EHN Originals

Across the U.S., birth weights have declined as rates of natural gas production have increased, according to a new, first-of-its-kind national study. While previous studies linked increases in fracking and natural gas production to lower birth weights in high-producing states like Texas and Pennsylvania, this is the first to examine associations across states where extraction…

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Alligators living along the Cape Fear River in North Carolina had high levels of 14 different PFAS chemicals in their blood and showed clear signs of immune system dysfunction, according to a new study. The Cape Fear region in North Carolina has struggled with elevated PFAS levels for decades due, in part, to the Chemours…

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In the face of global inaction, climate change — inextricably linked to health inequities — is leading us toward planetary collapse with a ‘fast track to climate disaster’ and ‘civilization collapse,’ as has been highlighted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Yet, much of the narrative — perpetrated by the corporate media, of which,…

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Ogonnaya Dotson Newman joins the Agents of Change in Environmental Justice podcast to discuss the changing landscape of philanthropy and how it can be a powerful tool for environmental justice. Dotson Newman, a senior program officer in the environment program at The JPB Foundation, talks about her previous work in organizing and local government, how…

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How do common chemicals in furniture, electronics and takeout containers affect female thyroid levels? Discover Dr. Trowbridge’s research on that topic and more – including the effects of chemicals used during fighting fires on women firefighters – in this video. Learn about her background growing up in polluted areas that influenced her decisions to become…

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PERRY COUNTY, Alabama — Deep within Alabama’s Black Belt lies the small rural community of Uniontown, a predominantly African American and low-income town of 1,900 people. But for more than a decade, residents have complained about the lack of government action to properly regulate the Arrowhead Landfill that has brought tons of out-of-state waste and…

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The Aral Sea is an immense freshwater lake located between the former Soviet states of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Well, formally freshwater. And formerly immense. After World War II, Soviet dictator Josef Stalin launched a plan to become the world’s cotton-growing king by diverting rivers that feed the Aral. The lake is now less than one-tenth…

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Toxic PFAS have likely contaminated roughly 57,412 locations across the U.S., according to a new study. Those locations include certain industrial facilities, waste processing facilities, and places where firefighting foam containing PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) have been used, such as airports and military bases. The study, published today in the journal Environmental Science &…

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PITTSBURGH—Toxic “forever chemicals”, also known as PFAS, have been used in at least eight oil and gas wells in Pennsylvania, but the exact location of those wells has never been publicly disclosed — until now. Experts say it’s possible that communities where PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) have been used by the oil and gas…

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As we near midterm elections, a new poll has done the unthinkable: found an issue that doesn’t divide us. Americans want government and industry to get harmful chemicals out of our products, according to a survey of 1,200 registered voters commissioned by the Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment at the University of California,…

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