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Invisible Demons review – pollution nightmare in Delhi means apocalypse now

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Wednesday, September 28, 2022

A despairing handwring of a film shows the effects of environmental crisis on India’s capital – with images as nightmarish as sci-fi.

A despairing handwring of a film shows the effects of environmental crisis on India’s capital – with images as nightmarish as sci-fi.

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Is "3 Body Problem" brainy? Certainly. It's also divisive, depending on who's watching it

Once again the creators of "Game of Thrones" and a "True Blood" writer endeavor to tame the unadaptable

It doesn't take long to decide whether Netflix’s “3 Body Problem” is extraordinary or a disarranged travesty. That decision rests on a variety of personal inclinations, including how open someone who has read author Liu Cixin’s novels may be to D.B. Weiss and David Benioff’s liberal interpretation of the novel’s aspects, along with co-creator Alexander Woo. For one, the book’s main protagonist has been split into a group of scientists called the Oxford Five, all of them young and charismatic with made-for-TV specificity. In case that part escapes us the band’s resident stoner Saul Durand (Jovan Adepo) – there’s at least one in every academic squad, don’t you know – ribs another, Auggie Salazar (Eiza González) by telling her she’s beautiful, but in a “boring way,” like an actress who only qualifies for movies like “Speed 3.”   That seems cruel when read out of context, but it’s a joke she invites willingly, and at a point when the two realize that allowing Fermi’s paradox stand might have been better for humankind: Maybe there is other intelligent life in the universe, and maybe we haven’t met them for good reasons. The question of how much hard science the average viewer wants in their sci-fi is also relevant, although “Game of Thrones” executive producers Weiss, Benioff and Woo make these concepts commonly accessible. Liu’s novels swim through game theory, quantum mechanics and dimensional physics, along with other super-geeky concepts that would combine to create a high bar of entry for the typical viewer. This isn’t my take on the books, since I haven’t read them, but that of someone who has read them and harbors doubts about this interpretation. Their concerns are probably shared by the millions who made Liu’s “Remembrance of Earth’s Past” trilogy international bestsellers after the first book was translated into English a decade ago. Eiza González in "3 Body Problem" (Netflix) Maybe there is other intelligent life in the universe, and maybe we haven’t met them for good reasons. But I doubt others will mind this version’s deviations from a text that studio executives considered to be unadaptable for many years. So was “Game of Thrones,” which Weiss and Benioff distilled into an international blockbuster. As long as an interpretation follows a story’s spirit as it tames sprawling storylines into narratives we can wrap our heads around, people are willing to forgive a great deal. We may have rescinded that for absolution for Weiss and Benioff by the end of “Game of Thrones,” but it started well enough. From the perspective of someone coming into the story cold, the same is true here. Mind you, there will be people who resent the simplification of Liu's plot into what initially presents as a mystery winding between reality and virtual reality, making the two indistinguishable for some. Characters are introduced who are corporeal and do things that only an actual person can do, like light a cigarette or commit murder, but don’t show up on any video recordings. Ditto for the sky, which blinks on and off like a light one night. Everyone on the planet sees this, but mechanical devices don't register any anomalies. Meanwhile inside of a game’s universe humans survive by dehydrating to a flatness that enables others to roll them up and carry them around like a yoga mat. This is not a binge to be undertaken lightly, if at all; frankly, this should have been a weekly drop. Why streaming services insist on dropping entire seasons of shows like this while dribbling out brain candy like “Love Is Blind” incrementally is beyond me. Inevitably, then, some will be turned off by its density. One person’s methodical structuring is what another might deem pokey or too much effort for a piece of entertainment. That isn’t entirely wrong because it takes on quite a bit. Besides interlacing environmental, scientific and social themes that whirl through zealotry and nihilism, it’s also a first-contact scenario that forces a reckoning. This version of cosmic judgment reflects on another paradox, that which is inherent to being human. Trees provide oxygen, yet we destroy forests in the name of progress. We claim to value truth but find lies seductive. Scientific development makes our lives better, but when it questions the universe’s inner workings, we cast it aside. Our lack of consideration for our planet will lead to our undoing. That’s no mystery – we’re soaking in our unwillingness to curb our greed, and right now that’s raising sea levels. “3 Body Problem” simply shifts the equation ever so slightly, placing our doom 400 light years away while convincing humankind that it is real and on its way to