The Latest from EnviroBlog

Our California fracking report continued to gain fantastic coverage this week with three large stories in Santa Cruz Weekly, Sacramento News and Review and Wines and Vines. Our president, Ken Cook, posted in Huffington Post on BPA in food packaging in anticipation of FDA's March 31 deadline to make a decision on the chemical. The agency made an announcement late today, Friday, stating it would continue the use of the chemical in food packaging. EWG's release criticizing the move was picked up by Forbes, Bloomberg and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Key Issues: 

Fracking

Last week, the New York Times ran a D-1 story titled "Is It Safe to Play Yet?" on parents working to detoxify their homes, featuring EWG. On the same day, the Los Angeles Times ran a story on fracking in California, mentioning our recent report. On the cosmetics front, Self Magazine ran an interview they did with EWG senior scientist Olga Naidenko, PhD on healthier hair treatments. Here's a review of EWG in the media last week:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned this week that more than 35 imported skin creams, antiseptic soaps and anti-aging lotions have recently been tied to mercury poisoning that in some instances sent users to the hospital.  

Key Issues: 

Chemical Policy

Mercury

Consumer Products

Cosmetics

A few days ago two California-based environmental reporters for the Associated Press who had made major contributions to the issue and their profession were taken off the beat. In the entire state of California, there is now only one AP reporter whose full time on the environment.

New York is considering lifting its moratorium on hydraulic fracturing, an oil and gas drilling technology in which large volumes of water, sand and chemicals are injected into the ground at high pressure.

Key Issues: 

Fracking

Since she assumed the position of administrator of the federal Environmental Protection Agency early in 2009, Lisa P. Jackson has done more than any previous EPA chief to reform how the government checks on the safety of potentially toxic chemicals. .

Key Issues: 

Chemical Policy

In an interview last week (Jan. 16) at the pesticide lobby's D.C. headquarters, Washington State University Environmental Toxicology Professor Allan Felsot told Energy and Environment News (subscription required): "When you pick up food, you are eating thousands of chemicals at a time."

Key Issues: 

Pesticides

Chemicals in Food

We've all seen (or at least heard of) the movie "Erin Brockovich" in which a bold and fiercely determined mom takes on a chemical company for exposing a small town and the families and children that live there to toxic chemicals that have been linked to cancer. It's Academy Award winning material.

Key Issues: 

Fracking

People are messy. So is nature. And what people do when nature unleashes its fury often makes things worse.

The staff at Environmental Working Group took a look at the major environmental news stories of the year and came up with two lists: the Top 10 Good News stories and the Top 10 Bad News stories.

Key Issues: 

Toxics

BPA

Chromium-6

Perchlorate

Consumer Products

Cell Phones

Cosmetics

Children’s Products

Sunscreens

Energy

Fracking

Mining

Food

Healthy Eating