Category Archives: China

China’s viral enviro health documentary and US TSCA reform malaise

Last month, this Chinese documentary about the country’s legendary air pollution problems went viral. Now available with English subtitles, Under the Dome has the look and feel of Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, from TED style narration and eye-grabbing background slides to shots of rapt … Continue reading

Posted in air pollution, chemical safety regulation, China, TSCA | Comments Off on China’s viral enviro health documentary and US TSCA reform malaise

EU enforcement of consumer product safety laws steps up

The European Union’s Consumer Affairs Commission reports that an increasing number of toxic toys and skin-irritating textiles are being removed from supermarket shelves.  Europe’s Rapid Information System (RAPEX) issued 2,364 notifications of unsafe non-food products in 2013, a 3.8% increase … Continue reading

Posted in chemical safety regulation, children's products, China, RAPEX, REACH, synthetic chemicals, TAFTA | Comments Off on EU enforcement of consumer product safety laws steps up

Losing “The Good Earth”

China’s government acknowledged this week that 8 million acres of its farmland – a land mass about the size of Belgium — is too polluted for growing food.    In 2013, dangerous levels of cadmium were detected in rice grown in Henan, a … Continue reading

Posted in agriculture, agriculture and human health, air pollution, cadmium, carcinogens, China, environmental health, environmental health law, food contamination, lead, pesticides, pollution control standards, synthetic chemicals | Comments Off on Losing “The Good Earth”

Tax Carbon for Public Health

I was listening to Vermont Public Radio the other day and heard Thomas Friedman discuss carbon taxes. He is back in the spotlight on this issue because he wrote another op-ed about why the U.S. should adopt this tax. The … Continue reading

Posted in air pollution, China, climate change and health, environmental health, environmental law, Fine Air Particulates, public health | Tagged | Comments Off on Tax Carbon for Public Health

China’s Dirty Air

The skies of China’s biggest cities are notoriously painted gray. Outdoor air pollution, or “ambient particulate matter pollution,” is a documented leading health risk in China. In 2010, outdoor air pollution was the fourth highest risk factor for deaths in … Continue reading

Posted in air pollution, China, environmental health, Fine Air Particulates, public health | Comments Off on China’s Dirty Air