A bridge over the Delaware river connects New Hope, Pennsylvania with Lambertville, New Jersey. Richard T. Nowitz / Getty Images
In a historic move, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) voted Thursday to ban hydraulic fracking in the region. The ban was supported by all four basin states — New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New York — putting a permanent end to hydraulic fracking for natural gas along the 13,539-square-mile basin, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
<p>The vote affirms a 2010 moratorium by the DRBC, an agency that manages the water. Pressured by environmental groups, commissioners used their authority to safeguard public and environmental health and limit future pollution, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.</p><p>"Today's decision is a historic watershed moment and one that will significantly contribute to a clean energy future," Patrick Grenter, associate director of the Sierra Club's Beyond Dirty Fuels campaign, <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2021/02/fracking-outlawed-delaware-river-basin-commission" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said in a statement</a>. "Fracking threatens the health of our people, water, climate, and communities and we're relieved to see it outlawed in the Delaware River Basin."</p><p>Fracking for natural gas involves blasting high volumes of pressurized water and chemicals into rock formations. This has led to contaminated water wells, while wastewater spills have transmitted radioactive materials into surface and groundwater, <a href="https://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2021/02/25/delaware-river-basin-commission-votes-to-ban-fracking-in-the-watershed/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">StateImpact Pennsylvania reported</a>. These pollutants and chemicals are linked to cancers and other health issues in humans and wildlife, <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/marisa-guerrero/fracking-banned-delaware-river-basin" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">NRDC reported</a>. </p><p>If fracking were to be allowed in the Delaware River Basin, these same impacts could affect the 17 million people that rely on the basin for drinking water, putting 45,000 people who live within a mile of the planned fracking well locations at high risk for those health problems, the NRDC added. The basin is also a critical habitat for one of the most important fisheries in the country, home to diverse species such as native trout, American eels and bald eagles.</p>
<p>The debate on fracking in the region began over a decade ago. During Pennsylvania's natural gas boom, commissioners expressed concern over the high quantity of basin water required to support it, StateImpact Pennsylvania found.</p>
<p>In response, the DRBC imposed a fracking moratorium in 2010, but never finalized drilling regulations, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. Supporters of basin drilling argued that the commission did not have the authority to regulate drilling, StateImpact Pennsylvania noted. </p><p>Despite yesterday's vote, the ban still faces opposition. </p><p>Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry President and CEO Gene Barr said that the votes by New York, New Jersey and Delaware did not have Pennsylvania's "best interests in mind," StateImpact Pennsylvania reported. </p>
<p>"There is no support to any claim that drilling results in widespread impacts to drinking water, rivers or groundwater," <a href="https://apnews.com/article/fracking-ban-vote-delaware-river-16dbb425b97cff0fb6f10186b0a2bae8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Barr told AP</a>. "This was a political decision uninformed by science."</p>
<p>Last month, State Sens. Gene Yaw (R., Lycoming) and Lisa Baker (R., Luzerne) and the Pennsylvania Republican Caucus said the moratorium, now a ban, "amounts to an illegal taking of property from Pennsylvania owners of mineral rights and from taxing authorities," The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.</p>
<p>While Thursday's fracking ban could be seen as a promising sign for reducing fossil fuel reliance, the Biden team will face challenges addressing the climate crisis without also slashing jobs in an industry that accounts for a significant amount of U.S. employment. </p>
<p>For the time being, environmental groups are celebrating a rare climate victory. </p><p>"Banning fracking in the Delaware River Basin is an historic event," the NRDC added, crediting years of hard-fought advocacy by environmental groups and activists alike. "It marks a commitment to protecting human and environmental health — not just for those who depend on the Delaware River, but for an entire planet threatened by climate change."</p>
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A resident of Austin, Texas scrapes snow into a bucket to melt it into water on Feb. 19, 2021. Winter storm Uri brought historic cold weather, leaving people in the area without water as pipes broke. Joe Raedle / Getty Images
By Andrea Germanos
President Joe Biden is being called on to back newly reintroduced legislation that seeks to remedy the nation's drinking water injustices with boosts to infrastructure and the creation of a water trust fund.
<p>"From the plague of water shutoffs due to unaffordable bills during a pandemic, to the recent heartbreaking scenes across the South of frozen pipes leaving millions without water, it has become desperately clear that our country is in a water crisis," said Food & Water Action executive director Wenonah Hauter in a statement Thursday.</p><p>"Grave crises require robust solutions, and this is just what the WATER Act provides," said Hauter.</p><p>The WATER Act — the acronym for the Water Affordability, Transparency, Equity, and Reliability Act of 2021 — was reintroduced Thursday by Democratic Reps. Brenda L. Lawrence (Mich.) and Ro Khanna (Calif.). Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) introduced the companion legislation in the Senate.</p>
<p>Supporting the measure is a diverse collection of over 500 organizations including Corporate Accountability, the Communications Workers of America (CWA), Food & Water Watch, and the NAACP. Seventy-four lawmakers in the House and Senate are co-sponsors.</p>
<div id="15a8c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="540104ac79929e24f0c378cf6232614a"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1364990521668755458" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">It’s no coincidence the communities with the highest rates of coronavirus infections are the same ones with dirty w… https://t.co/LFSqgPaSN8</div> — Rep. Ro Khanna (@Rep. Ro Khanna)<a href="https://twitter.com/RepRoKhanna/statuses/1364990521668755458">1614274075.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Echoing Hauter, Lawrence said in a statement that we "have a water crisis in the United States that affects every corner of our country." And waiting to act on the issue, she added, is simply not an option.</p><p>"Access to clean and safe drinking water is a basic human right," said Lawrence.</p>
<p>According to a summary from the Michigan Democrat's office, the WATER Act:</p><ul><li>Provides $34.85 billion a year to drinking water and wastewater improvements;</li><li>Creates a water trust fund;</li><li>Creates up to nearly one million jobs across the economy and protect American workers;</li><li>Prioritizes disadvantaged communities with grants and additional support;</li><li>Expands funding for technical assistance to small, rural, and Indigenous communities;</li><li>Funds projects to address water contamination from PFAS;</li><li>Requires U.S. EPA to study water affordability, shutoffs, discrimination, and civil rights violations by water providers;</li><li>Upgrades household wells and septic systems;</li><li>Helps homeowners replace lead service lines; and</li><li>Provides more than $1 billion a year to update water infrastructure in public schools.</li></ul>
<p>Assets for the trust fund would be created by "rolling back a small portion of the Trump administration's corporate tax cuts by increasing the corporate income tax rate by 3.5 percentage points."</p><p><a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/06/23/water-emergency-threatens-every-corner-our-country-analysis-shows-80-spike-us" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Affordability</a> has long been a drinking water-related concern in communities across the U.S. — as have other issues including the <a href="https://www.ewg.org/research/national-pfas-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">presence</a> of a class of chemicals known as PFAS and <a href="https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/insight/water-privatization-facts-and-figures" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">privatization</a> woes. The Flint, Michigan water <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/stories/flint-water-crisis-everything-you-need-know" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">crisis</a> also punctuated concerns about the management of water systems and drinking water safety.</p><p><a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/02/18/blood-abbotts-hands-anger-gop-leaders-surges-food-water-shortages-compound-texas" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Events</a> over the past year have only underscored the need for public investment in the nation's water systems, WATER Act supporters say.</p>
<p>"The crisis in Texas illuminated how vital access to running water is for human survival. And the Covid-19 pandemic has put on display the unjust reality of America's water affordability, reliability, and equity crisis," <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2021/02/25/congress-just-introduced-answer-americas-water-woes-unprecedented-support-water?cd-origin=rss" target="_blank">said</a> Brittany Alston, deputy research director of Action Center on Race & the Economy (ARCE).</p><p>Alston said that the WATER Act represented "a real solution" to those problems. She added, "The only way to combat America's water crisis is with this type of bold, reparative change that both challenges corporate power and addresses water affordability, accessibility, and quality across the entire country, especially in low-income and BIPOC communities."</p>
<p>In a June<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/commentisfree/2020/jun/23/clean-water-should-be-an-american-human-right-not-a-government-profit-machine" target="_blank"> op-ed </a>at The Guardian, Sanders and Lawrence — who also teamed up last year to introduce the WATER Act — detailed the nation's water crisis, writing, in part:</p><blockquote>Unbelievably, when it comes to water infrastructure, America's challenges resemble those of a developing country. The American Society of Civil Engineers gives our drinking water infrastructure a "D" grade and our wastewater infrastructure a "D+." The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that raw sewage overflows at least 23,000 times each year. Up to 1.7 million Americans lack access to basic plumbing facilities such as a toilet, tub, shower, or basic running water. Almost 200,000 households have absolutely no wastewater system. Up to 10 [million] homes across America get water through lead pipes. Six years since the start of its water crisis, Flint still does not have clean water. Meanwhile, in Denmark, South Carolina, families are forced to travel 20 miles each month in order to collect clean drinking water.<br>Not only do Americans have to deal with poor-quality and often toxic drinking water, we have the "privilege" of paying an arm and a leg for it. Before the coronavirus pandemic hit, nearly 14 [million] households were unable to afford their water bills, whose <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/23/millions-of-americans-cant-afford-water-bills-rise" target="_blank">prices increased more than 40% since 2010</a>. At this rate, more than a third of American households may not be able to afford their water bills five years from now. Furthermore, due to the economic meltdown caused by the coronavirus, millions of Americans who don't know where their next paycheck will come from are now at risk of losing their water service. As public health officials warn that this deadly disease will be with us for quite some time, how are families supposed to wash their hands regularly when their utility company is shutting off their water?</blockquote><p>According to Food & Water Watch's Hauter, the need for swift action is clear.</p><p>"The time for Congress and the Biden administration to make this critical legislation a priority has very clearly come," she said. "Our country can't wait any longer for a functional, safe, and affordable water system for every community."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/02/25/biden-urged-back-bold-reparative-water-justice-bill" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Like many other plant-based foods and products, CBD oil is one dietary supplement where "organic" labels are very important to consumers. However, there are little to no regulations within the hemp industry when it comes to deeming a product as organic, which makes it increasingly difficult for shoppers to find the best CBD oil products available on the market.
