IN THE NEWS / NOV 21

• Hairspray linked to birth defect.

  Pregnant women exposed to hairspray in the workplace more than doubled the risk of having baby boys with hypospadias, a genital defect. BBC, United Kingdom

• Toxic contamination starts at home: study.

  When women from 120 middle-class homes learned their bodies contained low levels of toxic chemicals, most of them blamed chemical spills, waste dumping or secret military experiments. Canwest News Service, Canada

• Activists say tobacco settlement is being wasted.

  Despite the promises of politicians and policymakers, states and counties have spent the lion's share of the settlement money on things that have nothing to do with public health or smoking, even as once-falling teen smoking rates have stagnated. Associated Press

• Polluters liable for 'annoyances,' even if they have broken no laws.

  Polluters can be successfully sued for emitting annoying odours, dust or noise - even if they are in compliance with government regulations, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled yesterday. Toronto Globe and Mail, Ontario, Canada

• Asbestos compensation ruling due.

  A ruling is expected today from the High Court that could have profound implications for asbestos-related cancer victims and their families. The hearing has hinged on when an insurance firm was liable - at time of exposure or when a worker becomes ill. BBC, United Kingdom

• South Africa is aiming to ease dangers of digging for gold.

  The value of gold is measured in currency, but there is a human toll as well. Fatalities continue to be appalling enough that Parliament has considered a measure that threatens companies with prison time for deaths within their mines. New York Times

• DHEC fuel tank cleanup program falls short.

  The state has known for years that leaking fuel tanks are the culprit in 80 percent of polluted groundwater cases across South Carolina. But the DHEC has failed to make cleaning up the mess a priority - in a state where one in four residents drinks from a well. Columbia State, South Carolina

• Indiana lands on group's Top 50 list of mercury emitters.

  Together, 50 coal-fired power plants last year released about 20 tons of mercury, which can cause permanent damage to brains, kidneys and developing fetuses, according to a new report. Indianapolis Star, Indiana

• Proof in the blood.

  Even though the Health Ministry shut the Baterías de El Salvador SA battery factory for air and water contamination, the surrounding community is still feeling one significant effect: toxic blood lead levels. Comunicaciones Aliadas, Latin America

• The mob's playground?

  The plan to reclaim the tidal marshlands on the west bank of Overpeck Creek envisions a Central Park for Bergen County. But construction firms and haulers linked to the mob and other criminal enterprises played a large role in the $82.7 million landfill-reclamation project. Bergen County Record, New Jersey

• Big Oil hurt coast, so why doesn't it pay for repairs?

  Hurricane Ike reminded south Louisiana that the loss of wetlands has opened the door to the kind of storm surge that the marshes used to knock down before it led to flooding in streets and homes. Thibodaux Daily Comet, Louisiana

• Florida's Everglades deal with U.S. Sugar faces challenge from new bid.

  A Tennessee farming company launched an offer to acquire U.S. Sugar Corp., seeking a deal that would also thwart Florida's planned $1.34 billion acquisition of thousands of acres of fragile wetlands in southern part of the state. Wall Street Journal

• Waxman expected to advance Obama's climate agenda as new energy committee chairman.

  Rep. Henry A. Waxman captured a post that has significant implications for President-elect Barack Obama's environmental agenda, including curbing global warming and developing alternative fuels. Los Angeles Times, California

• New rule would discount warming as risk factor for species.

  The Bush administration is finalizing changes to the Endangered Species Act that would ensure that federal agencies would not have to take global warming into account when assessing risks to imperiled plants and animals. Washington Post

• Interior Dept. wants hand in greenhouse gas emissions rules.

  The Interior Department could play an unprecedented role in shaping the new administration's attempts to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Politico