The Antimicrobial chemical triclosan is causing problems for the makers of Dial Complete. According to The New York Times, marketing for Dial Complete hand soap touts its germ-killing abilities, asserting that the inclusion of triclosan allows the soap to kill more germs than other brands. But Dial Complete is under fire from consumers, who have filed at least 10 federal class action lawsuits alleging that these germ-killing claims are unproven and misleading. The lawsuits, which were recently consolidated in a multidistrict litigation and transferred to U.S. District Court, District of New Hampshire, also allege that triclosan has been tied to antibiotic resistance.

Triclosan, originally developed as a surgical scrub, is now most often found in antibacterial soaps, sanitizers and body washes, toothpaste, medical devices, clothing, kitchenware, furniture, toys, cutting boards, and diaper bags, to name just some. Companies that market triclosan products claim they are safe, but the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) disagrees and registered triclosan as a pesticide. The EPA even rated triclosan as a human health and environmental risk. (more…)

The Nevada health authorities are investigating an outbreak of Legionnaire’s disease linked to stays at the Aria Resort & Casino. ABC News reported that guests, who stayed in the resort from June 21 to July 4, were informed by letter that “high levels of the bacteria Legoniella had been detected in several guest rooms.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was notified of the problem and since the alert, four guests at the resort were treated for the pneumonia-like disease.
Southern Nevada Health District conducted sampling of the entire resort and found no detectable levels of bacteria. (more…)

A new study shows birth defects are higher in, and around, central Appalachian areas near coal mining sites, reported the Pittsburg Post-Gazette.

The study’s author reviewed data from the National Center of Health Statistics birth defect records from 1996 through 2003 in four states. The collected information revealed elevated rates from mountaintop mining areas in six of seven birth defects studied. (more…)

A recent study says children and teens overexposed to antibacterial soaps containing triclosan (such as Dial Complete Antibacterial Handwash) have an increased risk of developing hay fever and other allergies. The study also revealed that exposure to higher levels of the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) may weaken adult immune systems, reported HealthDay.

Triclosan is a chemical often contained in antibacterial products and is widely used in consumer products such as soap, toothpaste, kitchenware and toys. BPA, used in many plastics and other consumer goods, is also believed to affect human hormones. (more…)

A U.S. Forest Service researcher published a study that shows water used in hydraulic fracturing kills vegetation on contact. Mary Beth Adams began the field study by applying 303,000 liters of fracking fluid from a natural gas well onto an area of forest in West Virginia. Adams’ study revealed water used during natural gas drilling kills vegetation on contact, almost immediately, and also kills ground covers, plants and trees.

Based on this observation, Adams is certain the “energy source [fracking fluid] is dangerous to the environment” including wildlife and humans, reported the Examiner. (more…)

The largest study conducted of twins revealed the environment may play a larger role in the development of autism than previously predicted. Over the past thirty years, numerous smaller studies showed it is more common for identical twins to be diagnosed with autism than fraternal twins. However, the recent study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, found autism is also common in fraternal twins even though they do not share as many genes as identical twins, reported WebMD.

Prior research led researchers to believe developing autism was “writing into a person’s DNA” and that the environment only contributed a small percentage. Nonetheless, these results suggest that something in the twins’ “mutual life circumstances” may play a large role, perhaps a role as strong as genetics. (more…)

On Wednesday, a Senate committee approved legislation that would provide health care to Marine veterans and family members who lived at Camp Lejeune Marine base. Contaminated water at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina caused thousands of veterans and their family members to suffer from various illnesses, reported the Miami Herald.

Advocates have been lobbying for the legislation for years but it still needs approval from the full Senate and House of Representatives. Health care for those affected by the contaminated water sources can only be provided by the bill until Congress appropriates money for it in a separate process. (more…)

On Wednesday, the New Jersey legislature sent a bill to Governor Chris Christie which will ban natural gas drilling that involves fracking. The measure passed the state Senate 32-1 and the Assembly 56-11, reported Bloomberg. If Governor Christie signs the bill, it will make New Jersey the first to institute a statewide ban on hydraulic fracturing in the U.S.

Although New Jersey does not produce natural gas, the legislature is worried about communities located on the Utica Shale situated northwest. Since December, Chesapeake Energy Corp. and other gas companies have leased property to drill wells in the Utica formation. In February, drilling company Range Resources Corp. created a well in the formation located in Pennsylvania estimated to produce 4.4 million cubic feet of natural gas daily, says Bloomberg. (more…)

Gas companies may be overstating how effortless and economical natural gas extraction is, says the New York Times. Industry consultants and analysts provided e-mails to the Times saying they “believe that the public perception of shale gas does not match reality.”

The emails reveal industry skepticism about whether companies are misleading investors and the public about well production and gas extraction amounts. One email from an analyst compared natural gas drilling to “Ponzi schemes”; while, an analyst from PNC Wealth Management considered the practice “inherently unprofitable.” (more…)

A California committee passed a bill requiring gas drilling companies to disclose chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing. Earlier this month, the California Senate Natural Resources Committee passed the bill which is scheduled to appear before the Environmental Quality Committee next week, reported the Los Angeles Times. Currently, there is no law in the state mandating chemical disclosure but other states have approved similar legislation requiring companies to disclose drilling sites, a list of chemicals and the amount of water used in the drilling process.

The bill, AB 591, sponsored by Assemblyman Bob Wieckowski will require companies to disclose whether they are drilling near active fault lines and “expose the issue of ‘tremendous water use flowing to the Central Valley that most Californians think is going to irrigate crops,’” said Pamela King Palitz, staff attorney at Environment California. (more…)