EHN Originals

What a time of change and growth! We are pleased to share Environmental Health Sciences’ 2021 Annual Report, highlighting the many activities we undertook last year that set EHS up for a strong 2022. Download our annual report here: EHS-2021-Annual-Report.pdf Environmental impact 2021 was a year of excitement and challenge for our small nonprofit. We…

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In March 2021, EHN published Fractured, a groundbreaking investigation on chemical exposures and fracking. One year later, where do things stand when it comes to fracking and health? Our series found that families with children living near fracking wells in Pennsylvania had high levels of toxic chemicals in their air, water, and bodies. Several children…

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Former Agents of Change fellows Dr. Lariah Edwards and Dr. Theresa Guillette discuss their experiences and challenges—and offer advice—as women of color navigating the environmental health field. Edwards, a postdoctoral scientist working jointly at the George Washington School of Public Health and the Environmental Defense Fund, and Guillette, an Environmental Scientist II at Arcadis, also…

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Climate change affects all Americans, but people of color and low-income communities are hit first and worst. For Emma Woods of Springfield, Massachusetts, this wasn’t news. Woods’ working class, predominantly African American and Latinx neighbors already suffer from higher rates of asthma, heart disease, and diabetes than those in whiter, wealthier areas. In 2018-2019, Springfield…

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As states work to limit the use of PFAS, one path for their spread is often overlooked: incineration of consumer waste, such as clothing, textiles, food packaging, paints, and electronics. Regulatory agencies are paying some attention to the PFAS (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances) waste stream, such as contaminated leachate from landfills. However, about 12% of the…

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Lt. Hiroo Onoda managed to fight his own lonely World War II for 29 years, ignoring pleas, airdropped leaflets, and more. Last Sunday would have been his 100th birthday. Descriptions of Onoda suggest he was humble and fiercely loyal. In 1940, he enlisted in the Imperial Japanese Army, training to become an intelligence officer. At…

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After a bombshell study came out last summer showing that a number of cosmetics contained PFAS, a class of compounds linked to cancer and reproductive problems, small-scale Oregon beauty company Axiology sent a suite of its products for testing. The results showed no indicators for PFAS. But last fall, testing from the consumer wellness blog…

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Cielo Sharkus joins the Agents of Change in Environmental Justice podcast to discuss how the field of civil engineering can help combat environmental injustice and better engage with communities. Cielo Sharkus, a PhD candidate in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and former Agents of Change fellow, talks about the challenges…

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Too often, health professionals are called on to treat patients with conditions that could have been prevented—with quality primary care, lifestyle and environment changes, or (these days, especially) vaccines. Frustrated and exhausted, we seek “upstream” solutions to the problems that fill our hospitals and waiting rooms. That is why nurses are speaking up on environmental…

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Let’s lend our ears to Fred Tutman, the Patuxent Riverkeeper in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. The Patuxent is the longest and deepest river to run exclusively in Maryland and stands as connective tissue for the diverse communities surrounding its waters. As the river contends with polluting industries and the corruption of both the water quality and…

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