pollution

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a last wave of more than $1 billion for the cleanup of Superfund hazardous waste sites from coast to coast. The most recent phase of Superfund cleanup is part of a total of $3.5 billion allocated for the work, a press release from the EPA said. […]

A new study has detected heavy metals and other toxins in whales and dolphins that became stranded in Florida and Georgia over a 15-year timeframe. Researchers analyzed tissue and fecal samples of 90 odontocetes (toothed whales), spanning nine different species, that had stranded in Florida and Georgia from 2007 to 2021. In total, the team […]

Runoff and raw sewage in the Tijuana River at the Mexico-United States border is exposing communities to a noxious mixture of toxic chemicals and microbes, a new report by researchers with the School of Public Health at San Diego State University (SDSU) said. The contaminated river flows from Mexico into South San Diego, bringing industrial […]

While scientists have known that pollutants from human activities like agriculture, plastic production and coastal development threaten corals, a new study is the first to find pollutants tied to burning fossil fuels embedded in corals. Researchers from the Instituto de Acuicultura de Torre de la Sal collected samples from the coral species Cladocora caespitosa of […]

A new report from nonprofits Environment America, U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund and Frontier Group has found that bans on plastic bags around the U.S. have already reduced the number of bags used by billions. The report, “Plastic Bag Bans Work”, found that bans in three states — New Jersey, Philadelphia and Vermont […]

On Wednesday, 95,000 gallons of sewage spilled into the coastal waters of Laguna Beach in Southern California, prompting the closure of over two miles of the coastline. The closure spans from Laguna Avenue to Blue Lagoon, according to the announcement from the Orange County Health Care Agency. The area will be closed until further notice. […]

Rivers are the lifeblood of the planet. Essential for plants, animals and humans, clean water is increasingly being contaminated with agricultural runoff containing toxic pesticides and other contaminants. A new study by researchers at the University of Oxford has found an even greater threat to the water quality of rivers, as well as the ecosystems […]

A new study by an international team of 29 scientists from eight countries provides the third update to the planetary boundaries framework. The update shows how human activities are increasingly impacting our planet, thus augmenting the risk of triggering drastic changes in Earth’s overall conditions. The nine planetary boundaries represent the limits within which humans […]