EPA never tested playground material’s safety
Filed under: Government, Public health, Public records
Andrew Schneider reports on a investigation by the advocacy group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility that found the EPA, in response to an Freedom of Information request, admitted that it “has not conducted research to evaluate children’s ‘health effects’ from tire crumb constituents,” despite their use in playgrounds and athletic fields across the country.
On his blog Cold Truth,
Schneider reports that “benzene, arsenic, cadmium, formaldehyde, lead, chromium and scores of other toxic material” is found in most waste rubber, and that long-term exposure could be harmful for children and athletes.
Schneider moves coverage to ColdTruth.com
Former Seattle Post-Intelligencer investigative reporter Andrew Schneider has moved from andrewschneiderinvestigates.com to the easier-to-type www.coldtruth.com . Schneider appears to have moved his archives from his old site and continues to have links to his old P-I blog.
The award-winning reporter is still up to his old tricks, using his new site to make sure folks don’t lose sight of ongoing health stories such as asbestos contamination in Libby, Mont., diacetyl dangers, food additives and nanotechnology. Washington State University professor and veteran journalist Benjamin Shors also will contribute to the site.
We last wrote about Schneider when he was covering the W.R. Grace trial in Missoula, Mont., as the Seattle P-I was about to convert to an online-only operation. Ten years ago, Schneider and David McCumber exposed that W.R. Grace was polluting Libby, Mont., and hiding the risks that its vermiculite mine posed to the town.
Schneider’s move comes just as the Environmental Protection Agency has declared a public health emergency in Libby as a result of asbestos contamination. According to an HHS press release, the federal Health Resources and Services Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry will support a grant to assist affected residents who need medical care. Read Schneider’s take on the situation and the latest news from the Grace trial.
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