Toxic chemicals force Newark students to be bused to Harrison, costing >$300,000

Published: Thursday, April 29, 2010, 8:55 PM     Updated: Friday, April 30, 2010, 5:24 AM

Victoria St. Martin/The Star-Ledger 

NEWARK -- Every day, more than 800 children at the Wilson Avenue School in Newark arrive at their Ironbound building, then get on a bus to go two miles to another facility in Harrison where they attend classes.

At the end of the day, they do the reverse commute.

That ride, necessitated by flooding and the discovery of benzene at Wilson Avenue School, is costing the Newark School District about $1,600 a day, a spokeswoman said. By the end of the school year, the total tab will be $96,000.

Cadmium in Paint and Alternatives

Will Cadmium Always Be On The Palette? 
Alternative Pigments Are Becoming Available

Just Paint Issue 4 October 1996
© Golden Artist Colors, Inc.
CLICK HERE for the original article

Introduction

Environmental and health concerns have spurred increasingly stringent regulatory requirements for the use and disposal of Cadmium based pigments. As a result, many industries have decreased or entirely eliminated the utilization of these colorants. If these trends continue, formulating cadmium pigment into artist paints will become increasingly difficult, and ultimately, may be impossible due to lack of availability. However, the introduction of newer organic pigments has made finding suitable alternatives easier than ever. While not identical to cadmium based pigments, their properties are similar enough in some respects, and superior enough in others, to warrant consideration. Golden Artist Colors, Inc. has recently introduced three such colors; Hansa Yellow Opaque, Pyrrole Red Light, and Pyrrole Orange. Also in this group is Pyrrole Red, which was first made available by GOLDEN in 1990. 

Cadmium pigments were discovered around 1820 and first commercialized

Food Allergy Concerns on the Rise

Why are food allergies on the rise?

By: Elizabeth Landau, CNN

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Children's Hospital Boston has seen an increase in ER visits from allergic reactions to foods
• A study speculates gut bacteria has something to do with food allergies
• Another idea is that children need to get exposed to common allergens earlier in life

(CNN) -- Two-year-old Ethan Wily had a cold recently, so at first it wasn't surprising that he started coughing last week after eating some pistachio gelato.

But he started coughing up mucus, and then gasping for air. His parents gave him an antihistamine, but it didn't stop the reaction. By the time the boy's parents brought him to their local hospital, he could barely breathe.

"His face was really swollen. He looked like an alien," said Ethan's father, Preston Wily of Lehi, Utah. "We didn't have any idea an allergy could be so bad."

He said the child had shown only a somewhat mild reaction to peanuts before this.

It seems like more and more children in the U.S. are developing food allergies, and there's data to back that up. The number of kids with food allergies went up 18 percent from 1997 to 2007, according to the U.S.

No Worries about Chemicals on Rubber Athletic Fields - CT DEP

CT Department of Environmental Protection: July 30, 2010

Result of State Artificial Turf Fields Study: No Elevated Health Risk

But higher contaminant levels at an indoor field suggest ventilation needs

HARTFORD – A new study of artificial turf fields containing crumb rubber infill conducted by four state agencies shows that health risks are not elevated from playing on the fields. However, higher contaminant levels at one indoor field indicate that ventilation of indoor fields should be considered. Storm water run off findings indicate that proper management of this run off is prudent to address possible environmental effects.

The study findings were peer reviewed by the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, whose comments were incorporated into the final report.

"This study presents good news regarding the safety of outdoor artificial turf fields," stated Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. J. Robert Galvin. "While the findings indoors were below the health risk targets, the elevated contaminant levels suggest a need to ventilate these fields so they can be brought to the level of safety outdoors. What we’ve learned from this study in Connecticut will provide valuable guidance to municipalities, schools and others who operate or are considering installing artificial playing fields."

Study Background

The four state agencies, the University of Connecticut Health Center, the Connecticut Agricultural