us. Liu’s trilogy spans millions of epochs and eventually reaches beyond Earth — a challenge for any TV creator but one Weiss, Benioff and Woo can tackle later. For the majority of these eight episodes, we travel between two timelines, starting in the 1960s with a student-led struggle session during China’s Cultural Revolution. This is where a young woman, Ye Wenjie (Zine Tseng), watches Maoists murder her father, a prominent physicist, and force her mother to denounce him to save her own skin. This lesson worms into Ye’s psyche with greater force than any physics principle. A prodigy in her own right, she’s recruited for a secret Chinese government program. One person’s methodical structuring is what another might deem too much effort for a piece of entertainment. Several decisions she makes during that period alter humanity’s trajectory, influenced in part by a chance meeting with an American environmentalist named Mike Evans (Ben Schnetzer). Another act profoundly resonates decades later, in our present, when lab tests across the globe begin spitting out nonsense. Auggie, who is on the verge of a nanotechnology breakthrough, begins seeing numbers appear out of thin air shortly after her mentor and Saul’s supervisor Vera suddenly kills herself. They reach out to their schoolmates Jack Rooney (John Bradley), who traded in a life of research and academia to create a snack and beverage empire, along with Will Downing (Alex Sharp), who teaches physics to high schoolers. He quietly pines away for Jin Cheng (Jess Hong), Auggie’s best friend, a theoretical physicist for who can’t resist complicated riddles – including the purpose of a futuristic virtual reality visor that Vera’s bereft mother (Rosalind Chao) gives to Jin. Benedict Wong in "3 Body Problem" (Netflix)Vera is one of many scientists worldwide who die by suicide for reasons nobody can explain, and without warning or clues — aside from those visors. Their casts draw the attention of investigator Clarence Shi (Benedict Wong) who is working for an unnamed intelligence agency run by a man named Thomas Wade (Liam Cunningham). Wong’s humor is one of the graces that prevents “3 Body Problem” from collapsing under its self-seriousness despite the overall agreeability of other performances, mainly Adepo’s. Circumstances bring the two actors together later in the season, perhaps setting up future installments linking them more consistently, which is worth anticipating. Balancing them is Tseng’s ranging tumble between sharp agony, quiet rage, and calcified disillusionment, all of it encapsulated in a physically understated portrayal that quietly builds to a small twitch that changes everything. Calling out these performances is necessary in a show where several "Game of Thrones" players draw our attention, including Jonathan Pryce, who plays an older version of Evans. For some those details matter less than the visuals, especially in the alternate universe Jin is drawn into as part of a storyline that for a time distracts us into thinking it holds our salvation. One person experiences the game as a version of Shang dynasty China; for another, it’s Tudor England. (The congruity is that the “boss” of each game is inspired by a hedonistic ruler known for their libidinous nature and their cruelty. Depending on how you feel about Weiss and Benioff's liberal exploitation of sexuality in their previous work, that might be a commentary on humanity or an excuse to tightly focus on a woman’s naked breasts as her dehydrated body reconstitutes. “I just never thought I’d get bored of nudity,” Jack jokes.) Regardless of the era, these are the main stages for the show’s effects, riding the line between realism and a video game sheen quite well. But the true test is in scenes blending practical effects and digital where, for example, we see tons of machinery and everything it carries being unmercifully sliced into layers slowly and without relenting. Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course. It’s an impressive display of effects artistry. The reason we can’t tear ourselves away is because it’s also horrifying – a small visual metaphor within the broader parable. In “3 Body Problem” humanity reacts to a crisis inching toward the planet by giving up or getting religion or acts of extremism and expensive desperation. Some can’t think of anything better to do than purchase the rights to celestial bodies they will never reach, which makes about as much sense as gearing up to fight an enemy we won’t be alive to confront. “Why don’t we all just relax and smoke a J because we’re all going to be dead by then?” someone asks. The response is already familiar to many of us, that we owe it to our descendants to fight for them. Stability and chaos are often separated by thin margins, echoing the refrain of warnings we ignore. Sometimes the universe winks at us and we can’t figure out if that’s a provocation, a flirtation, or the side effects of some strong smoke. This adaptation makes finding out engrossing, if not altogether simple. What theory worth parsing is? "3 Body Problem" streams on Netflix on Thursday, March 21. Read more about this topic

AOC, Sanders unveil ‘Green New Deal’ for housing

With homeownership out of reach for many Americans, progressives will make new push to “reimagine and reinvigorate public housing in the United States,” says Ocasio-Cortez.

