EHN Originals

In the midst of domestic and international fights over the future of chemical recycling, the impending closure of a plant in Tigard, Oregon, built to convert polystyrene waste into plastic feedstock, has raised a new round of questions about the efficacy and feasibility of the process. Regenyx, which was run by Agilyx and Americas Styrenics,…

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The fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international, legally binding plastic pollution treaty will take place from April 23 to April 29 in Ottawa, Canada. In the first three sessions of treaty talks, negotiators from about 175 countries — along with industry representatives, environmentalists and others — met to advance a…

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The California Air Resources Board finds more than 90% of Californians breathe unhealthy levels of pollution at some point each year, and lead is among the most common air toxics. California phased out lead in gasoline for cars and paint decades ago, so what is producing newlead air pollution? One of the main contributors is…

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La Junta de Recursos Atmosférica de California encuentra que más del 90% de los californianos respiran niveles de contaminación nocivos para la salud en algún momento cada año, y el plomo se encuentra entre los tóxicos del aire más comunes. California eliminó gradualmente el plomo en la gasolina para automóviles y en la pintura hace…

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Jessica Georges loves the beaches of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where she lives. But a few years ago, she realized even the most pristine parts of town weren’t immune to plastic pollution. “You can’t walk three yards on most beach days and not run into some sort of plastic,” she told EHN. Increasingly bothered by what…

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Twenty-six bandages recently tested have detectable levels of organic fluorine, an indicator of the group of chemicals known as PFAS, according to a new report from Mamavation. Partnering with EHN.org, the environmental wellness blog and community had 40 bandages tested by a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-certified lab and found levels of organic fluorine ranging from…

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Chemical recycling, or advanced recycling, is an umbrella term for processes that use heat and/or chemicals to break down plastic waste into component parts for reuse as plastic feedstocks or as fuel. These processes are different from conventional or mechanical plastic recycling, which breaks down plastic waste physically but not at a molecular level. Only…

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PITTSBURGH — When Sandy Field first heard about the plan to build a new chemical recycling facility in her community in Point Township, Pennsylvania, she thought it sounded like a great idea. “The plastic waste crisis is a real problem and I thought this sounded like a good solution,” she told Environmental Health News (EHN).…

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Yesterday Washington state Governor Jay Inslee signed the Lead in Cookware Act, the first bill in the U.S. to ban toxic lead in pots and pans and other cookware. The bill bans any manufacturing or sales of cookware or related components that contain more than 5 parts per million (ppm) of lead by 2026. Scientists…

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AUSTIN, TX — At SXSW, a new documentary highlighted the harmful effects of plastics on human health and opened my eyes to this widespread crisis. Upon arriving at the premiere of Plastic People, I felt well-informed about plastics. However, throughout the film I discovered new insights, including the production process, impacts on the human body…

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