News

April 29, 2025

EPA’s PFAS plans draw concern in public health circles

By Shannon Kelleher

Moves by the Trump administration to draw up a new regulatory framework for types of toxic chemicals has sparked suspicion among health advocates who fear the changes will protect polluters but not public health.

The concerns come after US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin on Monday rolled out preliminary plans to tackle widespread environmental contamination by per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), chemicals used in myriad industries for decades that have been found to pose health threats.

The plans include elements that appear aimed at reversing or weakening policies pursued by the Biden administration, including potentially protecting public water systems from the costs of cleaning certain types of PFAS from public drinking water supplies.

April 29, 2025

As regenerative agriculture gains momentum, report warns of “greenwashing”

By Carey Gillam

Billed as a type of food system that works in harmony with nature, “regenerative” agriculture is gaining popularity in US farm country, garnering praise in books and films and as one of the goals of the Make America Healthy Again movement associated with new Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Proponents of regenerative farming say the practice can mitigate harmful climate change, reduce water pollution, and make foods more nutritious as farmers focus on improving the health of soil, water, and ecosystems.

A growing number of farms and ranches around the US are achieving certification to let consumers know their grains, beef, eggs and other products are regeneratively grown. Internationally, the regenerative agriculture market has been forecast to see double-digit growth between 2023 and 2030.

But all that momentum comes with a dirty dark side, according to a new report that highlights what is becoming an increasingly contentious debate over the merits of regenerative agriculture.

April 29, 2025

Common plastic chemicals linked to 356,000 annual heart disease deaths worldwide

By Brian Bienkowski

Chemicals used to make plastics more flexible are linked to more than 356,000 deaths annually across the globe, creating what researchers called a “substantial global health burden,” according to a new peer-reviewed study.

The study, published Tuesday in the journal eBiomedicine, is the first to estimate heart disease deaths from exposure to di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), a class of phthalate chemicals that are used in raincoats, food packaging, shower curtains, PVC flooring and pipes, IV bags and other items. The chemicals make plastics softer and more pliable but are associated with multiple health problems, including hormone disruption, obesity, diabetes, infertility, cancer and heart problems.

April 24, 2025

USDA withdraws proposed rule meant to reduce Salmonella in poultry products

By Shannon Kelleher

Federal regulators on Thursday withdrew a proposed framework for raw poultry products that was introduced under the Biden administration to reduce the spread of Salmonella bacteria, one of the leading pathogens involved in foodborne illness outbreaks.

The rule, proposed by the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) under the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) in August 2024, would have declared chicken and turkey products spoiled if they contained 10 or more colony-forming units of the bacteria and if they were contaminated with Salmonella strains that are considered particularly concerning for human health.

April 23, 2025

$9 trillion in heat damages traced to 5 fossil fuel giants, study finds

By Dana Drugmand

Carbon dioxide and methane emissions from the world’s biggest fossil fuel producers have likely caused trillions of dollars in economic damages due to intensifying heatwaves over the last 30 years, according to new peer-reviewed research.

The top five emitters – Saudi Aramco (Saudi Arabia), Gazprom (Russia), Chevron (US), ExxonMobil (US), and BP (British), respectively – are responsible for about $9 trillion in heat-related damages, according to the study, published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

April 22, 2025

FDA moves to phase out petroleum-based food dyes

By Brian Bienkowski

Federal health officials announced plans Tuesday to phase out synthetic food dyes made from petroleum, marking a significant shift in how the U.S. regulates chemical additives in food.

Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary, along with other Trump administration officials, announced a series of moves to rid the American food supply of the dyes, including revoking authorization for two food dyes (Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B), working with industry to eliminate six other synthetic dyes by the end of next year and authorizing four new natural color additives in coming weeks.

April 22, 2025

Over 50 million Americans lack access to federal air quality data, study reveals

By Shannon Kelleher

More than half of US counties lack a single federally monitored station for keeping tabs on air quality, meaning more than 50 million Americans (about 15% of the population) live in “air quality monitoring deserts” that lack crucial data for protecting people from harmful pollutants, according to new research.

The findings come as environmental and public health advocates grow increasingly concerned about how recent Trump administration actions will impact air quality and the availability of data and resources for monitoring it.

April 18, 2025

Nebraska residents call for tighter insecticide regulations after contamination event

By Shannon Kelleher

More than four years after a massive contamination event tied to pesticide-coated farm seeds rocked a rural Nebraska community, environmental and public health advocates are calling on state officials to remove regulatory exemptions for the coated seeds, and to monitor waterways for the pesticide pollutants.

Supporters of the action have launched a petition drive, and plan to protest at the Nebraska state capitol this weekend as part of an observance of April 22 as Earth Day, and as part of national protests against actions by the Trump administration.

April 17, 2025

Groups move for disclosure of Chemours’ sealed PFAS documents

By Trisha Talton, Coastal Review

The chemical manufacturing company that has publicly touted its products, business strategies and chemistries in ad campaigns aimed at polishing its image will further harm North Carolinians if it is successful in keeping thousands of pages of documents sealed in court, environmental organizations argue. The Southern Environmental Law Center on Monday filed a court motion to intervene in a case brought against Chemours and its predecessor company DuPont, attorneys for which have asked the court to keep up to 21,000 pages of documents under seal.

The Southern Environmental Law Center on Monday filed a court motion to intervene in a case brought against Chemours and its predecessor company DuPont, attorneys for which have asked the court to keep up to 21,000 pages of documents under seal.

Those documents, SELC argues in its motion, “will help communities understand the harm the facility has caused, and will continue to cause, to their own health, their property values, and even the lives of future generations.” The motion was filed on behalf of Cape Fear River Watch, the North Carolina Coastal Federation, which publishes Coastal Review, and the Environmental Justice Community Action Network in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

In February, attorneys for Chemours and DuPont requested the court keep from public view what they say are mostly internal communications between company employees about “non-public facts” that pertain, in part, to chemical production and is therefore “competitively sensitive.”

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April 16, 2025

Mississippi River named the most endangered of 2025

By Madeline Heim, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and Delaney Dryfoos, The Lens

The Mississippi River ranks as the nation’s most endangered river as federal plans to cut flood relief programs meet with a rise in severe weather, a new report warns.

American Rivers, a nonprofit environmental advocacy organization, said the threats to the Mississippi River – which provides water for nearly 20 million people – come as communities along the lower river flooded from torrential rain in early April, and as Trump administration officials consider eliminating the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which helps state and local governments respond to disasters.

The list calls attention to the threats rivers face and prioritizes those for which the public can influence policies that affect their well-being, said Mike Sertle, senior director for American Rivers’ Central Region.

The Mississippi River has always flooded. While flooding threatens human structures, it is an important part of the Mississippi River’s life cycle and actually builds land. But experts say floods are growing more frequent, erratic and severe due to climate change. In 2019, the river’s most recent major flood, water stayed at or above flood stage for months and caused $20 billion in damage.

FEMA assists communities during floods and other types of disasters, provides funds for recovery and oversees preparedness efforts, like its flood maps that predict risks in different areas. And it’s doing so more often today. A January 2025 report to Congress found that the average number of major disaster declarations has increased by 61% from the 1980s and 1990s, partly due to climate change.

But it has faced broad criticism for not moving quickly enough after disasters and not helping disaster survivors equally. President Donald Trump has floated the idea of dismantling the agency, and in February the agency fired more than 200 of its staffers as part of Trump’s push to shrink the size and scope of the federal government. The White House did not comment on the American Rivers’ report’s criticism of these actions.