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Over 5,000 tons of dangerous fumes escaped from consumer products, study finds

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:27 GMT

(CNN) — Volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, are liquids or solids used in consumer products that turn into gas when exposed to air and sunlight. Some VOCs have been linked to asthma, cancer and reproductive and developmental harm as well as damage to the liver, kidneys or central nervous system.Shampoo, body lotion, dishwashing soap, caulking compounds, room deodorizers, household cleaners, paint removers, flooring, carpet and pressed-wood products are just a few of the thousands of consumer items that may contain these chemicals.Exposure is often higher in the home, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. In fact, “concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors (up to ten times higher) than outdoors,” the EPA notes.A study released Tuesday found that over 5,000 tons of 33 potentially harmful VOCs were emitted in 2020 in the state of California, which measures exposures to potential carcinogens and tracks volatile organic compounds in con...

Dry & Hot Days Ahead

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:27 GMT

Dry conditions are in place across South Florida courtesy of high pressure. Winds will be generally out of the West to Southwest through midweek with no rain in the forecast. High temperatures this afternoon will be in the upper 80s and low 90s. However, it will feel more bearable since the humidity is low. No major changes expected to this weather pattern through Thursday. By the weekend, humidity and moisture levels gradually climb to introduce a chance of showers. By the weekend, humidity and moisture levels gradually climb to introduce a chance of showers. Vivian GonzalezMeteorologist, AMS Certified WSVN Chanel 7 Vivian Gonzalez

Tufts Medical Center reaches 0 COVID-19 inpatients for 1st time since March 2020

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:27 GMT

The number of COVID-19 inpatients at Tufts Medical Center has officially reached zero, according to hospital officials.A spokesperson for TMC announced the milestone Tuesday morning, stating that the hospital reached the figure for the first time since March 21, 2020.The news comes as the seven-day average of hospitalizations for COVID-19 continues to decline across Massachusetts, reaching 219.7 in total as of April 25, according to the state Department of Public Health’s COVID-19 dashboard.At its height, the state’s weekly average was over 3,870 hospitalizations in April 2020.Per data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 2,239,751 cases have been reported in Massachusetts throughout the pandemic and a total of 24,613 deaths.

Giants pick up LT Andrew Thomas’ 2024 fifth-year option with possible new deal on horizon

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:27 GMT

Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas is eligible for a contract extension, having completed three NFL seasons.He deserves one, after a second-team All-Pro award last season that was arguably a snub behind the 49ers’ Trent Williams.For now, the Giants are picking up Thomas’ fifth-year option, the team announced Tuesday morning.This was a formality that puts the former No. 4 overall pick under contract through the 2024 season at $10.2 million this year and $14.1 million the next.But later this offseason, don’t be surprised if the Giants and Thomas, 24, circle back to discuss a long-term extension.Not that it would change Thomas’ approach either way, as he told the Daily News on breakup day back in January.“I’m gonna focus on getting better, trying to be a better leader for the team,” Thomas said, when asked about the possibility of a new contract. “My agent and Joe [Schoen] and [Brian] Daboll, they control all that. So I’ll just focus ...

Officials impound 3 boats rented illegally through app in Mission Bay

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:27 GMT

SAN DIEGO — San Diego police and lifeguards impounded three boats and cited three boat owners during a joint operation Friday in an attempt to crack down on illegal boat rentals in Mission Bay.Lifeguards said they've seen an increase in people renting boats in Mission Bay through an app, something that is illegal, according to city code.Vince, one of the boat owners cited during the operation, had his boat impounded Friday. He had rented his boat through the Get My Boat App about 25 times before, and said didn't know this was illegal.Vince said he typically gets people booking through the Get My Boat app for celebrations and they pay him to drive his boat around Mission Bay.When he received a booking for Friday, he went to pick up his passengers at a public dock, but it was not who he thought it was going to be.“As I’m tying up, I look up and there’s just uniformed cops all armed, charging down," Vince said.Instead of the usual group of people celebrating something booking his boat,...

