childrens health

Biden’s EPA Restores Rule Protecting Vulnerable Communities From Mercury and Other Toxic Power Plant Emissions

Biden’s EPA Restores Rule Protecting Vulnerable Communities From Mercury and Other Toxic Power Plant Emissions

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reaffirmed the legal, scientific and economic bases of the 2012 Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) that require coal– and oil-fired power plants to implement “significant reductions” in emissions of mercury, acid gases and other toxic pollutants, a press release from the EPA said. The decision reverses the […]

Join our newsletter

The best of EcoWatch, right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter!

    Umbilical Cord Blood Tests Reveal Widespread PFAS Contamination

    Umbilical Cord Blood Tests Reveal Widespread PFAS Contamination

    Five years of research, more than 40 studies, and over 30,000 samples reveal per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also called “forever chemicals,” are present in umbilical cord blood. Further, many of the studies linked PFAS in umbilical cord blood with health issues of the fetus during the parent’s pregnancy, in childhood, and as adults. “Even before […]

    Children Living Near Fracking Sites Face Higher Leukemia Risks, Study Finds

    Children Living Near Fracking Sites Face Higher Leukemia Risks, Study Finds

    Pennsylvania children who grew up near oil and gas fracking sites are at higher risk for leukemia, a study published Wednesday in Environmental Health Perspectives finds. The study’s findings are consistent with a plethora of research on health risks associated with fracking. Yale researchers using Pennsylvania cancer registry data, found children between the ages of 2–7 years-old who […]

    Massachusetts Sues 15 Companies Over PFAS Contamination

    Massachusetts Sues 15 Companies Over PFAS Contamination

    Toxic forever chemicals known as poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have polluted drinking water throughout the U.S. Now, one state is fighting back.  Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey filed a lawsuit Wednesday against 13 PFAS manufacturers that had knowingly polluted drinking water, groundwater and other natural resources in the state, leading to millions of dollars […]

    FDA Denies Petitions to Ban Phthlates in Food Packaging

    FDA Denies Petitions to Ban Phthlates in Food Packaging

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has chosen not to ban chemicals from food packaging that have been linked to serious health impacts including breast cancer, diabetes, asthma and brain development in children.  The FDA’s decision, announced Thursday, came in response to two petitions sent by environmental and public health groups in 2016 asking […]

    More Than Half of Car Safety Seats Tested in U.S. Contain Toxic Chemicals

    More Than Half of Car Safety Seats Tested in U.S. Contain Toxic Chemicals

    Car safety seats are designed to protect children, but many of them contain a hidden threat.  A new report from the Ecology Center found that more than half of car seats in the U.S. tested contain toxic flame retardants or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as forever chemicals for their tendency to persist in […]

    Phthalate Exposure Linked to Increased Risk of Childhood Cancer, Study Finds

    Phthalate Exposure Linked to Increased Risk of Childhood Cancer, Study Finds

    Phthalates, known as “everywhere chemicals” or plasticizers, have been linked to an increased risk in childhood cancer, a new study finds. These chemicals are widely used in consumer products and increase the durability or consistency of plastic. Researchers at the University of Vermont Cancer Center measured gestational and childhood exposures to phthalates and compared them […]