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Areas of Focus
 

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Research

Tough To Swallow

As the result of a law passed by Congress last year, millions of Americans and hundreds of water suppliers across the Midwest- ern United States have a new, first line of defense against the agricultural weed killers that have contaminated their tap water for decades.

Research

Smokestacks and Smokescreens

Tens of thousands of people die prematurely each year from microscopic toxic particles in the air we breathe. To reduce particle pollution to safe levels, EPA has proposed updating the decade-old health standard for so-called “particulate matter”. According to the EPA, updated health standards, in combination with other ongoing pollution control initiatives, will save 35,000 lives each year (EPA

Research

Share the Road

We all remember the thrill of riding our first bicycle as a child, and the new freedom it gave us. This year, more than 100 million Americans will go for a bicycle ride, and continue to enjoy the thrill as they pedal along with their families, commute to work on bicycles, or just ride around town. Each year, more Americans take to the road on bicycles than ever before. Ten million more Americans
Research

Something's in the Air

Testing in suburban California neighborhoods revealed methyl bromide in the air well beyond state mandated “buffer” zones at 12 out of 16 locations tested. The levels detected ranged from less than 1 part per billion to 294 parts per billion (ppb) on average over 12 to 24 hours. Single point measurements were as high as 1,900 ppb. The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) has estab-

Research

Dishonorable Discharge

Under existing federal pollution control laws, the American people are kept in the dark about the vast majority of toxic pollution spewed into the environment by U.S. industry. Even the most comprehensive toxic pollution reporting system in the nation, the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), accounts for only about 5 percent of all toxic pollution of the environment each year (GAO 1991, EPA 1996c).
Research

Toxic Farm Fumigants Drifting Into California Neighborhoods

Testing of air in two California neighborhoods adjacent to agricultural fields receiving applications of the soil fumigant methyl bromide revealed high levels of this extremely toxic pesticide outside state mandated buffer zones. Buffer zones are recommended based on the size of the field and the rate of methyl bromide application and are intended to protect the public from exposure to unsafe

Research

Just Add Water

More than 45 million Americans in thousands of communities were served drinking water during 1994-1995 that was polluted with fecal matter, parasites, disease causing microbes, radiation, pesticides, toxic chemicals, and lead at levels that violated health standards established under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. More than 18,500 public water supplies reported at least one violation of a
Research

In The Drink

In 1993-94 over 53 million Americans drank water that did not meet Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) health or biological treatment standards or guidelines. In the Drink documents, on a community-by-community basis, drinking water utilities that have been listed as violating or exceeding these basic health and treatment safety standards.
Research

Much Ado About Nothing

Wetlands, and federal efforts to protect them, have become the source of considerable controversy in recent years. Many opponents of the current wetlands regulatory system have made exaggerated claims about the effects of the federal wetlands permitting program on private landowners. Among those claims are that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wetlands program (authorized under Section 404 of the

September 2017: Prostate Cancer Awareness Month

As Prostate Cancer Rates Decline, Number of Survivors Grows Rates of prostate cancer in the U.S. have declined in recent years, but it remains one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in men, with...

May 2017: Melanoma and Skin Cancer Awareness Month

Melanoma and Skin Cancer Facts Rates of new melanoma cases (both sexes) Rates of skin cancer, the most common cancer in the U.S., continue to rise sharply, especially among people over 50 years old...

November 2016: Lung Cancer Awareness Month

Approximately 158,000 Americans die from lung and bronchus cancer every year – as many as from breast, prostate, colon and rectum, and pancreatic cancers combined.

Cosmetics Industry To Disavow Hair Straighteners

Most people are - by now - well aware that overexposure to formaldehyde is unsafe. From the FEMA trailer fiasco (remember Katrina?) to the Obama administration's recent decision to classify...

9 Surprising Truths about Sunscreen

Sunscreens prevent sunburns, but beyond that simple fact surprisingly little is known about the safety and efficacy of these ubiquitous creams and sprays. FDA's failure to finalize its 1978 sunscreen...

Cancer: Putting Prevention First

Medical experts will never cease searching for cures for the gravest illnesses that afflict people. But a growing consensus is forming in the medical and public health communities that preventing...

Water utilities, meet water drinkers.

The Water Research Foundation, an offshoot of the American Water Works Association of water utilities, has accused Environmental Working Group of informing utility customers about the presence of...

Hold the Applause

Two weeks ago (Feb. 17), fellow activists proclaimed the upbeat news that the European Union had banned xylene and five other toxic chemicals that pose risks to human health and the environment.

On Bed Bugs: Prevent,

Last summer I slept in New York City. To anyone familiar with sleeping in New York City (not me), bedbugs is just part of the deal. When my cousin, in whose groovy, old loft I was crashing, suggested...

New York State: Avoid these 85 chemicals if you can

When someone with $8 billion a year in purchasing power tells the world what they don't want, marketers and manufacturers are likely to pay attention.

Wal-Mart Launches Healthy Food Initiative

With First Lady Michelle Obama in attendance, Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, announced (Jan. 20) that it is launching a five-year plan to provide its customers with healthier and more...

FRAC Act Gains House Supporters

A bill to establish federal oversight for a controversial oil and natural gas extraction technique called hydraulic fracturing has gained six more House supporters, four of them from New York City...

BPA Invades the Womb

Back in the 1960s and 1970s, the outcry over Rachel Carson's path-breaking Silent Spring and global mobilization around the first Earth Day spurred scientists to attempt to quantify how much pollution...

EWG's Sunscreen Quick Tips

Some sunscreens prevent sunburn but not other types of skin damage. Make sure yours provides broad-spectrum protection and follow these other tips for better protection.

1 Step Forward: EPA expands Envirofacts database

Last month the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that they have added more than 6,300 chemicals and 3,800 chemical facilities to their searchable database Envirofacts.