WASHINGTON - October 15 - Yesterday, the lobby group for the bottled water industry used untruths, misleading statements and claims that were outright wrong in its attempt to dispel a study by Environmental Working Group (EWG) that found harmful chemicals in a number of popular U.S. brands.

WASHINGTON - October 15 - Yesterday evening the President signed into law critical legislation that will help protect Americans and people around the world from mercury poisoning by banning the export of elemental mercury from the United States, according to scientists and policy experts at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

SAN FRANCISCO - October 7 - Californians may not be able to rely on law enforcement for protection from pollution, health, and safety violations, according to a new report released today by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). The report found that the state's leadership role in developing environment and public health protections may be undermined by a decentralized law enforcement structure, apparent violation "hotspots," and uneven oversight by some enforcement authorities.

WASHINGTON - October 6 - The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) today denounced newly proposed U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) rules governing genetically engineered crops, including food crops engineered to produce pharmaceutical and industrial products.

GENEVA - October 6 - After decades of neglect and poor standards for nutrition programs, the international nutrition community has put forth a clear set of principles to reduce deaths in moderately malnourished children. These new standards could positively impact 55 million moderately malnourished children worldwide, but only if they are translated into more effective food programs.

WASHINGTON - October 3 - The nation's top environmental enforcement agency has decided against regulating perchlorate, a component of solid rocket fuel that has been found in the drinking water of millions of Americans.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), employing the age-old D.C. practice of releasing bad news on a Friday afternoon, announced its decision not to implement federal safety standards for the ubiquitous thyroid toxin, which has been found in the bodies of almost every American tested. It has also been found in breast milk, often at levels that may be unsafe for babies.

OAKLAND, Calif. - October 3 - Environmental advocates plan to sue the Unites States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over its refusal to set limits for perchlorate in drinking water. Perchlorate, a primary ingredient in rocket fuel, munitions, and explosives, has been linked to thyroid problems in pregnant women, newborns and young children nationwide.

WASHINGTON - October 3 - "Today, the Food and Drug Administration condoned the intentional adulteration of food with melamine by issuing a risk assessment for the industrial chemical that was added to milk and milk-based ingredients produced in China. Instead of enforcing a zero-tolerance policy for this contaminant in food, FDA has instead set ‘acceptable' levels for how much melamine food can contain, despite uncertainty about what levels of exposure are likely and limited information on the chemical's human health effects.