Progressives on Capitol Hill believe they have the answer to one of the most vexing policy challenges facing America: another "Green New Deal," this time centering on housing. Today, a group of lawmakers led by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will gather to relaunch a so-called “Green New Deal for Public Housing.” The goal of the legislation, Ocasio-Cortez told POLITICO in an exclusive interview, is to “reimagine and reinvigorate public housing in the United States,” while addressing “many of the environmental injustices that public housing residents have faced.” It’s the latest sign that Democrats across the ideological spectrum are zeroing in on housing as an under-addressed issue that could carry a huge upside politically. It comes on the heels of President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address in which he outlined a plan to lower housing costs that he’s now taking on the road. But where Biden is addressing housing in general — the goal of homeownership has long been a centerpiece of the American dream, albeit one currently unattainable for many Americans — the progressives are zeroing in on public housing in particular. Ocasio-Cortez sees this as a moment in which those old ways of thinking are becoming “unsustainable” and out of touch with the realities of modern life. “For a long time, we could pass a tax incentive here or there and say, ‘Hey, we've got a great housing policy,’” Ocasio-Cortez told POLITICO. “And everyday people … were supportive because there was still that dream and that idea that ‘I'm going to be buying a home soon … that's within the horizon for me.’ Right now, we have an entire generation — that is ascending into becoming the most powerful electorate, the largest electorate — for which that is decades away.” The bill’s single biggest policy change is that it would repeal the Faircloth Amendment, a rule that is little known to the broader public but familiar to policy wonks: Since its enactment in 1999, the amendment has effectively blocked the Department of Housing and Urban Development from funding new public housing. Beyond that seismic shift, the bill’s latest version being unveiled today has some substantive changes from earlier drafts of the legislation, including directing more money to address the public housing backlog that affects millions of Americans and funding clean-energy improvements to public housing — including language to ensure that any jobs created are unionized. Those policy aspirations face a firewall in Congress, where neither the House nor the Senate is likely to pass the legislation. But as with the original Green New Deal, the goal isn’t simply to pass the legislation; it’s to have the fight and pull the Overton window to the left — reshaping the contours of the conversation about housing in America in the process. “No housing conversation is complete without a conversation around public housing,” said Ocasio-Cortez. “We in the United States have lived under the scourge of the Faircloth Amendment for decades, and that has helped precipitate — and contributed to — the housing crisis that we are living in today. A major part of our housing problem is a supply problem.” Toward that end, dramatically increasing the availability of public housing could ease the overall housing market. And by pumping more resources into revitalizing public housing, the bill’s sponsors hope that the stigma of public housing can be shorn away. “We have seen our counterparts, everywhere from Vienna to Singapore, engage in truly revolutionary public and social housing policies that have bettered the lives of working-class people,” said Ocasio-Cortez. “And the stigma around public housing has prevented everyday Americans from understanding that we can actually really have incredible housing in the United States under a public model.” Progressive groups on the left are already lining up to press their case on this. Analilia Mejia, co-director of the Center for Popular Democracy, told POLITICO that she hopes Biden will use the “power of the bully pulpit” to bring the issue home for Americans. “I think he can be a game changer,” said Mejia. “I think it will cut through the noise for some people.” Asked whether the Biden administration supports the Green New Deal for Public Housing, the White House was decidedly noncommittal. “As he laid out in his State of the Union address and again this week in Nevada, President Biden is laser focused on lowering housing costs for owners and renters alike,” said White House deputy press secretary Michael Kikukawa. “We welcome ideas from members of Congress to build on our strong agenda.” Still, Ocasio-Cortez is optimistic about what she’s seen lately from Biden on housing. “We are starting to see them wade into these waters,” she said. “We saw the president mention housing during his State of the Union. They're starting to do more events explicitly centered on this issue and [talking] about this issue more. I think that we are going to see the White House do more. And we're going to have to do more.”

