This story was originally published by ProPublica. by Lylla Younes, Ava Kofman, Al Shaw and Lisa Song, with additional reporting by Maya Miller, Poison in the Air The EPA allows polluters to turn neighborhoods into “sacrifice zones” where residents breathe carcinogens. ProPublica reveals where these places are in a first-of-its-kind map and data analysis. From the urban sprawl of Houston to […]
Childhood cancer caused largely by environmental factors, report finds
For children in the U.S., cancer is the leading cause of death from disease. Worldwide, cancer has become so prevalent and devastating that some may use the phrase “like curing cancer” when describing something unfeasible or highly complicated. Yet in September, a team of more than 60 stakeholders and leaders in the health, science, business, policy and advocacy sectors […]
Tokyo Contaminated & Not Fit for Habitation
I am standing here to tell you that the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe is not over. I evacuated to Kansai three years after the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident. Where do you think I evacuated from? I evacuated from Tokyo. Do you know that Tokyo has serious radioactive contamination？ Tens of millions of people in East […]
Fukushima Passes Chernobyl as Worst Nuclear Disaster in History: Does Anyone Care?
The continued cover-up of the Fukushima impacts in Japan is likely due to the widespread contamination of soil, vegetation, and water prolific enough that it would lead to evacuations so massive in scope they could collapse Japan’s economy, the third largest in the world. According to peace and environmental justice watchdog NukeWatch, the Fukushima disaster has […]
Rig, Rad, Run: Radiation Monitoring, Fukushima, and Our Nuclear Dystopia
‘RIG, RAD, RUN: Radiation Monitoring, Fukushima, and Our Nuclear Dystopia’ addresses the shortcomings and manipulations in the radiation monitoring responses of the U.S. EPA and FDA in the wake of the Fukushima disaster. In the book, author Andrew Kishner argues that preconceived, unscientific notions corrupted the EPA’s sampling and testing activities to monitor Fukushima radiation […]
Risks from Lawn Care Pesticides
Pesticides are intentionally toxic substances. Some chemicals commonly used on lawns and gardens have been associated with birth defects, mutations, adverse reproductive effects, and cancer in laboratory animals. EPA permits over 200 different pesticides to be used for lawn care, and these are often mixed together and sold as chemical combinations. Approximately 35 pesticides are […]
Monsanto’s Roundup Herbicide Can Cause Amphibians To Change Shape
The world’s most popular weed killer, Roundup®, can cause amphibians to change shape, according to research published in Ecological Applications. Rick Relyea, University of Pittsburgh professor of biological sciences in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences and director of Pitt’s Pymatuning Laboratory of Ecology, demonstrated that sublethal and environmentally relevant concentrations of Roundup® […]
Phthalate compounds contaminating your glass of wine?
We all know what risks our favourite wines and spirits pose to our health but now scientists reveal that the packaging of these drinks may be just as damaging. Is it time to leave that extra bottle of red on the supermarket shelf? Phthalate compounds are extremely widespread in our environment and are present in […]
GM Wheat May Permanently Alter Human Genome
Experts say that the GM wheat currently in development by an Australian governmental research agency could, if ingested, shut down certain genes, leading to premature death or risk thereof to multiple generations. “Through ingestion, these molecules can enter human beings and potentially silence our genes,” says Professor Jack Heinemann of the University of Canterbury’s Centre […]