chemicals

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Friday's Commute for DC-Area Fliers Was a Stinky One

Flights at 4 airports serving capital, Baltimore, and Virginia's Richmond grounded due to chemical odor

(Newser) - Four airports serving Washington, DC, as well as Baltimore and Richmond, Virginia, halted all flights on Friday evening for more than an hour due to a strong chemical smell that was impeding air traffic controllers, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The ground stop affected Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport,...

Feds Raid Teen Scientist's Garage Lab

17-year-old who was accepted to college at 13 says it was all a big misunderstanding

(Newser) - Federal agents in hazmat gear swarmed an Irvine, California home late last month but the teenager who lives there says they busted up a home science project, not a weapons lab. Seventeen-year-old Amalvin Fritz, who skipped high school, was accepted to college at 13, and is now nearing graduation from...

Europol Delivers 'Massive Blow' to Synthetic Drug Trade

24 labs dismantled, more than 85 arrested during widespread operation

(Newser) - Authorities say they've just delivered a massive blow to Europe's synthetic drug trade. Europol on Wednesday announced "the largest-ever operation against synthetic drugs" after police in six countries (Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, and Spain) dismantled 24 large-scale production sites and seized roughly 1,...

How Pandemic Face Masks Are Polluting Land and Water
All Those COVID Masks
Are Leaching Chemicals
in case you missed it
Sep 13, 2025 6:00 AM CDT

All Those COVID Masks Are Leaching Chemicals

Microplastics and hormone disruptors included, research finds

(Newser) - Millions of discarded face masks from the COVID-19 pandemic are now breaking down, creating an environmental hazard that could linger for generations, a study warns. Researchers from Coventry University found that the billions of plastic-based masks used globally, which were meant to protect people from the virus, are now...

Will 6th Time Be the Charm to Tackle Plastic Pollution?

Global summit in Geneva aims to tackle waste, chemicals, recycling costs

(Newser) - As the world drowns in hundreds of trillions of pieces of plastic, representatives from more than 170 countries converge in Geneva this week, aiming to finally strike a deal to tackle the escalating crisis that threatens both the planet and human health. Despite a 2022 agreement to create a...

Report: Iran Is Importing Key Missile Chemicals From China

Ammonium perchlorate shipments are set to arrive in coming months, per WSJ

(Newser) - Iran is importing thousands of tons of ballistic missile ingredients from China, according to sources familiar with the transactions, with shipments of ammonium perchlorate, a key missile propellant, set to arrive in Iran in the coming months, reports the Wall Street Journal . The materials could produce hundreds of ballistic...

75% of Sunscreens Fail to Deliver
75% of Sunscreens
Fail to Deliver
in case you missed it
May 24, 2025 3:55 PM CDT

75% of Sunscreens Fail to Deliver

Only a relative few are both safe and effective, says Environmental Working Group

(Newser) - Three in four sunscreens sold in the US fail to deliver safe and effective protection against harmful solar rays, according to a new report, offering advice on how to spot the ones that do the job they're supposed to without exposing people or the environment to harmful chemicals. The...

EPA Throws Hammer Down on 2 Toxic Chemicals

Full ban announced for TCE, partial ban of dry-cleaning staple perc—both tied to various cancers

(Newser) - Bans of two toxic chemicals first proposed last year have finally come to fruition. On Monday, the Environmental Protection Agency barred the use of trichloroethylene (aka TCE) and perchloroethylene, also referred to as perc—both solvents used in consumer products and industrial settings and that have been tied to various...

Previously Unknown Chemical Found in US Tap Water
Previously Unknown Chemical
Found in US Tap Water
in case you missed it
Nov 24, 2024 11:10 AM CST

Previously Unknown Chemical Found in US Tap Water

It took decades for scientists to ID chloronitramide anion; now they need to see how toxic it is

(Newser) - Some ice for your chloronitramide anion? No, that's not a libation you'd find at the Tatooine cantina in Star Wars, but a new chemical by-product in our tap water that's finally been IDed, reports the Washington Post . Research published Thursday in the journal Science notes that US...