<p>Here you can learn about the importance of organic hemp oil, why it's better for the environment, and which CBD companies actually make trustworthy products with sustainable farming processes. origins which weigh heavily on many consumers who want to buy a product that's produced in the best way possible for not only themselves to ingest, but for the environment as well through sustainable farming methods. </p><h2>What Is CBD Oil?</h2><p>First things first, CBD stands for cannabidiol, and it's a cannabinoid found within cannabis sativa plants. This plant compound is believed to have many potential benefits, and it is primarily derived from hemp plants via a CO2 extraction process. </p><p>Since CBD is extracted from industrial hemp, which contains only trace amounts of THC (the psychoactive component in cannabis plants), this means that CBD won't make you feel high like marijuana, which has much higher levels of THC that causes psychoactive effects. Instead, the effects of CBD are much more subtle and promote a general sense of calm and relaxation in most users.</p><h2>What Makes a CBD Oil Organic?</h2><p>In terms of organic labels, perhaps the most important (and prominent) certification comes from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This government organization has been labeling foods as "organic" for many years, but what exactly does this certification entail? Essentially, a label indicating that a product is "USDA Organic" or "Certified Organic" means that at least 95% of the ingredients are obtained from organic sources.</p><p>For a crop to be considered organic by the USDA, it must be grown without the use of industrial solvents, irradiation, genetic engineering (GMOs), synthetic pesticides, or chemical fertilizer. Instead, farmers rely on natural substances and <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2012/03/22/organic-101-what-usda-organic-label-means" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mechanical, physical, or biologically based farming</a> techniques to cultivate healthy and organic crops.</p><p>Before the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, no hemp-derived products could be dubbed as "certified organic" since the hemp plant and its extracts were still categorized as a Schedule I Controlled Substance. However, it's still difficult for CBD companies to obtain a USDA certified organic label for their products due to the legal grey area that still surrounds CBD extracts. </p><p>Because of these challenges, and due to the fact that industrial hemp has only recently become an agricultural crop, very few CBD oils are USDA certified organic. Rather, many CBD products contain hemp extracts from plants that were grown in organic conditions but may not be federally certified.</p><h2>What are the Best Organic CBD Oil Brands?</h2><p><em>Each product featured here has been independently selected by the writer. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.</em></p><em><br></em>
<h2>Why Organic Hemp Oil Matters</h2><p>Hemp is a unique plant, not only for its rich cannabinoid content, but also for its ability to absorb a wide variety of components in soil. But this trait poses great risks when it comes to the creation of CBD products derived from hemp.</p><p>Because hemp has a high capacity for compound uptake, this means that the plants can retain <a href="https://www.remedyreview.com/industry/lab-test-results/" target="_blank">harmful chemicals like pesticides</a>, heavy metals, and other residual solvents. This is especially true when it comes to synthetic chemicals that are more toxic to humans, and difficult to remove once they have been absorbed by the hemp plant.</p><p>Organic farming practices help reduce the risk of hemp crops absorbing harsh chemicals that may later end up in CBD oil after extraction. When you're taking CBD as a wellness supplement to help alleviate your symptoms or improve your overall well-being, the last thing you want is to ingest compounds that might negatively outweigh the benefits of CBD. This is an important reason to look for third party lab test results when shopping for CBD products since these certificates of analysis can show the full cannabinoid and terpene profile of a hemp extract, as well as test results that search for the presence of any residual solvents.</p><p>In addition to creating a better end product, organic farming practices are also better for the environment. Sustainable and organic farming methods may <a href="https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/organic-foods.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reduce pollution, conserve water, reduce soil erosion, increase soil fertility, and use less energy</a>. The use of natural pest deterrents as opposed to chemical pesticides is also better for nearby animal populations and ecosystems.</p><h3>Organic vs. Natural</h3><p>While there are only a select few companies offering certified organic ingredients in their products, almost every brand in the CBD market creates "natural" products. The term "all-natural" or "plant-based" does not mean that a product is organic, and since hemp oil is a natural derivative of hemp plants, these products are often referred to as all-natural. However, there are some synthetic CBD oils that should be avoided because they are chemically constructed and may produce unwanted side effects that are not caused by naturally derived CBD extracts.</p><h2>What are the Benefits of Organic CBD Oil?</h2><p>There's a long list of potential CBD oil health benefits, and some of the most common wellness advantages include:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2503660/" target="_blank">Chronic pain relief</a></li><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4604171/" target="_blank">Anti-anxiety effects</a></li><li>Better sleep</li><li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/inner-source/201901/cbd-oil-mental-health-should-you-take-it-too" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Improvements in mood</a></li><li>Internal balance and regulation</li></ul><p>When dealing with pain, inflammation, sleep issues, and mental health struggles, it can be hard to find sufficient treatment options. The use of certain prescriptions can cause unwanted side effects, yet they are often the only solution for patients with these medical conditions. In search of other therapies, people have started to flock towards CBD oil as an alternative remedy for a variety of conditions. However, it should be noted that CBD products are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and you should seek your doctor's advice before using CBD if you have a serious medical condition.</p><h2>Look at the Labels Before You Buy CBD Oil</h2><p>When you go online to buy CBD oil, you'll quickly realize there is an overwhelming number of brands that are saturating the market. It can be difficult to determine which products are truly as good as they make themselves out to be. Always look for up-to-date third-party lab tests so you know you are getting a great product, and don't hesitate to contact the brand if you have any additional questions. And if you're intent on purchasing 100% organic CBD oil, it's best to look for certified products or brands that are held to strict regulatory standards.</p><p><strong>Melena Gurganus </strong>is the Reviews Editor at EcoWatch. She is passionate health and wellness and her writing aims to help others find products they can trust. Her work has been featured in publications such as Health, Shape, Huffington Post, Cannabis Business Times, and Bustle.<br></p>
Spruce
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjI3OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyOTM2NzgzOX0.axY0HjeqRctJsR_KmDLctzDpUBLBN-oNIdqaXDb4caQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="774be" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8379f35b1ca8a86d0e61b7d4bfc8b46e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="spruce organic cbd oil" data-width="710" data-height="959" /><p>As one of the best brands in the business, Spruce CBD is well-known for its potent CBD oils that feature many additional beneficial phytocannabinoids. This brand works with two family-owned, sustainably focused farms in the USA (one located in Kentucky and one in North Carolina) to create its organic, small product batches. The max potency Spruce CBD oil contains 2400mg of full-spectrum CBD extract, but the brand also offers a lower strength tincture with 750mg of CBD in total.</p>
$89
CBDistillery
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjkzNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMTU4OTM4Nn0.ypRdeDSBcE87slYrFfVrRwtJ2qGIK6FD5jBB4pndTMo/img.jpg?width=980" id="b473b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9930b53c9d58cb49774640a61c3e3e75" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="cbdistillery cbd oil" data-width="1244" data-height="1244" /><p>All of the products from CBDistillery are <a href="https://ushempauthority.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">U.S. Hemp Authority Certified</a>, and for good reason. The company only uses non-GMO and pesticide-free industrial hemp that's grown organically on Colorado farms. Its hemp oils are some of the most affordable CBD products on the market, yet they still maintain a high standard of quality. CBDistillery has a wide variety of CBD potencies across its product line (ranging from 500mg to 5000mg per bottle) and offers both full-spectrum and broad-spectrum CBD oils to give customers a completely thc-free option.</p>
$35
FAB CBD
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIyNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NDIwOTEyMn0.MlTjz096FJ0ev_-soK7_Z-FeQeJczWoeh9Qi9SSkHsY/img.jpg?width=980" id="04b26" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="76aa4862f44603242e318982acea6646" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="fab cbd oil" data-width="800" data-height="800" /><p>For an organic CBD oil that has it all, FAB CBD offers plenty of variety for any type of consumer. All of its products are made with zero pesticides and extracted from organically grown Colorado industrial hemp. FAB CBD oil comes in five all-natural flavors (mint, vanilla, berry, citrus, and natural) and is also available in four strengths (300, 600, 1200, and 2400mg per bottle).</p>
$39
NuLeaf Naturals
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIxOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NzExNTgyMX0.D6qMGYllKTsVhEkQ-L_GzpDHVu60a-tJKcio7M1Ssmc/img.jpg?width=980" id="94e4a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3609a52479675730893a45a82a03c71d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="nuleaf naturals organic cbd oil" data-width="600" data-height="600" /><p>As an industry-leading brand, it comes as no surprise that NuLeaf Naturals sources its CBD extract from organic hemp plants grown on licensed farms in Colorado. The comany's CBD oils only contain two ingredients: USDA certified organic hemp seed oil and full spectrum hemp extract.</p><p>NuLeaf Naturals uses one proprietary CBD oil formula for all of its products, so you will get the same CBD potency in each tincture (60mg per mL), but can purchase different bottle sizes depending on how much you intend to use.</p>
$38.50
Charlotte's Web
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjk3NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MzQ0NjM4N30.SaQ85SK10-MWjN3PwHo2RqpiUBdjhD0IRnHKTqKaU7Q/img.jpg?width=980" id="84700" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a2174067dcc0c4094be25b3472ce08c8" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="charlottes web cbd oil" data-width="1244" data-height="1244" /><p>Perhaps one of the most well-known brands in the CBD landscape, Charlotte's Web has been growing sustainable hemp plants for several years. The company is currently in the process of achieving official USDA Organic Certification, but it already practices organic and sustainable cultivation techniques to enhance the overall health of the soil and the hemp plants themselves, which creates some of the highest quality CBD extracts. Charlotte's Web offers CBD oils in a range of different concentration options, and some even come in a few flavor options such as chocolate mint, orange blossom, and lemon twist.</p>
$60
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Infants and young children may experience high phthalate levels because they often put plastic products in their mouths. Image Source / Getty Images
By Stephanie Eick
You may not realize it, but you likely encounter phthalates every day. These chemicals are found in many plastics, including food packaging, and they can migrate into food products during processing. They're in personal care products like shampoos, soaps and laundry detergents, and in the vinyl flooring in many homes.
