EHN Originals

This is part 1 of a 2-part series, Mislead on Lead. See part 2, Pushing back on lead ammo and fishing tackle misinformation. Hunting and fishing have a science denial problem. Special interest groups are misleading hunters and anglers—some of the country’s proudest conservationists—into poisoning wildlife. Hunters are also being misled into risking the health…

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This is part 2 of a 2-part series, Misled on Lead. See part 1, Hunting, fishing, and science denial. Groups including the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), the National Rifle Association (NRA), and the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) are waging science denial campaigns to keep lead products in hunting ammunition and fishing tackle. As a…

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EHN investigated hundreds of claims from webpages, documents, and testimony, and found that groups including the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), and the National Rifle Association (NRA) spread misinformation and engage in science denialism most of the time they communicate about lead ammunition or fishing tackle. Lead poisoning “is killing…

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I’ve long been fascinated with Thomas Midgley Jr. In the 1920’s and 1930’s, he was on his way to joining Thomas Edison and Benjamin Franklin as one of the GOATs of science and invention. Midgley’s two giant discoveries changed lives – in a good way to start, but then in tragic ways. He discovered that…

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Green cosmetic makers know their audience. One manufacturer, in addition to the standard lines about how long-lasting and colorful their product is, says that their lip tint is “cruelty-free,” vegan, and made from wholesome ingredients like coconut butter and shea. Missing from the product description is any reference to per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or “PFAS” —…

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Mental health has been on my mind lately, largely because EHN.org and The Allegheny Front just published a large series looking at the impacts of air, water and climate pollution on our mental health. Turns out it’s a vastly under-researched and under-reported topic. We know that air pollution affects the lungs. But such pollution also…

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I’m a Black woman with a doctorate in environmental health. For six years, I was the only Black doctoral student in my department. In post-graduate life, my close network of Black professionals in the environmental field is now slightly larger. It has grown from one to four. We scrutinize new “clean” beauty products, pass along…

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Dr. Lariah Edwards joins the Agents of Change in Environmental Justice podcast to discuss how inadequate and outdated chemical regulation is leaving us all exposed to harmful compounds in our makeup, food wrappers, and other products. Edwards, a current fellow and postdoctoral scientist working jointly at the George Washington School of Public Health and the…

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Troubling news about toxics in our food grows daily, with chemicals and metals of concern contaminating popular products from Skittles to Pop Tarts. That’s why President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the Food and Drug Administration should prioritize tackling those risks. Biden last week nominated former FDA Commissioner Robert Califf to return to that position,…

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A plastic additive used to make IV bags and tubing pliable interferes with breast cancer treatment, increasing mortality and the likelihood the cancer will return. Resistance to chemotherapy and hormonal therapy is a major clinical problem in breast cancer medicine, especially for cancer metastasis and recurrence, according to scientists writing in the journal Biomedicine &…

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