[43284] lido fi “ŠeŽÒFByronTum “Še“úF2025/04/02(Wed) 23:03
Critics say this power imbalance is clear in the 2016 contract Guyana signed with Exxon. Under the agreement, Exxon keeps 75% of everything it makes from its oil operations in Guyana, with the remaining 25% shared equally between the company and the government, which also takes a 2% royalty. [url=https://lldo.org]lido fi[/url] gIt was a bad deal,h Ali said in the BBC interview, but he has rejected the idea of unilaterally changing the agreement, which was signed by the previous government. He says the next contract with Exxon will be on different terms.
An Exxon spokesperson said the contract is gglobally competitive for countries at a similar stage of explorationh and said Guyana is averaging $1 billion a year in goil profits.h
Exxon has also faced a number of lawsuits over its potential environmental impact, many filed by Melinda Janki, a Guyanese international lawyer, who drafted the countryfs Environmental Protection Act back in the 1990s.
A big victory for Guyanafs people and environment came in 2023, when the court ruled Exxon should have unlimited liability for the costs of any oil spill. Exxon has since appealed the ruling and has posted a $2 billion guarantee while it awaits the appeal outcome. Exxon said this commitment supplements gits robust balance sheets c and the insurance policies they already had in place.h Janki says this isnft enough. Offshore oil spills can be extremely expensive to deal with, the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill cost nearly $70 billion to clean up.
The push and pull between those who say oil offers Guyana a brighter future and those who fear the industryfs impact will continue.
Exxon said itfs had a positive impact on the country, including employing more than 6,200 people, investing more than $2 billion with local Guyanese businesses since 2015 and spending more than $43 million on community projects.
Exposure to phthalates during pregnancy can affect a newbornfs brain development, study finds [url=https://www.9111.ru/questions/77777777722058485/]„ƒ„}„€„„„‚„u„„„Ž „w„u„ƒ„„„{„€„u „„€„‚„~„€[/url]
Phthalates the synthetic chemicals used in everyday products for food packaging, personal care, toys and more have been linked to abnormal neurological development in infants.
Now, scientists may have discovered a biological pathway for how this phenomenon could occur. Researchers found that in utero exposure to phthalates is linked with altered metabolism of neurotransmitters and amino acids involved in brain maturation, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature Communications.
The report is the first to use untargeted metabolomics the study of all small molecules or metabolites in a biological system to connect a motherfs phthalate exposure to a newbornfs metabolites, and those metabolites to neurological development, said senior study author Dr. Donghai Liang via email. gThis represents an important step forward in understanding how prenatal chemical exposures shape infant development at the molecular level,h added Liang, an associate professor of environmental health at Emory Universityfs Rollins School of Public Health in Atlanta.
First introduced in the 1920s, phthalates are used to make plastics softer and more flexible, primarily in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) products such as vinyl flooring, medical devices, childrenfs toys, food packaging or shower curtains. The chemicals also help lubricate substances and carry fragrances in various personal care products including deodorant; nail polish; perfumes; hair gels, sprays or shampoos; soaps; and body lotions.
Phthalates are also endocrine disruptors that have been linked to preterm birth, infant genital abnormalities, childhood obesity, asthma, cancer, cardiovascular issues, and low sperm count and testosterone in men.
gWe conducted this study because phthalates are everywhere in our daily lives,h Liang said, hence their nickname geverywhere chemicals.h
Harming infant health The findings are based on mother-newborn pairs enrolled in the Atlanta African American Maternal-Child Cohort between 2016 and 2018. In urine samples collected from 216 mothers between eight weeks and 14 weeks of gestation at visit one and 145 participants between 24 and 30 weeksf gestation at visit two, the authors measured eight phthalate metabolites. Participants were around age 24 on average, and their levels of some phthalate metabolites were higher than the average determined by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
Within a day or two of birth, the authors collected the babiesf blood via a heel stick.
The team found prenatal phthalate levels were associated with lower levels of tyrosine, an amino acid and precursor to the thyroid hormone thyroxine. Thyroxine was also abnormally low in those with in utero phthalate exposure, and low thyroxine has been previously associated with greater vulnerability to illness and neurodevelopmental issues in newborns, the authors said. Tyrosine is also a precursor to the neurotransmitters dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine, all of which partly contribute to the bodyfs fight-or-flight response. Low levels of these neurotransmitters can lead to various problems, including anxiety, depression and trouble focusing.
Prenatal phthalate exposure was also linked with lower levels of the essential amino acid tryptophan, which converts into 5-hydroxytryptophan (or 5-HTP), which then turns into serotonin. Both 5-HTP and serotonin were also low. Serotonin has several critical roles in the body, including mood regulation, sleep, learning, memory, digestion and the bodyfs response to stress. Previous research has linked low serotonin with mood disorders such as depression and anxiety, sleep problems, and digestive issues.