EHN Originals

Two agency head selections by President-elect Joe Biden this week continue the partisan whiplash at federal agencies tasked with overseeing our environment. Biden has selected Michael Regan, North Carolina’s top environmental official, to run the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Regan would be the second African-American to hold the post, following Lisa Jackson’s stint as Obama’s…

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Microplastic particles exposed to freshwater or saltwater environments are more likely than original, non-exposed particles to be taken up into an animal’s cells, according to new research. The study offers new evidence that certain microplastics have more potential to infiltrate animals’ bodies than previously thought – and this could be of particular concern for aquatic…

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Our intrepid TV newsfolk are fond of comparing daily U.S. COVID-19 death tolls to other disaster numbers. This week, I’ve seen or heard the grim stats compared to deaths at Antietam, Pearl Harbor, 9/11, or “12 jumbo jets a day falling out of the skies,” as we exceeded each one by Wednesday. Fair enough, but…

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At around 11 AM on November 4, Germaine Patterson stepped outside to exercise in her backyard. Dirty air sent her quickly retreating back inside. “I started having heart palpitations,” she told EHN. “I know it was due to the air quality.” For seven straight days in early November, air pollution levels in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania,…

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A new survey shows arsenic levels in public water are disproportionately high in certain U.S. communities, despite national regulatory standards designed to protect people from the harmful chemical. Researchers studied approximately 13 million records from 2006 to 2011 covering 139,000 public water systems in 46 states, Washington D.C., and Native American tribes. The records cover…

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Out on the deck of a research boat, Tara Yacovitch looked out to the water. In the middle of the Gulf of Mexico, the seascape is peppered with lights. And every light is part of an offshore oil or gas platform. Offshore platforms can vary greatly in size—some are as big as multi-storied buildings, while…

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Ans Irfan joined the Agents of Change in Environmental podcast to talk about his path from Pakistan to public health—and how the field can and should place equity and justice at its core. Irfan, a public health scientist and lecturer at George Washington University, was part of the first group of fellows for Agents of…

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Para la mayoría de los estudiantes universitarios, los sábados son para relajarse o pasar tiempo con los amigos, pero Damar García suele estar ocupada preparando materiales de campaña para los residentes de la comunidad sobre la importancia de garantizar que los jóvenes de color tengan un mayor acceso a la naturaleza en las ciudades. García,…

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Imagine a marvel of nature that changes itself every six hours: new views, new sounds, new smells, four times a day. Of course, that’s what the tides do at the shoreline. This is most beautifully done in salt marshes. That’s what captured me. First, it was the smell—the mix of rotting beach grass and crab…

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Para la mayoría de los estudiantes universitarios, los sábados son para relajarse o pasar tiempo con los amigos, pero Damar García suele estar ocupada preparando materiales de campaña para los residentes de la comunidad sobre la importancia de garantizar que los jóvenes de color tengan un mayor acceso a la naturaleza en las ciudades. García,…

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