EHN Originals

Dr. Yoshira Ornelas Van Horne joins the Agents of Change in Environmental Health podcast to discuss breaking down barriers in receiving her Ph.D. and the importance of centering research on the health of communities. Ornelas Van Horne, a postdoctoral research associate at USC, talks about growing up bicultural and bilingual, being the first Latina to…

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In “Fractured” we followed the stories of five families living in or near fracking country in southwestern Pennsylvania. All are coping to various degrees with unexplained illnesses, anxiety, depression, social strain. Tests of their urine found biomarkers that suggested high levels of exposure to toxic compounds commonly used in fracking operations – ethylbenzene, styrene, toluene.…

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Scientists take a drubbing in popular culture. They’re depicted as oddballs, like the dweebs in the Big Bang Theory, a ratings topper from 2007 to 2019 and now ubiquitous in lucrative, syndicated reruns. In the 1960’s, Gilligan’s Island featured “The Professor,” an egghead with no social skills. And lest we think this is a relatively…

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This is part 4 of our 4-part series, “Fractured,” an investigation of fracking chemicals in the air, water, and people of western Pennsylvania. WESTMORELAND COUNTY, Pa.—On a balmy evening in September of 2019, eight women gathered around a conference table in a small office about 25 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. Sunlight streamed through large windows,…

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It’s been 12 years since fracking reshaped the American energy landscape and much of the Pennsylvania countryside. And despite years of damning studies and shocking headlines about the industry’s impact—primarily on the state’s poor and rural families—people that live amongst wellpads remain in the dark about what this proximity is doing to their health and…

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This is part 1 of our 4-part series, “Fractured,” an investigation of fracking chemicals in the air, water, and people of western Pennsylvania. WASHINGTON COUNTY, Pa.—In the summer of 2019, 13-year-old Gunnar Bjornson spent most days banging on his drums, playing video games, antagonizing his siblings, wandering outdoors, and scrounging for junk food in his…

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This is part 3 of our 4-part series, “Fractured,” an investigation of fracking chemicals in the air, water, and people of western Pennsylvania. WASHINGTON COUNTY, Pa.—For nearly a decade, Bryan Latkanich has been telling anyone who’d listen that allowing two fracking wells to be drilled on his farm is the worst mistake he’s ever made.…

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This is part 2 of our 4-part series, “Fractured,” an investigation of fracking chemicals in the air, water, and people of western Pennsylvania. WASHINGTON COUNTY, Pa.—In the spring of 2019, after years worrying about exposures from a fracking well about a half mile from her grandkids’ school, Jane Worthington decided to move them to another…

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Environmental Health News reporter Kristina Marusic gives the story behind “Fractured,” an investigation of fracking pollution in western Pennsylvania. The series, published this week, reveals alarming evidence of toxic industrial chemicals linked to drilling operations in the urine of families living near fracking operations. Marusic spearheaded the investigation by collecting urine, air, and water samples…

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Over the course of two years, EHN enlisted the help of scientific advisors to develop a study protocol, obtain approval from an Independent Review Board, ensure that we used proper collection protocol, and analyze and interpret the data for a scientific study on human exposure to chemicals associated with unconventional oil and gas operations in…

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