<p>They're also in the news again after an editorial by scientists in the <a href="https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/pdf/10.2105/AJPH.2020.306014" target="_blank">American Journal of Public Health</a> included an urgent call for better federal regulation of the chemicals.</p><p>In particular, scientists are urging state and federal agencies to eliminate phthalates (pronounced THAL-ates) from products used by pregnant women and children. Despite evidence of the harm these chemicals can cause, federal regulation in the United States has been minimal beyond <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/01/26/2018-01451/prohibition-of-childrens-toys-and-child-care-articles-containing-specified-phthalates-revision-of" target="_blank">children's toys</a>. A recent move by the General Mills-owned food brand Annie's to <a href="https://www.annies.com/faq/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">eliminate phthalates from its macaroni and cheese</a> suggests stricter rules are feasible.</p><p>So, what's the risk, and what can you do about it?</p><p>I'm an <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=wKXbh1UAAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">environmental epidemiologist</a> who studies the impact of pregnant women's exposure to environmental chemicals. Here are answers to three important questions about phthalates.</p>
<h2>Who's at Risk?</h2><p>Ortho-phthalates, commonly referred to as phthalates, are synthetic chemicals that are used to manufacture plastic. They help make plastic more flexible and harder to break.</p><p>Despite their abundance in many products, phthalates can be harmful to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412018329908" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">pregnant women</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935115001899?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">their children</a>. These chemicals can disrupt the endocrine system, the glands that release hormones as the body's chemical messengers. Studies suggest that can lead to pregnant women <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412021000684" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">delivering their babies early</a>. Other studies have found that children born to mothers exposed to high levels of phthalates can have a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935115001899?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">lower IQ</a> and poorer social communication development, and that these children are also more likely to develop <a href="https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/10.1289/EHP2358" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ADHD</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0161813X18303255?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">behavior problems</a>. Researchers have also found effects on the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1280349/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">genital development of male infants</a> born to mothers exposed to phthalates during pregnancy.</p><p>While phthalates can be found in nearly everyone, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412018329908" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">minority women have been found to be especially burdened</a>. Studies show that many <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2018.03.030" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">beauty products</a> targeted at these communities contain high levels of chemicals.</p><p><a href="http://doi.org/10.1097/MOP.0b013e32835e1eb6" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Infants and young children</a> may experience high phthalate levels because they often put plastic products in their mouths as they explore the world.</p><p>Phthalates can enter food at <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/Phthalates_FactSheet.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">many places</a> in the supply chain, including through plastic tubing for liquids during production, plastic storage containers and even food preparation gloves. Foods that are <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4050989/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">high in fat</a> in particular can absorb phthalates through exposure during processing. Eating out doesn't avoid the risk. A <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2018.02.029" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">study of U.S. children and adults</a> showed that those who ate food outside of their homes had higher phthalate levels.</p>
<h2>How Do I Know if a Product Has Phthalates?</h2><p>Figuring out which products have high levels of phthalates isn't always easy. While <a href="https://phthalates.americanchemistry.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">phthalates</a> are required to be listed on ingredients labels, they are sometimes included instead as part of the fragrance, which <a href="https://www.safecosmetics.org/fragrance-disclosure/learn-more/trade-secrets/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">allows them to be excluded</a> from the ingredients list.</p><p>Many companies have voluntarily removed phthalates, and many consumer products are now labeled "phthalate free." The <a href="https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Environmental Working Group</a>'s Skin Deep website also offers a way to search for details about chemicals in cleaning and personal care products.</p>
<h2>How Do I Keep My Family Safe?</h2><p>Phthalates are <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/Phthalates_FactSheet.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">rapidly metabolized</a> and generally removed from the body once exposure stops. Until there is better regulation, a few simple changes can make a big difference in promoting health and reducing phthalate levels in the home.</p><p>One <a href="http://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1003170" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">easy change</a> is to swap out all plastic food packaging containers with glass containers. If that's not possible, it's best to let food cool to room temperature before placing it in plastic food storage containers.</p><p>Don't microwave anything in plastic, because phthalates can <a href="http://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph110100507" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">migrate from food storage containers</a> into food.</p><p>You can also reduce phthalate exposure by checking labels to avoid using products that include phthalates, by <a href="http://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1003170" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">eating less processed food</a> that might have absorbed phthalates during production, and by cooking more meals at home.</p>
<p>
<em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/stephanie-eick-1212588" target="_blank">Stephanie Eick</a> is a Postdoctoral Researcher in Reproductive Health, University of California, San Francisco.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Disclosure statement: Stephanie Eick does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-are-phthalates-and-how-do-they-put-childrens-health-at-risk-155841" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.</em>
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Gavin Newsom Sued for 'Completely Unacceptable' Approval of Oil and Gas Projects in California
25 February
Politics
California Gov. Gavin Newsom tours the Chevron oil field west of Bakersfield, where a spill of more than 900,000 gallons flowed into a dry creek bed, on July 24, 2019. Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
By Brett Wilkins
Accusing California regulators of "reckless disregard" for public "health and safety," the environmental advocacy group Center for Biological Diversity on Wednesday sued the administration of Gov. Gavin Newsom for approving thousands of oil and gas drilling and fracking projects without the required environmental review.
<p>The <a href="https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/climate_law_institute/pdfs/Center-v-CalGEM-Complaint.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">lawsuit</a> claims that the California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) failed to adequately analyze environmental and health risks before issuing fossil fuel extraction permits, as required by law. According to the suit, California regulators approved nearly 2,000 new oil and gas permits without proper environmental review.</p><p>"CalGEM routinely violates its duty to conduct an initial study and further environmental review for any new oil and gas well drilling, well stimulation, or injection permits and approvals," the suit alleges. "Instead, CalGEM repeatedly and consistently issues permits and approvals for oil and gas drilling, well stimulation, and injection projects without properly disclosing, analyzing, or mitigating the significant environmental impacts of these projects."</p>
<div id="18713" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2a09e4b10fa749c78e24fe406333d693"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1364658901313060865" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">We took Gov. Newsom to court for granting new oil and gas permits w/o environmental review.
"The governor is openl… https://t.co/AAShi3a1rm</div> — Center for Bio Div (@Center for Bio Div)<a href="https://twitter.com/CenterForBioDiv/statuses/1364658901313060865">1614195010.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The center noted that "despite Gov. Newsom's progressive rhetoric on climate change, he has failed to curb California's dirty and carbon-intensive oil and gas production."</p><p>"His regulators continue to issue thousands of permits without review, and the governor has refused to act on his stated desire to ban fracking," the group said in a <a href="https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/newsom-administration-sued-over-thousands-of-unlawful-oil-gas-projects-2021-02-24/" target="_blank">statement</a>. "Newsom's regulators also failed to meet the governor's deadline to publish a draft health-and-safety rule after vowing to do so before the end of 2020."</p><p>Last September, as deadly climate-driven wildfires <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/09/08/what-climate-crisis-looks-fires-have-now-burned-record-2-million-acres-california" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ravaged</a> large swaths of California and turned skies in the San Francisco Bay Area an <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/09/10/green-new-deal-or-blood-red-apocalypse-your-choice-dems-urged-embrace-bold-climate" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">apocalyptic shade of orange</a>, Newsom <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/09/23/ban-fracking-calif-now-not-2024-say-climate-groups-following-newsom-order-phase-out" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">called on</a> the Democrat-controlled state legislature to stop issuing new fracking permits by 2024, drawing widespread rebuke from climate campaigners who argued that now is the time to act.</p>
<p>Hollin Kretzmann, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity's Climate Law Institute, said Wednesday that "it is completely unacceptable for Gov. Newsom to continue to ignore our flagship environmental law that's meant to protect people from oil industry pollution."</p><p>"Newsom can't protect our health and climate while giving thousands of illegal permits each year to this dirty and dangerous industry," Kretzmann added. "We need the courts to step in and stop this."</p><p>Deborah Sivas, director of the Environmental Law Clinic at Stanford Law School and an attorney representing the Center for Biological Diversity in the lawsuit, said that "state laws are designed to protect communities and minimize pollution."</p><p>"The state can't continue to pretend these fundamental protections don't apply to one of the most polluting and dangerous industries on the planet," added Sivas.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/02/24/avowed-climate-champion-gavin-newsom-sued-completely-unacceptable-approval-oil-and" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em><br/></p>From Your Site Articles
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Low-income Texans, especially those of color, disproportionately bore the burdens of the state's power grid failure that left them huddling for warmth, and dying, without heat in poorly insulated homes.