How did Gaza war influence CA primary?

The ongoing Gaza war and worsening humanitarian crisis have led to protests and put politicians on the spot in California and elsewhere. And as the calls for a ceasefire have grown louder, voters have been trying to find ways to make their voices heard. In states including Michigan, Hawaii and Minnesota, Democrats voted “uncommitted” to […]

Protestors march to the state Capitol calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza war on Nov. 17, 2023. Photo by Rahul Lal for CalMatters The ongoing Gaza war and worsening humanitarian crisis have led to protests and put politicians on the spot in California and elsewhere. And as the calls for a ceasefire have grown louder, voters have been trying to find ways to make their voices heard. In states including Michigan, Hawaii and Minnesota, Democrats voted “uncommitted” to protest President Biden’s Gaza war policy. And while Californians who support a Gaza ceasefire did not have that option in the presidential primary, CalMatters Capitol reporter Sameea Kamal and data reporter Jeremia Kimelman looked at the vote counts so far and evidence of protest votes emerging in some pockets of the state.  In Los Angeles County, about 13% of Democrats didn’t vote for Biden. In Sacramento and San Bernardino counties, the total was more than 11%. Some voters were told to leave the presidential race blank, while others were encouraged to vote for Marianne Williamson, who dropped out in February, or Peace and Freedom party candidate Cornel West, both of whom support a ceasefire.  In 39 counties where the numbers were available, at least 160,000 voters in the Democratic presidential primary left the race blank, and another 100,000 voted for Williamson or a write-in candidate. Christian Grose, professor of political science and public policy at the University of Southern California: “It’s always easier to vote for no one than it is to vote for somebody as a protest.” According to some community organizers, efforts in California to rally a notable share of protest votes was difficult for a number of reasons. In addition to California’s huge size, the earlier March primary date made it harder for organizers to get the message out. Arab Americans also make up a smaller portion of the state’s total population than in Michigan. Despite the uphill battle organizers face in rallying for more support, political advocacy around Gaza continues, especially for Californinas who have family there. Basim Elkarra, executive director of the Council on American Islamic Relations’ Sacramento and Central Valley chapter: “You feel this guilt that, you know, my taxpayer dollars and U.S. doctrine is killing my people. It’s just a very, very difficult situation…. It’s like a nightmare that’s not ending.” To learn more on the protest vote, read Sameea’s story. And catch up on how the Gaza debate has impacted California politics with CalMatters stories on what happened on the first day of the legislative session and at the state Democratic Party convention. CalMatters events: The next one is scheduled for March 27 in Sacramento on the impact of maternity ward closures and state efforts to protect access. And it’s not too early to put our first Ideas Festival on your calendar, for June 5-6. Other Stories You Should Know CA congressional primaries update Voters cast their ballots at City Hall in San Francisco on March 5, 2024. Photo by Juliana Yamada for CalMatters There’s more news from California’s primary: As it did in 2022, California could again help decide which party controls the U.S. House. That’s because even though Democrats dominate the congressional delegation, there are still a handful of toss-up districts. A key one will again be the 22nd District in the Central Valley that the AP declared Wednesday will be a rematch between Republican Rep. David Valadao and Democrat Rudy Salas. Democrats had feared that they would be frozen out of the November race, if Republican Chris Mathys had grabbed the second slot from the top-two primary. In the latest update by the Cook Political Report, just before the primary, the 22nd was one of four Republican-held districts rated as toss-ups. No seats now held by Democrats are among the 10 toss-ups nationally.  