Woman hospitalized after being shot in Barrio Logan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:27 GMT

SAN DIEGO — A woman was hospitalized Tuesday after she was shot in the Barrio Logan neighborhood, police said.According to the San Diego Police Department, the shooting happened around 1:10 a.m. in the 3600 block of Dalbergia Street.Upon arrival, officers found a 30-year-old woman with a gunshot wound to her leg. She was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment, police said.The circumstances that led to the altercation are still under investigation, but police learned that the woman was involved in an argument with two men before the shooting.Both men were detained by police for questioning and it was not immediately known who the shooter was, SDPD said.No further details were immediately available from police.

US job openings dip to 9.6 million, lowest since 2021

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:27 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. job openings fell in March to the lowest level in nearly two years, a sign that the American labor market is cooling in the face of higher interest rates.Employers posted 9.6 million vacancies in March, down from nearly 10 million in February and lowest since April 2021. The Labor Department’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary, out Tuesday, showed that layoffs rose to 1.8 million, the highest level since December 2020.The number of Americans quitting their jobs — a sign they have confidence they can find better pay or working conditions elsewhere — dropped to 3.9 million, lowest since May 2021.The American job market is strong but losing momentum. The Federal Reserve has raised its benchmark interest rate nine times in just over a year in a bid to rein in inflation that last year hit a four-decade high. And higher borrowing costs are taking an economic toll.A hot job market can push up wages — and overall prices. “Overall the JOLTS report shows a h...

Former Ohio attorneys general fight supermajority amendment

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:27 GMT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Republican state lawmakers moving to ask Ohio voters this August to raise the threshold for passing future constitutional amendments — with the idea of thwarting a November abortion rights question — pressed forward Tuesday, even as former attorneys general of both parties joined a growing chorus in opposing their plan.Two Ohio House committees had separate possible votes scheduled — one on a bill establishing a $20 million special election this summer, and another on a joint resolution that would place an issue on that ballot asking to raise the threshold for passing constitutional amendments from 50%-plus-one to 60%.Five former attorneys general wrote a letter to every state senator and representative Monday opposing the plan, a move that follows opposition from former Republican Govs. Bob Taft and John Kasich and former Democratic Govs. Ted Strickland and Richard Celeste. Republicans Betty Montgomery and Jim Petro and Democrats Richard Cordray, Lee Fisher an...

Shuttered gypsum mine in central Cape Breton to reopen: USG Corp.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:27 GMT

LITTLE NARROWS, N.S. — A gypsum quarry in central Cape Breton that closed seven years ago will soon be reopened.The Canadian division of USG Corp. says it will spend $104 million revitalizing the quarry at Little Narrows, N.S., creating 100 permanent jobs once the relaunch is completed in three years.The Chicago-based building materials company says the quarry will produce up to two million tonnes of raw gypsum every year.Gypsum is used to make drywall, a popular building material also known as wallboard that is used to form the flat surfaces of walls and ceilings.The gypsum from Little Narrows will be shipped by boat to Montreal and other manufacturing locations along the eastern seaboard. USG says it kept the quarry operating between 1954 and 2016.The quarry first started producing gypsum in 1935, and at its peak it employed 150 people.This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 2, 2023.The Canadian Press

Stock market today: Stocks drop as Fed, debt deadline loom

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:27 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are falling Tuesday as Wall Street waits for the Federal Reserve’s latest move on interest rates and watches Washington edge closer to what would be a catastrophic default on U.S. government debt. The S&P 500 was 1.1% lower in early trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 379 points, or 1.1%, at 33,672, as of 10:22 a.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite was 0.9% lower. Some of the sharpest action was among companies that reported results for the first three months of the year, as earnings season stays in high gear. Arista Networks fell 12.1% despite reporting better profit and revenue than expected. Analysts said investors may have been disappointed it didn’t raise its forecast for upcoming results even more than it did. DuPont dropped 8.9% after also turning in stronger profit and revenue than forecast. It lowered the top end of its forecast for revenue this year, saying it expects improvements in the electronics markets to come later th...