<p>Authorities across the state prioritized keeping electricity on for critical facilities like hospitals, meaning that the generally wealthier, and whiter, communities that shared those facilities' circuits also had power. This meant that those with limited resources to relocate or take shelter in a hotel were those most likely to lose their power, most likely to lose income from hourly-wage jobs, and least able to pay to replenish the food that spoiled in their refrigerators and freezers, never mind the cost of repairing burst water pipes. </p>
<p>Food shortages were also most pronounced in poor Black and Hispanic communities where food deserts are common. Communities of color and poorer communities are also frequently short-changed when it comes to post-disaster aid. "We continue to be the victims of social injustice, food injustice, systemic racism — all of it," Gloria Vera-Bedolla, a Latina community organizer, told Vox. Bera-Bedolla's neighborhood on the <a href="https://twitter.com/TerriG_KVUE/status/1361505736749166594?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1361505736749166594%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fstory%2Fnews%2Fnation%2F2021%2F02%2F20%2Ftexas-ice-storm-blackouts-minorities-hardest-hit-recovery%2F4507638001%2F&utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112509857&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8mKpchj-pL0w3dc2sQh0XkVLdKRbZ10NToWsP0NEwqHcsbCd-yqAfBK56Xz9Hq2PyLEAhgq0ZQ857BzNd0ef4n7agm6g&utm_content=112509857&utm_source=hs_email" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">east sid</a><a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/tc/VVmxB565Fc_gW6_XPR17VSkvWW5g6HvJ4npdmwN3hBC6D7m49QV5X_Kf7CgZG8W82cjNP2rDkpkW5QxJ5X5Y0NWrW16QdCD6kMg5mW8WhC2p4LP3c_W1gyHlH6HgJQ-W85dRC_8XznHfW3XM7DB6YvpfpW5XnPcp71czHSW6VlZzN2K215HW21ngRC87BxSdW5QhSvH3ssFVJN36fMlGXkrtGW7G1Wzz5bZ5dbW5cLrxd8LVMLhVqjwPf4GbL2VW8qdbG_70YPQRN2VFd9fX6lqpN6vV5HbvDvZTW6lc32h7qvnPPW3BfxN461YBxXN7Nbfn0K3CgDW6j6tLf1B1HD5W6jdYyq6CP98BW13gCh2803jJ2VnCd9f4LkRHNW8L9T2H2JLFQ6W76cVGQ44wH3zVBQqFw7qWG1yW2vDNsG8V9g57W4w5WmV5m1FNcW58NKs71p-GBqW5cctTw541Hh6W1dDj7K4GCbL4W5m3nNd6XCnccW6_Hzbh8hTr-9N2crqVv9r-JrW4kp9T55f9Jc-W3DMqcq3b9K-mW2trbHY1QP18VMFcj-d88sW6W7rlKwb3FHzCpW93l0Tb5PBrfrN7jxX-QxwDhmN4h4s8MgfX7JW5z4MTt1BH1r8W2SPrrL1qT6n9W63PnMZ4l1KmcW51F8-t7Z8Hw2VntSqW8M5fKFW5hz4Q_5r0-GsVTpmXR6SPTWdN8mnrmKJ_T-HN3Mpg8WbvhsZVhTd7Z2MFs2ZW54jv5P5GNkm9W6P26nJ6MGj9jVPLTQD6bbllXW2xhbZW7P3xWF3psq1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">e of I-35</a> is home to a vast share of Austin's Black and Hispanic populations. "We're fighting these systems that were not made for the success of Black and Brown people," she said. </p>
<p>As reported by the <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/19/Texas-winter-storm-suffering-inequities/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112509857&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9h_LoY4_xfQuEMDG__k6thifOJY3yXVIoX1k_ADNxzPZHOtOu4C0mCOG68RXQ3qMIpNjy3EVpz5uzMiLFJIqKCxCAzTQ&utm_content=112509857&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Texas Tribune</a>:</p><blockquote>In the days after widespread power outages roiled the state, community advocates and local leaders repeatedly drew the parallels between what they'd learned so far about the storm's toll on Texans of color and the pandemic's disproportionate devastation on mostly Black and Hispanic communities. Even as more than half of the deaths due to COVID-19 have been Black or Hispanic people, advocates have reported that these communities <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2021/01/09/texas-coronavirus-vaccine-racial-inequality/?_ga=2.160355901.1070494848.1613488591-2120297488.1589483561" target="_blank">have fallen behind in the vaccination efforts</a>.</blockquote><blockquote>"We know that historically the communities that are marginalized tend to be the ones that are hit the hardest, whether we talk about COVID-19 or power outages," said Jaime Resendez, a city council member who represents the predominantly Hispanic southeast portion of Dallas. "If history serves as a guide, these communities could also be the last ones to get the attention and service that they need.</blockquote>
<p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong><br/></p><p><a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/19/Texas-winter-storm-suffering-inequities/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112509857&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9h_LoY4_xfQuEMDG__k6thifOJY3yXVIoX1k_ADNxzPZHOtOu4C0mCOG68RXQ3qMIpNjy3EVpz5uzMiLFJIqKCxCAzTQ&utm_content=112509857&utm_source=hs_email" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Texas Tribune</a>, <a href="https://www.vox.com/identities/22292513/texas-storm-freeze-minority-community-austin?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112509857&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9KaNrqrrazqvmmxli_fGPI5Yi23wQaNHARDay58TsMiNvPpGP16ssON0aH735T1HLCELlMO1bRqI_scUySzpnz3JGTDQ&utm_content=112509857&utm_source=hs_email" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Vox</a>, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/02/20/texas-ice-storm-blackouts-minorities-hardest-hit-recovery/4507638001/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112509857&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9xih6USCsQSa4IXIKq8ydIQX2oEjBa8WOYMEAcgYpP-yd2mU_sXkpn_bZPsXbGgV2cgH4iiXH9Xu2OOzVNekWcjYgHHg&utm_content=112509857&utm_source=hs_email" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">USA Today</a>, <a href="https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/article/Freeze-adds-another-layer-of-woe-for-struggling-15967873.php?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112509857&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9jZHMeH-gC2pqBLSGeIPz0Dvkch_CVAh-Fwi-U4tuurCY2zM0snHRmsJ16ytq5853Q8v4x17NlXw50S2GZZapgFdM65Q&utm_content=112509857&utm_source=hs_email" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Houston Chronicle</a>, <a href="https://www.eenews.net/energywire/2021/02/23/stories/1063725725?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=112509857&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--XzbIxfL6aU0mOlTxOLzThOt0wOMudPbhKJBUgyrDVyVuvLLcWwJas1eN4ZwPU2dITawBAN5TVhvvzLodtpItcCYRNoA&utm_content=112509857&utm_source=hs_email" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">E&E</a></p><p><em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>climate change</em></a><em> and </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/business/renewables/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>clean energy</em></a><em> news, you can follow Climate Nexus on </em><a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateNexus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Twitter</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClimateNexus/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, sign up for daily </em><a href="https://www.linktrack.live/hot-news-sign-up" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>, and visit their news site, </em><a href="https://nexusmedianews.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Nexus Media News</em></a><em>.</em></p>
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Use of Disinfectants Has Soared, Sparking New Examination of Ingredients
22 February
Health + Wellness
Steve Carrara, head custodian for Dr. Philip O. Coakley Middle School in Norwood, cleans school buses with disinfectant as a precaution against the coronavirus on March 8, 2020 in Norwood, MA. Jessica Rinaldi / The Boston Globe / Getty Images
By Casey Crownhart
Disinfectant use has exploded during the coronavirus pandemic as people try to keep their hands and surfaces clean. But one family of cleaning chemicals is receiving scrutiny for potential health concerns.
<p>Quats, or quaternary ammonium compounds, are charged molecules that can kill bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Quats are effective disinfectants, but some researchers are raising alarm given recent research on the compounds' possible human health and environmental effects, including fertility issues, endocrine disruption, occupational asthma, marine toxicity, and potential to spur antibiotic-resistant bacteria.</p><p>And, while industry defends quats as safe, some states are taking notice and looking into regulations.</p>
<p><br/></p>
Bacterial Resistance
<p>The pandemic has increased demand for products like Lysol wipes that use quats as active ingredients: sales of Lysol wipes were <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/16/ceo-of-durex-condom-maker-intimate-occasions-down-during-pandemic.html" target="_blank">up</a> nearly 50 percent in spring of 2020 compared to 2019. Other cleaning products are also in high demand — aerosol disinfectant <a href="https://www.jpmorgan.com/solutions/cib/research/covid-spending-habits" target="_blank">sales as a whole have doubled</a> in 2020 in the U.S., a large fraction of which also contain quats.</p><p>All those additional sales mean quats are becoming more present in the environment. "We're in an era now where the concentration [of quats] is certainly higher than ever before," William Arnold, an environmental engineer at the University of Minnesota, told EHN. He published a <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.estlett.0c00437" target="_blank">paper</a> in June that revealed an increased load of quats may be ending up in wastewater plants, with some worrisome implications. Quats can end up in wastewater plants after they're flushed down the drain — at the levels of use during the pandemic, some plants can't keep up, so quats have the potential to pollute waterways. There, they might disrupt marine food chains, as quats have been found to be <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0269749115302025?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">toxic</a> to small invertebrates like plankton in lakes.</p><p>The ingredients also may be spurring antibiotic-resistant germs, Arnold said.</p><p>Bacteria are constantly working to shore up their defenses against the antiseptics we use. "We've had an 80- or 90-year head start, but we really need to keep innovating" to stay ahead of microbial evolution, <a href="http://kminbiol.clasit.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kevin Minbiole</a>, a Villanova University chemist who studies how quats affect bacteria and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7233851/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">viruses,</a> told EHN.</p><p>Quats work like spears, penetrating the shell on the outside of a bacteria or virus. But some bacteria are getting better at recognizing quats and getting rid of them, or becoming resistant, said Minbiole. He and his collaborator, Emory University chemist William Wuest, are experimenting with new antimicrobial ingredients and recently <a href="https://patents.google.com/patent/US20200277263A1/en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">patented their own quats</a> that can mount multiple attacks on a single microbe. These quats are likely even more effective antiseptics than current quats on the market, but the new chemicals haven't yet been tested for safety, so it's not clear how their health or environmental impacts might differ, or not, from current quats, according to Wuest.</p><p>But the germs may be one step ahead. As they encounter quats and other antiseptics, bacteria can develop broad, rather than specific, resistance. These new bacterial shields, which evolved to block attacks by antiseptics, might also protect them against other threats, including the antibiotic medications doctors prescribe to help fight serious infections.</p><p>It's called cross resistance: when changes bacteria make to get around one threat make them better suited to survive other threats, too. "Those changes make bacteria capable of surviving different compounds, different chemicals that it hasn't seen before," <a href="http://tagkopouloslab.ucdavis.edu/?author=8" target="_blank">Beatriz Pereira</a>, a recent graduate student in microbiology from University of California, Davis, told EHN.</p><p>In lab experiments, Pereira has seen bacteria develop resistance to certain quats, even when she only exposes them to low concentrations of the chemicals. The bacteria shore up their defenses, strengthening their outer membrane — a good way to develop cross resistance to other chemicals as well. It's not clear whether bacteria are yet developing resistance in the wild in response to current levels of quat pollution, or even how much quat pollution currently exists. But to Pereira, these lab experiments alongside a growing <a href="https://aem.asm.org/content/85/13/e00377-19.full" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">body of evidence</a> suggest that the best way to respond to the problem of antibiotic resistance may be not to develop new quats, which might cause the same problem of antibiotic resistance eventually, but to reconsider whether we should be using them at all, at least in some products.</p>
Birth Defects and Infertility