The 20th District is safe Republican territory, but there was still drama in the race to succeed former Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Assemblymember Vince Fong had to go to court against Secretary of State Shirley Weber to get on the primary ballot, but he has won one of the two spots for November. And Wednesday, Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux was declared the winner of the second spot, elbowing aside Democrat Marisa Wood. And don’t forget: On Tuesday, there’s a special election to fill the remainder of McCarthy’s term and Fong, Boudreaux and Wood are running in that as well. Unlike the top-two primary, a candidate could win outright next week, if they get a clear majority. Otherwise, there’s a May 21 runoff.  Some other congressional results remain too close to call, more than a week after primary day on March 5. Keep track of some key ones with CalMatters’ Voter Guide page on the U.S. House.  Now, California’s delegation includes 40 Democrats and 12 Republicans. And the GOP holds an overall majority of a mere six seats in the House. That will tighten by one more on March 22, when GOP Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado steps down. In other election news: A power couple’s strategy for both to land legislative seats failed. Wednesday, the AP declared that Assemblymember Carlos Villapudua, a Stockton Democrat, didn’t make the top two in state Senate District 5 and that Edith Villapudua, who switched from that race to seek her husband’s seat, finished third in Assembly District 13. The California Chamber of Commerce announced Wednesday it opposes the new effort to recall Gov. Newsom. Some of the same conservative activists behind the failed 2021 recall launched another try last month. Falling behind on climate goals Vapor is released into the sky at an oil refinery in Wilmington. Photo by Bret Hartman, Reuters California often embraces its perception as a “climate policy leader,” but a new report finds that the state is far behind its goals to reduce greenhouse gases. As CalMatters climate reporter Alejandro Lazo explains, the analysis by Beacon Economics and the environmental nonprofit Next 10 concludes that the state must triple its rate of reducing emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and other climate-warming gases over the next six years if it wants to hit its requirement to reduce greenhouse gases to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030.  That would require cutting emissions 4.4% every year starting in 2022 — a pace that California has only come close to hitting twice over the last two decades. That was in 2009 and 2020, during major recessions. Otherwise, from 2016 through 2021 the average reduction has been just 1.6% a year. The report comes at a time when California has its eyes on an even more ambitious climate goal, which seeks to cut emissions by 48% below 1990 levels by 2030 and achieve full carbon neutrality by 2045. In the face of proposed budget cuts to climate programs, various institutions, such as the California public university system, continue to work toward decarbonization. But the latest report joins a handful of earlier studies from the Legislative Analyst’s Office and a state advisory committee that cast doubt on California meeting its 2030 goals. Nevertheless, a spokesperson for the state’s Air Resources Board said in an emailed statement that California “will achieve the state’s climate targets.” Learn more about California’s climate change mandate in Alejandro’s story. CalMatters Commentary CalMatters columnist Dan Walters is away. As Willie Brown turns 90, the California political giant reflects on his career and the state of politics. Many still seek his counsel, writes James Richardson, a former senior writer with The Sacramento Bee and author of “Willie Brown: A Biography.” Attention young journalists: The CalMatters Youth Journalism Initiative is holding its second Earth Day commentary contest. You can make an impact on important issues, get advice from CalMatters reporters and, oh, you might win as much as $500. The deadline is March 25. Other things worth your time: Some stories may require a subscription to read. CA lawmakers mull AI limits ahead of November election // San Francisco Chronicle Fatal shooting of autistic teen raises concerns about police response // Los Angeles Times Federal judge strikes down CA limit on gun purchases // The San Diego Union-Tribune Fake blood, gunfire? Shooter drills need new rules, lawmaker says // Los Angeles Times CA’s science test will be added to state school dashboard // EdSource Feds fund farmworker housing, 14 months after Half Moon Bay massacre // San Francisco Chronicle David Mixner, LGBTQ+ activist and major LA political figure, dies at 77 // AP News San Mateo County leaders take stand against AT&T’s bid to scrap landline service // KQED SF Presidio’s will become a construction site in major overhaul // San Francisco Chronicle

