Asthma increase in Conn. runs counter to U.S. trend. Asthma appears to be stabilizing across the country, except in Connecticut and the other New England states, where the choking respiratory disease continues to rise. [News Source]

Allergies reach epidemic levels in Europe -experts. Allergies such as hay fever are reaching epidemic proportions in Europe and a failure to treat them properly is creating a mounting bill for society. [News Source]

Ten years down the road: Car giant foresees the non-polluting, accident-proof saloon. For the future, Toyota envisages accident-proof eco-cars, powered by a non-polluting engine that can clean the air around it, running on open roads free of congestion. [News Source]

Heat for the tubs of China. China has quickly emerged as the world leader in using solar power providing hot water for showers and washing dishes in dwellings that often have no other source of heat the year round. [News Source]

N. Texas-to-Mexico rail line proposed. A new $6 billion freight rail line stretching from North Texas to the Mexico border could be built in the next few years. [News Source]

Head Start program to open in center of polluted neighborhood. A citizens' group is concerned about plans to launch a program for pre-school children in a polluted neighborhood near an old I-B-M factory east of Binghamton. [News Source]

Nevada, Idaho projects ran into stiff opposition. Sempra Energy said yesterday it was ending its effort to build two coal-fired electricity-generating plants in the West, projects that had prompted stiff opposition from nearby residents and environmental groups. [News Source]

Study puts a price tag on smog. San Joaquin Valley residents effectively are paying an average of $1,000 a year just to breathe. [News Source]

High cost to San Joaquin Valley’s bad air. The San Joaquin Valley, one of the country's most polluted air basins, could save as much as $3 billion per year in health costs if it met federal air regulations, researchers said Wednesday. [News Source]

Cost of polluted air in billions, study says. Poor air quality costs the San Joaquin Valley $3 billion a year in asthma attacks, premature deaths, lost work days, school absences and hospital admissions, a study released Wednesday found. [News Source]

CHS refinery gets state approval for $325M plan. A $325 million coker project will increase sulfur dioxide emissions and other pollutants from present levels, but the increases will be below historic pollution levels and within refinerywide limits, according to a DEQ environmental engineer. [News Source]