<p><a href="https://www.vcom.edu/people/theresa-hrubec" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Theresa Hrubec</a>, a biologist at Virginia Tech and the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, has also been publishing work on the potential risks of quats — work that started by accident. While she was using mice to study potential side effects of medications, she noticed that some mice in her control group, the mice that weren't exposed to any medication, were developing birth defects. After ruling out the possibility that she had switched the groups, she found a potential explanation: the facility had recently started using quats to disinfect her lab. The floors were mopped daily, the walls wiped down weekly, and anytime a box of mice was opened, it was wiped down with disinfectant. The mice were all being unintentionally dosed with quats, Hrubec told EHN. And she wasn't the only researcher who had seen problems with mice and quat disinfectants: <a href="https://smb.wsu.edu/faculty-trainees-and-staff/faculty/profile/pat-hunt" target="_blank">Patricia Hunt</a>, a researcher at Washington State University, had seen similar problems with her mice.</p><p>Hrubec and Hunt have since published several studies that link quats to health problems in mice, from <a href="https://www.ehn.org/the_cost_of_clean_disinfectants_cause_birth_defects_in_baby_mice-2497174322.html" target="_blank">birth defects</a> to <a href="https://www.ehn.org/quats-quagmire-common-disinfectants-cause-reproductive-problems-in-mice-study-says-2569921664.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">decreases in fertility</a>. For each of the studies, mice were fed a mixture of two common quat disinfectants at high doses for several weeks before being examined for either fetal birth defects or signs of decreased fertility.</p><p>Mice that were exposed to quats were more likely to develop neural tube defects, an early-stage birth defect. And doses of quats decreased the number and size of litters born as well.</p><p>How exactly quats might cause birth defects is still unknown, according to Hrubec. She has a few theories. Endocrine disruption might be to blame — Gino Cortopassi, who collaborated with Hrubec, found that one quat, although not the same chemical Hrubec used in her research, can <a href="https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/10.1289/ehp1404" target="_blank">bind to hormone receptors</a>. The same lab also found that quats appear to affect how <a href="https://iovs.arvojournals.org/article.aspx?articleid=2623337" target="_blank">mitochondria function</a>, which can cause a litany of problems in cells.</p><p>Inflammation might be another possible explanation. Quats are suspected to cause occupational asthma — exposure to a toxic or irritating chemical that results in lung inflammation. Japanese researchers <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19762220/" target="_blank">found in 2010</a> that mice exposed to quats at high concentrations by inhalation saw cell death and increased levels of inflammation. However, human studies observing quat exposure and occupational asthma <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31832071/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">have had mixed results,</a> with some researchers arguing that quat exposure hasn't been definitively linked with lung problems.</p><p>Most of the research by Hrubec and her collaborators is done in mice, so quats may not have the same effects on humans. Figuring out how quats might be impacting humans is a much more complicated job. In a <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.07.15.20154963v1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">pre-print</a>, published last year but not yet reviewed by outside experts for accuracy, Hrubec and her collaborators performed a monitoring study of a small group, 43 people. They detected quats in 80 percent of the study participants, and quat levels in the blood were associated with higher levels of inflammation and decreased mitochondrial function. The results are still preliminary, but it is among the first research to attempt monitoring quat levels in humans.</p>Dose Disagreement
<p>Not everyone agrees about how the research is being done. In a<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25500365/" target="_blank"> letter to the editor</a> in response to one of Hrubec's<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25483128/" target="_blank"> early studies</a>, Keith Hostetler, an industry representative, raised concerns about the experiment's design. One critique was the dose level — according to Hostetler, the level of disinfectant fed to the mice would be the equivalent of a 155-pound adult drinking about 1.5 quarts of disinfecting solution daily.</p><p>But toxicology studies are pretty typically performed with high doses at first, before being extrapolated down to more realistic doses, according to<a href="https://patisaullab.wordpress.ncsu.edu/" target="_blank"> Heather Patisaul</a>, a biologist at North Carolina State University who studies toxicological effects of hormone-disrupting compounds. She was not involved in Hrubec's studies.</p><p>"Complaining that the dose is too high and the sample size is too low is a common industry response," Patisaul told EHN via email. In this case, she said the dosage was particularly high for some groups. However, Patisaul also notes that Hrubec saw birth defects in fetuses when the father was fed less than 1/15 the dose Hostetler mentioned, which she said is more compelling evidence that quats might cause harm.</p><p>Still, "neither [dose] is anywhere near a human-relevant range," Patisaul said, so the results do not definitively show that quats could harm human health with normal levels of use.</p><p>The doses were high in order to determine whether quats warrant more research, said Hrubec, adding that many mice that were not fed quats, but were merely present in rooms where quats were used, were also found to develop birth defects. To her, this suggests that the disinfectants present in the lab from regular disinfecting were still enough to trigger health problems.</p>States Take Notice
<p>Hrubec has been a constant figure at regulatory meetings on quats. She presented her research during a<a href="https://biomonitoring.ca.gov/events/biomonitoring-california-scientific-guidance-panel-meeting-march-2020" target="_blank"> March 2020 meeting</a> with California's Biomonitoring Program. During the meeting, other researchers also presented data on quat's potential for causing<a href="https://biomonitoring.ca.gov/sites/default/files/downloads/WRAPPcomments030420.pdf" target="_blank"> occupational asthma</a> and <a href="https://biomonitoring.ca.gov/sites/default/files/downloads/Xu030420.pdf" target="_blank">endocrine disruption</a>.</p><p>After considering data from researchers and industry, the advisory panel for Biomonitoring California voted unanimously to add quats to the list of chemicals that could be considered for biomonitoring studies, and they plan to discuss quats as potential high-priority chemicals in March 2021, according to<a href="https://agency.calepa.ca.gov/staffdirectory/detail.asp?UID=61347&BDO=6&VW=DET" target="_blank"> Shoba Iyer</a>, a toxicologist for the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment who works with the biomonitoring program.</p><p>The program's board does not have the authority to ban quats — the purpose of adding quats to the monitoring list and completing biomonitoring studies is to learn more about chemical exposures and inform public health policies and regulations, Iyer told EHN.</p><p>Officials from one agency in Massachusetts also have their eye on quats — and they say the pandemic and the resulting increase in disinfectant use has caused them to examine the chemicals more closely. "That's why we finally decided to take up [quats], because people are using it constantly to try to keep themselves and their workers and customers safe," <a href="https://www.turi.org/About/Staff_List/Harriman_Liz" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Liz Harriman</a>, Deputy Director of the Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI) in Massachusetts, told EHN.</p><p>Massachusetts state law requires companies that manufacture certain chemicals, or use them to make products, to report use levels of the chemicals and submit plans for safe use. The Scientific Advisory Board for TURI makes recommendations to state agencies on which chemicals to examine, and they are focusing on two classes of quats, both of which are used in surface cleaners, according to<a href="https://www.turi.org/About/Staff_List/Tenney_Heather" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Heather Tenney</a>, who heads the board.</p><p>In January, the advisory board discussed several categories of research on quats, including birth defects and respiratory conditions like<a href="https://erj.ersjournals.com/content/38/Suppl_55/p4936" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> asthma</a>, as well as<a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.estlett.0c00437" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> environmental effects</a> of quats like the potential for microbial resistance. The board did not reach a vote, and will reconvene in March to continue discussing potential action on quats.</p><p>Hostetler, the industry representative who has published letters challenging Hrubec's research, also presented at both the March Biomonitoring California presentation and the TURI meeting in January. At the TURI board meeting, he emphasized that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has independently concluded that quats do not have effects on developmental or reproductive health, based on tests that follow agency guidelines.</p><p>Manufacturers maintain that their disinfecting products available for purchase have been tested extensively. "They've done a lot of research on their formulations. What they put on the market, they know to be safe and efficacious," James Kim, a Vice President of the American Cleaning Institute, a trade organization that represents manufacturers, told EHN.</p>Alternatives Are Available
<p>Despite increased attention from states, quats will likely remain available on the market in surface disinfectants for the foreseeable future. But for consumers looking to avoid quats in their <a href="https://www.ehn.org/how-to-shop-for-cleaning-products-while-avoiding-toxics-2648130273.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">cleaning supplies</a>, alternatives are available.</p><p>"Given the huge concern for reproductive toxicity and birth defects in humans, it really makes sense to take a precautionary approach,"<a href="https://www.ewg.org/experts/samara-geller.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Samara Geller</a>, a research analyst for Environmental Working Group (EWG), an advocacy organization that pushes for regulation of chemicals in consumer products, told EHN.</p><p>While a large portion of disinfectants on the market include either quats or bleach as their main ingredient, there are other options available. Geller said EWG recommends products that contain citric acid, lactic acid, or hydrogen peroxide as their main ingredients. EWG also publishes <a href="http://ewg.org/guides/cleaners/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a guide</a> to cleaning products that aggregates safety data where consumers can check for options.</p><p>Consumers can reference the EPA's <a href="https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectants-coronavirus-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">list </a>of disinfectants that are expected to be effective against coronavirus, which lists products by active ingredient.</p><p>Liz Harriman, the Massachusetts TURI official, said she also urges the public to consider alternative products to those that contain quats. "It's not so much that we're dead set against quats," said Harriman, "But if there are safer alternatives you can use to accomplish the same thing, why wouldn't you use those?"</p><p><em>Reposted with permission from </em><em><a href="https://www.ehn.org/quats-health-covid-disinfectant-2650608215.html" target="_blank">Environmental Health News</a>.</em></p>
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A neighborhood that flooded during Hurricane Harvey near the Motiva refinery flaring in Port Arthur, Texas on Aug. 26, 2020. Michael Stravato / for The Washington Post via Getty Images
By Brett Wilkins
Texas oil refineries released hundreds of thousands of pounds of pollutants including benzene, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, and sulfur dioxide into the air as they scrambled to shut down during last week's deadly winter storm, Reuters reported Sunday.
<p>Winter storm Uri, which <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/19/texas-power-outage-winter-storm-deaths/" target="_blank">killed</a> dozens of people and cut off power to over four million Texans at its peak, also disrupted supplies needed to keep the state's refineries and petrochemical plants operating. As they shut down, refineries flared — or burned off — gases in order to prevent damage to their processing units.</p><p>According to the Texas Commission on Environment Quality, the five largest refiners emitted nearly 337,000 pounds of pollutants in this manner.</p>
<p>ExxonMobil's Baytown Olefins plant in Baytown released 68,000 tons of carbon monoxide and nearly a ton of benzene in what it called a "safe utilization of the flare system."</p><p>Critics noted, however, that benzene is harmful to bone marrow, red blood cells, and the immune system.</p><p>"There is no safe amount of benzene for human exposure," Sharon Wilson, a researcher at the advocacy group Earthworks, told Reuters.</p>
<div id="c9b47" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8e087bc318806cfd5b8a2494c188f447"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1363487660971597828" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">The five largest U.S. oil refiners emitted tons of pollutants into the skies over Texas this week, including benzen… https://t.co/yZtlbByZ6U</div> — Reuters (@Reuters)<a href="https://twitter.com/Reuters/statuses/1363487660971597828">1613915765.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Motiva's Port Arthur refinery released 118,100 pounds of pollutants into the air between Feb. 15 and Feb. 18. This was triple the amount of excess emissions the plant reported to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the entire year of 2019.</p><p>Valero's refinery in Port Arthur flared 78,000 pounds of pollutants over 24 hours beginning Feb. 15, while Marathon Petroleum's Galveston Bay refinery released 14,255 pounds in less than five hours that same day.</p><p>Hilton Kelly, who lives in Port Arthur, told Reuters that there were "six or seven flares going at one time."</p><p>Wilson said that the flaring "could have been prevented" by winterizing the refineries.</p><p>"We need someone in the Texas legislature to file a bill requiring the oil and gas industry to thoroughly winterize all their equipment," Wilson <a href="https://earther.gizmodo.com/texas-oil-and-gas-plants-quadruple-air-pollution-as-sys-1846299152" target="_blank">told</a> Earther. "The bill probably won't pass in Texas, but that will create some more scrutiny about it."</p>
<div id="86ff1" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8fd2fac7710d8b3f605704c950e6e4b0"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1363528659458400256" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">“If [the industry] had winterized their equipment, this wouldn’t be happening."
