Previous Health News 2014-2020

2014     2015     2016     2017     2018     2019
2020

How can we heal a fractured America? This Victorian-era disease detective offers clues. 12-10-20

The U.S. is emerging from a politically divisive election that gave few indications that the country can find the common ground needed to bridge its social differences in service of a common good. Read more at Grist

Study Links Increased COVID-19 Transmission To Poultry Plants Allowed To Operate Faster 11-20-20

Researchers found evidence these plants were drivers of COVID-19 cases in the communities they were located in, with increased coronavirus case rates up to 90 miles away from a plant. Read more at Ohio Valley Resource

Lead poisoning endangers generations of Detroit children, with no end in sight 11-18-20

By the time Tamika Phillips found out what was afflicting her only child, he was 7 years old, frail, and hopelessly behind in school. He struggled with basic vocabulary, had explosive temper tantrums, and was forced to repeat first grade. Phillips thought she had done everything to protect her child. What did I do wrong? she asked herself. Read more at The Detroit Metro Times

Duke researchers: We must protect meat packing workers to combat community spread of COVID-19 08-31-20

By mid-May, counties with or near meat packing plants had almost twice the rate of known COVID-19 infections as the national average. Read more at NC Policy Watch

How Trees Can Help Us Fight a Pandemic 07-26-20

It’s no accident that the most polluted communities are also the most likely to have more severe cases of COVID-19. Read more at Mother Jones 

The Link Between Parkinson’s Disease and Toxic Chemicals 07-20-20

A new book calls the increasing prominence of Parkinson’s “a man-made pandemic.” Read more at The New York Times

 

The world’s mayors want a pandemic recovery that takes cars off the streets 07-15-20

Some have claimed that dense urban areas are exacerbating the COVID-19 pandemic by their very nature. Read more at Grist

Activists shut down these cancer-causing plants. COVID is bringing them back. 06-30-20

Jeanne Hochhalter has had health problems since she was a teenager. First came the respiratory issues, then the gastrointestinal and endocrine troubles. But the heaviest blow came in 2013 when a doctor diagnosed her with breast cancer. Since then she’s endured 16 surgeries, as well as chemotherapy. Read more at Grist 

“Nature Deficit Disorder” Is Really a Thing 06-23-20

Children’s behavior may suffer from lack of access to outdoor space, a problem heightened by the pandemic. Read more at The New York Times

Living Near Oil and Gas Wells Linked to Low Birthweight in Babies 06-10-20

Living near active oil and gas wells during pregnancy increases the risk of low-birthweight babies, especially in rural areas, according to the largest study of its kind. Read more at EcoWatch 

Coronavirus put millions out of work. A 21st-century climate corps could be the answer 05-29-20

The graduation speeches have been broadcast over Zoom, the final papers submitted digitally, and the diplomas shipped to students’ homes. The next step is less certain.

Read more at Grist 

American Cities Are Built for Cars. The Coronavirus Could Change That. 05-26-20

Wider sidewalks and no-car zones are the new hot commodity. They could even help businesses reopen. Read more at The New Republic

Trump EPA Won’t Regulate Toxic Drinking Water Chemical That Harms Children’s Development 05-14-20

In defiance of a court order, the Trump administration Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will not regulate perchlorate, a toxic chemical used in rocket fuel that contaminates drinking water and harms the development of fetuses and small children. Read more at EcoWatch

Jane Goodall: COVID-19 Is a Product of Our Unhealthy Relationship With Animals and the Environment 05-05-20

At the time of writing, the coronavirus COVID-19 has infected over 3.57 million people globally and as of the 4th of May 250,134 people have died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Read more at EcoWatch

‘It feels like nobody cares’: The Americans living without running water amid COVID-19 05-03-20

Joshua Haynes was raised to work hard and take care of his family without asking for outside help. But when the utility bills arrived last month, he knew there would be trouble. Read more at Grist

Wake-Up Call 05-04-20

As coronavirus ravages Louisiana, ‘cancer alley’ residents haven’t given up the fight against polluters Read more at Grist

Developers Put a Plastics Plant in Ohio on Indefinite Hold, Citing the Covid-19 Pandemic 04-24-20

The announcement was a setback for the Trump administration and local officials, who want to bring petrochemicals to a region heavily invested in fracking. Read more at Inside Climate News

Missouri Pork Plant Workers Say They Can’t Cover Mouths to Cough 04-24-20

A lawsuit filed against a Smithfield Foods plant claims it has created a public nuisance by failing to protect workers from coronavirus infection. Read more at The New York Times

When coal plants decrease pollution or shut down, people have fewer asthma attacks 04-15-20

Inhaler use, ER visits and hospitalizations all decreased after a change in regulations. Read more at The Daily Climate

Study: The tiniest bit of air pollution makes COVID-19 more deadly 04-09-20

Dirty air in the United States is linked to higher death rates from COVID-19, according to a new study from researchers at Harvard’s school of public health. Scientists found that people who lived in counties in with elevated levels of fine particulate matter known as PM 2.5 in the air were more likely to die from the virus. Read more at Grist

Black and Hispanic Americans Suffer Disproportionate Coronavirus Infections 04-09-20

