L.A. City Council takes step toward fracking ban

L.A. council agrees to draft rules against 'well stimulation,' but oil and gas companies say their methods have already been proven safe.



In the morning while walking to her car, Michelle Kennedy sometimes detects a smell like cat urine. She says the asthma her 6-year-old suffers seems to have worsened.



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Monitor on Wilmington home's roof to provide air-quality answers

The government-funded project will gather real-time data on air pollution. Wilmington ranks among the top 5% of communities with the highest pollution exposure in the state.



Japheth Peleti has no shortage of unpleasant stories from decades of living across a fence from a sprawling oil refinery.



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Study backs DNA tests for disorders in low-risk pregnancies

DNA screening more accurately identifies likely cases of genetic disorders caused by extra chromosomes, like Down syndrome, in a study of low-risk pregnant women.



It's billed as a faster, safer and more accurate way of screening expectant mothers for fetal abnormalities like Down syndrome, and proponents say it has already become the standard for prenatal care.



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Acetaminophen in pregnancy linked to ADHD in kids, study finds

Children whose mothers took Tylenol during pregnancy were more likely to be diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, researchers found.



Pregnant women have long been assured that acetaminophen can treat their aches, pains and fevers without bringing harm to the babies they carry. Now researchers say they have found a strong link between prenatal use of the medication and cases of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in children.



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Planned food safety rules rile organic farmers

Local growers are discovering that proposed FDA regulations would curtail many common techniques, such as using house-made fertilizers and irrigating from creeks.



HUSTONTOWN, Pa. — Jim Crawford was rushing to load crates of freshly picked organic tomatoes onto trucks heading for an urban farmers market when he noticed the federal agent.



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Severe drought? California has been here before

A thousand-year tree-ring study shows that deep droughts come with the territory. Now the issue is how to deal with them.



The skinny rings of ancient giant sequoias and foxtail pines hold a lesson that Californians are learning once again this winter: It can get very dry, sometimes for a single parched year, sometimes for withering decades.



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Bit by bit, a more fit workplace

There are many small ways to get moving and raise your fitness level in the workplace. Even doing a few of the suggestions can add health benefits.



Nearly all of us need to make more time for fitness. Finding that time, though, can seem impossible.



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