OPPT NEWSBREAK Thursday, 18 February 1999
Today's "Toxic News for the Net"
Brought to you by the OPPTS Chemical Library
http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/oppt_nb.txt
NEWS
"Headcheese...[Digest]." Washington Post, 18 February 99, E8.
2,600 pounds of headcheese, a seasoned loaf made of the head
meat from a calf or pig, distributed by Ba Le Meat
Processing & Wholesale is being recalled because it may be
contaminated with listeria. The packages of "`Ba Le Gio Thu
(Headcheese)'" were produced from January 7 to February 5,
weigh from one to eight pounds, and are marked with "`Est
118442'" in the U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection
mark.
"FDA Ordered to Lift Ban on a Diet Supplement." Washington Post,
18 February 99, A6.
U.S. District Court Judge Dale Kimball ordered the Food and
Drug Administration to lift its ban on imports of red yeast
powder from China that contains mevinolin. The agency
regarded mevinolin as an unapproved drug because it is
identical to Mevacor, a synthetic drug that is prescribed to
lower cholesterol. Pharmanex, which markets the powder
under the name Cholestin, had challenged the ban. The judge
ruled that Cholestin "fits the definition of `dietary
supplement.'" The ruling could hamper the government's
ability to regulate natural remedies under the 1994 Dietary
Supplement Health and Education Act.
"Mexico: Halting Forest Fires [World Briefing]." New York Times,
18 February 99, A6.
Farmers who set fire to fields in preparation for planting
will be fined and jailed if Chiapas state's proposl becomes
a law. Fires destroyed 500,000 acres of rain forests last
spring.
"Shell Does Not Contain Toxic Agents [Metro: In Brief: The
District]." Washington Post, 18 February 99, B3.
Army officials said a World War I artillery shell found on
the grounds of the residence of the Korean Ambassador does
not contain toxic chemical agents, but they are not sure if
the shell is an explosive artillery round or a harmless
smoke round. The shell was found Tuesday during a search
for canisters of poisonous chemical agents that may have
been buried after World War I.
"Coos Bay, Ore. [Nation in Brief: Addenda]." Washington Post,
18 February 99, A13.
Nearly 70,000 gallons of fuel oil may have spilled from the
New Carissa, the grounded tanker that may be towed about 200
miles into the Pacific Ocean and sunk in 5,000 feet of
water. "The Coast Guard said the depth and cold should
contain the viscous 135,000 gallons of fuel oil that remain
in the bow."
PEOPLE IN THE NEWS
"Rep. Jeffery Cohelan Dies at 84; Served 12 Years in the U.S.
House. Calif. Democrat Was Advocate for Environment, Civil
Rights [Obituaries]." Washington Post, 18 February 99, B6.
Jeffery Cohelan, a liberal Democrat from California who
served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1958 to
1970, died February 15 in Washington. He was 84 years old
and had Parkinson's disease and colon-rectal cancer. Rep.
Cohelan co-sponsored legislation that established the
Redwood National Park, and he co-sponsored a bill that made
Point Reyes peninsula, north of San Francisco, part of the
national park system.
"Anchorage [Nation in Brief: Addenda]." Washington Post, 18
February 99, A13.
Joseph Hazelwood, the former captain of the Exxon Valdez,
was ordered to begin his sentence for his role in the 1989
oil tanker spill by picking up trash on Alaska state lands.
He was sentenced to perform 1,000 hours of community
service.
ACROSS THE USA, from USA Today
"Montgomery, Alabama [Across the USA]." USA Today, 17 February 99
13A.
In an action which affects about 4,000 Alabama farms,
regulators adopted rules requiring farmers to show that they
are managing animal waste properly, especially hog-breeding
operations.
"Washington, DC [Across the USA]." USA Toda, 17 February 99,
13A.
At Anacostia River Day Pride Cleanup, volunteers picked-up
trash along the river. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton plans
to file a bill in Congress that would create a program to
continue this pick-up.
"Lansing, Michigan [Across the USA]." USA Today, 17 February 99
13A.
Gov. Engler has been criticized in letters from
environmental and public health groups who are unhappy with
his stand against federal pollution guidelines. His office
has offered to cut smog levels by half of that which is
required by EPA.
"Charles City, Virginia [Across the USA]." USA Today, 17 February
99 13A.
Waste Management, Inc. has been temporarily barred from
transporting dangerous materials into Virginia. The company
is accused of illegally dumping medical wastes into a
Charles County landfill.
EDITORIAL AND COMMENTARY
"The Sprawl Brawl [Commentary]." Washington Times, 18 February
99, A16.
Ben J. Wattenberg, a nationally syndicated columnist and a
senior fellow of the American Enterprise Institute,
discusses Vice President Al Gore's advocacy of "Smart
Growth." "Politically, green sounds too good to be true.
It may be. It messes around with two great American
liberation movements: personal transportation and a spread
of your own."
CAR CORNER
"EPA Wants Light Trucks to Meet Car Standards." Washington Post,
18 February 99, E1, E8.
EPA will propose new rules that would require light trucks
and sport-utility vehicles to meet the same emission
standards as cars and would require oil companies to produce
cleaner gasoline. Under the new rules, cars would move from
the current standard for emissions of nitrogen oxides from
0.4 grams per mile to 0.07 grams per mile in 2004 (the
current standard of 0.2 grams in the Northeast will apply
nationally by 2001). Light trucks will move from the
current standard of 0.7 grams to 0.2 grams in 2004, and to
0.07 in 2009. Manufacturers of diesel vehicles will be
required to produce vehicles with average emissions of 0.07
grams per mile. The rules would require sulfur in gasoline
to be reduced from 330 parts per million to 30 parts per
million, phased in from 2004 through 2006. The rules will
help improve air quality and reduce acid rain, but are also
expected to increase gasoline and vehicle costs.
"Duncan Endorses `Parkway-Like' Link of I-270, I-95. Md. Panel
Nearing Decision on Connector." Washington Post, 18 February 99,
B1, B8.
In a letter to Maryland Secretary of Transportation John D.
Porcari, Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan
endorsed building a "`parkway-like road'" linking I-270 and
I-95 north of the Capital Beltway. Environmentalists oppose
the project, saying it would destroy streambeds, parkland,
and communities, while business leaders say the project will
relieve traffic congestion and fuel economic growth.
Planning for such a road began just after World War II, and
a task force appointed by Gov. Parris N. Glendenning is now
trying to decide whether to complete an environmental review
of the project.
* All items, unless indicated otherwise, are available at the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxics Substances (OPPTS)
Chemical Library
Northeast Mall, Room B606 (Mailcode 7407)
Washington, D.C. 20460
(202) 260-3944; FAX x4659;
E-mail for comments: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
(Due to copyright restrictions, the library cannot provide
photocopies of articles.)
*Viewpoints expressed in the above articles do not necessarily
reflect EPA policy. Mention of products does not indicate
endorsement.*
To subscribe to OPPT Newsbreak, send the command
subscribe OPPT-NEWSBREAK Firstname Lastname
to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To unsubscribe, send the command
signoff OPPT-NEWSBREAK
Also available on the World Wide Web (see banner for address)
The OPPTS Chemical Library is operated by GCI Information
Services