ICYMI: oil & gas "pollution event"… https://t.co/5jHzhVhW2d</div> — Earthworks (@Earthworks)<a href="https://twitter.com/Earthworks/statuses/1363528659458400256">1613925540.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Earther reports that between Feb. 11 and Feb. 18, there were 174 so-called "emissions events" from fossil fuel facilities in Texas, compared to between 37 and 46 such events in weeks before the storm.</p><p>In addition to the previously mentioned pollutants, chemicals released from Texas facilities include over 6,500 pounds of the <a href="https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/roc/content/profiles/isoprene.pdf" target="_blank">carcinogen</a> isoprene from a Shell plant in Deer Park near Houston, as well as an indeterminate amount of methane, which is <a href="https://www.edf.org/climate/methane-other-important-greenhouse-gas" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">84 times more harmful</a> to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide over the short term.</p><p>Wilson told Earther that "in Texas we don't count methane" in pollution reports.</p><p>The release of large amounts of dangerous pollutants during Uri stands in stark contrast with <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/02/17/he-lying-people-are-dying-calls-texas-governor-resign-he-blames-power-outages-wind" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">claims</a> by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott that alternative energy sources such as solar and wind are responsible for Uri's deadly power outages and that the Green New Deal would be a "deadly deal" for the United States.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/02/21/no-safe-amount-environmentalists-sound-alarm-over-texas-refineries-release-hundreds" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em><br/></p>
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Trending
While Texans were burning their furniture and children's toys for warmth, other wider-ranging impacts of the energy crisis precipitated by Arctic temperatures across the U.S. will be felt for years.
<p>In Fulton, Missouri, which serves as a gas utility for its residents, skyrocketing methane gas prices over the last week severely taxed the city's ability to cover the cost. As of Tuesday, the city had spent more than $3 million of its $5 million gas reserve fund. "We know that some of our residents just can't pay these exorbitant prices," a city official told KOMU. </p>
<p>Officials said absent outside relief it will take the city years to replenish the funds. Not everyone is suffering, however. The fracking company owned by Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was able to maintain extraction despite the cold, making the week like "hitting the jackpot," according to its CFO. </p>
<p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong><br/></p><p>Furniture and toys: <a href="https://www.today.com/news/surreal-photos-capture-dangers-cold-snap-across-south-t209378?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=111917289&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_ZGAWcoOc9ZGh0Pa6ZX9LWAoVMlVaVXtr3tu32H9_rt0L9NeIDh_APEMSCYkZ05XX-A_fL4dr17bnCbXjX4vkG_lLi-A&utm_content=111917289&utm_source=hs_email" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">NBC</a>, <a href="https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/dallas-fire-rescue-triples-its-call-load-as-winter-storm-devastates-residents/287-82563b24-8c79-4d0d-84c7-7249ca927c53?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=111917289&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_5kIqXD8VvlwUlc6lFJC4Jzd0Px73tBlF7CWsLLOsoq8tBbYPJduU-fz0XnNqsnNyZP4TSv8jDE1s3duJ0asXrlBx0-w&utm_content=111917289&utm_source=hs_email" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">WFAA</a>, <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/pictures-of-what-texas-is-like?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=111917289&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9HEfRx46UG4BRA3BgTPZDpY4tOOajmvubdCljwgizWONQvfM7z4BYeI8E7wql4zGpYSTCE6Nbzb9v95Glp9T_5gjDx0Q&utm_content=111917289&utm_source=hs_email" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">BuzzFeed</a>; Fulton, MO: <a href="https://www.komu.com/news/midmissourinews/fulton-city-council-to-hold-emergency-meeting-on-natural-gas-and-electricity-costs/article_ebe7ec72-70a6-11eb-b214-43966feef7bd.html?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=111917289&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--oHz6Y5e11Dw2p_CQCqAzW9bVxz0t14m1BBg7Pj2vMT7uyCJ9dFFfDzJuOCg3Xhx2y9A_iAQpYKsIVselU5FwzZk5c3w&utm_content=111917289&utm_source=hs_email" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">KOMU</a>, <a href="https://abc17news.com/news/fulton/2021/02/16/fulton-facing-financial-disaster-as-natural-gas-prices-skyrocket-because-of-frozen-pipes/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=111917289&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9rgOIL-y7TmpxvSDkwFXpNztWHgyIILltpelLqLHLH6FrADQ-yCZvyQgsKd-yKhZMyF-Z0KlxoL1nOIUeeasF_eeNvZw&utm_content=111917289&utm_source=hs_email" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">KMIZ/KOFX</a>, <a href="https://krcgtv.com/news/local/fulton-city-council-meets-amid-natural-gas-price-concerns?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=111917289&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9w-BPleAYVNQdDdQq2oK71HhmlsidlWV_gVr6WQnT40rXjmcxJa4GpvHlkPUHoPwZsyPe_ImctVPjrmeECM_iihwO6qw&utm_content=111917289&utm_source=hs_email" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">KRCG</a>; Jackpot: <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-winter-storms-2021/2021/02/18/969074414/jerry-jones-company-hits-jackpot-as-harsh-storms-send-natural-gas-prices-surging?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=111917289&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8VTgk8Ikg8CXFZ4PD2G7_v7_cum6zcvxz6fD14iGU9sZ9e9kQ_56iYNlwsO6mPBrLS-snBSzfuGcbxFoR47wfgYWUkkA&utm_content=111917289&utm_source=hs_email" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">NPR</a>, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-17/dallas-cowboys-owner-s-gas-driller-hits-jackpot-on-price-surge?sref=oUjKJw8m&utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=111917289&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_idIts1VOdfm7ypchb-_mAL6FoVDjXbcbUJQWu9_z_aPAzhxy_bCBLYaCOGMGxu09ObgMYDWWK7cVwEi6vhJ47PEA78w&utm_content=111917289&utm_source=hs_email" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bloomberg</a></p><p><em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>climate change</em></a><em> and </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/business/renewables/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>clean energy</em></a><em> news, you can follow Climate Nexus on </em><a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateNexus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Twitter</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClimateNexus/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, sign up for daily </em><a href="https://www.linktrack.live/hot-news-sign-up" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>, and visit their news site, </em><a href="https://nexusmedianews.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Nexus Media News</em></a><em>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
- Majority of Voters Support 100 Percent Clean Energy Transition ... ›
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By Michael Svoboda
The COVID-19 pandemic has confirmed again a fundamental truth about the Anthropocene: When disaster strikes, the vulnerable take the hardest punches. Communities of color have suffered much higher rates of infection, hospitalization, and mortality, both because they are disproportionately represented in frontline service positions and because their access to routine healthcare is more limited.
