Polluted Air Increases Obesity Risk in Young Animals

Researchers did a study to show that animals in more polluted areas were not only at risk for being obese but also at risk for having type 2 diabetes. They did a study to where some mice were put in an area where there was little pollution and a lot of pollution. The next step was giving some mice a normal diet or a high-fat diet. They were then put in the air for six hours a day, five days a week, and for ten weeks. This would be equivalent to a life span of a toddler to an adolescence. After they did this they found that even the normal-diet mice in the area of high polluted areas had a higher glucose level than the animals in low polluted areas with high-fat diet even though they were more obese than the ones on the normal diet. After this study they concluded that pollution may lead to an increase in fat cell size and number. The size and number of cell size is what increases your chances of getting diseases such as diabetes. They are now doing a study in China to see if it has the same effects on humans. This may make people have a different effect on how they think about pollution today.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101202124246.htm

Pollution Causes Homosexuality In Birds

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/12/02/pollution-causes-homosexuality-birds-studies/

After concluding their 3 year study, two ecologists have found that American white ibises that consumed methylmercury, the most toxic and easily digested form of mercury in the environment were found to pair with other males. In wild ibis populations that had no mercury in their environment, same sex pairing is not found at all. Birds living in these wetlands are most vulnerable to the toxic mercury because they are a breeding ground for bacteria. They found that males with higher levels of mercury were less likely to be approached by females and had a higher chance of being involved in a homosexual pairing. As the level of mercury exposure increased, so did the degree and persistence of homosexual pairing. The ecologists believe that the methylmercury is affecting the hormone levels of the birds that are exposed.

I found this very interesting and it made me think about what kind of affect mercury exposure could have on humans? While it might not be as serious, cleaning up the environment to help the birds would in turn help us to achieve a cleaner environment for ourselves.

Turning Wastewater into a Revenue Stream

The thought of working for a company that has to deal with wastewater would generally seem less than appealing to most of us, but that may change for the better. This field is now calling for young innovative minds to find a way to produce this into a suitable fertilizer for our plants. Different facilities such as Clean Water Services in Tigard Oregon are teaming up with Ostara Technologies in Vancouver to create profit out of something that was just a problem before. They have created a product called "prills" which are small round pellets that are rich in magnesium, phosphorus, and nitrogen. These prills let out their nutrients slower than powder or liquid fertilizers which means that they last longer, which means that they do not have to be put down as often. This is certainly a step forward to a greener future.

Fake Christmas Trees-Are They Better Than Real Ones?

Every year, Americans start decorating for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. What one of the main concerns is getting the Christmas tree. Should they get a real one or a fake one? While getting a real one chops down trees, they're actually replenished 5-10 years before. For every tree sold, there are about 2 or 3 more being planted and grown. Real christmas trees are grown with pesticides, like any other thing grown in America. While the pesticides can kill animals, we dont usually get harmed by them. As far as disposal? you can turn your christmas tree into mulch, or even build something from it. Some people who live near a body of water will dump there tree into the water. Is it bad? No,its not. Dumping your real tree into the water gives aquatic animals a place to live. they can also lay their eggs there, and it can prevent predators from eating them. Artificial trees, however, are much different. theyre made with PVC's and even lead. Some fake trees have a wooden center pole. In 2004, the U.S. Department of Agriculture placed a quarantine on fake trees from China, which had a potentially harmful beetle in the center pole. When they were first sold, fake trees were invented by a company who made toilet bowl brushes, the Addis Brush Company. Regardless of how far the technology has come, it's still interesting to know the first fake Christmas trees were really just big green toilet bowl brushes. And According to the Children's Health Environmental Coalition, the manufacture of PVC creates and disperses dioxins, which include the most toxic man-made chemical known. Released into air or water, dioxins enter the food chain, where they accumulate in fatty tissues of animals and humans, a potential risk for causing cancer, damaging immune functions and impairing children's development.

So are fake trees better? NO. especially when it comes to disposal and health hazards.

Soap, raising Dioxins

According to the University of Minnesota, dioxins deluded from the antibacterial agent triclosan, used in deodorants, soaps and other consumer commodities are the cause for an increase in dioxins in the Mississippi River sediments. Over the last 30 years the 200 percent of dioxin has risen to 300 percent. The FDA has decided to put more funding into the study of a more safe triclosan which is related to disrupting hormonal functions. About 96 percent of triclosan from consumer products is disposed of in residential drains. The toxicity of the dioxins being released is no fully understood, but researchers do not have a positive insight. I personally think this is a big deal that first of all, the FDA were permitted to put triclosan in consumer products. The products listed are daily items and the effects aren't satisfactory. I think as long as the FDA strives and sticks to it they will find a better solution than triclosan, if they are permitted the funding.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100518113236.htm

Eutrophication Makes Toxic Cyanobacteria More Toxic

In the Baltic Sea, nitrate levels are on the rise causing Cyanobacteria to bloom in much larger amounts, and causing it to be much more toxic. Cyanobacteria is one of the oldest forms of life on this planet and comes in many forms. Cyanobacteria is also called "blue-green bacteria." Waste water treatment areas near the baltic sea focus on nitrate removal, and pumping the left over nitrates into the sea. Cyanobacteria feeds on nitrates in the water, and if there is more nitrates, there is more Cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria produces a toxin called nodularin - a toxin that attacks the liver. When this toxin is present in large amounts, it has the potential to kill surrounding sea life. This toxin is also difficult to remove from water in water treatment plants, and it may soon start causing problems within humans.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101206111442.htm

In California, Carports That Can Generate Electricity

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/26/science/earth/26parking.html?src=un&feedurl=http%3A%2F%2Fjson8.nytimes.com%2Fpages%2Fscience%2Fearth%2Findex.jsonp

In California they have installed seventy-five solar carports in elementary schools and community colleges. It is set up to where the parking lot is covered and the cover generates electricity. Some have outlets for solar-charging electric cars. This great solar carport will generate 75% of the electricity for the school during the school year and cover all the cost for electricity during the summer months. Many people in California oppose the idea of these solar carports. If we could get people to agree on the idea we could help save the enviroment and save people a lot of money. Total saving in some places over a twenty-year period could add up to be twelve million dollars. People would soon think covered parking lots were normal rather than uncovered parking lots being normal.