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Current Hazardous Waste News Events, Discoveries and Articles

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New process would make anti-malarial drug less costly
Scientists are reporting development of a new, higher-yield, two-step, less costly process that may ease supply problems and zigzagging prices for the raw material essential for making the mainstay drug for malaria. (2012-05-24)

New advice on medication disposal: Trash beats take-back, new study suggests
Returning extra medicine to the pharmacy for disposal might not be worth the extra time, money or greenhouse gas emissions, according to a University of Michigan study that is the first to look at the net effects of so-called take-back programs. (2012-05-17)

UI researchers find high levels of toxic PCBs in Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal
University of Iowa researchers have found high levels of toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the deep sediments lining the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal (IHSC) in East Chicago, Ind. (2011-09-12)

Mercury vapor released from broken compact fluorescent light bulbs can exceed safe exposure levels
Once broken, a compact fluorescent light bulb continuously releases mercury vapor into the air for weeks to months, and the total amount can exceed safe human exposure levels in a poorly ventilated room. (2011-07-07)

Chemical found in crude oil linked to congenital heart disease
While it may be years before the health effects of the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico are known, a new study shows that fetal exposure to a chemical found in crude oil is associated with an increased risk of congenital heart disease (CHD). (2011-05-02)

Green sludge can protect groundwater from radioactive contamination
Radioactive waste decaying down at the dump needs millions of years to stabilize. The element Neptunium, a waste product from uranium reactors, could pose an especially serious health risk should it ever seep its way into groundwater - even 5 million years after its deposition. (2011-03-18)

LED products billed as eco-friendly contain toxic metals, study finds
Those light-emitting diodes marketed as safe, environmentally preferable alternatives to traditional lightbulbs actually contain lead, arsenic and a dozen other potentially hazardous substances, according to newly published research. (2011-02-11)

New Monitoring Methods More Accurately Measure Coal Ash Impacts
As the Environmental Protection Agency weighs whether to define coal ash as hazardous waste, a study by Duke University researchers identifies new monitoring protocols and insights that can help investigators more accurately measure and predict coal ash contaminants' ecological impacts. (2010-11-30)

'Fracking' Mobilizes Uranium in Marcellus Shale, UB Research Finds
Scientific and political disputes over drilling Marcellus shale for natural gas have focused primarily on the environmental effects of pumping millions of gallons of water and chemicals deep underground to blast through rocks to release the natural gas. (2010-10-26)

The Precious Commodity of Water
Water is a valuable resource, which is why the Fraunhofer Alliance SysWasser is demonstrating how we can extract precious drinking water from air, discover a leak in pipeline systems and even effectively clean sewage water at the IFAT/Entsorga fair. (2010-09-13)