Across the country, the novel coronavirus is severely affecting black people at much higher rates than whites, according to data released by several states, as The New York Times reported. Read more at EcoWatch

Oversight Panel: Trump Admin. Didn’t Distribute Stockpile Supplies Based On States’ Needs 04-08-20

Trump health officials said that 3.5 billion N95 masks were needed to respond to this epidemic but only .33% of that number was distributed to states. Read more at Huff Post

This Won’t End for Anyone Until It Ends for Everyone 04-07-20

And even with Trump in office, other countries will take their cues from America. Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs

Dr. Fauci Warned In 2017 Of ‘Surprise Outbreak’ During Trump Administration 04-05-20

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s top infectious disease specialist, warned in early 2017 that a “surprise outbreak” would occur during the Trump administration, and he said that more needed to be done to prepare for a pandemic. Read more at Huff Post

Amazon climate strikers demand stronger coronavirus protections for warehouse workers 04-02-20

The country is grinding to a halt, but Amazon warehouses are still churning out packages at a breakneck pace. Amazon employees at 19 different facilities have been hit by the virus. Workers in fulfillment centers and warehouses have been asked to follow new safety protocols, but masks and other protective equipment are in short supply, and the cramped nature of many of those facilities don’t allow for effective social distancing. Read more at Grist

A Dirty Economic Restart Could Kill More People Than The Coronavirus 03-29-20

The coronavirus lockdown hasn’t just slowed the march of COVID-19, it has reduced lethal air pollution and the associated mortality risks we usually take for granted. But when the lockdown lifts, those risks of the status quo might not just return to normal—they might worsen—as governments weaken environmental regulations and pour billions of dollars into polluting industries. Read more at Forbes

Editorial: Keep the community 03-17-20

As COVID-19 upends life across the country, the natural world offers lessons in remaining resilient and emerging stronger Read more at Environmental Health News 

Decades-long project is linking our health to the environment 03-12-20

Findings come from tracking health and habits in three generations of California families. Read more at Science News for Students

How Death and Disaster Followed the Shale Gas Boom in Appalachia 02-27-20

In the past decade, fracking has contributed to the deaths of more than a thousand people and the emission of more than a thousand tons of carbon dioxide in the Appalachian Basin. Read more at Earth and Space Science News

Pittsburgh’s air was unsafe to breathe for 3 months in 2018. 01-28-20

“There’s at least one day a week where just breathing the air in Pittsburgh while you’re just going about your day puts your health at risk Read more at Environmental Health News

The War on the War on Cancer 01-12-20

Trump’s Gutting of Toxics Regulations Will Mean Higher Profits for Polluters and Higher Cancer Rates for the American People. Read more at The Intercept 

Thyroid Cancer Study Re-ignites Debate Over Three Mile Island Accident 01-03-20

A top panel of government-appointed scientists said three of Trump’s most far-reaching and scrutinized proposals to weaken major environmental regulations are at odds with established science. Read more at The Allegheny Front

Youth voices from North Carolina’s hurricanes 01-02-20

NC Health News worked with Coastal Youth Media to hold a workshop this fall with a group of young people from southeastern counties to help them write essays on how they and their families made it through Hurricane Florence. Read more at North Carolina Health News

2019

Trees are Healing the Planet 11-06-19

A recent study found that new forests might be our best shot at saving the world. A global guide to doing it right. Read more at Reasons to Be Cheerful

‘Universal’ lead bill passes, making Philly the biggest U.S. city to require landlords to test for lead 09-26-19

After 18 months of deliberation, City Council on Thursday unanimously approved a bill intended to prevent children from being poisoned by lead paint in rental homes. Read more at WHYY

Is air pollution worsening kids’ mental health? 09-25-19

Cincinnati study finds fine particulate matter exposure linked to increased psychiatric-related emergency room visits for kids Read more at Environmental Health News

Drug-Resistant Salmonella Linked to Overuse of Antibiotics in Cattle Farming 08-23-19

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned Thursday of a drug-resistant strain of salmonella newport linked to the overuse of antibiotics in cattle farming. Read more at EcoWatch

Black Lung Today – Congress Leaves Miners Behind 08-12-19

In Appalachia’s coal country, the aggressive resurgence of Black Lung disease amongst miners is a historic public health crisis. Read more at Rachel Carson Council

Air Pollution Linked to 30,000 U.S. Deaths in One Year 07-24-19

Air pollution may have killed more than 30,000 Americans in a single year despite the fact that particulate matter levels in most U.S. counties fell within federal safety standards, CNN reported. Read more at EcoWatch 

The Air Force polluted 4 SC bases with a toxic firefighting foam, didn’t tell neighbors 07-13-19

Four Air Force bases in South Carolina are severely contaminated with chemicals that scientists continue to investigate for possible links to thyroid disease, pregnancy complications, and kidney and testicular cancers. Read more at The Post and Courier

After 10 Years of Rapid Growth, What Does Organic Mean Today? 07-08-19

Four experts weigh in on how booming interest in organic food has changed the industry, and what it means for farmers, policymakers, and eaters. Read more at Civil Eats

Every Mississippi Beach Is Closed Due to Toxic Algae 07-08-19

If you’re looking to cool off in the waters of Mississippi’s Gulf Coast, think again. Read more at EcoWatch

