public health

EPA Strengthens Standards for Exposure to Lead-Based Paint Dust to Protect Children

EPA Strengthens Standards for Exposure to Lead-Based Paint Dust to Protect Children

To mark National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week — October 20 to 26 — the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized stricter requirements for the identification and cleaning up of lead-based paint dust in homes and childcare facilities constructed before 1978. The new standards are the most recent action in the Biden-Harris administration’s strategy […]

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    Community Groups, Neighbors and Volunteers Mobilize in Aftermath of Hurricane Helene in North Carolina

    Community Groups, Neighbors and Volunteers Mobilize in Aftermath of Hurricane Helene in North Carolina

    Since Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida on September 26, at least 227 people have died, with many still missing and thousands displaced. Homes and businesses in western North Carolina were destroyed, and some are still living without power, internet and safe drinking water. Aid sent by governments and larger nonprofits can sometimes take a […]

    ‘Landmark Victory’: California’s Newsom Signs 3 Bills Protecting Communities From Oil and Gas

    ‘Landmark Victory’: California’s Newsom Signs 3 Bills Protecting Communities From Oil and Gas

    The signing of three new bills into law by California Gov. Gavin Newsom allows local communities to limit oil drilling while helping the state address pollution from “idle wells.” The laws will help protect the environment and public health, while empowering communities to set better protections around fossil fuel activities in their neighborhoods, a press […]

    Hurricane Helene Death Toll Tops 200

    Hurricane Helene Death Toll Tops 200

    On Thursday, the death toll from Hurricane Helene rose to at least 200, according to authorities, the Associated Press reported. Helicopters searched for survivors above washed-out bridges, while rescuers hiked through the wilderness. After pummeling Florida’s Gulf Coast, the powerful Category 4 storm dumped over 40 trillion gallons of rainfall — enough to fill up […]

    Judge Orders EPA to Consider Risk Posed by Fluoridated Water to Children’s IQs

    Judge Orders EPA to Consider Risk Posed by Fluoridated Water to Children’s IQs

    The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been ordered by a federal judge to strengthen regulations surrounding fluoride in drinking water. In San Francisco, U.S. District Judge Edward Chen took the side of several advocacy groups to find that, at current levels, fluoridating drinking water supplies presented an unreasonable risk to the developing brains […]

    California to Ban All Plastic Bags in Grocery Stores by 2026

    California to Ban All Plastic Bags in Grocery Stores by 2026

    California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Senate Bill 1053 banning all plastic bags at grocery stores in the state beginning in 2026. In 2014, California passed a ban on plastic shopping bags, but a loophole allowed shoppers to still be able to purchase bags made of thicker plastic for a dime apiece. A decade later, […]

    Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant to Reopen as Microsoft Agrees to Purchase Power From It for 20 Years

    Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant to Reopen as Microsoft Agrees to Purchase Power From It for 20 Years

    In March of 1979, Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island nuclear plant — which was powered by two pressurized light-water reactors — experienced a cooling malfunction that caused part of the core of the second reactor to melt, releasing radioactive material into the environment. Constellation Energy has plans to reopen Three Mile Island, and Microsoft has agreed […]

    3,601 Chemicals in Food Packaging Detected in Humans

    3,601 Chemicals in Food Packaging Detected in Humans

    A new peer-reviewed study has revealed that many chemicals from food packaging are present in human bodies, indicating that the chemicals are transferring from the packaging to the food itself. Although these chemicals are found in other products, food packaging presents a particular risk to human health due to the direct consumption of contaminated food. […]