<p><br/></p>
<p>This pattern has long been observed in studies of environmental and climate justice, as the titles in this month's bookshelf show. Vulnerable communities of color face more and more serious exposure to environmental hazards and have more limited access to economic, social, and political remedies.</p><p>In addition to the overviews and historical and regional case studies illustrating and documenting this pattern, this bookshelf feature includes non-governmental organization reports detailing the poor performance of EPA's Superfund program; updating the results of efforts by environmental NGOs and foundations to diversify their organizations; and describing best practices for "covering climate equitably."</p><p>As with previous YCC bookshelves, the abbreviated descriptions of the books and reports listed below are drawn from copy provided by their publishers or issuing organizations. When two dates of publication are listed, the second refers to the release of the paperback edition.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520300743/environmental-justice-in-a-moment-of-danger" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Environmental Justice in a Moment of Danger</a>, by Julie Sze (University of California Press 2020, 160 pages, $18.95 paperback)</p><p><em>We are living in a precarious environmental and political moment. In the US and around the world, environmental injustices have manifested across racial and class divides in devastatingly disproportionate ways. What can we learn from environmental justice struggles? Environmental Justice in a Moment of Danger examines mobilizations and movements, from protests at Standing Rock to activism in Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria. Environmental justice movements fight, survive, love, and create in the face of violence that challenges the conditions of life itself. Exploring dispossession, deregulation, privatization, and inequality, this book is the essential primer on environmental justice, packed with cautiously hopeful stories for the future.</em></p><p><em></em><a href="https://www.littlebrown.com/titles/harriet-a-washington/a-terrible-thing-to-waste/9780316509442/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">A Terrible Thing to Waste: Environmental Racism and Its Assault on the American Mind</a>, by Harriet A. Washington (Little, Brown & Co. 2019/2020, 368 pages, $17.99 paperback)</p><p><em>From injuries caused by lead poisoning to the devastating effects of atmospheric pollution, infectious disease, and industrial waste, Americans of color are harmed by environmental hazards in staggeringly disproportionate numbers. This systemic onslaught causes irreparable physical harm to millions of people. But these deadly environments create another insidious and often overlooked consequence: robbing communities of color of intellectual power. Science writer Harriet A. Washington investigates heavy metals, neurotoxins, bad nutrition, and even pathogens as agents influencing intelligence to explain why communities of color are disproportionately affected. A Terrible Thing to Waste is sure to outrage, transform, and inspire debate.</em></p>
<p><a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674971714" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Katrina: A History, 1915-2015</a>, by Andy Horowitz (Harvard University Press 2020, 296 pages, $35.00)</p><p><em>Hurricane Katrina made landfall in New Orleans on August 29, 2005, but the decisions that caused the disaster extend across the twentieth century. After the city weathered a major hurricane in 1915, its Board believed that developers could safely build housing in lowlands. When the flawed levee system surrounding the city and its suburbs failed, these were the neighborhoods that were devastated. Andy Horowitz investigates the response to the flood, and he explores how the profits and liabilities created by Louisiana's oil industry have been distributed unequally. Laying bare the relationship between structural inequality and physical infrastructure Katrina offers a chilling glimpse of the future disasters we are already creating.</em></p><p><em></em><a href="https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300232158/climate-change-streets" target="_blank">Climate Change from the Streets: How Conflict and Collaboration Strengthen the Environmental Justice Movement</a>, by Michael Mendez (Yale University Press 2020, 304 pages, $30.00)</p><p><em>Environmental planner Michael Méndez tells a timely story of people, place, and power in the context of climate change and inequality. He explores the perspectives and influence low income people of color bring to their advocacy work on climate change. In California, activist groups have galvanized behind issues such as air pollution, poverty alleviation, and green jobs to advance equitable climate solutions at the local, state, and global levels. Arguing that environmental protection and improving public health are inextricably linked, Mendez contends that we must incorporate local knowledge, culture, and history into policymaking to fully address the global complexities of climate change and the real threats facing our local communities.</em></p>
<p><a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674984653" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Unsustainable Inequalities: Social Justice and the Environment</a>, by Lucas Channel (Harvard University Press 2020, 184 pages, $29.95)</p><p><em>Can we fight poverty and inequality while protecting the environment? The challenges are obvious. To rise out of poverty is to consume more resources, almost by definition. And many measures to combat pollution lead to job losses and higher prices that mainly hurt the poor. In Unsustainable Inequalities, economist Lucas Chancel confronts these difficulties head-on. She begins by reviewing the problems. Human actions have put the natural world under unprecedented pressure. The poor are least to blame yet suffer the most. But policy pioneers worldwide are charting a way forward. The rare work that combines the skills of an economist with the rigor of a philosopher, Unsustainable Inequalities shows that there is still hope.</em></p><p><em></em><a href="https://islandpress.org/books/revolutionary-power" target="_blank">Revolutionary Power: An Activist's Guide to the Energy Transition</a>, by Shalanda H. Baker (Island Press 2021, 224 pages, $32.00 paperback)</p><p><em>In September 2017, Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, completely upending the energy grid of the brown and black US citizens who call the island home. Revolutionary Power arms those made most vulnerable by our current energy system with the tools they need to remake the system in the service of their humanity. In it, Shalanda Baker tells the stories of those who have been left behind, drawing from her experience as an energy-justice advocate, a lawyer, and a queer woman of color to inspire activists working to build our new energy system. This unique moment in history provides an unprecedented opening for a deeper transformation of the energy system, and, thus, an opportunity to transform society. Revolutionary Power shows us how.</em></p>
<p><a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/contamination-earth" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Contamination of the Earth: A History of Pollutions in the Industrial Age</a>, by Francois Jarrige and Thomas Le Roux (The MIT Press 2020, 480 pages, $39.95)</p><p><em>The Contamination of the Earth offers a social and political history of industrial pollution, mapping its trajectories over three centuries, from the toxic wastes of early tanneries to the fossil fuel energy regime of the twentieth century. The authors describe how, from 1750 onward, polluted water and air came to be seen as inevitable side effects of industrialization. By the 19th century, pollutants became constituent elements of modernity. The 20th century saw new and massive scales of pollution, in part due to a lifestyle defined by consumption. In the 1970s, pollution became a political issue, but efforts to regulate it often fell short. Viewing the history of pollution though a political lens, the authors offer lessons for the future of the industrial world.</em></p><p><em></em><a href="https://thenewpress.com/books/waste" target="_blank">Waste: One Woman's Fight Against America's Dirty Secret</a>, by Catherine Coleman Flowers (New Press 2020, 224 pages, $25.99)</p><p><em>MacArthur "genius" Catherine Coleman Flowers grew up in Lowndes County, Alabama, a place often called "Bloody Lowndes" because of its violent, racist history. Once the epicenter of the voting rights struggle, today it's Ground Zero for a movement that is Flowers's life's work. It's a fight to ensure human dignity through a right most Americans take for granted: basic sanitation. Too many people, especially the rural poor, lack an affordable means of disposing cleanly of the waste from their toilets. Flowers calls this America's dirty secret. In Waste, Flowers tells the story of the systemic prejudices that foster these Third World conditions. She shows how sanitation is too big a problem to ignore as climate change brings sewage to more backyards.</em></p>
<p><a href="https://environmentamerica.org/reports/amc/superfund-underfunded" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Superfund Underfunded: How Taxpayers Have Been Left with a Toxic Financial Burden</a>, by Jillian Gordner (US PIRG/Environment America 2021, 174 pages, free download available <a href="https://environmentamerica.org/sites/environment/files/reports/USP_AME_SuperfundUnderfunded_1_0.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>)</p><p><em>In 1980, Congress passed the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, informally called Superfund, to hold polluters responsible for cleaning up contaminated waste sites or clean up the sites themselves if no responsible party could afford the cleanup. Originally funded by a tax on petro-chemical industries that expired in 1995, money for the Superfund program now comes primarily through general revenues. But as appropriations decreased over the past two decades, cleanup has slowed. From 1999 to 2020, annual appropriations decreased by more than a billion dollars. In FY 2020, EPA started or completed the fewest cleanup actions in the history of the Superfund program—putting more people at risk.</em></p><p><em></em><a href="https://www.palgrave.com/us/book/9783030279646#aboutBook" target="_blank">Struggles for Climate Justice: Uneven Geographies and the Politics of Connection</a>, by Brandon Derman (Palgrave Macmillan 2020, 261 pages, $74.99 soft cover)</p><p><em>How should we understand campaigns for climate justice? What do these initiatives share, and what differentiates them? What, in fact, does "climate justice" mean in these contexts? And what do the framing and progression of such efforts in different settings suggest about the broader conditions that produce and sustain climate injustice, how those conditions could be unmade, and what might take their place? In Struggles for Climate Justice, environmental studies professor Brandon Derman approaches these questions from an interdisciplinary perspective accessible to graduate and advanced undergraduate students as well as scholars of geography, social movements, environmental politics, policy, and socio-legal studies.</em></p>
<p><a href="https://diversegreen.org/transparency-cards/2020-ngo-foundation-report/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The 2020 NGO and Foundation Transparency Report</a>, by Staff of Green 2.0 (Diverse Green 2021, 101 pages, free download <a href="https://diversegreen.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/green-2.0-2020-transparency-report-card.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>)</p><p><em>For the fourth year in a row, Green 2.0 – an independent advocacy campaign to increase racial and ethnic diversity within the mainstream environmental movement – presents diversity data from the movement's most influential non-profit organizations ("NGOs") and foundations. The 2020 Green 2.0 Transparency Report Card reflects data collected from the 40 largest NGOs and 40 largest foundations on the number of women and people of color on their full-time staffs, senior staffs, and boards. This year's results are colored by two major national news events – the COVID-19 pandemic and the nationwide protests over racial justice – that likely influenced the participation we received. Green 2.0 hopes to add more groups to this list in future years.</em></p><p><em></em><a href="https://thesolutionsproject.org/tools/covering-climate/" target="_blank">Covering Climate Equitably: A Guide for Journalists</a>, by Erica Priggen Wright, Vanice Dunn, Katie Parrish, and Benjamin Gass (The Solutions Project with Conspire for Good and Provoc 2020, 36 pages, free download available <a href="https://thesolutionsproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/The-Solutions-Project-Covering-Climate-Equitably-A-Guide-for-Journalists.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>)</p><p><em>Years of environmental justice research reveals that people of color and low-income communities are disproportionately affected by pollution and climate change. But when The Solutions Project and Conspire for Good reviewed over <a href="https://thesolutionsproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/2019-RENEWABLE-ENERGY-NARRATIVE-TRENDS-2.pdf" target="_blank">2,300 renewable energy articles</a> in 2019, they found that only 2% of the articles referenced communities of color, down from 7% in 2018, and only 6% of the articles talked about issues of equity or justice. Covering Climate Equitably: A Guide for Journalists includes tips on looking at potential stories through an equity lens and handling some common challenges. It also includes a glossary of terms, guidance on language choices, lists of sources and contacts, and case studies that show how to produce outstanding stories.</em></p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2021/02/new-books-reports-on-environmental-and-climate-justice/" target="_blank">Yale Climate Connections</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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How the Texas Electricity System Produced Low-Cost Power but Left Residents Out in the Cold
19 February
Insights + Opinion
A homeless camp under a bridge on I-35 in Austin, Texas on Feb. 17, 2021 as millions of Texans were still without water and electric during winter storms. Montinique Monroe / Getty Images
By Theodore J. Kury
Americans often take electricity for granted – until the lights go out. The recent cold wave and storm in Texas have placed considerable focus on the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, the nonprofit corporation that manages the flow of electricity to more than 26 million Texans. Together, ERCOT and similar organizations manage about 60% of the U.S. power supply.