How banning dangerous chemicals could save the US billions 06-25-19

It’s a myth that environmental regulations stifle economic productivity. Harmful chemicals cost the US $340bn a year. Read more at The Guardian

Pennsylvanians demand a fracking halt until rare childhood cancers are investigated 06-17-19

After a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette investigation identified 47 cases of childhood cancer in rural PA counties, locals are calling on Gov. Wolf to investigate a possible link between fracking & childhood cancer. Read more at Grist

The Incredible Link Between Nature and Your Emotions 06-12-19

More and more evidence suggests that nature does something essential for our mental health. Read more at Outside

Corporations Are Poisoning People in Puerto Rico With Coal Ash 06-10-19

Community organizers in Guayama, Puerto Rico, are agitating for the closure of a coal plant, citing research showing that local rates of cancer and asthma have increased substantially since the plant opened. Read more at Truthout

What Three Generations of California Families Can Tell Us About the Links Between Our Health and Our Environment 05-16-19

A decades-long study offers valuable insights into the relationship between the environment in which we live and cancer, autoimmune diseases and other disorders. Read more at Ensia 

‘Almost every household has someone that has died from cancer’ 05-06-19

A small town, a chemical plant and the residents’ desperate fight for clear air Read more at The Guardian

Researchers Now Have Even More Proof That Air Pollution Can Cause Dementia 05-02-19

A Mother Jones investigation prompted the study that turned up the most convincing evidence to date.Read more at Mother Jones

More than 80 percent of waste from Pennsylvania’s oil and gas drilling stays in the state: Report 04-23-18

Exposure to oil and gas drilling waste has been linked to numerous health impacts, including cancer. Read more at The Daily Climate

After a decade of research, here’s what scientists know about the health impacts of fracking 04-15-19

Fracking has been linked to preterm births, high-risk pregnancies, asthma, migraine headaches, fatigue, nasal and sinus symptoms, and skin disorders over the last 10 years, according to a new study. Read more at The Daily Climate

Man Who Developed Cancer After Roundup Use Awarded More Than $80 Million in Damages 03-28-19

A jury in the first U.S. federal Roundup trial ruled Wednesday that Bayer must pay more than $80 million in damages to 70-year-old Edwin Hardeman, who developed cancer after using the glyphosate-containing weedkiller. Read more at EcoWatch

A Second U.S. Jury Finds That Roundup Causes Cancer 03-20-19

The unanimous verdict was announced Tuesday in San Francisco in the first federal case to be brought against Monsanto, now owned by Bayer, alleging that repeated use of the company’s glyphosate-containing weedkiller caused the plaintiff’s cancer. Read more at EcoWatch

Surge in chemical use ‘a threat to health and environment03-12-19

Sales of synthetic chemicals will double over the next 12 years with alarming implications for health and the environment, according to a global study that highlights government failures to rein in the industry behind plastics, pesticides and cosmetics. Read more at The Guardian

Insecticide linked to increased breast cancer risk — 40 years after exposure 02-25-19

Researchers found DDT exposure before puberty may have increased the breast cancer risk for women in their 50s.

Melinda Lewis remembers splashing in the irrigation canals that outlined her grandpa’s walnut and almond groves in the late 1960s. Read more at Environmental Health News

Plastics: The New Coal in Appalachia? 02-25-19

With the natural gas fracking boom, plastics production is spreading in the Ohio River Valley. But at what cost to health and climate? Read more at Inside Climate News

Research casts doubt on EPA drinking water standard 01-29-19

More than 5 million Americans get their drinking water from public water systems that could contain hazardous levels of a chemical called nitrate, which is linked to public health risks Read more at Grist

Contaminated groundwater, a toxic legacy of Georgia’s air bases 01-03-19

For decades, the United States Air Force used a toxic firefighting foam that contaminated water near bases and exposed communities to chemicals linked to cancer and a variety of other health problems. Read more at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A Trump County Confronts the Administration Amid a Rash of Child Cancers 01-02-19

The children fell ill, one by one, with cancers that few families in this suburban Indianapolis community had ever heard of. An avid swimmer struck down by glioblastoma, which grew a tumor in her brain. Read more at The New York Times

2018

Johnson & Johnson knew for decades that asbestos lurked in its Baby Powder 12-14-18

Facing thousands of lawsuits alleging that its talc caused cancer, J&J insists on the safety and purity of its iconic product. Read more at Reuters Investigates

Living near oil and gas wells linked to increase in cardiovascular disease: Study 12-12-18

Those near more intense oil and gas development showed higher blood pressure, changes in the stiffness of blood vessels, and markers of inflammation. Read more at Environmental Health News

The smoke’s gone, but hearts and lungs still may be in danger months after wildfires 11-28-18

Three days after the Camp Fire erupted, incinerating the Northern California town of Paradise and killing 85 people, Katrina Sawa found herself struggling to breathe. Read more at Reveal

Coal Ash Kills Workers. Trump Kills Coal Ash Regulations. 11-08-18

While hundreds of sick laborers celebrate a verdict in Tennessee, the EPA is weakening rules to protect them. Read more at The New Republic

