The bitter-sweet taste of toxic substances
Further Reading
September 2006, pages 29-30
Green cleaners may revive sick soils (by Leigh Ackland)
Discusses the reclamation of soils contaminated by heavy metals using a mycorrhizal fungus.
October 2005, pages 19-20
How rusting iron can clean up toxic spills (by Andrew Feitz)
Describes a way of cleaning up spills of toxic chemicals using iron nanoparticles.
March 2005, pages 14-16
Solutions for a toxic world (by Julian Cribb)
Describes new technologies to treat toxic waste.
November-December 2004, pages 18-19
Oyster plan for toxic waste (by Geoff MacFarlane)
Describes how pearl oysters can be used to remove heavy metals and microbes from the aquatic environment.
No. 127, 2005, page 6
A vegetable alternative to toxic transformer oil
Describes research into a vegetable oil alternative to a mineral oil used in electricity transformers.
No. 127, 2005, page 7
Natives tackle cotton pesticide residues
Looks at using plants to prevent the buildup of pesticides in water recycled from cotton farms.
No. 126, 2005, page 6
Life could be cooler with sugar coated roads
Describes an alternative to asphalt bitumen which is less toxic.
No. 123, 2005, pages 26-28,
On the trail of sexual chemistry (by Wendy Pyper)
Looks at efforts in Australia to measure amounts of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in waterways and their effects on wildlife reproductive systems.
January 2006
New car smell: It’s not so sweet (by Jim Motavalli)
Describes the toxic chemicals that create the characteristic ‘new car smell’.
March 2005
Contains a collection of articles on toxic waste.
1 June 2010
‘Precision missile’ to block bitter tastes(by Caitlin Stier)
Describes the discovery of a compound that blocks bitter taste receptors.
1 September 2007, pages 44-47
Toxic cocktail (by Bijal Trivedi)
Looks into the effects of mixtures of artificial chemicals on health.
23 September 2006, pages 26-27
Uncovering the hazards in our electronic gadgets (by Duncan Graham-Rowe)
Reports on the analysis of laptops for harmful chemicals.
21 September 2006, page 8
Rich nations put something rotten in Africa (by Debora MacKenzie)
Reports that toxic sludge dumped in Africa has resulted in fatalities.
22 July 2006, pages 39-41
Where dirty ships go to die (by Duncan Graham-Rowe)
Looks at the exposure of Bangladeshi people to toxic compounds from decommissioned oil tankers.
6 December 2005
Toxic slick hits another major Chinese city (by Shaoni Bhattacharya)
Describes a toxic chemical slick in a river in China.
14 July 2005
Arctic seabirds create pollution hotspots(by Anna Gosline)
Suggests that bird droppings may be a source of toxins in the Arctic.
24 June 2005
Evacuation not best during a chemical incident(by Gaia Vince)
Reports that residents may be safer at home, rather than being evacuated, during an accident involving chemicals.
18 September 2004, page 4
Warning over toxic stockpile
Reports that corroded containers are releasing toxic compounds in poorer nations.
6 December 2003, page 22
For want of a dollar a year (by Hugh Warwick)
Discusses the problem of smoke from cooking fires affecting women and children in developing countries.
29 October 2003
Europe launches chemical safety crackdown (by Rob Edwards)
Discusses the need to test thousands of chemicals due to new regulations in Europe.
1 February 2003, page 9
Arctic faces toxic time bomb (by Fred Pearce)
Covers the accumulation of PCBs in the Arctic.
A collection of articles on chemicals and the environment is available.
March 2006, pages 62-69
Little green molecules (by Terrence Collins and Chip Walter)
Discusses a new type of catalyst used to destroy pollutants in waste water.
6 March 2006
Decade-long examination of US waterways finds pesticides in most streams (by David Biello)
Reports on a ten year study of pesticides found in rivers in the US.
Page updated July 2010.