The EPA says it will begin assessing 23 chemicals – 20 of which are commonly used as flame retardants (FR) -- for potential risks to human health and the environment. This effort is part of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Work Plan which identifies commonly used chemicals for risk assessment.

Safety managers and incident commanders face the need to identify and quantify toxic or combustible chemicals on the spot, to make urgent decisions. These professionals need to rely on gas detection monitors to help them decide quickly – to prevent an accident from becoming an incident -- on the use of personal protective equipment, evacuation and cleanup.

In the wake of a recent train derailment in NJ released toxins and forced widespread evacuations, environmental groups are urging the Obama administration to use its power under the Clean Air Act to reduce chemical disaster risks.

A Senate committee’s approval this week of an amendment to the Safe Chemicals Act of 2011 is either a victory for American families or a defeat for bipartisan cooperation – depending on who you ask.

The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) has joined the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association, and other leading organizations to formally oppose S.J. Res. 37, a resolution by Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla) that employs the Congressional Review Act to reverse the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Mercury and Air Toxics Standards for Power Plants.

The Environmental Protection may get some help from environmental and public health groups as it contends with legal challenges to its final Utility Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) rule.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice announced that Dover Chemical Corporation has agreed to pay $1.4 million in civil penalties for the unauthorized manufacture of chemical substances at facilities in Dover, Ohio and Hammond, Ind.

Pregnant women are trying to be healthier. Many take all the right steps to promote the birth of a healthy baby, including eating right, taking vitamins and eliminating alcohol and nicotine from their lives.

On Dec. 21, EPA issued the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, the first national standards to protect American families from power plant emissions of mercury and toxic air pollution such as arsenic, acid gas, nickel, selenium, and cyanide.