Toxic Chemicals

Maryland industries produce or use more than 100 pounds of toxic chemicals for every person in the state, two environmental groups said today in calling for new laws to reduce hazardous chemical usage in the workplace and in consumer products.The groups, Maryland Public Interest Research Group and the National Environmental Law Center, estimate that state industries make or use more than 495 million pounds of toxic chemicals a year, which is at least 15 times the amount state businesses report they release into the environment or dispose of as wastes.

An independent panel of scientists says two government-issued studies can't show if people were harmed by toxic pollution from Fort Detrick contaminating the ground water, but further studies are unlikely to answer lingering questions about the health impacts of the cancer-causing chemicals buried decades ago at the Frederick military base. In a review sponsored by the Army, a committee of environmental and health experts with the National Research Council took issue with a study by the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, which concluded that tainted ground water seeping out from Detrick's Area B was "unlikely to have produced any harmful health effects, including cancer.

Toxic chemical releases increased slightly in Maryland from 2000 to 2001, largely because of increased demand for electricity from coal and oil-burning power generating plants in Anne Arundel County. That puts Maryland in contrast to the nation, where toxic chemical releases into the air, water and land declined by 15.5 percent during the same period, according to new data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The agency's Toxics Release Inventory also ranked Baltimore in the top 10 jurisdictions for releases of toxic chemicals from electric utility companies and petroleum storage facilities.

Children's health advocates are calling on state legislatures to ban flame retardants in baby's products after testing found the toxic chemicals in 85 percent of items it tested. The toxic retardants were found in nursing pillows, car seats and other popular baby products, according to a report released Monday by Maryland PIRG and Washington Toxics Coalition and Safer States . The groups said the flame retardants are linked to cancer, hormone disruption and other health problems.   Children and families are exposed to the compounds, called Tris chemicals, when they escape from household items and contaminate house dust and indoor air, the groups said.

A Chinese tug is standing by in Baltimore harbor to take the USS Coral Sea, a once-mighty aircraft carrier, to a shipbreaker's yard in India.The ship's exit, crowning the failure of a plan to dismantle the huge old warship in Baltimore, could come as early as next week.In its wake, the stripped and battered ship will leave behind a passel of lawsuits, a newfound respect for the difficulty in dealing with toxic chemicals on board old ships, and a determination by the Navy not to allow any more of its vessels to be sold overseas for scrap.

Like beauty, "data integrity" lies in the eye of the beholder.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has accused five Baltimore-area companies of providing faulty data about hazardous chemicals at their plants.Three of the companies say the accusations are unfair because the EPA's own recordkeeping is flawed.The dispute began last week when the EPA leveled charges about a lack of "data integrity," saying the five companies had not filed timely and accurate reports on the chemicals they use and release.

Environmental Protection Agency officials said yesterday they will crack down on the owner of a Brooklyn Park plant where 50,000 gallons of hazardous chemicals are stored, after acids and toxic chemicals were found leaking from their tanks into the ground. The action against Consolidated Pharmaceuticals Inc., expected as early as next week, comes on the heels of a $100,000 fine levied by the the state for multiple hazardous-waste violations and a letter Monday from Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold that said the site poses the risk of a "potentially catastrophic fire."

Children's health advocates are calling on state legislatures to ban flame retardants in baby's products after testing found the toxic chemicals in 85 percent of items it tested. The toxic retardants were found in nursing pillows, car seats and other popular baby products, according to a report released Monday by Maryland PIRG and Washington Toxics Coalition and Safer States . The groups said the flame retardants are linked to cancer, hormone disruption and other health problems.   Children and families are exposed to the compounds, called Tris chemicals, when they escape from household items and contaminate house dust and indoor air, the groups said.

Two Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. power plants in Anne Arundel County released 11.5 million pounds of toxic chemicals into the air in 1998, ranking them first in the state and 11th in the nation for toxins, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said yesterday. The EPA distributed its Toxics Release Inventory report for 1998, which monitors the volumes of 650 chemicals released into the environment by various industries in the U.S., including utilities. The Brandon Shores and Wagner Station plants released 16 of the 650 toxic chemicals.

An independent panel of scientists says two government-issued studies can't show if people were harmed by toxic pollution from Fort Detrick contaminating the ground water, but further studies are unlikely to answer lingering questions about the health impacts of the cancer-causing chemicals buried decades ago at the Frederick military base. In a review sponsored by the Army, a committee of environmental and health experts with the National Research Council took issue with a study by the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, which concluded that tainted ground water seeping out from Detrick's Area B was "unlikely to have produced any harmful health effects, including cancer.

