envirohealth: sonar, vets & condom corn

navy to train with sonar off hawaii
from ap: The U.S. Navy was granted a one-year permit to train with sonar and bombs in Hawaii waters so long as it tries to protect whales and other marine animals from harm. The Navy warned that whales and other marine life may be harmed, or even killed, though that wasn't expected. Some marine species - particularly beaked whales - appear much more vulnerable to harm from sonar, and scientists are not sure why. The National Marine Fisheries Service still is considering Navy requests to train with mid-frequency active sonar in waters off Southern California, the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico. The Marine Mammal Protection Act requires the Navy to ask for the fisheries service's permission to carry out activities that may affect marine mammals. The authorization that took effect Jan. 5 also allows the Navy to set off bombs and fire guns during Hawaii drills.

flashback: navy must cut sonar use off california

veterans exposed to incorrect drug doses
from ap: The top Republican on the House Veterans Affairs Committee demanded Wednesday that the VA explain how it allowed software glitches to put the medical care of patients at its health centers nationwide at risk. "I am deeply concerned about the consequences on patient care that could have resulted from this 'software glitch' and that mistakes were not disclosed to patients who were directly affected," said Rep. Steve Buyer, R-Ind. "I have asked VA for a forensic analysis of all pertinent records to determine if any veterans were harmed, and I would like to know who was responsible for the testing and authorized the release of the new application." Patients at VA health centers were given incorrect doses of drugs, had needed treatments delayed and may have been exposed to other medical errors due to the glitches that showed faulty displays of their electronic health records, according to internal documents obtained by The Associated Press under the Freedom of Information Act.

no need for condoms: genetically-engineered corn can do the job
from greenpeace: New research from Austria [968kb PDF] shows that a commercial strain of Monsanto-made GE corn causes mice to have fewer and weaker babies. What is this doing to human fertility? Regulators around the world said Monsanto’s GE corn was as safe as non-GE strains. It has been approved in many countries and regions including the US, the EU, Argentina, Japan, Philippines and South Africa. China approved the GE corn for animal feed back in 2005. Until this research, under the Austrian Ministries for Agriculture and Health, none of the regulators had seriously questioned the safety of Monsanto's GE corn. The biotech industry is playing a game of genetic roulette with our food and with our health.