Rural America’s Own Private Flint: Polluted Water Too Dangerous to Drink 11-03-18

The groundwater that once ran cool and clean from taps in this Midwestern farming town is now laced with contaminants and fear. People refuse to drink it. They won’t brush their teeth with it. They dread taking showers. Read more at The New York Times

Charles Benbrook: New study showing organic diets cut cancer risk is a big deal. Let’s treat it that way. 10-29-18

No study is perfect—but recent findings that organic food consumption cuts cancer risk highlights an opportunity to tackle a deadly, expensive health crisis

More than 1.7 million Americans will be newly diagnosed with cancer in 2018, and 35 percent of these cases will prove fatal. Read more at Enviromental Health News

State and Federal Government Still Resisting Efforts to Save Flint 10-17-18

Government employees allege that higher ups do not want to prevent another water crisis.

Four years after the water crisis began in Flint, Michigan, government officials are still debating the best practices to guarantee safety for the city’s residents. Read more at Colorlines

Arsenic at toxic levels in Neuse, environmentalists say; Duke Energy disputes findings 09-22-18

Coal ash releases in the Neuse River have caused arsenic levels to be nearly 18 times higher than the state safety standard for drinking water, two environmental organizations said Friday. Read more at The News & Observer

Duke report shows spikes in health problems around NC hog farms 09-21-18

Hurricane Florence hit North Carolina’s $2.9 billion hog industry hard, drowning 5,500 hogs and flooding dozens of waste lagoons. Read more at The News & Observer

In North Carolina, hog waste pollution a familiar result. Will things ever change? 09-21-18

As Hurricane Florence floods dozens of hog waste pits, many wonder when the broken factory farm system will be fixed.The full extent of Hurricane Florence’s environmental damage isn’t yet known in North Carolina, where waste from factory farms, coal ash, and other pollutants are contaminating floodwaters still on the rise after the largest East Coast deluge north of Florida in history. Read more at Environmental Health News

Old and in the way: Hurricane Florence could barrel over landfills, waste lagoons, hazardous waste sites and more toxics 09-11-18

Thousands of animal waste lagoons, hazardous waste sites and other repositories of toxic material lie in and near the projected path of Hurricane Florence, increasing the risk of breaches or leaks of dangerous chemicals into the environment. (This is one important reason you should avoid wading through or touching flood waters.) Read more at NC Policy Watch

Cost of New E.P.A. Coal Rules: Up to 1,400 More Deaths a Year 08-21-18

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has hailed its overhaul of federal pollution restrictions on coal-burning power plants as creating new jobs, eliminating burdensome government regulations and ending what President Trump has long described as a “war on coal.” Read more at The New York Times

DDT linked to an increase in autism risk in new study 08-16-18

Columbia University Medical Center researchers found that mothers with higher exposure to the banned pesticide had an increased risk of a child developing autism.

The discontinued pesticide DDT is linked to an increased risk of autism, according to a new study out of Columbia University Medical Center. Read more at Environmental Health News

Even the smallest urban green spaces can have a big impact on mental health 08-01-18

There’s no doubt urban green spaces are more pleasing to the eye than trash-strewn vacant lots that have been sitting in various stages of neglect for who knows how long.

But can transforming scattered patches of urban blight into green spaces also help to alleviate the blues? Read more at Mother Nature Network

3M Knew About the Dangers of PFOA and PFOS Decades Ago, Internal Documents Show 07-31-18

News that the Environmental Protection Agency pressured the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry to suppress a study showing PFAS chemicals to be even more dangerous than previously thought drew outrage this spring. Read more at The Intercept

A toxic town, a search for answers 07-23-18

Industrial chemicals dumped long ago still haunt Minden, W.Va., a community beset by cancer and fear. Like her father, physician Ayne Amjad is trying to track the links. Read more at The Washington Post

The White House P.R. “Nightmare” That Never Came 07-17-18

A once-suppressed report on water contamination in military communities has led to little action, victims say. But there are rumblings in Congress. Read more at The New Republic

Faced with asthma and illness, citizens are taking air quality into their own hands 07-14-18

Until she moved to Fresno, California in 2003, Janet DietzKamei had never experienced asthma. But after just a few years in a city notorious for its filthy air — the American Lung Association lists it in the five worst U.S. cities for air quality — DietzKamei found herself in the emergency room struggling to breathe. Read more at Grist

Why the ‘Greening’ of Vacant Land Is a Smart Long-Term Investment in Cities 07-02-18

Author Alan Mallach challenges cities to reimagine vacant properties into pocket parks, urban farms and other green space. Read more at Next City

Toxic Secrets: The town that 3M built – where kids are dying of cancer 06-15-18

The fear that cancer is stalking their children has left some of Oakdale’s parents saddened and bewildered. “We’re bombarded with it,” said one mother, Kristi Schaut, who lost her daughter to leukaemia in 2007. Read more at The Sydney Morning Herald

Nature and Neurodevelopment: Differences in Brain Volume by Residential Exposure to Greenness 06-05-18

A growing body of epidemiological studies have found associations between proximity to vegetated green areas (“greenspace”) and multiple measures of good health.1 Now researchers have examined how a child’s exposure to greenspace may affect the development of his or her brain structure. Read more at NIH Environmental Health Perspectives

