EPA News Release: Poisoning is a Major Cause of Death from Injury in the U.S. US Government raising awareness of accidental exposures during National Poison Prevention Week

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 16, 2012 WASHINGTON â?? The Environmental Protection Agency is joining forces with its federal partners to raise awareness of the dangers of poisoning, especially to children, during National Poison Prevention Week, March 18-24. In just the past year, Americaâ??s 57 poison control centers fielded 4 million calls, treating 2.4 million human poison exposures and handling 1.6 million information calls. EPA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Health Resources and Services Administration, Consumer Products Safety Commission, Department of Housing and Urban Development, as well as the American Association of Poison Control Centers are urging parents and
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Categories: Poison prevention.

EPA Takes Next Step to Cancel 20 Mouse and Rat Control Products Used in Homes / Action will reduce accidental exposures to harmful chemicals

Release Date: 11/02/2011 Contact Information: Dale Kemery (News Media Only) kemery.dale@epa.gov 202-564-7839 202-564-4355 WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today took another step in the process to cancel 20 mouse and rat control products that do not adequately protect people, particularly young people, from exposure to toxic chemicals. EPA has determined that safer rodent control products are now widely available, effective, and affordable. The products EPA plans to remove from the consumer market are those that contain the most toxic and persistent active ingredients, products sold as loose bait and pellets and any remaining products without protective bait
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Categories: Pesticides.

OSHA to adopt GHS in August

From the Environmental Resource Center: OSHA announced that by August of this year, US employers must begin to adopt the globally harmonized system (GHS) for the classification and labeling of hazardous chemicals.  This means that virtually every product label, MSDS (soon to be called â??safety data sheetâ?), and written hazard communication plan must be revised to meet the new standard.  Worker training must be updated so that workers can recognize and understand the symbols and pictograms on the new labels as well as the new hazard statements and precautions on MSDSs.
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Categories: Uncategorized.

RE: MINNESOTA RECORDS FIRST DEATH FROM TICK-BORNE (deer tick) POWASSAN VIRUS

Via Gary Zimmer and the Western Lake States Ruffed Grouse Society newsletter . . . A woman from northern Minnesota has died from a brain infection due to Powassan (POW) virus. This is the first death in the state attributed to the disease. One other POW case has been identified this year in Minnesota, in an Anoka County man who was hospitalized with a brain infection and is now recovering. POW virus is transmitted through the bite of an infected tick. Both 2011 cases became ill in May after spending time outdoors and noticing tick bites. The fatal case was
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Categories: Insect pests.

EPA Takes Major Actions to Reduce Americansâ?? Risks from Mouse and Rat Poisons

EPA Takes Major Actions to Reduce Americansâ?? Risks from Mouse and Rat Poisons Move will better protect children, pets and wildlife WASHINGTON â?? To better protect children, pets and wildlife, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today that it is moving to ban the sale to residential consumers of the most toxic rat and mouse poisons, as well as most loose bait and pellet products. The agency is also requiring that all newly registered rat and mouse poisons marketed to residential consumers be enclosed in bait stations that render the pesticide inaccessible to children and pets. Wildlife that consume bait
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Categories: Rodenticides.

New EPA Lawn Care Videos Encourage Healthy and Environmentally Friendly Practices

This just in from Mike Helms of Cornell University: The EPA has created a series of new videos to encourage homeowners and communities to adopt healthy lawn care practices as a means of reducing pesticide risk to human health and the environment. Healthy, environmentally friendly lawn and landscape practices can reduce erosion, stream sedimentation, flooding and runoff of pollutants into local waterways as well as risk of pesticide exposure to children, adults, pets and wildlife. The video series was developed to educate homeowners, garden clubs, civic associations and others seeking a healthy, environmentally friendly lawn. In addition, the video was
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Categories: Lawn care.