EPA stalls long-planned nitrate cancer review as pollution crisis grows
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has backed off its re-assessment of cancer-causing nitrates despite decades of research suggesting the contaminant is more harmful than previously thought and that nitrate pollution is at crisis levels in US drinking water.
The EPA says they want “PFAS Out.” Their policies are allowing more of them in
Despite promises made to limit PFAS, the Trump administration’s regulatory rollbacks and approval of new types of PFAS signal what observers see as a sharp contradiction: commitments to reduce exposure to the so-called “forever chemicals,” followed by policies that increase the risks of exposure for millions of Americans.
Facing up to forever chemicals — a spreading problem
Songbird Farm, perched high on a ridge in Unity, Maine, was once a hub of activity. Now the fields lie fallow and the skeletal frame of the abandoned hoophouse is open to the sky. A passerby might think the property neglected, but the truth is far worse.
Reflections on pesticide regulation from a “recovering” EPA chemist
A former EPA chemist recounts agency reluctance to respond to risks seen with pesticides.
Pesticides aren’t just making us sick, they’re cooking the planet
The recent record-breaking warming of the Pacific Ocean, deaths from heat in Europe, wildfires around the world, and the heat dome roasting the U.S. create an urgent need to understand every major driver of climate change, including those we don’t usually talk about.
Most Iowa voters oppose bid to override state animal welfare laws, poll shows
Voters in the key US farm state of Iowa overwhelmingly reject efforts to weaken state animal welfare laws, according to a new poll gauging sentiment on a key nationwide farm policy debate.
In a “toxic terrain,” journalism exposes Iowa’s farm pollution problem
Real change occurs in America when civic pressures from outside the centers of influence force insiders to retreat. A compelling example of that type of systemic change is now unfolding in Iowa.
Glyphosate, common pesticides damage human DNA at low doses
Several common pesticides, including the controversial herbicide glyphosate, cause genetic damage to people’s cells at very low exposure levels, according to a new study. Such cellular changes, often referred to as “genotoxicity,” are linked to cancer.
Large NYC study adds evidence linking glyphosate to preterm birth risk
A study led by NYU Langone Health showed that pregnant women with higher exposure to glyphosate, the active ingredient in the weedkiller Roundup, faced a significantly higher risk of going into spontaneous labor early.
The Kansas community fighting data centers before they arrive
A group of residents in Lawrence, Kansas, believe they have everything a data center developer could want: undeveloped land, energy, and the Kansas River. As nearby towns face massive data center proposals, they’ve formed a well-organized opposition, learning from fellow advocates to discourage developers from bringing projects to their town.