“Eco-friendly” paper drinking straws contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals, a new study has concluded. In the first analysis of its kind in Europe, and only the second in the world, Belgian researchers tested 39 brands of straws for the group of synthetic chemicals known as poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). PFAS were found in […]
Arsenic, Lead and Other Toxic Contaminants in 95% of Baby Foods Tested
In a new investigation released today, Healthy Babies Bright Futures (HBBF) and its partner organizations report that 95% of baby foods tested contain one or more toxic chemicals, including lead, arsenic, mercury and cadmium. One-quarter of foods tested contain all four toxic chemicals tested by the lab, all of which are heavy metals that can […]
The Most Detailed Map of Cancer-Causing Industrial Air Pollution in the U.S.
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 […]
Common flame retardants cause mice to give birth to offspring that become diabetic
A new UC Riverside study shows flame retardants found in nearly every American home cause mice to give birth to offspring that become diabetic. These flame retardants, called PBDEs, have been associated with diabetes in adult humans. This study demonstrates that PBDEs cause diabetes in mice only exposed to the chemical through their mothers. “The […]
Congressional Report Reveals Manufacturers ‘Knowingly’ Sold Toxin-Tainted Baby Food
Leading baby food manufacturers are selling—knowingly and without warning—unsafe products contaminated with dangerous levels of toxic heavy metals that can cause serious and often irreversible damage to infant brain development, according to a new congressional investigation that is generating renewed calls for greater regulation of the industry. “Millions of babies are exposed to these contaminants every […]
Oil and gas wastewater as dust suppressant less than ideal
At the least, wastewater from oil and gas drilling should be treated in a waste treatment facility before it is used on dirt roads to suppress dust or deice roads. At the best, affordable, nontoxic dust suppressants should be developed and used, according to a multidisciplinary team of researchers. “Thirteen states in the United States […]
New toxic byproducts of disinfecting drinking water
Mixing drinking water with chlorine, the United States’ most common method of disinfecting drinking water, creates previously unidentified toxic byproducts, says Carsten Prasse from Johns Hopkins University and his collaborators from the University of California, Berkeley and Switzerland. The researchers’ findings were published this past week in the journal Environmental Science & Technology. “There’s no doubt […]
Hair products for Black women contain mix of hazardous ingredients
First study to measure range of hormone disrupting chemicals in products used by Black women A new report published in the journal Environmental Research shows that Black women are potentially exposed to dozens of hazardous chemicals through the hair products they use. The study, by scientists at Silent Spring Institute, is the first to measure concentrations of endocrine-disrupting […]