toxics

Non-Stick Chemicals Used in Pans, Food Wrappers Linked to Weight Gain

Non-Stick Chemicals Used in Pans, Food Wrappers Linked to Weight Gain

Perfluorinated chemicals, also known as PFASs or PFCs, are used to make everyday items—such as food wrappers, textiles, pots and pans—repel water and grease. But these chemicals have been linked to a host of health problems, including high cholesterol, hormone disruption and even kidney and testicular cancer. Now, researchers at Harvard University found evidence that […]

Join our newsletter

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

    3 Reasons to Be Hopeful About Our P​lanet in 2018

    3 Reasons to Be Hopeful About Our P​lanet in 2018

    By Elizabeth Sturcken Feeling down about our planet in 2018? Don’t! There are many reasons to be hopeful around environmental action in the new year—and if the following developments don’t make you feel better, I’ve prescribed some action steps at the end that are guaranteed to set you on a healthier, happier path. Don’t get […]

    In Alabama, a Cleanup Unearths Toxins—and Scandal

    In Alabama, a Cleanup Unearths Toxins—and Scandal

    By Matt Smith Lot by lot, backhoes and dump trucks are scraping and hauling away yards on the north side of Birmingham to remove soil laced with heavy metals and other industrial wastes—the legacy of this city’s years as a steelmaking power. Federal prosecutors say that effort also uncovered something else: a scheme to save […]

    EPA Rule Change Would Expose Teenagers to Highly Toxic Chemicals

    EPA Rule Change Would Expose Teenagers to Highly Toxic Chemicals

    By Farron Cousins The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking aim at two rules designed to prevent exposure to toxic chemicals by workers under the age of 18. The agency has filed notices with the federal register of its intent to either tweak or outright eliminate these protections for underage workers. The first rule […]

    FERC Rejection of Coal and Nuclear Bailout Is Big Win for Renewable Energy

    FERC Rejection of Coal and Nuclear Bailout Is Big Win for Renewable Energy

    By Alex Formuzis Federal regulators’ rejection Monday of the White House’s scheme to prop up the coal and nuclear power industries is a big win for electricity customers and renewable energy, said Environmental Working Group (EWG) President Ken Cook. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) denied a petition by Energy Sec. Rick Perry to require […]

    Beijing Meets Air Quality Improvement Goals With Crackdown on Polluters

    Beijing Meets Air Quality Improvement Goals With Crackdown on Polluters

    Beijing successfully lowered air pollution levels following a crackdown on polluters last year, bringing China’s capital in line with air quality targets, according to Chinese officials. The announcement Wednesday by the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau followed a 2013 plan that ordered the city to reduce the yearly average concentration of particulate matter to less […]

    17 Ways the Trump Administration Assaulted the Environment Over the Holidays

    17 Ways the Trump Administration Assaulted the Environment Over the Holidays

    By John R. Platt While visions of sugarplums danced in some of our heads, the Trump administration had a different vision—of a country unbound by rules that protect people, places, wildlife and the climate. Over the past two weeks, the administration has proposed or finalized changes to how the government and the industries it regulates […]

    Trump Administration Repeals Obama Rule Designed to Make Fracking Safer

    Trump Administration Repeals Obama Rule Designed to Make Fracking Safer

    The Trump administration is rescinding Obama-era rules designed to increase the safety of fracking. “We believe it imposes administrative burdens and compliance costs that are not justified,” the Interior Department‘s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) wrote in a notice published Friday in the Federal Register. The 2015 rule required companies drilling for natural gas and […]

    Asbestos-Laced Makeup: Children’s Products Continue to Be Contaminated With Deadly Fiber

    Asbestos-Laced Makeup: Children’s Products Continue to Be Contaminated With Deadly Fiber

    The troubling news about the presence of asbestos in children’s makeup is just the latest example of the deadly fiber contaminating imported products marketed toward children, said Environmental Working Group (EWG). The national retail chain Claire’s, which sells jewelry, makeup and other items targeted toward young girls and children, recently announced it was recalling a […]