More than 95,000 signatures will be on a petition delivered to Congress tomorrow, urging the EPA to “Ban Asbestos in the U.S. Now, Without Loopholes or Exemptions.” That delivery is timed for Mesothelioma Awareness Day, an effort to bring attention to mesothelioma, a lung disease caused by exposure to asbestos and the inhalation of asbestos particles.

VelocityEHS, the global leader in cloud-based environment, health, safety (EHS) and sustainability solutions, announced today it will provide disaster relief organizations, emergency responders and local businesses affected by Hurricane Florence access to its MSDSonline safety data sheet (SDS) library at no cost.

A new proposal released by the EPA yesterday would reduce the frequency of methane leak inspections required of oil and gas companies, and give those companies more time to fix leaks when they find them – changes the agency admits could harm public health. The move is the Trump administration’s latest effort to relax Obama-era regulations intended to combat climate change.

Throwing household waste such as small batteries, cleaning products, and light bulbs in the trash may not be environmentally friendly behavior, but in most cases, it’s not against the law. However, businesses face many more limitations and regulations on what can and can’t be thrown away.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce acknowledges that human activities are contributing to climate change, but feels that the Obama-era Clean Power plan was not an effective way to address that. The American Public Health Association contends that the EPA’s just announced proposed replacement for the Clean Power Plan – the Affordable Clean Energy Rule – is “an attack on public health.”

Single use plastics are the hot topic of the moment – and with good reason. They’re non-biodegradable meaning once created they will never disappear from the environment. When consumers open the bin to drop their plastic waste in that may be the last they see of it but it’s far from the end of the story.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 have entered into a consent decree with Ag Processing, Inc. (AGP) to ensure compliance with oil pollution prevention requirements of the Clean Water Act (CWA). As part of the settlement, the company has agreed to implement specific preventative measures to ensure future compliance and improve accidental spill response.

In a move that quickly generated controversy, the EPA yesterday unveiled a replacement for the Clean Power Plan that it proposed repealing in October 2017 because it “exceeded EPA’s authority.”

In its place, the agency rolled out what it’s calling the Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule which would establish emission guidelines for states to develop plans to address greenhouse gas emissions from existing coal-fired power plants.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued a statewide air quality alert in early August due to smoke spreading across northern Minnesota and southern Minnesota. Smoke from wildfires in western Canada will continue to affect Minnesota. Air Quality Indices in the orange category spread eastward across northern Minnesota Friday, making air quality unhealthy for sensitive groups.

Air pollution is a big killer. Researchers estimate that smog—particularly the tiniest particles in the mix—contributes to the early deaths of up to seven million people worldwide each year. Harm to fog-filled lungs is an obvious concern, yet air pollution is notably linked to cardiovascular events, including heart attacks and stroke.