Research finds pesticide use at or near schools in the United States made 2,500 children and school employees sick over a five-year period. The Associated Press reports researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health found chemicals used to kill insects and wild plants on school grounds and disinfectants affect children adversely.

The study is published in Journal of the American Medical Association. While explaining the results of the study, lead author Dr. Walter Alarcon says about 600 students and staff members had to be evacuated from an Edinburg, Texas, elementary school in May after pesticides sprayed on a cotton field entered into the school's air conditioning system

The Japanese trade ministry announced Friday that over 370 factory workers died and nearly 90 others became ill after handling asbestos, over the span of a decade. The figures comes after a national survey, following reports of health problems linked to the hazardous material.

The Economy and Trade Ministry said a total of 374 died of mesothelioma, a cancer affecting the lining of the chest cavity, or pheumoconiosis (black lung), at 24 of the 89 asbestos-products manufacturers that responded to the survey

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) thirty-eight more cattle from the Texas ranch where a beef cow recently confirmed to have mad cow disease, have been tested.

The results were all negative, for the presence of mad cow disease, and acording to the USDA, no further testing on those animals is planned

Tens of thousands of Ohio and West Virginia residents may undergo testing in the coming year to determine whether drinking water, containing a chemical used to make Teflon, has affected their health.

As part of a class-action lawsuit settlement, DuPont Co. agreed in February to pay for the screenings. Teflon can be found in clothing, cookware, car parts and flooring

A study issued by The Royal Society in the U.K. shows the rise of industrial and auto pollution could turn the Earth's water so acidic by century's end, meaning the entire marine world would be in serious jeopardy.

Ken Caldeira, co-author of the report, states if the rise of carbon dioxide from human activities continues to increase, marine life would suffer greatly, the implications of which cannot be fully anticipated