‘It’s wrong to stink up other people’s lives’: fighting the manure lagoons of North Carolina 05-24-18

Pigs outstripped people in Duplin county long ago – but now the residents are fighting back. Read more at The Guardian

This common contaminant is hurting America’s fertility rates 05-23-18

Researchers have found a link between a substance in our water, soil and air and fewer babies being born

Lead in water is a well-known health hazard, but now there’s evidence of a link between lead in soil and air and humans’ ability to have babies. Read more at Market Watch

Premature Birth Rates Drop in California After Coal and Oil Plants Shut Down 05-22-18

Within a year of eight coal- and oil-fired power plant retirements, the rate of preterm births in mothers living close by dropped, finds new study on air pollution. Read more at Inside Climate News

Mosquito season could get longer and more hazardous to your health — especially in Miami 05-01-18

Mosquito season has officially arrived in Florida, although many would argue it never left.

That perception may soon become reality, according to new studies that show the higher temperatures brought on by climate change are already increasing the range and biting season for many mosquitoes. Read more at the Miami Herald

Fracking chemicals “imbalance” the immune system 05-01-18

Mice exposed to fracking chemicals during pregnancy were less able to fend off diseases; scientists say this could have major implications for people near oil and gas sites

Chemicals commonly found in groundwater near fracked oil and gas wells appear to impair the proper functioning of the immune system, according to a lab study released today. Read more at Environmental Health News

“We Wouldn’t Need the Suicide Hotline If Dairy Farmers Were Getting Paid What They Deserve” 05-01-18

Milk pricing policies have left small producers at their wit’s end. Brenda Cochran was a self-described “city girl” before she married her husband in 1973. He was a dairy farmer, so she joined him on a small farm in Pennsylvania. They’ve been working together since 1975. Cochran says that if she’d known how difficult dairy farming would be today, she never would have done it. Read more at Mother Jones

The Geography of Health in America 04-23-18

A new county-by-county report finds that blacks and Native Americans have the most dire health statistics in the United States. Read more at City Lab

Giant Chicken Houses Overrun Delmarva, and Neighbors Fear It’s Making Them Sick 04-23-18

Even families who work in the industry worry about the air blowing out of the barns, some packed with 40,000 birds. But Big Poultry has the political clout here. Read more at Inside Climate News

Can Dirt Save the Earth? 04-18-18

Agriculture could pull carbon out of the air and into the soil — but it would mean a whole new way of thinking about how to tend the land.

When John Wick and his wife, Peggy Rathmann, bought their ranch in Marin County, Calif., in 1998, it was mostly because they needed more space. Read more at The New York Times

The Dangers of Antibiotics in Food  03-18-18

Over-prescription of antibiotics is a dangerous and ineffective practice that can lead to a disrupted intestinal environment that promotes diseases like candida overgrowth. But there is another more indirect way that they can get into your system that is much harder to avoid: antibiotics in food as a result of their extensive use in farm animal production. Read full article at Health Ambition

Glyphosate linked to shorter pregnancies in Indiana women 03-16-18

Women with high levels of glyphosate—the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer—were more likely to have a shorter pregnancy, according to a new study. Read more at Environmental Health News

‘The Dirt Cure’: Why Human Health Depends on Soil Health 03-01-18

Our connection to nature is sacred, dating back to the beginning of our existence. It’s no wonder then that our health is intimately intertwined with the earth—from the soil beneath our feet, to the food we eat, to the water we drink and to the air that fills our lungs. Read more at EcoWatch

New Online Calculator Lets You See the Impact of Your Meat Intake 03-01-18

The major challenge comes down to changing my habits. After years of enjoying bacon with my eggs for breakfast, I now associate its comforting greasy taste with the feeling of fullness. So how do I—and others like me—overcome this obstacle? One big challenge is finding a way to stay motivated. Read more at BlitzResults

How fumes from farms are harming our health — and what we can do about it 02-05-18

In the United States alone, air pollution kills about 115,000 people a year — more than three times the number of deaths caused by motor vehicles. Worldwide, some 7 million people died in 2012 alone from exposure to air pollution, according to the World Health Organization. Read more at ENSIA

Commentary: It’s up to us to keep children safe from toxics 02-02-18

Dr. Philip J. Landrigan and Mary M. Landrigan

Children in the world today are exposed to thousands of environmental toxics, and these toxic chemicals are making our children sick. Read more at Environmental Health News

Even Breathing Is A Risk In One Of Orlando’s Poorest Neighborhoods 01-23-18

People inhale soot and noxious fumes from the car-laden highways encircling their historically black community.

During the 15 years that Jacqueline Young lived in Griffin Park, a federal housing project, she always worried about the air that she and her granddaughter were breathing. Read more at Huffington Post

Commentary: Farming for a small planet 01-16-18

People yearn for alternatives to industrial agriculture, but they are worried.

