Thawing Arctic May Mean More Atmospheric Carbon
One of the world’s most important sinks of carbon could start to release its contents into the atmosphere. A new study by the USGS and the University of Alaska at Fairbanks shows that the Arctic has been responsible for up to 25 percent of the earth’s carbon sink in recent decades. The carbon enters the Arctic from the atmosphere and is trapped in the permafrost, the frozen layer of soil underneath the land’s surface. This layer is an effective carbon sink because the permafrost is too cold to for the carbon to decompose very quickly. However, global warming is causing the permafrost to thaw, exposing the previously frozen soil to decomposition and erosion, and could make the permafrost a source of atmospheric carbon, rather than a sink. For more information, check out the USGS Newsroom or contact Dave McGuire at ffadm@usgs.gov or (907) 474-6242.
50 attend meeting of P. vera community action group
http://www.tnonline.com/node/41794
Polycythemia Vera cancer cluster
50 attend meeting of community action group
By LIZ PINKEY TN Correspondent tneditor@tnonline.com
Reported on Thursday, October 29, 2009
The first meeting of the Community Action Committee (CAC) of the polycythemia vera (PV) cancer cluster was held Wednesday night at the Hometown Fire Company. Approximately 50 residents and local officials attended the meeting. According to Joe Murphy, who organized the event, the purpose of the CAC is to be a conduit of information and an informational resource between the community and the responsible agencies. The CAC will be working closely with a panel of experts in the environmental field to accomplish a number of goals. Several members of the panel were introduced to the public at last night’s meeting. Read MORE
2009.10.27 – Polycythemia vera CAC team to meet
http://www.tnonline.com/node/41124
Polycythemia vera CAC team to meet
Reported on Tuesday, October 27, 2009
The Community Action Committee (CAC) established to address issues of the Polycythemia Vera Cancer Cluster in Schuylkill, Carbon and Luzerne Counties will hold its first public meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m. at the Hometown Fire Co., Route 54, Hometown.
Items on the agenda include: the on-going formation of the CAC; Volunteers needed to form P-Vera support group; P-Vera-MPD education Summit.
You don’t have to have an illness to participate. The meeting is open to the general public. Any questions, call (570) 668-9009
Webinar to address wastewater challenges in Marcellus shale drilling
When Marcellus shale gas drillers probe for natural gas using the hydrofracture technique, they inject about 3 million gallons of water underground. Typically, about 30 to 40 percent of the injected water — or about 1 million gallons — returns quickly to the surface at the wellhead. What to do with this wastewater will be the subject of an online seminar from Penn State Cooperative Extension, at 1 p.m. on Oct. 28.
Read the full story on Live: Webinar
ATSDR Slates October 24 Public Meeting on Polycythemia Vera
News Release
For Immediate Release: October 15, 2009
ATSDR Slates October 24 Public Meeting on Polycythemia Vera
ATLANTA – The federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) will hold a public meeting in the Tamaqua Area Auditorium at Tamaqua High School, 500 Penn St, Tamaqua, PA, on Saturday, October 24, 2009 from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. to update area residents on recent efforts regarding polycythemia vera (PV).
At the meeting, representatives from ATSDR, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, the Geisinger Clinic, and the Myeloproliferative Disease (MPD) Research Consortium will present overviews of their current PV research projects. In addition, ATSDR will provide an update on the ongoing JAK2 screening in the local community. Residents can also learn more about a community group which will work with investigators and the community in these efforts.
PV is a rare form of blood cancer. The JAK2 genetic marker occurs in more than 95% of PV patients. Because of the elevated number of PV cases in this area, ATSDR is in the process of screening almost 1,500 local residents for the JAK2 genetic marker.
It is not known at this time if the JAK2 marker always leads to PV or another blood disease. Many experts believe people with PV and related blood disorders may test positive for the JAK2 marker for a number of years before ever exhibiting symptoms of PV.
MEDIA NOTICE: A media availability session with the presenters and ATSDR officials will be held on site from 9:15 to 9:45 a.m., prior to the start of the public session.
ATSDR, a federal public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, evaluates the human health effects of exposure to hazardous substances.
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Members of the news media can request an interview by calling the NCEH/ ATSDR Office of Communication at 770-488-0700.
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Protecting America’s Health from Toxic Exposure
4770 Buford Highway N.E., Mailstop F 61, Atlanta, GA 30341-3717
Media inquiries: 770/ 488-0700 or info@cdc.gov
ATSDR Web site: www.atsdr.cdc.gov
Autumn Leaves
*** Without ample water there would be no AUTUMN LEAVES ***
Autumn Leaves
“The falling leaves drift by the window. The autumn leaves of red and gold….” Some of you will remember the old classic song by Johnny Mercer “Autumn Leaves”. Its that time of year again when the leaves in many parts of the country begin to take on color, the nights are cooler and the pumpkins adorn the porches of many homes.
Have you ever thought to yourself “Why do the leaves change color?”
The US Forest Service has put together a nice web site explaining just that at: “Forest Service Leaves”.
Or ever wondered “Does precipitation play a role in leaf color?”
