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WHAT'S HAPPENING AT MERI

WSCH-6 NBC-TV Interviews Dr. Susan Shaw

Firefighters are exposed to dangerous levels of cancer-causing chemicals that are created when commercial flame retardants burn. But just where are these toxic chemicals coming from? Watch the interview here to find out.

Study: Firefighters Face Higher Cancer Risk than Previously Thought

Read the Bangor Daily News article about our latest study on flame retardant chemicals in homes and buildings that may explain firefighters’ high rates of cancers. Last week, Dr. Shaw spoke with the Ellsworth Fire Department about toxic exposure and firefighter health. Instead of protecting lives, when flame retardants burn, they form cancer-causing dioxins and furans that firefighters cannot avoid inhaling and ingesting in smoke and dust while on the job. Read the full article online here.

Three Years Later: Corexit Dispersants Worsened Gulf Oil Spill

Last week was the third anniversary of the worst environmental disaster in US history. Despite BP’s Disney-like TV ad campaign and the country’s collective amnesia, the Gulf is deeply damaged by this oil spill and BP’s wanton use of toxic chemicals to hide it.
Click here to read more >

Firefighter Study Fuels Legislation

We are seeing signs of hope from our efforts over the past 20 years to stop pollution of our seas and our bodies. Our mission is global – ensuring the future of the oceans and human health. If current trends continue, we can start to imagine toxic-free oceans and a world our children will want to live in.
Click here to read about some recent positive developments resulting from our work >

When Flame Retardants Burn: Toxic Exposure and Health Risks to Firefighters

A groundbreaking new study published by environmental toxicologist Dr. Susan Shaw and co-authors provides new evidence that brominated flame retardants in burning household materials endangers the health of U.S. firefighters. It is the first study to measure brominated dioxins and furans in firefighters’ blood and shows for the first time that exposure to these chemicals during fires may carry even higher risks for cancer and other health problems than already demonstrated.
Click here to read the highlights of the study >

SmartPlanet names Susan Shaw one of the 25 amazing people they interviewed in 2012

Back in March of 2012, SmartPlanet interviewed Marine Environmental Research Institute Founder and President Dr. Susan Shaw for their “Pure Genius” section about her experience diving into the Gulf of Mexico a month after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. In the interview, Dr. Shaw spoke about the devastating effect that the mixture of oil and dispersants would have on marine and human life. Click here to read the original interview on SmartPlanet.com.

Breaking News

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A Conversation with Dr. Susan Shaw and Fabien Cousteau on "The Leonard Lopate Show" on NPR

Click the play button below to listen to the conversation on "The Leonard Lopate Show" between Dr. Susan Shaw and Fabien Cousteau, a renowned filmmaker, oceanographic explorer and grandson of famed ocean conservationist Jacques Cousteau. The program aired live on January 30th on WNYC, the largest public radio station in the country.

Dr. Susan Shaw Receives Mainebiz Magazine Annual Award for
Shaping Maine's Future

Institute founder and Director Dr. Susan Shaw has received Mainebiz magazine's annual award for her innovative research and thought leadership in advancing ocean and human health. Since 2003, the magazine’s annual award has celebrated 10 “movers and shakers” shaping the future of Maine and its economy.

Click Here to Read the Press Release >
Click Here to Read the Article in Mainebiz >
Click Here to Read About Dr. Susan Shaw >

Institute Research Cited in Senate Hearing for Safe Chemicals Act

capitol dome In testimony before a July 25 Senate oversight hearing, Dr. Shaw’s groundbreaking study of toxic exposure in California firefighters was cited as supportive evidence for the Safe Chemicals Act. The study is the first to show that exposure to these chemicals during fires puts firefighters at an even higher risk for cancer and other health problems than already demonstrated.
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The Institute Launches Maine's First Microplastics Monitoring Program

A July 13 story in the Bangor Daily News, “Is your jacket contributing to pollution? Blue Hill group studying microplastics’ effect on ocean,” points out that the Marine Environmental Research Institute is the first lab in Maine to launch a microplastics monitoring program.

Read the Bangor Daily News Story >
Read the Fenceviewer story >

Institute Research Supports Toxic Flame Retardant Exposé

Hot off the presses, a four- part expose by the Chicago Tribune “Playing With Fire” documents the collusion, deception and distorted science of the chemical industry in promoting neuro toxic brominated flame retardants. Dr. Susan Shaw first published on the dangers of PBDEs, the most notorious of the fire retardants, in 2007 when she detected it in northwest Atlantic harbor seals and their prey fish. Later that year this research helped persuade the Maine legislature to ban Deca PBDE, making the state the second to do so and prompting reforms nation wide.
Read More >
Read the Chicago Tribune's Exposé

Humbling the Sea:
Overfishing the Gulf of Maine in the Age of Sail

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