image and text below from NY TimesFor decades, people in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, have lived with the possible health hazards from oil spills in their industrial waterfront. Up to 30 million gallons of petroleum — almost three times the amount dumped off the Alaskan coast by the Exxon Valdez in 1989 — made their way into Newtown Creek and surrounding neighborhoods from dozens of refineries over more than a century.
On Beadel Street, one homeowner said she refused access to investigators for fear of condemnation or a loss in property level.
Now residents have a new anxiety: Toxic gases may be rising into their homes from below, the legacy of dry-cleaning plants, foundries and other manufacturers that once operated in this hub, which has long been home to immigrants and, more recently, artists and young professionals.
Such vapor intrusion — chemicals from contaminated soil and groundwater that become airborne, entering buildings through pores and cracks — has become a growing public health concern around the country in recent years. Contaminants that spread from industrial activity, or that were mistakenly believed to have been contained or eliminated in environmental cleanups, have been discovered wafting into basements. Since 2005, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has been testing around the state to gauge the extent of the problem....Continue reading here.GPS is banned in Egypt and how technology promotes freedom.
Brooklyn's very own Parts and Labor featured on NPR. Their latest album, Receivers, employs hundreds of sound samples from the band, friends and fans for an ultimate collaboratory effort.
Revolution OS - the ultimate collaboratory effort