Lead from Old Paint and Pipes Is Still a Deadly Hazard in Millions of US Homes

Protecting people from lead poisoning requires developing and using powerful tests

The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research.Lead is a potent neurotoxin that causes severe health effects such as neurological damage, organ failure and death.Widely used in products such as paint and gasoline until the late 1970s, lead continues to contaminate environments and harm the health of people around the world.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.The World Health Organization estimates that more than 1 million deaths each year are attributable to lead poisoning, with the highest exposures in developing nations. Lead continues leaching from old paint, pipes and industrial sources into soils, homes and waterways across the globe.In more recent years, this number has risen at an incredible pace, with some research showing that nearly 5.5 million adults die from lead-related health complications.I am a health physicist and my research focuses on ways to improve the technology used to screen for lead and other environmental toxicants. In developing and applying my technologies to see how people are affected by toxicants like lead, I have tested more than 20,000 people around the world over the past five years.This preventable health crisis especially threatens children during periods of critical brain development but can also impair intellectual development and long-term health in adults. Understanding and addressing this persistent problem will require improved monitoring, targeted remediation and a great deal more awareness and dialogue.How lead damages the bodyLead enters the body through three routes: ingestion, absorption or inhalation. Once inside, lead mimics calcium by binding to proteins and enzymes where calcium is typically involved.Lead looks a lot like calcium to many of the systems in our body. By hijacking these calcium-dependent processes, lead disrupts many normal functions ranging from neurological function to cardiovascular health.When lead replaces calcium in these processes, it causes irreversible damage, even at low levels of chronic exposure. Studies show that low levels of lead are associated with dangerous lifelong illnesses such as Alzheimer’s and heart disease.Furthermore, like calcium, lead accumulates in our teeth and bones. This compounds lead’s adverse effects as our bodies grow and age, since the lead in bone will reappear as our body looks to its calcium stores during periods of growth or, critically, during pregnancy.Lead exposure can come from many sources in our daily life, from water systems using lead water lines and legacy exposures from old paint to things that people often don’t think about, such as lead in firearms or metal pots and pans.Researchers often see exposures from soils in highly polluted areas, but sometimes it can be present in old donated toys at a child’s day care.Late in 2023, investigators working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found dangerous levels of lead in applesauce, likely stemming from a cinnamon spice grinder. This highlights the Food and Drug Administration’s failures in keeping lead out of the U.S. food supply.Fragmented testingBlood lead screening serves as the first line of defense against lead exposure, particularly in high-risk individuals and primarily in children. However, testing protocols and recommendations vary widely, and most states lack universal testing mandates.Even in cases where universal screening programs exist, the data obtained can be insufficient. This is because blood tests capture only recent exposure, and universal testing oftentimes mandates only one test of children within a six-year window.This fragmented system, combined with research indicating that many doctors deviate from lead testing guidelines, allows exposures to go undetected until irreversible neurological damage has been done.We are hopeful that as research like ours draws more attention to the gravity of this issue, universal, standardized screening will become the norm across the U.S. This would save many children – and generations to come – from ongoing and preventable exposures.How testing is doneMonitoring lead levels typically involves a simple blood test, generally ordered by your doctor. These tests are widely available but can easily be inaccurate based on when the test was taken. Since blood lead levels can change quickly, children who get tested several weeks after exposure could falsely test as normal.Moreover, because there is no requirement for doctors to be trained in how to test for and treat lead exposure, many pediatricians lack awareness about lead screening protocols. As a result, many at-risk people are not being tested.When tests are given, they may yield inaccurate results due to the rapid changes in blood lead. Or sometimes results are not properly reported to local health departments. Further complicating this, in 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared that the country’s progress in removing lead from gasoline was a great public health achievement. As a result, many lead-testing programs in the U.S. were discontinued, leading to critical information gaps.However, there is some reason for optimism. Some state-based lead surveillance programs that were phased out in the early 2000s have been returning in recent years. A good example is my home state of Indiana. A law that went into effect on Jan. 1, 2023, requires all health care providers serving children to offer lead testing to their patients.Efforts from statewide programs like these will lead to more opportunities to inform physicians and to screen vulnerable populations.Ways to get testedBlood is by far the most widely used indicator for lead exposure. However, in blood, lead dissipates quickly, and after about a few weeks to a month, an exposure that was high enough to cause damage is no longer measurable from blood lead.As part of my research, we have developed a handheld device that is able to noninvasively measure lead from bone in minutes. Picture a Star Trek tricorder. We have patented the method we use to calculate lead in bone but currently have not commercialized it.Bone lead is reflective of years to decades of exposure and is a more accurate test to reflect the permanence of damage induced by lead in the body. Bone lead has also been shown to have a strong relationship with lead accumulation in the brain, since lead hijacks places in both the bone and the brain where calcium is normally present.Efficient and routine blood lead testing in children during their developmental stages could definitively identify exposure sources as they emerge.While bone measurements allow researchers and physicians to effectively measure years to decades of exposure, health departments and the CDC currently lack the infrastructure to deploy this technology in communities that are highly affected by lead.What you can doPeople concerned about lead exposure should request a blood lead test from their doctor. Parents of young children should proactively ask pediatricians to conduct lead screening. If you live in an old home, especially one with peeling paint, you can contact your local health department to test for possible lead paint.Additionally, your local water service provider should be able to tell you if lead water lines are in use leading to your home. Unfortunately, lead has no particular smell or taste to differentiate it from other possible contaminants.Children and adults with elevated blood lead levels should talk to their pediatrician or doctor about effective follow-up testing and potential dietary changes to promote lead excretion naturally.For very high exposures, a treatment known as chelation therapy, which involves an oral medication that binds to lead so that it can be excreted in urine, has been shown to be effective at reducing blood lead levels.These people should also notify their local health department, which can identify and remove lead sources in their environment to eliminate the risk to both current and future residents.This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Ex-senior watchdog staffer says NSW asbestos crisis ‘destined to happen’ after decade of regulatory failure