Whether casting a line in a Maryland stream or a lake in the most remote reaches of this country, a fisherman would be hard-pressed to catch a fish that does not contain mercury. Indeed, most recent studies suggest that it might be impossible. Is this a new development? Not really. It's been true for years, and states post warnings - most often directed at children and pregnant or nursing women - to limit their intake of fish for this very reason. A lot of saltwater fish (particularly those that prey on other fish, like shark and swordfish)

We applaud Sen. Ben Cardin's courageous opposition to the pesticides bill now before the U.S. Senate ("Cardin opposes break on pesticide," July 4). This proposal would cancel the Environmental Protection Agency's permit program limiting the amount and types of pollutants discharged into waterways and threaten the Chesapeake Bay. Without definite limits on hazardous pesticides, it will be impossible to keep Maryland's streams and rivers free of toxic chemicals. Without the permit program, 95 percent of our streams will continue to show pesticide pollution, and the majority of our aquatic communities will be exposed to complex mixtures of chemical contaminants that have the potential for harm.

On the surface, Canal Creek looks like a postcard Chesapeake Bay tributary, with red-winged blackbirds swooping over the tidal marsh lining its banks. But the creek flows through Aberdeen Proving Ground in Harford County, where for decades the Army produced and tested chemical weapons, and dumped its wastes indiscriminately. The creek's bottom and the marsh muck are riddled with toxic chemicals like PCBs, pesticides like DDT and metals including lead and mercury. Fish and turtles in the creek are tainted as well.

A new environmental study has found people and wildlife face higher-than-normal health risks from long-term exposure to toxic contaminants in the Patapsco River near Sparrows Point, the legacy of pollution from more than a century of steel-making on the outskirts of Baltimore's harbor. The risk assessment commissioned by the Maryland Port Administration determined that people who swam their whole lifetime in the waters off the Coke Point area of Sparrows Point would be two to five times more likely to develop cancers or other health problems as people who did the same elsewhere in the harbor.

While delighted to learn from Michael Hawthorne's article ("Pediatricians Seek Change in Lax Toxic Chemicals Law," April 25) that the American Academy of Pediatrics has joined a national campaign to revise the 1976 Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA), such reform is long overdue. The current TSCA regulatory system especially fails to protect our children, who face higher risks of exposure to toxic chemicals. Because of TSCA, the "innocent until proven guilty" status quo of assessing chemical safety implies that some level of bodily damage, if not an outright tragedy, must occur before chemicals are declared unsafe.

Kudos to the Maryland legislature for recognizing the health risks associated with exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) and taking action to prevent children from being exposed to this chemical ("Senate OKs BPA ban in bottles and cups for young children," Feb. 25). Unfortunately, BPA exposure does not only affect our children but can also have negative health impacts on both women and men across their lifespan. As a nurse-midwife, I am especially concerned about the possible impacts of fetal exposure to this chemical that is used in so many products.

During its annual membership drive, representatives of the U.S. Public Interest Research group, the nation's largest environmental and consumer lobby, are focusing on two major pieces of federal environmental legislation that affect public health and environment: the Clean Water Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. According toPIR, U.S. companies use 350 billion pounds of toxic chemicals each year.These chemicals cause cancer, infertility and other diseases.Representatives of PIR will be seeking support by knocking on doors to collect signatures.

On the surface, Canal Creek looks like a postcard Chesapeake Bay tributary, with red-winged blackbirds swooping over the tidal marsh lining its banks. But the creek flows through Aberdeen Proving Ground in Harford County, where for decades the Army produced and tested chemical weapons, and dumped its wastes indiscriminately. The creek's bottom and the marsh muck are riddled with toxic chemicals like PCBs, pesticides like DDT and metals including lead and mercury. Fish and turtles in the creek are tainted as well.

Maryland advocates for a ban on a toxic flame retardant that accumulates in the environment and has been linked to cancer and brain development problems intend to pursue an earlier phaseout of the chemical than the timeline currently spelled out in a recent federal agreement. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced last month that the three largest manufacturers and importers of decabromodiphenyl ether, also known as decaBDE, had negotiated a pact to phase out the chemical, used in upholstery, mattresses, electronics and more, by 2013.