January is National Radon Action Month. Radon is a cancer-causing, radioactive gas that is released in rock, soil, and water from the natural decay of uranium. It seeps into buildings, building up in your indoor air. You can’t see, smell, or taste radon, but it could be present at a dangerous level in your home….
Category Archives: Environmental
Do you love earthworms?
Sometimes this little slimy critter is taken for granted. Often times we see them during heavy rains or when we are digging up our soil to plant a tree or our garden. Maybe we should we respect these critters a little more and applaud them for the work that they do. They areate our soil…
Are you drinking wastewater
I came across this article, “Report: Wastewater preferable to wasting water” Many communities reuse wastewater for irrigation and industrial purposes. Some — notably Cloudcroft, N.M., and California’s Orange County — have treatment facilities to reuse it as drinking water. The article points to water reuse as a viable option to working with water scarcity. Many…
Fungicide found in Orange Juice
The fungicide at issue is carbendazim – a fugicide which controls plant disease. It is often referred to as one of the “filthy four” pesticides. Source pan-uk.org It is illegal to use this fungicide in the United States. 35 parts per billion carbendazim had been found in samples of orange juice products in the United…
Mercury in CFL’s Compact Fluorescent Lamps
Have you made the switch to the new energy efficient light bulbs? I do like the fact that they do save energy and I have found that the new bulbs do last longer than the older conventional light bulbs. One of the concerns I have is the amount of mercury contained in the bulbs. I…
No Ethanol Credits means higher prices
The oil companies will no longer receive a $.45 per gallon federal tax credit is no longer in place, as a result prices will go up. Typically when we hear these words, we naturally think of the ethanol producer and the reduced number of sales of the product. But now, with the tax credit gone,…
Ohio Quakes linked to oil drilling waste
I came across this article in the USAToday concerning this subject, “Ohio Quakes linked to oil drilling waste pumped into wells” According to the article, “Oil-drilling wastewater pumped into a northeast Ohio well is responsible for 11 minor earthquakes around Youngstown since last spring, including one Saturday, a seismologist tells the Associated Press.” More minor…
Recycling Scrapped Tires
Here is a great video presentation on recycling scrapped tires. 12 million tires a year being turned into sustainable products Think about all of those scrapped tires that are burned or that are laying in junk yards and waste yards. This is one area that is continually being looked at for recyclying but could probably…
Rush Samples
Around the holidays, clients consistently need rush analysis. Today, I received a call from a client who needs analysis records for an important business transaction tomorrow. At Midwest Laboratories, these type of requests are pretty regular. It is for this reason that our company does not take an extended vacation time. Companies rely on the…
Gummy Bear Recall
This week a very isolated recall occurred in the United States regarding gummy bears and possible heavy metal contamination. The report by the FDA list the store locations and indicates that the recall is for a remote possibility of heavy metals. As the story came out, I wanted to look at the ingredients and see…