Exclusive: Former compliance officer Jason Scarborough criticises Environment Protection Authority and industry over ‘lost opportunity’ to prevent contaminationTesting regime meant to stop toxic chemicals going into NSW landscape products gamed by suppliersMap and full list of locations where asbestos mulch has been foundA former senior NSW environment watchdog officer says the state’s widening asbestos contamination crisis was “destined to happen” after the regulator failed to act on problems in the waste recovery sector uncovered more than a decade ago.Jason Scarborough was a senior waste compliance officer at the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) from 2009 t0 2018. He now runs his own consultancy providing advice on regulatory matters.“Both the regulator and industry were fully aware of these issues” in waste recovery for more than 10 yearsThe EPA abandoned much-needed reforms in 2022 for one type of recycled soil product without explanation other than saying “we’ve heard what industry had to say”The regulator must now focus on “protecting the community’s health” over “saving a dollar”. Continue reading...

A former senior NSW environment watchdog officer says the state’s widening asbestos contamination crisis was “destined to happen” after the regulator failed to act on problems in the waste recovery sector uncovered more than a decade ago.Jason Scarborough was a senior waste compliance officer at the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) from 2009 t0 2018. He now runs his own consultancy providing advice on regulatory matters.“The primary reason I’ve decided to speak out is concern for the community,” he said.“It’s one of those situations, and I’ve had a few of them in my career, where you just want to grab all of the parties concerned and clunk their heads together and say surely you could have figured this out before now.”Scarborough, in an exclusive interview with Guardian Australia, said:“Both the regulator and industry were fully aware of these issues” in waste recovery for more than 10 years The EPA abandoned much-needed reforms in 2022 for one type of recycled soil product without explanation other than saying “we’ve heard what industry had to say” The regulator must now focus on “protecting the community’s health” over “saving a dollar”. In 2013, while at the EPA, Scarborough wrote a report summarising findings his team made after investigating facilities producing a type of soil fill known as “recovered fines”. This type of soil fill is made from the processing of construction and demolition waste, including skip bin residue, after all large recyclable material has been removed.That report concluded there was an “industry-wide deficiency” in complying with rules meant to limit the spread of contaminants such as lead and asbestos into the community. It also detected poor practices including repeated retesting of samples to obtain a result that complied with contaminant limits.A follow-up investigation in 2019, which Scarborough was not involved in, reached similar conclusions and also found 57% of facilities had asbestos in their recovered fines.Soil fill made from construction and demolition waste can be used in NSW for construction projects and landscaping.Scarborough’s 2013 report, and other later analyses by EPA officials, recommended a series of reforms to tighten regulations for recovered fines. But the proposals were abandoned by the watchdog in 2022 in favour of an education and monitoring campaign after pushback from industry.The industry warned the proposed changes would force up the cost of landfill disposal, drive more waste into rubbish dumps and force skip bin companies out of business.Scarborough said he had been watching the unfolding asbestos-contaminated mulch crisis – which has closed parks, schools and other sites across Sydney – with “a feeling of inevitability because this was something that was destined to happen”.Jason Scarborough holds a handful of soil, found at the end of a street in Sydney’s Rouse Hill, which seems to be mostly ‘recycled aggregate’ from building sites. Photograph: Jessica Hromas/The Guardian“I’m loathing the missed opportunity back in 2013 to deal decisively with those issues,” he said.Scarborough said he was worried about the damage the crisis would do to the government’s broader goals of resource recovery and achieving circular economy targets.“I’m surprised the issue reared its head in mulch first, I thought it would be recovered fines because of the observations we made in the 2013 investigation, and there has been little to no change since,” he said.