July 9, 2010
Science Friday: Abandoned Oil Wells
Science Friday: There weren’t any great new Science Friday videos today, so I bring you a report, based on an AP story, about the problem of abandoned oil wells in the Gulf.
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July 8, 2010
Feds To Crack Down on Junk Food?
Maybe Michelle Obama’s anti-obesity campaign has gotten some legs (and arms, of course). A government working group is considering new regulations of foods marketed to kids ages 2 to 17.
Time for lunch!
War:
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July 2, 2010
Science Friday: Solar Dynamics
Science Friday: NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) sends back data on the sun. Here or below.
June 30, 2010
How Toxic Are the Oil Dispersants?
EPA is on the case. Should we be worried or reassured?
“EPA’s results indicated that none of the eight dispersants tested, including the product in use in the Gulf, displayed biologically significant endocrine disrupting activity. While the dispersant products alone – not mixed with oil – have roughly the same impact on aquatic life, JD-2000 and Corexit 9500 were generally less toxic to small fish and JD-2000 and SAF-RON GOLD were least toxic to mysid shrimp.
While this is important information to have, additional testing is needed to further inform the use of dispersants. The next phase of EPA’s testing will assess at the acute toxicity of multiple concentrations of Louisiana Sweet Crude Oil alone and combinations of Louisiana Sweet Crude Oil with each of the eight dispersants for two test species.”
The Post’s take on this is that the EPA found all dispersants tested “equally toxic.” That they are less toxic than oil is not comforting.