Chemical substances

New research this month adds more fuel to the debate over gas stoves. The study found that gas and propane stoves emitted detectable amounts of benzene, a common air pollutant and carcinogen. Benzene levels were often above recommended safety thresholds and could linger for hours after the stoves were turned off in some homes.Republicans Create Culture War Over… Stoves Earlier this year, the Consumer Product Safety Commission made headlines after one of its commissioners, Richard Trumka Jr, suggested that the agency might…

California officials are investigating the disappearance of 30 tons (61,000 pounds) of ammonium nitrate from a railcar crossing the Midwest. Ammonium nitrate, which is used as fertilizer, can also be used to create explosives and was a key component in the homemade bomb used in the 1995 attack on the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.Making Paint Cool in the Face of HeatThe chemical was shipped by train from Cheyenne, Wyoming last month but when it arrived in the Mojave Desert two weeks later, its holding car was…

Just because a fuel source may emit less CO2 when it’s used doesn’t mean that there aren’t adverse impacts along its entire life cycle. Air pollution from the production of fossil fuels is responsible for $77 billion in health damages across the U.S. and causes tens of thousands of adverse health impacts each year, a new study published Monday in Environmental Research: Health has found.Making Paint Cool in the Face of HeatBefore the intense fracking boom of the 2010s, natural gas enjoyed a reputation as a “bridge fuel”:…

This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here.Making Paint Cool in the Face of HeatTwo decades ago, when the world was wising up to the threat of climate change, the Bush administration touted ethanol — a fuel usually made from corn — for its threefold promise: It would wean the country off foreign oil, line farmers’ pockets, and reduce carbon pollution. In 2007, Congress mandated that refiners nearly quintuple the amount of biofuels mixed into the nation’s gasoline supply over…

Photo: Lea Rae (Shutterstock)Scientists in China say they’ve begun to develop what could be the first of a new and improved generation of sunscreens. In mice, their experimental polymer appeared to provide greater protection against ultraviolet radiation than commercial products. It also wasn’t absorbed through the skin and seemed to be non-toxic to coral, two concerns have arisen in recent years (though whether modern sunscreens actually pose any significant health or environmental risks remains contentious).The…

A Cessna 208 Caravan (Cessna 208B, registration N101CG) airplane belonging to CoStar Field Research LLC in Calgary, Alberta on Sept. 20, 2022.Photo: Larry MacDougal (AP)People living near airports that service piston-engine aircraft are disproportionately exposed to lead, a dangerous neurotoxin.A study published this week in PNAS Nexus found that children living near the Reid-Hillview Airport in Santa Clara County, California, had elevated blood lead levels. They’ve pinpointed piston-engine aircrafts at airports like the…

The company recalled 19 other lots out of caution. Photo: MICROGEN IMAGES/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY (AP)A Colorado-based auto detailing company has recalled its hand sanitizer from the market due to it possibly containing methanol, a toxic type of alcohol that could lead to death if ingested. Adam’s Polishes voluntarily recalled a lot of hand sanitizers after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found it to contain methanol, the administration announced this week. The company also recalled 19 other lots out of caution that…

Europe has turned a surprising corner in preparation for the continent’s much-discussed impending energy crisis. The European Union now has more liquefied natural gas than it needs, according to reports from Bloomberg and the New York Times.Ports are reportedly backed up, with tankard ships waiting to offload their gas supply to countries already flush with fuel, said the NYT. The E.U.’s gas storage has reached 93.6% capacity overall,with Germany storage at 97.5% full, according to Bloomberg. And natural gas prices have…

Blue flames rise from the burner of a natural gas stove June 11, 2003 in Orange, California.Photo: David McNew (Getty Images)Natural gas stoves commonly emit toxic chemicals into homes, even when the appliances are not in use. A study published today in Environmental Science & Technology found that, when researchers took samples from gas stoves in California, nearly all of them were leaking harmful levels of benzene, which is known to cause cancer in humans. The amount emitted from some stoves was up to seven times…

SLS on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo: NASANASA’s Space Launch System is powered by a mixture of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. Together, these elements provide for a compact and extremely powerful rocket propellant, but these same attributes are also what make this fuel a liability. The second launch attempt of SLS had to be called off on Saturday, September 3, after engineers failed to resolve a hydrogen leak in a quick disconnect—an 8-inch inlet that connects the liquid hydrogen fuel line…