News by Subject
List and find news items by the subject covered
Subject A-Z
To view a list of news subjects currently covered, please select a subject initial letter from the line below.
News items on 'Pollution'
Big rise in birth defects may be linked to war
(The Scotsman 15/11/2009)
BIRTH defects in Falluja have increased to 15 times the normal rate, in a spike that may be linked to the Iraq War. Early-life cancers have also risen, possibly in connection with toxic materials left over from battles. Detailed clinical records of all newborns are being compiled after the extraordinary rise was spotted. Defects include a baby born with two heads and babies with multiple tumours or nervous system problems. Neurologists and obstetricians in the city say the rise is unprecedented.
McDonald's spud has had its chips as quest begins for greener potato
(The Scotsman 27/09/2009)
A group of socially conscious McDonald's investors has sent the multinational on a hunt to find a new type of potato to replace its best-used spud,the Russet Burbank. Investors want McDonald's to help cut pesticides to protect the environment and farm workers' health. The firm's potato hunt is just one of a series of projects launched to green its image. The giant has already switched its UK delivery fleet to burn used vegetable oil from its deep-fat fryers rather than petrol.
(Telegraph 01/08/2009)
Corby has a smart new shopping centre, a £40 million showpiece of "successful regeneration", but sitting in the coffee bar, slurping a cappuccino, is Des Collins, the 60-year-old solicitor who has brought the town to terms with its less glossy past. Collins is the unlikely mastermind behind last week's High Court ruling that a group of 16 families could sue Corby council for failing to clean up toxic waste left behind by the demolition of the town's old steelworks in the mid-Eighties.
Judges overturn pesticide ruling
(BBC 07/07/2009)
An environmental campaigner's victory against crop-spraying policies has been overturned by the Court of Appeal. Georgina Downs, from West Sussex, had argued illnesses she suffered were caused by crop-spraying near her home. In backing her case, the High Court told the government to reconsider spraying policies. But Ms Downs now faces a huge legal bill after three judges at the Court of Appeal allowed an appeal by the Environment Secretary.
Pollution link with birth weight
(BBC 09/04/2009)
Exposure to traffic pollution could affect the development of babies in the womb, US researchers have warned. They found the higher a mother's level of exposure in early and late pregnancy, the more likely it was that the baby would not grow properly. The study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, looked at 336,000 babies born in New Jersey between 1999 and 2003. UK experts said much more detailed research into a link was needed.
Read background >>
Read NHS analysis >>
Comment on this story >>
City smog 'can lead to lung disease and early grave' find scientists
(Telegraph 11/03/2009)
Scientists who followed the progress of almost 450,000 people for 18 years found they were significantly more likely to die from lung disease if they lived in areas highly polluted by ground level ozone. Those in places with the highest concentrations had a 25%-30% greater risk of dying than those exposed to the lowest levels. Ozone - a major constituent of city smog - is a gas made from three oxygen atoms.
Euro MPs back pesticide controls
(BBC 13/01/2009)
The European Parliament has voted to tighten rules on pesticide use and ban at least 22 chemicals deemed harmful to human health. Any use of pesticides near schools, parks or hospitals would be either banned or severely restricted. Wholesale aerial crop-spraying would also be banned. Certain pesticides are used in Britain to combat diseases associated with wet weather, such as potato blight.
(BBC 15/12/2008)
Fort Chipewyan, a mostly First Nations (aboriginal) community, is downstream from Canada's oil sands mines on the Athabasca River in the province of Alberta. Sloan, says he first began noticing something was different about 8 or 10 years ago, when for a couple of weeks, the fish in Lake Athabasca seemed to disappear and his fishing net came out of the water covered in a black, oily substance.
Campaigner wins pesticide victory
(BBC 14/11/2008)
A campaigner has won a legal victory in a long-running battle with the government over the use of pesticides. A High Court judge ruled Georgina Downs, who lives near Chichester, had produced "solid evidence" that residents had suffered harm. Mr Justice Collins said a European order to defend rural dwellers from possible exposure to toxins during crop-spraying had not been followed.
Advert
Advert
Advert
| Top 10 Drug Information Leaflets | |
|---|---|
| Co-codamol | |
| Citalopram | |
| Prednisolone | |
| Omeprazole | |
| Metronidazole | |
| Diclofenac | |
| Ramipril | |
| Simvastatin | |
| Flucloxacillin | |
| Mebeverine hydrochloride | |