Since the Flint drinking water crisis erupted five years ago, Americans have realized that many cities and towns struggle to ensure safe water. Currently residents of Newark, New Jersey are drinking bottled water after the city realized lead filters it handed out had failed. While most water systems in the U.S. provide reliable, high-quality drinking […]
The UN’s health agency on Thursday said that microplastics contained in drinking water posed a “low” risk at their current levels. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) — in its first report on the potential health risks of microplastic ingestion — also stressed more research was needed to reassure consumers. The report sums up a […]
By Nicole Ferox When my daughter was in preschool, she told me that instead of washing hands before lunch, the children used hand sanitizer. The thinking behind this was probably that hand sanitizer kills bacteria and viruses and therefore — presto! — problem solved. Hands are clean, and it’s so much quicker. But hand sanitizer […]
The city of Newark has begun passing out cases of bottled water as concerns mount over how effective filters provided to residents with lead water service lines may be. New Jersey’s largest city began handing out lead filters to primarily low-income residents with lead service lines eight months ago, but recent tests show that filtered […]
One quarter of the world’s population are living in areas where the competition for water resources is extreme, according to a new report from the Washington-based global research group World Resource Institute (WRI), as The Guardian reported. Around the world 17 countries, including India, which is home to 1.3 billion people, face extreme water stress. […]
If you’re looking for a bottle of water in SFO after you’ve cleared security and rushed to the gate, think again. Yes, hustling through the terminal made you thirsty, but did you pack your refillable water bottle in your carry-on? San Francisco International Airport sure hopes so. Starting Aug. 20, you will either have to […]
By Tara Lohan In 2010 when I first started writing about hydraulic fracturing — the process of blasting a cocktail of water and chemicals into shale to release trapped hydrocarbons — there were more questions than answers about environmental and public-health threats. That same year Josh Fox’s documentary Gasland, which featured tap water bursting into […]
Water is life. Without it crops won’t grow, clothes stay dirty and kids don’t bathe. And, life without water is a daily nightmare endured in Zimbabwe’s capital city, Harare, where more than two million people only have running water once a week, according to the New York Times. The water shortage there means residents ration […]
By Julia Conley Though she has yet to unveil a climate action plan as part of her presidential campaign, Sen. Kamala Harris on Monday signaled her intent to keep low-income communities at the forefront of any efforts to stem the climate crisis. The California Democrat joined Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) to introduce bicameral legislation known […]