Category: Toxic Chemicals
Tribe urges Sen. Kelly to support bill to protect sacred Oak Flat
By Brenda Rivas, Cronkite News Story Correction: A Dec. 2 Cronkite News story about a demonstration urging Sen. Mark Kelly to support legislation protecting Oak Flat misrepresented outreach to Kelly’s office for comment. The story…
Indigenous Rights groups join Michigan Gov. Whitmer in demanding shutdown of Enbridge’s Line 5
The governor called the pipeline a “ticking time bomb” as her deadline of Wednesday, set last year for the Canadian company, fast approached. by Julia Conley, staff writer Tuesday, May 11, 2021 Indigenous rights and climate…
‘Mystery chemicals’ found in pregnant Bay Area women
“It’s the role of the government to ensure that chemicals used in the marketplace are known. That’s obviously not the system we’re in right now.” by Quinn McVeigh April 16, 2021 Forty-two “mystery chemicals” were found…
Arizona study examines health risks faced by female firefighters
By Emma Ascott/Cronkite News April 15, 2021 PHOENIX – Nicole Minnick had been a firefighter for seven years when she gave birth in 2008 to her first child, a girl named Kyndal. A few months later,…
Lawsuit Reveals New Allegations Against PG&E Contractor Accused of fraud
Former PG&E employees are accused of taking bribes to funnel business to a waste-hauling company. by Scott Morris, Bay City News Foundation Co-published with Bay City News Foundation. Feb. 26, 5 a.m. EST Utility giant Pacific…
Pollution, poverty and pandemic collide
In a segregated community outside of an Alabama oil refinery, chronic illness tells a story of racial inequality, poverty and disease as U.S. deaths from COVID-19 surpass 300,000. by Sean Reilly, E&E News Wednesday, December 16,…
Permit for controversial $9 billion plastics plant in “chemical alley” to be put on hold
Proposed emissions from the plant would triple the levels of cancer-causing chemicals in one of the most toxic areas of the U.S., but the Army Corps of Engineers intends to suspend the permit. by Lylla Younes …
Amid US sanctions, Venezuelan oil tanker at risk of spilling 1.3 million barrels and devastating Caribbean ecosystems
This is five times the Exxon Valdez spill off the coast of Alaska. “The Caribbean Sea would never be the same” should the oil spill, climate scientist Eric Holthaus tweeted. by Julia Conley, staff writer Monday,…
Critics say deregulatory rush shows even if defeated the Trump White House willing to ‘Scorch the earth before they go’
From bomb trains to biometrics to workers’ rights, the administration is pushing for last-minute rollbacks that could prove hard for its successor to overturn. by Brett Wilkins, staff writer Sunday, October 18 With President Donald Trump’s…
Exposure to man-made chemicals influences genes controlling aging, immune system and metabolism
Most genes in the human body can be disrupted by man-made chemicals. Göran Andersson/Getty Images by Alexander Suvorov, University of Massachusetts Amherst Sunday, October 18 Today humans are exposed to thousands of man-made chemicals. Yet the…
Wildfire smoke is laced with toxic chemicals – here’s how they got there
Wildfire smoke turned the San Francisco sky orange in the middle of the day in early September. Ray Chavez/Medianews Group/The Mercury News via Getty Images by Joshua S. Fu, University of Tennessee When you breathe in…
Oil Companies Are Profiting From Illegal Spills. And California Lets Them.
California may be a global leader on combating climate change, but state regulators have allowed companies like Chevron to make millions from inland oil spills that can endanger workers and damage the environment. by Janet Wilson,…
Investors who manage $47 trillion pressure top polluters to pursue transition to net-zero emissions
“Companies across all sectors need to take more ambitious action to ensure otherwise devastating impacts of climate change are avoided while they still can be.” by Jessica Corbett, staff writer Monday, September 14 As historic, climate…
New research shows disproportionate rate of coronavirus deaths in polluted areas
The type of pollution emitted by many chemical plants in Louisiana’s industrial corridor is correlated with increased coronavirus deaths, according to new peer-reviewed research from SUNY and ProPublica. by Lylla Younes, ProPublica, and Sara Sneath The…
As Hurricane Laura batters Louisiana, massive chemical leak spews toxic smoke near Lake Charles
“We knew this would happen. Lake Charles and Cameron Parish are petrochemical industry epicenters. The plants, export terminals, refineries, oil tank farms are ticking time bombs every hurricane season.” by Jake Johnson, staff writer Thursday, August…
‘The future does not belong to you,’ climate campaigners say to big oil after cancellation of 600-Mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline
“Duke and Dominion did not decide to cancel the Atlantic Coast Pipeline—the people and frontline organizations that led this fight for years forced them into walking away.” by Jake Johnson, staff writer Monday, July 6 Following…
After dams fail, Dow admits floodwaters in Midland, Michigan ‘commingling’ with toxic chemical storage ponds
“This has the potential to be a major environmental disaster.” by Eoin Higgins, staff writer Wednesday, May 20, 10 AM EDT Floodwaters unleashed by a dam failure in central Michigan have reached a Dow Chemical facility…
Years of toxic leaks raise cancer risk in Western oil town.
The broader influence of the oil industry in Artesia, New Mexico is hard to miss. Bronze statues venerate roughnecks and wildcatters, a brewpub downtown is named the Wellhead, and the walls of the local Chamber of…
EPA science panel plows ahead with toxic chemical’s review, despite coronavirus crisis
TCE is used by dry cleaners, auto brake shops, parts manufacturing factories, paper mills, refineries and many other businesses large and small. On those job sites, tens of thousands of workers are exposed to amounts of…
Court approves settlement requiring EPA rules on most dangerous chemical spills
Saturday, March 14 The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York approved a consent decree between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and a coalition of community and environmental organizations, including the Environmental Justice…
EPA’s new rules for assessing pesticide risks ignore many harms to endangered species
By Meteor Staff Flagstaff The Environmental Protection Agency issued revised methods for assessing pesticide risks yesterday that could allow widespread harm to most of the nation’s most endangered plants and animals. The revised methods from…
