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Water Fluoridation Suspended In 2 Westchester Towns After Court Ruling Water Fluoridation Suspended In 2 Westchester Towns After Court Ruling
Water Fluoridation Suspended In 2 Westchester Towns After Court Ruling In response to a federal court ruling regarding risks posed by water fluoridation, officials in Northern Westchester have ordered the practice to be suspended in two towns as a precautionary measure.  In an announcement on Thursday, Sept. 26, Yorktown Supervisor Ed Lachterman said he ordered a pause on water fluoridation within the town, which will also affect Somers residents.  Lachterman's decision was made following a ruling by US District Court Edward Chen on Tuesday, Sept. 24 that determined the current standard for fluoridation in the US, 0.7 mg/L, poses an "unreas…

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by Ben Crnic
News
Company Admits Responsibility In Westchester Mercury Contamination, Will Pay Clean-Up Costs Company Admits Responsibility In Westchester Mercury Contamination, Will Pay Clean-Up Costs
Company Admits Responsibility In Westchester Mercury Contamination, Will Pay Clean-Up Costs A company will be required to pay thousands of dollars in clean-up costs after admitting that it contributed to mercury contamination in Westchester.  New York-based United Alloys and Steel Corporation has agreed to pay $260,000 in clean-up costs after admitting that it arranged for the disposal and treatment of mercury at a Rye Brook refinery site that led to the contaminant being released into the environment, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced on Wednesday, March 8.  According to federal officials, the corporation contributed to t…

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by Ben Crnic
News
Proposed New Bill Would Ban Noisy Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers Statewide Proposed New Bill Would Ban Noisy Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers Statewide
Proposed New Bill Would Ban Noisy Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers Statewide New York lawmakers are promoting a new green agenda as they look to potentially put a ban on noisy gas-powered leaf blowers across the state. State Sen. Pete Harckham (who represents parts of Westchester/Putnam/Dutchess counties) promoted a new bill that would amend New York’s energy laws to require zero-emission landscaping devices no later than 2027. The bill includes a potential ban on lawnmowers, lawn edgers, leaf blowers, leaf vacuums, and other landscaping equipment. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), one hour of lawn mower use is the equivalent of driving 300…

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by Zak Failla
Lifestyle
Popular Flea, Tick Collar Has Been Connected To Nearly 1,700 Pet Deaths Popular Flea, Tick Collar Has Been Connected To Nearly 1,700 Pet Deaths
Popular Flea, Tick Collar Has Been Connected To Nearly 1,700 Pet Deaths A popular flea and tick collar for dogs and cats has been linked to nearly 1,700 pet deaths, according to a new report. The collar is manufactured by Bayer and sold by Elanco. The brand linked to the deaths, as well as 75,000 injuries, is Seresto, according to an investigation by the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting. Data for the report was pulled from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency via public records requests by the Center for Biological Diversity. Seresto flea and tick collars have been on the market since 2012. From then until June 2020, the agency has received rep…

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by Kristin Palpini
News
COVID-19: Managers Of NY Business Charged With Selling Ineffective Air Sanitizer COVID-19: Managers Of NY Business Charged With Selling Ineffective Air Sanitizer
Covid-19: Managers Of NY Business Charged With Selling Ineffective Air Sanitizer A Long Island man and his business partner are facing charges for allegedly selling miracle COVID-19 cure-alls that actually may have contained potentially hazardous pesticides. Jericho resident Po Shan Wong, and Flushing resident Zhen Wu, of JCD Distribution, were in federal court in Central Islip on Tuesday, Nov. 10 on a criminal complaint charging them with selling “Virus Shut Out Cards,” which they marketed as air sanitizers designed to kill COVID-19. After new cases of the virus spiked in April, it is alleged that between May and July, Wong, JCD’s general manager, and Wu, his sales man…

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by Zak Failla
Politics
NY, CT Spar Over Dumping In Long Island Sound NY, CT Spar Over Dumping In Long Island Sound
NY, CT Spar Over Dumping In Long Island Sound Connecticut and New York disagree about whether Long Island Sound should be a toxic dumping ground. A federal court battle over Connecticut’s dumping of sediment in the eastern portion of Long Island Sound is expected to heat up this summer. Connecticut defends dredging as a method of keeping harbors and navigation routes open. it argues that its new underwater dump site helps the economy. It also protects survival of the submarine base in New London and a submarine construction business at Electric Boat's shipyard. Connecticut argues that dumping dredged material in the eastern sound is e…

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by Jon Craig
Politics
Cuomo Announces Plan To Ban Plastic Bags Cuomo Announces Plan To Ban Plastic Bags
Cuomo Announces Plan To Ban Plastic Bags A day after the world celebrated Earth Day, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has proposed a bill that would ban plastic bags throughout the state. Cuomo announced on Monday that he has introduced legislation that would ban single-use, plastic carryout bags based on the recommendation of the New York State Plastic Bags Task Force, which “outlined the environmental impact” of reducing the use of the bags at retail locations. Led by State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos along with co-chairs Sen. Thomas O'Mara and Assemblyman Steve Englebright, the Task Force was ta…

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by Zak Failla
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U.S. EPA Sues Westchester Refinery For Mercury Pollution Near High School U.S. EPA Sues Westchester Refinery For Mercury Pollution Near High School
U.S. EPA Sues Westchester Refinery For Mercury Pollution Near High School The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has sued a West Virginia company for $7 million for disposing scrap mercury at a refinery in Rye Brook, according to media reports. Steel of West Virginia Inc., a 111-year-old steel products company based in Huntington,  Va', was sued in federal court in White Plains for violating environmental laws. The lawsuit states that the company replaced furnace equipment that contained mercury, and it arranged shipment of 179 pounds of mercury to Port Refinery Co. in Rye Brook for treatment or disposal. Port Refinery, despite its industrial-sounding name, wa…

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by Jon Craig
News
Dangerous Levels Of Radon, Cause Of Lung Cancer, In More Than 4K Area Homes Dangerous Levels Of Radon, Cause Of Lung Cancer, In More Than 4K Area Homes
Dangerous Levels Of Radon, Cause Of Lung Cancer, In More Than 4K Area Homes With January being National Radon Awareness Month, the New York State Health Departments said New Yorkers should make sure their homes are tested. Dangerous radon levels (at a level above the EPA guideline) have been reported in 4,000 Hudson Valley homes. Radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S., after cigarette smoking and the leading cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that radon is responsible for about 21,000 lung cancer deaths a year. About 2,900 of those deaths occur in people who never smoked. Radon Test kits are…

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by Sam Barron