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<p>From my research on the <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=yxN_35oAAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">structure of the U.S. electricity industry</a>, I know that rules set by entities like ERCOT have major effects on Americans' energy choices. The current power crunch in Texas and other affected states highlights the delicate balancing act that's involved in providing safe, reliable electricity service at fair, reasonable rates. It also shows how arcane features of energy markets can have big effects at critical moments.</p>
<h3>Let There Be Light</h3><p>The <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/88630/empires-of-light-by-jill-jonnes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">electric age</a> began in 1882 when the Edison Illuminating Company sent power over wires to 59 customers in lower Manhattan from its Pearl Street Generating Station. Edison was America's first investor-owned electric utility – a company that generated electricity, moved it over transmission lines and delivered it to individual customers.</p><p>The scope and scale of electric utilities grew rapidly from those humble beginnings, but this underlying, vertically integrated structure remained intact for more than 100 years. Each utility had a monopoly on serving customers in its area and reported to a <a href="https://www.naruc.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">public utility commission</a>, which told the company what rates it could charge.</p><p>Since the utilities knew more about their costs and abilities than anyone else, the burden was on regulators to decide whether the utility was operating efficiently. <a href="https://www.raponline.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/rap-lazar-electricityregulationintheus-guide-2011-03.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Regulators also determined</a> whether the costs that utilities proposed to pass on to customers – such as building new generating plants – were just and reasonable.</p>
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<h3>The Lines Get Tangled</h3><p>Things grew complicated in 1996 when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued <a href="https://www.ferc.gov/industries-data/electric/industry-activities/open-access-transmission-tariff-oatt-reform/history-oatt-reform/order-no-888" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Order 888</a>, allowing states to restructure their electric power industries to promote more competition. Through the actions, or inaction, of individual state legislatures, the U.S. electricity market fractured.</p><p>Some states, primarily in the Southeast and the West, maintained the vertically integrated structure. The rest of the nation moved to a market structure in which generators compete to sell their electricity.</p><p>Regions created new independent organizations – known as independent system operators or regional transmission organizations – to regulate the flow of power on the grid. In these regions, generators compete to sell their electricity, and organizations called <a href="https://www.potomaceconomics.com/markets-monitored/ercot/" target="_blank">market monitors</a> make sure that generators follow the rules. This approach created power markets that prioritize generating electricity at the lowest possible price.</p>
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In the Southeast, Southwest and Northwest U.S., traditional utilities generate electricity and deliver it to customers. Other regions, including Texas, have moved to competitive power markets run by Independent System Operators, or ISOs. FERC
<h3>An Imperative to Keep Prices Low</h3><p>What do these changes mean for electricity customers in regions with competitive power markets? The companies that deliver power over wires to homes and businesses still have to get their prices approved by regulators, but the system works differently for the businesses that generate that power.</p><p>Generators offer their electricity, typically at a particular price each hour, on exchanges run by market operators like ERCOT. Those operators figure out how much electricity is needed across the regions they serve and choose the lowest-cost bidders to supply it.</p><p>If a generating company is not selected, it loses the opportunity to sell its electricity during that hour. And selling power is how generators create revenue to pay for things like workers, power plants and fuel. This means that generators have an incentive to bid as low as possible and sell as much electricity as possible.</p><p>Generators in Texas are facing criticism now that they <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/02/16/ercot-texas-electric-grid-failure/" target="_blank">weren't prepared to operate in extremely cold temperatures</a>. But consider the challenges facing two Texas generators that are identical in every way, except that one decides to invest in winterization. That company will have higher costs than its competitor and may be forced to submit higher-priced offers in the market, potentially losing out on opportunities to sell its electricity.</p>
<div id="c2792" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0322eb9acedc7416dc04356f6be3da2a"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1361346284230234112" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">ERCOT expected to get low capacity factors from wind and solar during winter peak demand. What it didn't expect is… https://t.co/WTn1btQgVx</div> — Daniel Cohan (@Daniel Cohan)<a href="https://twitter.com/cohan_ds/statuses/1361346284230234112">1613405221.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>In the long run, the company that winterizes may have a more difficult time staying in business. It would be better prepared for the conditions affecting Texas now, but it would operate at a competitive disadvantage under more normal conditions.</p><p>An international nonprofit regulator called the <a href="https://www.nerc.com/Pages/default.aspx" target="_blank">North American Reliability Corporation</a> conducts semi-annual reliability assessments for each North American region, but those assessments are only as good as the assumptions they're based on. If the assessment doesn't consider extreme events, then the regulator can't determine whether a power system is ready for them.</p><p>After an earlier cold wave in 2011 that led to power shortages, federal regulators identified options for winterizing the Texas power system – but ERCOT <a href="https://www.kxan.com/investigations/winter-preparedness-not-mandatory-at-texas-power-plants-and-generators-despite-2011-report/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">did not require energy companies to carry them out</a>. Other regions might value resilience differently. For example, ISO-New England launched a program in 2018 that compensates generators for <a href="https://vimeo.com/257500308" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">providing extra capacity when the system is strained</a>.</p><p>The power of a competitive generation market is that each generator gets to decide for itself what makes it sustainable in the long run. That's also a weakness of the market.</p>
<h3>What's Next for Texas?</h3><p>Once power is restored across Texas, state and federal policymakers will have to address several tough questions in order to make failures like this less likely.</p><p>First, does preparing the power system for severe storms represent value for electricity customers? What types of events should people be protected from? Who determines the scenarios that go into reliability assessments? Since consumers will pay the costs, they should also benefit.</p>
<p>Second, how should people pay for this resiliency? Costs could be assessed based on the number of kilowatt hours each household uses or charged as a flat fee per customer – an approach that could benefit heavy electricity users. Or they could be covered through new taxes. How will decision-makers respond a year from now, when the crisis has passed and people ask, "The weather is great and the system is doing fine, so why am I paying more for my electricity?"</p><p>Third, how does that money that consumers pay to improve the system translate into projects? Should it go directly to generators or into a fund that generating companies can draw on? Who would administer the fund? Who is ultimately responsible for implementing changes to the system and accountable if things don't improve?</p><p>Finally, how will these changes affect the market's central goal: inducing energy companies to provide power at the lowest cost?</p><p>Ultimately, <a href="https://theconversation.com/delinquent-electric-bills-from-the-pandemic-are-coming-due-who-will-pay-them-147970" target="_blank">the public pays the costs of electricity service</a>, either through higher rates or service interruptions during events like this week's Texas freeze. In my view, utilities, regulators, government officials and people like me who study them have a responsibility to ensure that people get the best value for their money.</p>
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<em>Theodore J. Kury is the director of energy studies at the University of Florida.<br/>
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<em>Disclosure statement: </em><em>Theodore Kury is the director of energy studies at the University of Florida's Public Utility Research Center, which is sponsored in part by the Florida electric and gas utilities and the Florida Public Service Commission, none of which has editorial control of any of the content the Center produces.</em>
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<em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-the-texas-electricity-system-produced-low-cost-power-but-left-residents-out-in-the-cold-155527" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.</em>
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Franchet's cotoneaster. Veronique Monin / iStock / Getty Images Plus
Planting greenery is often touted as one solution to the threat of air pollution, but which species are actually the most effective against this major public health hazard?
<p>Researchers at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) in the UK set out to answer that exact question and in the process revealed a new "super plant" — Franchet's cotoneaster, or <a href="https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/4598/cotoneaster-franchetii/details" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Cotoneaster franchetii</em></a>.</p><p>"We estimate the <em>Cotoneaster franchetii</em> traps 20% more emissions than other hedges we have tested so would be ideal along busy roads in pollution hot spots," RHS principal horticultural scientist and study lead author Dr. Tijana Blanusa said in a <a href="https://www.rhs.org.uk/science/articles/super-cotoneaster" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">press release</a>.</p>
<p>The study, published in the journal <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3298/7/10/81" target="_blank"><em>Environments</em></a>, set out to compare different methods for assessing which <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/plants" target="_self">plants</a> were accumulating the most particulate matter. They then used the most effective method to look at roadside hedges during the summertime in the British city of Reading. They sought to determine which species and types of species were the most effective at absorbing pollutants, as well as the influence of hedge depth and proximity to traffic.</p><p>The winner, Franchet's cotoneaster, is a shrub with hairy leaves that sports white or pink berries in spring and summer and black, purple or red berries in fall and winter, according to <a href="https://inews.co.uk/news/super-plant-fighting-city-pollution-876606" target="_blank">The i newspaper</a>. It is originally from China, Thailand and Myanmar. In the U.S., it has become naturalized in California, Oregon and Washington state, according to the <a href="http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=286486" target="_blank">Missouri Botanical Garden</a>.</p>
<p>The characteristics that make cotoneaster an effective pollution filter can be found in other plants, specifically those with hairy or complex leaves, the study found.</p><p>"On major city roads with heavy traffic we've found that the species with more complex denser canopies, rough and hairy-leaves such as cotoneaster were the most effective," Blanusa said in the press release.</p><p>She explained to <em>The i</em> why this was the case.</p><p>"Leaf hairs, ridges and scales act by increasing the surface area onto which PM is deposited, but may also make it harder for PM to dislodge when leaves are moving," she explained.</p>
<p>Western Red Cedar, Privet, Eleagnus and Yew are also effective air pollution fighters, Blanusa told <em>The i</em>.</p><p>However, which species you use only really matters on busy roads, where pollution concentrations are the highest, the researchers found. If you want to plant a less effective species, the hedge will need to be more than two meters (approximately 6.6 feet) thick to have the same effect as a species with bushier leaves.</p>
<p>The research is part of RHS's ongoing project to identify "super plants" that gardeners and city planners can use to help mitigate the impacts of environmental challenges like pollution and the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a>. "We've found for example that <a href="https://www.rhs.org.uk/science/articles/ivy-homes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ivy wall-cover excels at cooling buildings</a> and hawthorn and privet help ease intense summer rainfalls and reduce localised flooding," <a href="https://www.rhs.org.uk/science/meet-the-team/alistair-griffiths" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">professor Alistair Griffiths</a>, RHS director of science and collections, said in the press release. "If planted in gardens and green spaces where these environmental issues are most prevalent we could make a big difference in mitigating against and adapting to climate change."</p>
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The Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on June 21, 2019 after a massive fire was contained. Xinhua / Liu Jie via Getty Images
The sprawling Philadelphia Energy Solutions oil refinery has poisoned the Greys Ferry neighborhood for 150 years, and continues to do so even after it closed in 2019 following numerous explosions, Reuters reports.
<p>The scale of the toxic legacy left by the East Coast's oldest and largest refinery — including poisonous waste fuels poured onto the ground and even buried rail cars — is staggering, and cleanup operations continue to inflict pollution on the predominantly Black neighborhood nearby. </p>
<p>As many as 3,000 tanks and vessels will need to be removed from the site and, "There's enough pipeline to connect you from here to Florida, and the majority of that pipeline today is wrapped in asbestos," said Roberto Perez, CEO of the Chicago-based Hilco Redevelopment Partners that bought the property in June. </p>
<p>Despite the obvious hazards, local residents feel shut out of the remediation process. It was also unclear how or if those residents who have endured decades of toxic pollution will benefit from the hotel and restaurant Hilco is reportedly considering building on the site.</p>
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<p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong><br/></p><p><a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL1N2HF0MW?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=111754930&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--m83fTgEyDdTu0808gHCa20OkOWNMmGkalds_Gze2lbol7LVuZLLNf6eoopbZpSDqFxA0PvQLG7HPwSkz8elYxuHGOtQ&utm_content=111754930&utm_source=hs_email" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Reuters</a></p><p><em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>climate change</em></a><em> and </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/business/renewables/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>clean energy</em></a><em> news, you can follow Climate Nexus on </em><a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateNexus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Twitter</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClimateNexus/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, sign up for daily </em><a href="https://www.linktrack.live/hot-news-sign-up" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>, and visit their news site, </em><a href="https://nexusmedianews.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Nexus Media News</em></a><em>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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