NRCM news release Today the Maine Senate voted 29-5 (with one abstention) to support LD 1658, a bill that would phase out the toxic flame retardant known as “deca,” in favor of safer alternatives. The bill, An Act to Protect Pregnant Women and Children from Toxic Chemicals Released into the Home, sponsored by Representative Hannah Read More
toxics
Natural Resources Committee Votes to Phase Out Toxic Deca Flame Retardant
This afternoon the Maine Legislature’s Natural Resources Committee voted 10-3 to support LD 1658, a bill that would phase out the toxic flame retardant known as “deca,” in favor of safer alternatives. “With this bi-partisan vote to ban deca, Maine’s Legislature is poised to protect the health of Maine families and our environment from this pervasive Read More
NRCM Releases Online Movie About Toxics in Our Homes: “You’re in Jeopardy”
NRCM news release The Natural Resources Council of Maine has released an online “flash movie” designed to inform Maine people about the threats posed by toxic chemicals in common household products. The three-minute film, YOU’RE IN JEOPARDY, uses a game show format to entertain, inform and offer action steps to viewers. The film can be Read More
Maine Fire Commission Endorses Ban on Toxic Flame Retardant
Commission Votes 15-1 to Protect Health of Maine Children and Firefighters AUGUSTA – The Maine Fire Protection Services Commission voted 15-1 today to support a ban on a toxic flame retardant linked to learning disabilities, cancer and developmental disorders. “This is a win for the health of Maine children and firefighters,” said Matt Prindiville, Toxics Read More
Mercury “Hot Spots” Found
By Lindsay Tice, Staff Writer Sun Journal news story The upper Androscoggin and upper Kennebec rivers are “hot spots” for mercury pollution, according to two studies published this month in BioScience, a peer-review journal. The studies identified five northeastern regions with high mercury levels in fish and birds. The hot spots include the Adirondack Mountain Read More
Cleanup of Hazards at Mill Site to Begin
By Betty Adams, Staff Writer Kennebec Journal news story AUGUSTA — The federal government Monday will begin a $1.4 million cleanup of hazardous materials at a defunct paper mill and its waste-water treatment plant along the east bank of the Kennebec River. An investigator called the cleanup “time-critical” and “necessary to prevent imminent and substantial Read More
Maine Takes Another Step Forward in Recycling Toxic Computers and TVs with July 1 Disposal Ban
AUGUSTA, MAINE — On Saturday, July 1, 2006 Maine becomes the third state in the nation to prohibit the landfilling or incineration of old computer monitors and television sets. This step forward in the implementation of Maine’s electronic waste recycling law means that these products will no longer be headed to landfills or incinerators where Read More
Maine Sees Increase in Firms’ Toxic Emissions
Portland Press Herald news story New federal data shows Maine industries released an increased amount of toxic chemicals into the environment in 2004, while emissions declined in the rest of New England. The U.S. Environmental Protection on Wednesday released the results of its Toxic Release Inventory for 2004. This information is released each year to Read More
Leading the Way in e-Waste Recycling
In 2003, NRCM took on the task of resolving the developing crisis of discarded and highly toxic electronic waste, or “e-waste.” Maine was not the first state to discover it had an e-waste problem but took the lead in finding a workable solution. “Our investigation showed that e-waste was being stockpiled in people’s homes and Read More