They see large-scale operations relying on corporate-supplied chemical inputs as the only high-productivity farming model. Another approach might be kinder to the environment and less risky for consumers, but, they assume, it would not be up to the task of providing all the food needed by our still-growing global population. Read more at Environmental Health News

2017/strong>

Cleanup From California Fires Poses Environmental and Health Risks 10-16-17

Dr. Karen Relucio has heard reports of people digging into the ashes of their burned homes in recent days without gloves, wearing only shorts and T-shirts, looking for sentimental items that might have survived California’s horrific wildfires. And as the chief public health officer in Napa County, one of the hardest-hit places, she has used her office as a bully pulpit to urge them to stop, immediately. Read more at The New York Times

Industrial Strength: How the U.S. Government Hid Fracking’s Risks to Drinking Water 11-16-17

Most mornings, when his 7-year-old son Ryan gets up for school at 6:55, Bryan Latkanich is still awake from the night before, looking online for another home in some part of Pennsylvania with good schools and good water. Read more at Inside Climate News

Chicken Farms Fueled a Massive Public Health Crisis—While the Government Turned a Blind Eye 10-28-17

This story was originally published by Food and Environment Reporting Network.

Antibiotic-resistant infections—everything from gastrointestinal illnesses to recurring urinary tract infections and staph—are among the most menacing issues in public health today, sickening 2 million people a year and killing at least 23,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Read more at Mother Jones

The list of diseases linked to air pollution is growing 9-19-17

To the residents of Donora, Pa., a mill town in a crook of the Monongahela River, the daily haze from nearby zinc and steel plants was the price of keeping their families fed. But on October 27, 1948, the city awoke to an unusually sooty sky, even for Donora. Read more at Science News

Pesticides linked to birth abnormalities in major new study 08-29-17

‘The sheer size of the study, and the meticulous way it has been carried out, suggest that there is an environmental hazard for mothers resident in an area with large scale pesticide usage’ Read more at The Independent

EPA Welcomed Industry Feedback Before Reversing Pesticide Ban, Ignoring Health Concerns 08-18-17

Before the Environmental Protection Agency issued its March 29 decision to reverse a proposed ban on the pesticide chlorpyrifos, the agency considered information from industry groups that wanted to keep it on the market, according to internal agency documents. But the heavily redacted documents may be most notable for what they do not include. Read more at The Intercept

This pipeline could jeopardize Washington’s water supply, environmentalists say 08-03-17

The pipeline that TransCanada wants to build is short, 3.5 miles, cutting through the narrowest part of Maryland. It would duck briefly under the Potomac River at this 1,500-person town, bringing what business leaders say is much-needed natural gas to the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. Read more at the Washington Post

McCain’s Brain Cancer Draws Renewed Attention to Possible Agent Orange Connection 07-27-17

For years, Vietnam vets and their widows have been pushing the VA to extend benefits to those exposed to the toxic herbicide and later stricken with glioblastoma. The VA has said no, but advocates hope the agency will now revisit the issue. Read more at ProPublica

It’s Official: California Lists Key Ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup as Cancer-Causing 07-07-17

California is officially adding glyphosate, the key ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide, to the state’s list of chemicals and substances known to cause cancer. Read more at EcoWatch

Living in California’s San Joaquin Valley May Harm Your Health 07-05-17

More than 1 million people in the region have been exposed to unsafe drinking water in recent years from pesticides, arsenic, nitrate and uranium. And many communities also face multiple environmental health threats. Read more at News Deeply

Here’s Why Most Most of the Meat Americans Eat Is Banned in Other Industrialized Countries 07-09-17

Recently, Organic Consumers Association, along with Friends of the Earth and Center for Food Safety filed suitagainst chicken giant Sanderson Farms for falsely marketing its products as “100% Natural” even though they contain many unnatural and even prohibited substances. Read more at EcoWatch

Push to Fix North Carolina Well Water 07-24-17

The EPA requires public water systems to monitor their drinking supplies frequently and limit the amounts of the contaminants that the federal government regulates. But people who own their wells shoulder all that responsibility themselves, whether or not they know it. Read more at North Carolina Health News

Hog Poop Bacteria From Big NC Farms Taints Nearby Homes 05-11-17

Bacteria from large-scale industrial hog farms in North Carolina are contaminating the homes, lawns and air of nearby private homes, according to new evidenceRead more at Environmental Health News

Deregulation Nation 05-17-17

In 2015, the EPA released an update to the “worker protection standard” that shields farmworkers from insecticide poisoning — the first update in a quarter century. Now it’ll be pushed back for an indefinite period. Read more at Grist

Trump’s EPA Greenlights a Nasty Chemical. 05-15-17

“Anybody that was exposed, we encourage them to seek medical attention immediately,” a California public health official stated. Read more at Mother Jones

Respect the elderly: Saving cities’ oldest trees 04-13-17

Old growth forests are increasingly rare in US cities—protecting these health-boosting relics from bulldozers, invasives and apathy is no easy feat. Read full article at Environmental Health News

Evidence builds that dirty air causes Alzheimer’s, dementia 01-26-17

A cloudy suspension of smog particles, collected near a Los Angeles, California, freeway, will be turned into an aerosol and piped into tanks holding laboratory mice. Read more on Science Magazine

2016

Final EPA Study Confirms Fracking Contaminates Drinking Water 12-13-16

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released its widely anticipated final report on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, confirming that the controversial drilling process indeed impacts drinking water “under some circumstances.” Read more on EcoWatch

