The University of Arizona says it has received almost $15 million to help ease health threats posed by products from mining.
Arsenic-rich dust and fungal spores are types of tailings or waste left over from mining.
The money from the National Institutes of Health is for UA's Superfund Research Center, which focuses on mining towns and tribal reservations in the borderlands.
The Superfund Research Center, also known as the "The DUST Center: Hazardous Dust in Drylands- Exposure, Health Impacts, and Mitigation," was established in 1989 and has been continuously funded by the NIH since 1997.
Its work focuses on mining towns and Native Nations across the Arizona-Sonora border region, where residents face chronic inhalation of arsenic-rich dust from mine tailings — waste left over from mining operations.
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Officials have lifted fire restrictions for the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, citing increased moisture and cooler temperatures. -
The California-based company Reflect Orbital got approval to send a prototype into space from the FCC that is set to be able to reflect sunlight back to Earth at night. Astronomers had tried to get more review, saying it could effect observations and have broader ecological impacts. -
Several Tempe and Phoenix neighbors reported smelling a strong odor of natural gas outside their homes on July 6, but local authorities said they did not detect a gas leak. -
The EPA is proposing eliminating a federal 30-day public notice requirement for minor source permits. Most data centers in Arizona, and across the country, obtain these permits to allow them to run backup diesel generators or small gas turbines. -
Environmental advocates argue that new water-sharing rules can and should keep the river flowing for plants, animals, people and infrastructure.
