems, Alan Mollohan, air pollution, economics, pollution
The headline reads “U.S. Climate Bill Could Cut GDP 3.5 Percent by 2050.” Should we care?
Air Pollution + Parental Stress = Asthma?
by Bill ChameidesJul 29, 2009
filed under: stress, asthma, air pollution, IQ, science, research, health, traffic, children
We all know that air pollution is not good. But what does that have to do with IQ and stressed-out parents?
Grok Image: The Aral Sea – Geo-Engineering Gone Awry
by Bill ChameidesJul 22, 2009
filed under: Lake Huron, Aral Sea, Aral Karakum Desert, Army Corps of Engineers, desertification, Utah, lakes, Uzbekistan, geo-engineering, health, water, Kazakhstan, Great Salt Lake
Pop Quiz: How do you turn the world’s fourth largest lake into three salty lakes and a desert?
GM Declares Bankruptcy
by Bill ChameidesJun 01, 2009
filed under: transportation, business, air pollution, automobile, automakers, health, Wall Street Journal, carbon dioxide emissions, General Motors
The end of an era, to be sure. But how did this happen? The result of meddling by “pointy-headed busybodies” or the inevitable march of time?
Is a Free-Range Pig a Good Pig?
by Bill ChameidesApr 23, 2009
filed under: food, antibiotics, pigs, health, New York Times, salmonella, bacteria
A free-range pig is happier than a confined pig. Perhaps. But is a free-range pig safe to eat?
Finally Standards for Coal Ash … Just in Time?
by Bill ChameidesMar 11, 2009
filed under: waste, toxins, water pollution, Bill Clinton, Kingston Fossil Power Plant, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, coal ash, policy, Environmental Protection Agency, power plants, Tennessee Valley Authority, pollution
On Monday, while the Environmental Protection Agency sought information from electric companies about their coal waste disposal practices, a new crisis was bubbling up around Maryland. It’s about time EPA acts on coal waste. But is it enough?
Environmental Roundup
by Bill ChameidesMar 05, 2009
filed under: wetlands, air quality, lead, air pollution, water, health, recycled paper, Environmental Protection Agency, waste
From coastal wetlands and "green" tissue paper to getting the lead out, here are four environmental news items theGreenGrok thought you might want to know about.
The Old Ice Age Myth Put to Rest
by Bill ChameidesFeb 10, 2009
filed under: Europe, aerosols, air quality, air pollution, climate change, global warming, coal, cooling, paper, Germany, climate skeptics, Switzerland, health, particulate matter, fossil fuels, science
Global warming skeptics often point to an "imminent ice age” touted by the popular press in the 1970s to dissuade the public from believing today’s very real threat of global warming. The argument was always a red herring, and now a new paper resolves the scientific issues raised by the supposed warnings.
Clean Coal’s Dirty Secret - When 'Clean' Isn't Clean
by Bill ChameidesFeb 04, 2009
filed under: air quality, air pollution, particulate matter, Kingston Fossil Power Plant, coal, water pollution, coal ash, waste, Tennessee Valley Authority, power plants
Coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel. Burning it produces a myriad of noxious air pollutants. That's a problem. Clean coal technology supposedly scrubs those pollutants before they get into the atmosphere. Problem gone, right? Not quite. Guess where those pollutants end up.
Memo to CNN.com: You Got It Wrong
by Bill ChameidesFeb 02, 2009
filed under: cap and trade, green investments, climate change, energy, Supreme Court, New York Times, Clean Air Act (1990), air quality, renewable energy, renewables, economy, fuel economy, oil, carbon tax, global warming, Barack Obama, CNN, Department of Transportation, Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE), air pollution, economics, gasoline, George W. Bush, Environmental Protection Agency
It’s great when reporters call you for your opinion. It’s even better when they feature a quote from you in the story. And it’s better yet when it’s from an organization with the reach of CNN. However, it’s not great when they get what you said wrong.
Tennessee Coal Ash Contaminated With Radioactivity and Arsenic
by Bill ChameidesJan 29, 2009
filed under: aerosols, radioactivity, air quality, air pollution, particulate matter, Kingston Fossil Power Plant, coal, Duke University, coal ash, water pollution, arsenic, radium, Tennessee Valley Authority
Remember that huge spill of coal ash at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Kingston coal-fired power plant on December 22nd? New measurements by Duke University scientists confirm not only the presence of toxic metals like arsenic but also dangerous levels of radioactivity.
Obama: The Environmental President?
by Bill ChameidesJan 21, 2009
filed under: cap and trade, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Fish & Wildlife Service, Diane Feinstein, water pollution, Theodore Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, Clean Air Act (1990), air quality, legislation, Clean Water Act, National Park Service, Kyoto Protocol, Clean Air Act, Abraham Lincoln, Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush, oceans, global warming, Barack Obama, Endangered Species Act, Jimmy Carter, Al Gore, air pollution, Woodrow Wilson, Montreal Protocol, George W. Bush, Environmental Protection Agency, Yosemite
It's official: there's a new U.S. president. Will Barack Obama be able to advance an environmental agenda? If so, he will have distinguished himself from Democratic administrations that promised a lot but delivered little on the environment.
See also comments on Huffington Post (36)
Statistically Speaking: Real vs. Fake Christmas Trees
by Bill ChameidesDec 18, 2008
filed under: toxins, Christmas trees, statistically speaking, Statistically Speaking, health, green living
In 1901, Theodore Roosevelt nixed a Christmas tree for the White House. "It's not good to cut down trees for mere decoration," he claimed. "We must set a good example for the people of America." Was President Roosevelt right? Should today's conservationists take a page out of his book and forgo the tree?!
Statistically Speaking: Detroit Does It Better in Europe
by Bill ChameidesDec 05, 2008
filed under: fuel economy, transportation, Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE), air pollution, Statistically Speaking, automobile, statistically speaking, alternative fuel, diesel, Detroit, particulate matter, gasoline, carbon dioxide emissions, ultra low sulfur diesel, nitrogen oxides
So the Big Three automakers are in trouble and want some of our money to stay afloat. Before handing over any cash, we might want to look at how Detroit does when it has to.
The Life of a Turkey
by Bill ChameidesNov 21, 2008
filed under: food, health, animals, turkey
Thanksgiving approaches. As most of us look forward to celebrating our blessings with family and friends, putting a turkey front and center on the dinner table, I thought it might be interesting to learn about the life of the average American turkey.
Are All Meat-Eaters Children of the Corn?
by Bill ChameidesNov 18, 2008
filed under: animals, food, corn, health, agriculture
For decades, big companies have been consuming others until only a few are left. This Pac Man-like game has been especially true of agriculture where a handful of large corporations control almost every aspect of our food production. A new study explores this situation vis-a-vis our fast-food addiction.
