By PATRICK McGEEHAN

From: The New York Times

On three separate days this July, invisible and odorless gases will be released in subway stations and at street level in all five boroughs of New York City. But officials in the New York Police Department will not be alarmed — it was their idea.

The gases, known asperfluorocarbons, will be dispersed to study how airborne toxins would flow through the city after a terrorist attack or an accidental spill of hazardous chemicals, the department said on Wednesday.

Researchers supervised by the Brookhaven National Laboratory will use about 200 monitors to trace the paths of the gases they release. The police intend to use the information gathered in the test, which they said would be the biggest such urban airflow study, to hone their plans for emergency responses. Read more »

Survey shows heavy loss of pollinators is further evidence of mysterious disorder that has destroyed colonies for seven years

Suzanne Goldenberg, US environment correspondent

From: guardian.co.uk,

Nearly a third of managed honeybee colonies in America died out or disappeared over the winter, an annual survey found on Wednesday. The decline – which was far worse than the winter before – threatens the survival of some bee colonies.

The heavy losses of pollinators also threatens the country’s food supply, researchers said. The US Department of Agriculture has estimated that honeybees contribute some $20bn to the economy every year. Read more »

By Dave Johnson, 

From The Tribune

WELLAND - Diane Kramer, and her husband Gary, take emergency preparedness seriously.

The Welland couple have a location on their property as a meeting point in case of a fire in their home.

“It’s the tree in front of the house,” Diane Kramer says.

Kramer says her husband is a former boy scout and follows the organization’s motto: be prepared. Read more »