“The amount and brilliance of the colors that develop in any particular autumn season are related to weather conditions that occur before and during the time the chlorophyll in the leaves is dwindling,” says University of Kentucky agricultural meteorologist Tom Priddy. “Temperature and moisture are the main influences. The countless combinations of these two highly variable factors assure that no two autumns can be exactly alike.”
And if you are just trying to find out where the leaves are turning during a certain week or in a certain place in the country, the Foliage Report Network: “Foliage Network”keeps track of leaf colors in the eastern half of the country and the US Forest Service keeps you advised on fall colors throughout the US at: “Fall Colors 2011”.
More info the study of periodic plant and animal life cycle events that are influenced by environmental changes, especially seasonal variations in temperature and precipitation driven by weather and climate visit the National Phenology Network.
Pennsylvania DEP Approves Plans to Collect and Recycle Mercury Thermostats
Recycling Reduces Threats to Human Health and the Environment
HARRISBURG, Pa., Oct. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Department of Environmental Protection has approved two plans to collect and recycle mercury thermostats, which will reduce the amount of mercury released into the environment. The plans are part of the new Mercury-Free Thermostat Act which requires the recycling of out-of-service mercury thermostats. The law will take effect Dec. 8.
“Mercury is a toxic metal that can accumulate in living tissue and cause adverse health effects such as severe nerve and brain damage,” said DEP Secretary John Hanger. “When a mercury thermostat is broken and placed in a landfill or burned in an incinerator, the mercury can contaminate the air, surface water and ground water. By taking these outdated devices out of circulation and disposing of them in a proper manner, we are eliminating unnecessary releases of mercury into our environment. This will make our air, land and water safer for us all.”
A single thermostat contains approximately 4 grams of mercury. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that, each year, 6 to 8 tons of mercury ends up in solid waste facilities and up to 2 tons are released into the air.
Under the new law, manufacturers who have sold mercury thermostats in Pennsylvania must collect and recycle waste mercury thermostats at no cost to contractors and homeowners. Wholesalers located in Pennsylvania must serve as collection sites for the thermostats. The law also requires retailers and contractors to either participate as collection points or provide notice to customers that recycling of mercury thermostats is required by law and identify locations of nearby collection points.
DEP received two plans for manufacturers to establish collection and recycling programs in Pennsylvania. The plans were submitted by the Thermostat Recycling Corporation (TRC) of Arlington, Virginia and EWC Controls Inc. of Englishtown, New Jersey. TRC is a nonprofit organization that currently represents 29 manufacturers nationwide that have distributed over 65 brands of mercury thermostats. TRC sponsored collection sites will accept all brands of mercury thermostats. EWC Controls sold thermostats nationwide under its brand name through wholesale operations from 1989 to 2007. This collection and recycling program is for EWC Controls brand name thermostats only. Both companies are voluntarily collecting thermostats in advance of the law’s effective date in December.
For more information, or to view the approved TRC and EWC Controls collection and recycling plans, please visit www.depweb.state.pa.us, keyword: “Mercury” or call DEP’s Bureau of Waste Management at 717-787-6239.
Media contact: John Repetz, 717-787-1323
SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
Toxic Snow Takes Toll on Tadpoles
This release can be found in the USGS Newsroom at:
Contamination in U.S. Private Wells.
Toxic Snow Takes Toll on Tadpoles
Pesticides can travel hundreds of miles and turn up in some unexpected
places. Scientists from the USGS and Southern Illinois University are
linking declines in frog populations in the Sierra Nevada mountains with
pesticides used on farms in the San Joaquin Valley. These pesticides can
travel by wind to contaminate the snow falling in the Sierra Nevada. When
the snow melts in the spring, pesticides in the runoff contaminate areas
where foothill yellow-legged frogs and Pacific treefrogs breed. In the
study, the pesticides endosulfan and chlorpyrifos slowed tadpole growth and
development. Chlorpyrifos also affected functioning of the nervous system,
and endosulfan caused developmental abnormalities. These factors can alter
behavior and make tadpoles more vulnerable to predators. The full report
can be read at the USGS Western Ecological Center Web site. For more
information contact Gary Fellers at gary_fellers@usgs.gov or (415)
464-5185.
Gender Line Blurred in Fish
This release can be found in the USGS Newsroom at:
Contamination in U.S. Private Wells.
Gender Line Blurred in Fish
Male smallmouth and largemouth bass with female characteristics have been
discovered in surprisingly high numbers in eight of nine river basins
throughout the United States. In some rivers, more than 70 percent of male
bass were “feminized.” Scientists suspect the cause of this condition,
which leads to immature female eggs in male fish and poorer reproduction,
may be linked to substances that have hormonal effects. Endocrine-active
compounds like pharmaceuticals, pesticides and household items are possible
causes, though some intersex fish were found at sites with no obvious
sources of this type of contamination. Because this study didn’t examine
the causes for this condition, more information is needed about the genetic
and environmental factors that might be responsible, as well as the number
and kinds of fish affected. Check out the USGS Newsroom for more
information, or contact Jo Ellen Hinck at jhinck@usgs.gov or (573)
876-1808.