Pig CAFOs influence timing of human flu seasons, study shows 12-15-16

The enormous numbers of animals concentrated in industrial pig farms are changing the pattern of flu seasons, by providing flu viruses a place to jump between humans and animals and multiply faster than they otherwise would, according to new research from North Carolina. Read more on Fern’s AG Insider

Latinos disproportionately breathe toxic air from big oil and gas 9-26-16

Hispanics often face elevated cancer and asthma risks due to emissions, according to a new report. Read more on Think Progress

Report: Tens of Thousands of Californians Exposed to Arsenic in Drinking Water 9-12-16

An environmental group says the state is failing to warn poor communities that their water is contaminated. Read more on takepart

Health and neighborhood are too often linked. These people are out to change that. 8-25-16

Across the U.S. people are trying to reduce inequities in how environment affects physical well-being. Read more on ensia

Health Dangers of Fracking Revealed in Johns Hopkins Study 8-25-16

A new study out today from Johns Hopkins in Environmental Health Perspectives revealed associations between fracking and various health symptoms including nasal and sinus problems, migraines and fatigue in Pennsylvanians living near areas of natural gas development. Read more on EcoWatch

Increased Asthma Attacks Tied to Exposure to Natural Gas Production 7-18-16

New study in the heart of Pennsylvania’s fracking region shows increase in severity of asthma ong residents exposed to most active wells. Read more on Inside Climate News

Navassa: From Guano to Creosote 7-13-16

Creosote was one of numerous toxic materials handled at the various industries that have operated here over the decades. Industry brought needed jobs, but in many cases contamination remained after the factories closed. Read more on Coastal Review Online

Opinion: The case for a child-centered energy and climate policy 6-21-16

Children suffer the most from fossil fuel burning.

Fossil fuel combustion and associated air pollution and carbon dioxide (CO2) is the root cause of much of children’s ill health children today as well as their uncertain future. Read more on Environmental Health News

Can we actually make a difference by changing the way we eat? 4-20-16

You’ve probably seen the statistic: According to the United Nations, we’ll need to produce 70 percent more food by 2050 to feed ourselves. That goal of increasing production by 70 percent, which is just as daunting as it sounds, is called the “food gap.” …Full article

A Year of Fear and Distrust in Dukeville 4-18-16

How tainted well water and conflicting health information have turned one North Carolina family’s life upside down ” We just want to be able to look at our water and not fear turning on the faucet.”-Deborah Graham …Full article

Fracking Wells Released Over 5 Billion Pounds of Methane in One Year 4-14-16

Being in close proximity to fracking operations could screw up your sexual health, cause developmental defects and cancer, induce seismic activity around you, and the list goes on …Full article

Interactive Map: The Most Polluted States in America 3-30-16

Nebraska is on the list of most polluted states in America. See how it “stacks” up with those even more polluted and what the statistics show about pollution in your state Using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. …Full article and map

10 Misconceptions on the Link Between Environmental Factors and Cancer 2-19-16

As a cancer epidemiologist, I’ve spent a lot of time researching the links between environmental contaminants and cancer. One of the pitfalls of the Digital Age is that people come across a lot of information that isn’t based on sound scientific evidence or is, at best, anecdotal …Full article

Cancer and Climate Change 1-16-16

I’m a climate scientist who has just been told I have Stage 4 pancreatic cancer This diagnosis puts me in an interesting position. I’ve spent much of my professional life thinking about the science of climate change, which is best viewed through a multidecadal lens. ...Full article

2015

Study Links Fracking to Premature Births, High-Risk Pregnancies 10-9-15

A new study from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has linked hydraulic fracturing, commonly know as fracking, to premature births and high-risk Pregnancies …Full article

The Meat Industry is Licking it’s Chops Over Obama’s Massive Trade Deal 10-7-15

The US meat industry scored a big victory this week when world leaders hammered out an agreement that would reduce trade barriers across the Pacific. …Full article

12 Universities Leading the Charge in Serving Locally-Source Food 8-28-15

Many cafeterias around the U.S. are working to provide students with healthy, sustainable meal options. to do this, colleges and universities are changing the way they purchase and prepare food in their cafeterias and many of them are beginning to source food locally …Full article

Baltimore Wins Grants to Remove Health Hazards from Homes 8-26-15

It’s a hidden danger that’s affected the health of thousands of Baltimore City children — hazardous lead in paint and other items in homes. Now there’s a multi-million dollar effort to eliminate lead paint dangers  …Full article

RCC Special Report: What’s in Your Food? 8-24-15

According to the Environmental Working Group’s 2015 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce nearly two-thirds of the 3,015 produce samples tested by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2013 contained pesticide residues …Full report

Time’s Up for Decision on Hog Farms, The EPA’s 180 days are up 8-19-15

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is expected to announce today how it will address allegation over North Carolina’s hog industry, which environmentalists say is harming the health of racial minorities …Full article

Clock Ticking as EPA Prepares Response Over Hog Pollution 8-19-15

Environmentalists want to clean up North Carolina’s hog farms. They’re calling on the federal government, which could withhold state funds …Full article

What Does it Mean for the Food Industry to Scrap Anitbiotics, Cages, GMOs, and Artificial Ingredients? 8-3-15

