NEW YORK (CNN) — Michelle Hammond and Jeremiah Holland were intrigued when a friend at the Oakland Tribune asked them and their two young children to take part in a cutting-edge study to measure the industrial chemicals in their bodies.

“In the beginning, I wasn’t worried at all; I was fascinated,” Hammond, 37, recalled.

But that fascination soon changed to fear, as tests revealed that their children — Rowan, then 18 months, and Mikaela, then 5 — had chemical exposure levels up to seven times those of their parents. (View Full Article)

Studies link coal-fired factories to pollution in 2 N.Y. mountain ranges

New research has identified as many as 14 biological mercury “hotspots” in northeastern North America and suggests that contamination in wildlife is linked to pollution from coal-fired industry.

The hotspots are areas where wildlife has excessive levels of contamination. One known hotspot occurs in the Adirondack Mountains, and another is suspected in the Catskills.

In humans, mercury can damage brain development, learning and neurological functioning, especially on developing fetuses and children. The effects documented in wildlife are similar. (View Full Article)