An open letter from EPA staff to the American public
“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”
law
Amid lack of faith in FDA, US states rush to ban food dyes
By Carey Gillam
Call it a MAHA moment. At least a dozen US states – from traditionally conservative Oklahoma to liberal-leaning New York – are rushing to pass laws outlawing commonly used dyes and other chemical additives in foods, citing a need to protect public health.
Postcard from California: Chemical warning labels are everywhere – and they’re working
By Bill Walker
A driver entering an enclosed parking garage in California is greeted by a 20-by-20-inch sign declaring in 72-point type:
WARNING: Breathing the air in this parking garage can expose you to chemicals including carbon monoxide and gasoline or diesel engine exhaust, which are known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.
Fluoride in drinking water – what the public needs to know
By Tom Theimer
After decades of debate, there no longer is any doubt that the widespread US practice of adding fluoride to drinking water is posing risks to our health.
Profiling of pesticide industry opponents halted after company practices exposed
A US company that was secretly profiling hundreds of food and environmental health advocates in a private web portal has halted the operations in the face of widespread backlash after its actions were exposed by The New Lede and other reporting partners.
EPA moves to withdraw decision on paraquat, delays report on risks
By Carey Gillam
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is moving to withdraw its interim regulatory decision on paraquat, announcing that it needs more time to examine the potential health effects of the weed killing chemical that has been widely used in agriculture for decades, but also linked for years to the incurable brain ailment known as Parkinson’s disease.
FDA announces long-awaited ban on Red Dye 3
By Carey Gillam
US regulators on Wednesday said a food additive long linked to cancer will no longer be allowed in food and drugs that are ingested, a regulatory decision health advocates have demanded for years.
As Los Angeles fires rage, states battle over effort to make oil and gas industry accountable for climate change harms
By Dana Drugmand
As fires rage through southern California, the costs of extreme weather events linked to climate change are forecast to keep climbing – adding fuel to growing efforts by some US states to make the oil and gas industry liable for helping foot the bill despite looming legal challenges.
Postcard from California: State and feds head for showdown over electric cars
Of California’s dozens of landmark laws to curb climate-heating greenhouse gases and health-threatening air pollution, none is more ambitious than the rule that by 2035 all new passenger cars and trucks sold must be zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) that run on electricity.
Citing “catastrophic climate effects,” Maine joins in litigation against oil companies
By Dana Drugmand
Maine on Tuesday became the latest government entity to bring legal claims against several major oil and gas companies, alleging the companies and their chief trade association, the American Petroleum Institute, have deliberately misled the public about the climate consequences of burning fossil fuels.