In Amazon's Deforestation, a Potent New Threat Emerges

Authorities say chemicals are being used more because the practice is harder to detect

(Newser) - Authorities in Brazil trying to protect the Amazon from illegal deforestation have long relied on satellite images to alert them to areas that have been clear-cut or burned in a matter of days. Now, however, loggers are increasingly using a potent new tool that is much harder to detect, reports...

Beware These 'Toxic Zombies' in Your Kitchen
Beware These 'Toxic
Zombies' in Your Kitchen
OPINION
Nov 1, 2024 4:40 PM CDT

Beware These 'Toxic Zombies' in Your Kitchen

Atlantic writer urges people to toss their black plastic spatulas

(Newser) - Toxic-Free Future's Megan Liu has a warning for us about the kitchen utensils we use: Beware plastic ones, especially black versions. That's because black plastic is likely to have been made with recycled electronic waste (e.g., TV and computer casings), in a process that often sees little...

Crew Called for Help, Then the Tanker Capsized

South Korean vessel carrying acrylic acid ran into rough seas

(Newser) - A South Korean chemical tanker capsized off an island in southwestern Japan on Wednesday, authorities said, killing eight people on board. One crew member survived, while the fate of two others was unknown, reports the AP . Officials said the tanker was carrying 980 tons of acrylic acid, a corrosive organic...

Chemicals in Plastic Cost Us Billions in Health Care

$249B a year, a new study estimates

(Newser) - Plastic has been found in the deepest parts of the ocean, the air , and our brains —and now researchers have put a number to how much its prevalence is costing us in health care. A group of physicians, epidemiologists, and endocrinologists worked together to itemize the "disease burden"...

Accused of Poisoning Neighbors With Opioids, PhD Student Deported

Xuming Li of China lost student visa following charges, expulsion

(Newser) - A chemistry PhD student who was allegedly caught injecting opioids through the door of an upstairs neighbor with whom he quarreled over noise will escape charges in the US, as he's been deported to his native China. Xuming Li, 36, faced felony charges of battery and possession of a...

After Odor Sickened His Family, He Set Up a Hidden Camera

Florida's Xuming Li arrested, accused of injecting chemical agents under neighbor's door

(Newser) - A Florida man suspicious about chemical smells in his home that appeared to be making his infant sick installed a camera to see if he could suss out what was going on—and now his neighbor is accused of being the cause. NBC News reports that 36-year-old Xuming Li, a...

UK Quietly Does 180 on Animal Testing of Makeup

Government apparently reversed its stance in 2019, after decades-long ban

(Newser) - The UK government had banned the testing of makeup ingredients on animals for more than two decades when it quietly reversed its stance in 2019. It began issuing licenses for animal testing of cosmetic ingredients in line with European Union rules, which don't allow animal testing to determine whether...

Ex-Phillies Got Brain Cancer After Playing on Artificial Turf

'Philadelphia Inquirer' digs into the cluster of rare glioblastoma cases

(Newser) - The Philadelphia Inquirer is out with a jarring story about that city's baseball team: The newspaper reports that six former members of the Philadelphia Phillies died of the rare brain cancer glioblastoma, and one thing they had in common is that they played on artificial turf at the since-demolished...

Keanu Reeves, Fungus-Fighting Machine?

Scientists name chemical compounds that fight fungal infections after the butt-kicking actor

(Newser) - The cordyceps fighters in The Last of Us could definitely use some Keanu Reeves—not the tough heroes he plays in The Matrix, Speed, or John Wick, but a trio of fungus-killing chemical compounds that have now been named after the actor. Per CNN , a study was published earlier this...

3M: We'll Stop Making 'Forever Chemicals'

Industry giant announces a big move on PFAS linked to cancers

(Newser) - The conglomerate 3M announced a big move Tuesday on what have come to be known as "forever chemicals"—the company will stop making them and plans to be rid of them entirely by the end of 2025, reports CNN . Such chemicals are more formally known as perfluoroalkyl and...

That Drive-Thru Order May Contain More Than You Bargained For

Consumer Reports finds excessive amounts of 'forever chemicals' in some fast-food wrappers

(Newser) - You might want to dump those Mickey D's fries onto a plate as soon as you get home. Consumer Reports released an analysis Thursday on packaging at fast-food restaurants and supermarket chains, with a concerning find: Many of the wrappers that hold the fare we pick up at the...

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