EHN Originals

Plastics contain toxic chemicals that can enter products and interact to create new harmful substances during the recycling process, a new report from Greenpeace and the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN) shows. The report comes as negotiators from more than 180 nations meet in Paris this week to discuss a global plastics treaty, developing regulations…

Know More

PITTSBURGH — Hospitals save lives — but they’re also complex ecosystems that generate toxic waste, rely on fossil fuels and instigate health problems due to harmful emissions. Change comes hard to healthcare institutions, but a growing movement of doctors, nurses, medical school students and hospital system executives are working to clean up the industry. Around…

Know More

Nsilo Berry joins the Agents of Change in Environmental Justice podcast to discuss hidden toxics lurking in buildings and what sustainable construction looks like. Berry, an Agents of Change fellow and health impact researcher for the Healthy Building Network, also talks about how his past work in Africa impacted him, and his love of sports.…

Know More

As my toddler girls frolic through our community garden picking fresh cherry tomatoes from our plot, I smile at their sense of wonder about growing food. Their eyes widen and their smiles beam as they admire how the seeds we planted earlier in the season are now full-grown plants. The scent of summer rain is…

Know More

Mientras mis hijas pequeñas corretean por nuestro huerto comunitario recogiendo tomates cherry frescos de nuestra parcela, sonrío ante su asombro por el hecho de cultivar alimentos. Sus ojos se abren de par en par y sus sonrisas brillan al admirar cómo las semillas que plantamos a principios de la temporada se han convertido en plantas…

Know More

PITTSBURGH — A group of about 50 health care workers including doctors, nurses and public health officials from across the U.S. attended an “environmental justice walking tour” in Pittsburgh this morning. They’re here for CleanMed, a three-day conference on sustainability in the healthcare industry. Participants in the pre-conference tour walked along the river trail downtown,…

Know More

Oxybenzone, a UV-absorbing chemical that harms coral reefs and may impact the body’s hormonal system, is found in 6% of sunscreens on the market in the U.S. this year, according to the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) annual sunscreen trends report. Use of oxybenzone has declined by more than half since 2022, when it was present…

Know More

PITTSBURGH — This week Raging Chicken Media interviewed EHN reporter Kristina Marusic about her new book, A New War On Cancer: The Unlikely Heroes Revolutionizing Prevention for its Out d’Coup podcast. “Not only is this an important book, it is incredibly and beautifully written,” said host Kevin Mahoney. “It’s the kind of writing that I…

Know More

Fracking companies used more than 282 million pounds of hazardous chemicals from 2014 to 2021 with no federal oversight, according to a new study. The study, published in Environmental Pollution, is the first to examine the “Halliburton Loophole,” which exempts fracking from federal regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act. The provision, passed by Congress…

Know More

EHN reporter Kristina Marusic recently joined The Allegheny Front’s Kara Holsopple to discuss her new book, “A New War on Cancer: The Unlikely Heroes Revolutionizing Prevention.” “Individual lifestyle choices, which include things like not smoking and diet and exercise — and if you’re really thinking about these issues, maybe things like eating organic and trying…

Know More