“The very nature of the material is high-risk because it contains contaminants such as lead, other heavy metals and potentially asbestos.”The asbestos-contaminated mulch that has been identified across Sydney is a different type of recycled product from recovered fines and covered by a separate set of regulations. Greenlife Resource Recovery, which produced the mulch at the centre of the biggest environmental investigation in the EPA’s history, has said it is confident mulch leaving its facility was free from asbestos and it was not responsible for the contamination.The EPA says the use of recycled products is regulated under the Protection of the Environment Operations (Waste) Regulation 2014.“There are very different requirements for mulch and recovered fines, which are not the same material,” a spokesperson told Guardian Australia.“Under the mulch order and exemption, mulch should be clean, free from contamination such as plastics, glass and generated from timber offcuts, forestry materials and logs.Asbestos signs displayed at Sydney’s Victoria Park, where bonded asbestos was found in mulch. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/EPA“Recovered fines are residues from construction and demolition activities, and different rules apply.”There are no specific requirements that suppliers test mulch for contaminants, Guardian Australia reported last week. There are also no specific steps the supplier must take to ensure mulch contains no asbestos.skip past newsletter promotionSign up to Afternoon UpdateOur Australian afternoon update breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it mattersPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotionScarborough said recycled mulch products and soil fill products made from processed construction waste were captured by the same legal framework for waste recovery.Within this system, common problem areas had been identified, including in quality control, testing standards and traceability of the final product, he said.“There’s a regulatory failure there but the industry shares a lot of the blame as well for being very shortsighted.”Scarborough said when the 2013 investigation into producers of recovered fines was launched, officials were acting on concerns raised with the regulator about the quality of the material being produced and whether testing requirements were being adhered to.The report recommended soil fill products made from skip bin residue only be used as cover material at rubbish dumps. It also recommended that the regulations be amended to explicitly prohibit recovered fines from being sold to landscapers and landscape material suppliers.Scarborough said this was because officials working on the investigation formed the view that landscaping companies “weren’t equipped” to manage the risks associated with the material. He said the fill was often sold under generic names such as “turf underlay” or “cheap fill” – and once potentially contaminated product entered the supply chain it was difficult to track.Inspections of facilities for the 2013 investigation found only about 50% of facilities producing the product were keeping records of who they had supplied it to, he said. When there were records, they often didn’t contain all of the necessary details.“For example, there would be a record just with a registration number for a trailer or a truck,” he said.How asbestos-contaminated mulch sparked the NSW EPA's biggest investigation - videoScarborough said given the extensive body of evidence gathered by “objective, science-based and risk-focused” EPA officials in the 2013 and 2019 investigations, he “was at a loss to explain” why various proposed reforms were not acted on.“They were going down a pathway [of reform] that made sense but then suddenly to do a complete about-face with essentially zero explanation other than ‘we’ve heard what industry had to say about it’ – it’s unusual.“It’s not in keeping with the culture of the organisation I was once part of. I [used to] say let’s go and look at what it says on the front door of the building – environment protection – that’s our job.”The EPA’s spokesperson said the organisation had made changes to the regulation of the construction and demolition sector since 2013 “to improve the quality of the industry and reduce the risk of asbestos”.They include changes that introduced requirements for closer inspections of waste upon its arrival at waste facilities.The spokesperson said changes were also made to strengthen existing prohibitions on the recycling, reuse and unlawful disposal of asbestos waste, including by increasing maximum penalties.Scarborough said the EPA’s responsibility was ultimately to the community and the environment first – not the profitability of industry.“I think the focus needs to be drawn back to risk and fitness for use,” he said.“Yes, there are cost implications involved in making changes. But what’s more important: saving a dollar or protecting the community’s health?”

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