chemicals news stories on Newser

Culprit for Epidemics of Autism, Obesity: Fungicide?

Evann Gastaldo — Tue, 22 May 2012 12:14:08 CDT

Can the recent increase in autism, obesity, and anxiety disorders be traced back to chemical exposure? That's what a new study involving pregnant rats suggests, AFP reports. Pregnant rats who were exposed to the common fungicide vinclozolin had descendants who, three generations later, weighed more, were less sociable, and displayed...

Chemical Regulators Aren't Protecting Us

Kevin Spak — Thu, 03 May 2012 12:47:58 CDT

Male frogs born with female organs. Male fish laying eggs. Male alligators with tiny penises. These are just some of the bizarre effects we've seen in nature thanks to hormone-mimicking chemicals, Nicholas Kristof laments in the New York Times. Despite this, the same class of chemicals is nearly unavoidable in...

Eyeless Shrimp? Report Raises Concerns in Gulf

Dustin Lushing — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 18:47:08 CDT

Shrimp missing their eyeballs (and even eye sockets), fish covered in lesions, deformed crabs, and other mutated sea creatures are showing up in unsettling numbers in the Gulf of Mexico two years after the giant BP oil spill, according to an investigation by Al Jazeera English . "The fishermen have never...

Vast Fire Breaks Out at Texas Chemical Plant

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 13:38:39 CDT

Massive plumes of black smoke billowed from a raging fire at a chemical plant south of Dallas today, prompting evacuations for some schools and residents and sending others to take shelter inside with doors and windows shut to avoid possible exposure to any dangerous gases. Bright orange flames engulfed the...

Could Toxins in Tattoo Ink Cause Skin Cancer?

Matt Cantor — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 12:30:33 CDT

Before you get a butterfly stamped on your back, take heed: Tattoo inks can cause rashes, infections, and inflammation, and doctors still aren’t sure how the inks’ chemicals—which eventually migrate into the lymph nodes—behave in the long term. A chemical in black inks called benzo(a)pyrene, for example, has...

Acid Dad Charged With Attempted Murder

Kevin Spak — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 10:40:39 CST

Jorge Barahona, the man whose adopted twin children were found doused in toxic chemicals inside his truck on the side of the highway Monday, has been charged with attempted murder for the injuries sustained by 10-year-old Victor, the Miami Herald reports. Barahona, who has not been charged in the death...

Don't Touch That Receipt! It May Be Toxic

Caroline Miller — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 06:00:00 CDT

Sheesh: The same toxic chemical—bisphenol A—that's shown up in baby bottles and canned goods is apparently also all over the receipts you get from stores and restaurants, and in much greater amounts. BPA was found in the coating used on cash register receipts in 40% of businesses tested,...

Chemicals Used on Oil Spill Pose New Hazards

John Johnson — Sat, 01 May 2010 14:18:19 CDT

BP has begun using huge amounts of chemical dispersants to contain the oil slick that has tripled in only a day and is now the size of Puerto Rico. (AP has more on the growing size here .) And while those chemicals—being used above and below the surface—will...

Your Shampoo Is Chock Full of Toxins

Matt Cantor — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 08:39:00 CDT

Most of what’s in shampoo does nothing to cleanse—instead, it “strokes your emotions,” writes Bill Bunn in Salon. If your hair is greasy, you simply need detergent. But shampoos contain a variety of other ingredients—two-thirds by volume—intended to make you feel good about the product and use...