| Date |
Topic |
| 1/18/2005 |
Health-Thermostat Sales Ban |
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Maine law at 38 MRSA § 1661-C, sub-§ 5, bans the sale of mercury switch thermostats after January 1, 2006. For more information on the ban, click here. |
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| 1/18/2005 |
Land Conservation |
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The practice of "cut-and-run logging", in which loggers purchase woodlands at a low price, cut every valuable tree and then sell the land at a higher price for development, takes productive woodlands out of Maine's Northern forests forever--all for a short-term profit. For a complete article on recent changes in land ownership in Maine, click here. |
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| 1/15/2004 |
Health |
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Eating more than a meal of farmed salmon per month could slightly increase the risk of getting cancer later in life. The cause is likely that feed for farmed salmon has concentrated levels of ocean pollutants. |
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| 1/15/2004 |
Health - Dioxin |
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Farmed salmon in Maine have dioxin levels of 1.38 parts per billion. Wild salmon from Alaska and British Columbia have 0.18 and 0.45, respectively. This difference may slightly increase the risk of cancer later in one's life. To view an article outlining a study on the health effects of farmed vs. wild salmon, click here. |
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| 1/15/2004 |
Aquaculture |
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Maine is the largest salmon farming state in the United States. For more information on Atlantic Salmon click here. |
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| 1/15/2004 |
Health - Mad Cow |
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Maine Organically-raised beef can not contain Mad Cow Disease because the feed does not contain any of the tissues that spread the disease. For an article on the issue click here. |
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| 1/8/2004 |
Toxic Pollutants |
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A report from the University of Maine has stated that birds in Acadia National Park have higher mercury levels than birds inhabiting a Superfund (toxic waste) site in Massachusetts. This is a function of weather patterns carrying airborne mercury from Midwest coal burning power plants. |
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| 1/8/2004 |
Land Conservation |
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According to the NOAA, Maine lost approximately 20% of its estimated original wetlands base by the mid-1980s. The Clean Water Act and Natural Resources Protection Act have resulted in a decrease of the state's wetland loss rate, but wetlands in Maine are still being lost to development. Strong wetland protection is needed to protect Maine's fisheries, an industry that contributes substantially to the state's economy. |
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| 1/8/2004 |
Health |
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As a result of mercury bioaccumulation, pregnant and nursing women, women who may get pregnant, and children under age 8 should not eat any freshwater fish from Maine's inland waters. Except, for brook trout and landlocked salmon, 1 meal per month is safe. All other adults and children older than 8 CAN EAT 2 freshwater fish meals per month. For brook trout and landlocked salmon, the limit is 1 meal per week. Safe Eating Guidelines. |
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| 1/8/2004 |
Toxic Pollutants |
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Eleven percent of Maine's private wells have arsenic levels above the state standard of 10 parts per billion, according to a random sample of about 400 wells in 2001. That means roughly 75,000 Mainers drink water with elevated arsenic levels. Maine Bureau of Health director Dr. Dora Anne Mills said that while 56 percent of Maine's population gets its drinking water from private wells, only half of the well owners test them for arsenic. Well Water Quality. |
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