Environmental Health

"A new kind of water contamination has shown up all over the US, including New England. This time it’s not lead, like in the Flint, Michigan water system, but instead it’s a chemical used to manufacture Teflon pans, firefighting foam, even microwave popcorn bags. It’s forced some communities to hand out bottled water and shut down their water systems. Although companies have stopped using this chemical because of health worries, a new replacement compound may be toxic, too."

"People living in areas where the Zika virus is circulating should consider delaying pregnancy to avoid having babies with birth defects, the World Health Organization has concluded."

"Cases of Legionnaires' disease nearly quadrupled in the United States over a 15-year period, and almost all might have been prevented with the proper use of disinfectant, the right water temperature and other measures, federal health officials said Tuesday."

"U.S. EPA has issued its first-ever guidance on contamination in drinking water in the wake of a nuclear disaster, 'dirty bomb' or other radiological accident, drawing criticism from public health and environmental groups."

"Replacing 13 miles of water mains every year for the next 50 years. Repairing or replacing five dams. Switching out at least 2,000 lead service lines every year for five years. Those are some of the "immediate needs" for the city of Flint's ailing water system that go far beyond removing lead particles from the contaminated drinking water supply, according to a state-commissioned report obtained by the Detroit Free Press."

"Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is withdrawing a hold that prevented Congress’s bipartisan chemical safety overhaul bill from moving forward in the Senate."

"Through the Smoke and Fumes Committee, industry blurred the science surrounding air pollution and worked to forestall unwanted regulation."

"One of the most popular herbicides in U.S. agriculture can be dangerous to animals and fish and leaves behind worrisome residue levels, the Environmental Protection Agency said on Thursday in a draft report that sparked outrage among farmers."

"A water provider in northern Alabama warned more than 100,000 customers on Thursday not to drink or cook with tap water, saying it could be contaminated with potentially dangerous levels of a chemical that federal health officials have linked to cancer, according to local media reports."

"Four years after the United Nations announced that it cut the number of people without access to cleaner water by half, getting to that water is still a major hardship for much of sub-Saharan Africa, a new analysis shows."