WASHINGTON -- Even as top chemical manufacturers are phasing out production of polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants, the US EPA has slowed its drive to ban the toxic chemicals in response to intense lobbying from multiple fronts, including the Pentagon. Read more ...

SHANGHAI – Scientists at the East China University here say printed circuit boards in landfills and electronic waste recycling sites are a “significant emission source” of brominated flame retardants (BFRs). Read more ...

MELVILLE, NY -- Park Electrochemical reported net profits and sales fell 12.4% and 13%, respectively, year-over-year in its fiscal third quarter.

MANIEMA PROVINCE, DRC -- Mines in second province here in the Democratic Republic of Congo are gaining final approvals for shipping tin and other ores to Western nations. Most of the war-torn country's mines have faced international bans that prevented Western companies from buying or trading in minerals from the DRC.