This has been a big year in the restaurant and food-retail world, with many brands and chains announcing significant overhauls of their supply chains and ingredients with an eye toward animal welfare and public health-or so it might seem …Full article

Health Groups Praise Obama Plan on Coal, Saying it Will Save Lives 8-3-15

Health organizations have praised President Obama’s plan to reduce carbon pollution from power plants. The new Clean Power Plan — certain to be challenged in the courts and in the Republican Congress — will require power plants to reduce carbon emissions by 32% from 2005 levels between now and 2030 …Full article

What Does ‘Low Dose’ Mean When It Comes to Exposure to Toxic Chemicals? 6-29-15

A major study reveals how exposure to over 80 different chemicals could have synergistic impacts on the development of cancer …Full article

What’s Killing the Babies of Vernal, Utah? 6-22-15

A fracking boomtown, a spike in stillborn deaths and a gusher of unanswered questions A midwife come under attack after she starts asking questions about dead babies in a Utah fracking town. Every night, Donna Young goes to bed with her pistol, a .45 Taurus Judge with laser attachment. …Full article

Study Says Outdoor Green Spaces Make Kids Smarter 6-19-15

As Albert Einstein once said, “Look deep into nature and then you will understand everything better.” …Full article

Fracking Linked to Low Birth Weight Babies 6-18-15

Expectant mothers who live near natural gas fracking site may be at increased risk of having babies with lower birth weight, according to a new study of birth rates in Pennslyvania …Full article

25 Most and Least Polluted Cities in America 4-30-15

The American Lung Association’s annual “State of the Air” report is out. The report reviews monitoring data on the two most common and harmful types of air pollution—ozone (smog) and particle pollution (soot)—and compiles “a report card” telling how much of each type of pollution is in the air where you live …Full article

Advocacy Group Offers U.S. Testing for Herbicide Feared Linked to Cancer 4-22-15

An advocacy group seeking a ban on the world’s most widely used herbicide said it is launching a U.S. public testing project to gather data on detectable levels of the herbicide in drinking water, human urine an2d breast milk. …Full article

North Carolina Residents Worry Over Tainted Water From Nearby Coal Ash Pond 4-22-15

After state regulators began telling people who live near Duke Energy coal ash ponds that their well water was contiminated, some residents said their worst fears are being confirmed. …Full article

Monsanto’s Roundup Ready Crop System Puts Monarch Butterflies at Brink of Extinction 3-20-15

The Center for Food Safety (CFS) released a detailed, 80-page scientific report, Monarch in Peril: Heribide-Resistant Crops and the Decline of Monarch Butterflies in North America. …Full article

Lawsuit Launched Over US EPS’s Approval of a New Pesticide 3-18-15

The Center for Biological Diversity, the Center for Food Safety and the Defenders of Wildlife sent a formal notice of intent to sue the EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy claiming that by approving the insecticide flupyradifurone the agency is in violation of the Endangered Species Act.  …Full article

5 Projects to Transform Civic Space in Philly, Yield Lessons in Collaboration 3-16-15

In West Philadelphia, one neighborhood has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past 10 years—new residential housing, a revitalized commercial corridor, and an influx of millennials—but has not lost its convivial spirit …Full article

We’re Finding Out What’s in Fracking Wastewater, and it Ain’t Pretty 3-11-15

California is often a green leader but better is not the same as flawless. California is doing a better job of regulating fracking than any other state, but local activists would rather they just ban it like New York has. …Full article

Toxic Manure Lagoons Spark Battle Over Chinese-owned Pigs in the US 3-10-15

Attorneys for the Chinese company that now owns America’s largest pork producer, Smithfield Foods, have asked a federal judge to forbid people who live near pig manure lagoons on their farms from mentioning the new Chinese owners – or the country of China or pork exports to China – in court …Full article

Unexpected Toxics Are Surfacing with Fracking Fluid from Oil and Gas Wells 1-14-15

Researchers find alarming levels of ammonium and iodide in fracking wastewater released into Pennsylvania and West Virginia streams. …Full article

The Diet Climate Connection

The droughts, heat waves and wildfires have vividly brought home the effects of our warming planet. Some of the consequences will also show up at the grocery store. Foods we buy will cost more because of crop failures …More

The best way to get people to save energy isn’t through their pocketbook. To save power, appeal to health benefits 1-12-15

Conventional wisdom holds that the most effective way to get people to save energy is to show them how much money they’ll save. Turns out there’s a more efficient approach …Full article

2014

From Rainforest to Your Cupboard: the Real Story of Palm Oil 11-10-14

You wash with it, you brush with it, you toast it, it’s in 50% of what you buy – but what’s the real story of palm oil? …more

The Case Against Chlorpyrifos: The Long Battle Over Pesticides, Birth Defects and Mental Impairment 10-24-14

The recent number of articles in the popular press concerning loss of intellect among children exposed to chlorpyrifos is important in the case of this pesticide. …Full article

Scientists: Fracking Wastewater Poses Threat to Drinking Water 9-25-14

Every year, hundreds of billions of gallons of wastewater are produced by fracking operations across America. Some of that water gets stored in manmade ponds, some of it is injected underground, and some of it is treated and put back into rivers …Full article