Mine metals at Maine Superfund site causing widespread contamination
Toxic metals from the only open pit mine in an estuary system in the United States are widespread in nearby sediment, water and fish and may be affecting marine and coastal animals that feed on them...
View ArticleIndonesian miners risk lives in modern-day gold rush
In a desolate area of central Indonesia where lush rainforest once stood, illegal miners on the frontline of a modern-day gold rush tear up the earth in the hunt for the precious metal.
View ArticlePoison-breathing bacteria may be boon to industry, environment
(Phys.org) —Buried deep in the mud along the banks of a remote salt lake near Yosemite National Park are colonies of bacteria with an unusual property: they breathe a toxic metal to survive....
View ArticleStudy shows urban birds with darker feathers may be better at removing metal...
(Phys.org) —A team of researchers in France has found a possible connection between the darkness of bird feathers and the removal of metal toxins from birds' bloodstreams. In their paper published in...
View ArticleThe five most poisonous substances
With the announcement of an inquiry into the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, talk of poisons is back in the news. There are many articles with lists of the most poisonous substances, which are often...
View ArticleStudy investigates extraordinary trout with tolerance to heavily polluted water
New research from the University of Exeter and King's College London has shown how a population of brown trout can survive in the contaminated waters of the River Hayle in Cornwall where metal...
View ArticleSaving Earth's water from toxic waste
Scientists have devised a better way to protect groundwater from acids, heavy metals and toxic chemicals, helping to secure the Earth's main freshwater supply.
View Article'Save our kids from computer toxics' scientists warn
An international scientific expert has called for an urgent global effort to save the coming generation of children from being poisoned by toxic residues from the world's ever-growing garbage pile of...
View ArticleBugs and slime to clean poisoned water
Australian scientists have developed a way to clean up the potentially deadly arsenic that pollutes the drinking water of tens of millions of people around the world.
View ArticleTaiwan's ASE ordered to shut factory for polluting river
Taiwanese authorities on Friday ordered leading chip company Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc. (ASE) to shut down a factory in southern Taiwan for "intentionally" discharging toxic wastewater...
View ArticleResearch team develops rapid smartphone-based mercury testing and mapping
(Phys.org) —A team of researchers from the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science has developed a smartphone attachment and application to test water for the presence of mercury,...
View ArticlePredicting bioavailable cadmium levels in soils
New Zealand's pastoral landscapes are some of the loveliest in the world, but they also contain a hidden threat. Many of the country's pasture soils have become enriched in cadmium. Grasses take up...
View ArticleNew concept of fuel cell for efficiency and environment
The Center for Nanoparticle Research at the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) has succeeded in proposing a new method to enhance fuel cell efficiency with the simultaneous removal of toxic heavy metal...
View ArticleResearchers examine the dangers bubbling up from hookah steam stones
New research suggests the use of hookah steam stones - commonly considered a safer alternative to cigarette smoking - could be leaving users with a dangerous, false sense of security. The findings out...
View ArticleGriffon vultures are exposed to high concentrations of lead in their diets
The population of wild birds is subject to dangers resulting from the presence of toxic elements in the environment—even more so when these elements are not degradable and are found in the foods...
View ArticleSynthetic coral could remove toxic heavy metals from the ocean
A new material that mimics coral could help remove toxic heavy metals like mercury from the ocean, according to a new study published in the Journal of Colloid and Interface Science. The researchers,...
View ArticleMolecular trick alters rules of attraction for non-magnetic metals
Scientists have demonstrated for the first time how to generate magnetism in metals that aren't naturally magnetic, which could end our reliance on some rare and toxic elements currently used.
View ArticleEPA sets limit for toxic pollutants released into waterways
The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday imposed new standards for mercury, lead and other toxic pollutants that are discharged into the nation's rivers and streams from steam electric power...
View ArticleToxic metals exposures lower school scores and slow childhood development
High levels of toxic metals, found in and near mining towns, could be negatively influencing the neurological development of children in these regions, a study led by researchers at Macquarie...
View ArticleThe hidden danger of heavy metals in catalytic converters
The heart of every car is its engine, where the energy of petroleum combustion is transformed to mechanical energy, which makes the car move. Unfortunately, no internal combustion engines are...
View ArticleStudy finds toxic metals in Los Angeles homes near gas leak
Homes located near a gas well blowout that spewed the nation's largest-known release of methane had higher levels of toxic metals that could have caused symptoms Los Angeles residents have suffered...
View ArticleMetal exposure – a factor in bat population decline
Scientists at the University of York have led the first full-scale national assessment of metal contamination in bats, showing that many bats in the UK contain levels of metals high enough to cause...
View ArticleStudy describes new method to remove nickel from contaminated seawater
The same deposit that builds up in many tea kettles or water pipes in areas where calcium-rich water is the norm might be just the (cheap) ticket to rid contaminated seawater of toxic metals. This is...
View ArticleTunable porous MOF materials interface with electrodes to sound the alarm at...
A thin-film chemical sensor coated onto an electrode offers a simple, practical way to detect minute traces of toxic gas. Sensors that use metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) can be highly selective for a...
View ArticleHeavy metal binding domain in a cysteine-rich protein may be sea snail...
A special type of small sulfur-rich protein, metallothioneins, have an extraordinary capability for binding heavy metals. An international team of scientists has now discovered that the marine common...
View ArticleUsing tropical microbes to improve the environment
Researchers in Malaysia are harnessing properties in tropical microbes to address a variety of environmental, agricultural and aquacultural issues.
View ArticleBaker's yeast can help plants cope with soil contamination
Few plant species can tolerate the toxic effects of soil pollutants. In a study published in Scientific Reports, a research team led by Paula Duque from the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia (IGC;...
View ArticleHarmless elements can replace toxic lead in electronics
Most smartphones and other electrical or electronic products contain small amounts of lead, which doesn't sound like a big problem on its own. But when there are many billions of such products, either...
View ArticleScientists equip chemical sensors with 'traps' to detect toxic substances
Scientists from Tomsk Polytechnic University and the University of Chemistry and Technology (Prague, Czech Republic) have created novel chemical sensors for Raman spectrometers, devices that measure...
View ArticleNew SOFT e-textiles could offer advanced protection for soldiers and...
New technology that harnesses electronic signals in a smart fabric could lead to advanced hazardous-material gear that protects against toxic chemicals, according to research from Dartmouth College.
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