Water
Nothing is more important to your health and quality of life than safe drinking water and clean streams and lakes. Across the country, pollution from farms is one of the primary reasons water is no longer clean or safe. Agriculture is the leading source of pollution of rivers and streams surveyed by U.S. government experts, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Thankfully, if we make simple changes in the way we farm, we can take a big step toward clean water.
A recent study by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found that three quarters of 285 commonly consumed foods and beverages are contaminated with perchlorate, a toxic rocket fuel ingredient.
Read MoreFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 8, 2007 CONTACT: Jovana Ruzicic, EWG Public Affairs (202) 939-9144 WASHINGTON - Environmental Working Group (EWG) Senior Scientist, Anila Jacob, M.D., M.P.H., praised the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee's
Read MoreOne of every 16 one-year-old children in the U.S. is exposed to the rocket fuel chemical perchlorate at levels above the government’s safe dose, according to an Environmental Working Group analysis of food testing data from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Read MoreDue to lax standards and implementation problems, the conservation compliance program is missing cost-effective opportunities to make further, substantial reductions in soil erosion on U.S. cropland.
Read MoreAsk EWG: What can I do about fluoride in my water?
Read MoreMore than 64,000 children a day in Southern California will be exposed to an unsafe dose of fluoride when the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) begins adding fluoride to drinking water in October, according to an analysis by the Environmental Working Group (EWG).
Read MoreEWG analysis of Metropolitan Water District fluoridation plans, and potential risks to children’s health.
Plenty of companies make water-efficient toilets these days, but replacing your old model with a newer one is an expensive endeavor -- and if you live in an apartment building, it's pretty much impossible. Here's an easy DIY way to make your toilet more efficient and save money and water at the same time.
Read MoreThousands of years of history were revealed this summer as drought drained the water from Lake Okeechobee in the Florida Everglades. Native American tools and jewelery, a hundred year old fishing boat, and ancient human remains are just a few of the things that archaeologists have pulled from the lake's muddy, expanding shores.
Read MoreThanks to Jack Nicholson's Oscar-winning performance in Chinatown, the story of how Los Angeles stole the water from the Owens River may be the best-known environmental crime in U.S. history. (OK, I'm showing my age. Chinatown is from 1971, and in 2000 Erin Brockovich also brought home an Oscar for Julia Roberts. Brockovich is above-average entertainment. Chinatown is art.) But finally there's a happy ending.
Read MoreEWG and East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) researchers analyzed samples of wastewater from residential, commercial, and industrial sites in the San Francisco Bay Area. 18 of 19 wastewater samples examined contained at least 1 of 3 unregulated, widely-used hormone disruptors – phthalates, bisphenol A, and triclosan; 2 samples contained all 3 substances. Despite sophisticated wastewater treatment, these chemicals were detected in treated waters discharged into the Bay.
Read MoreAnswer: Stainless steel water bottles are the way to go, especially for hot liquids. Make sure your stainless steel bottle doesn't have a plastic liner inside, which may leach bisphenol-A (BPA), an industrial chemical linked to birth defects of the male and female reproductive systems and other health concerns.
Read MoreEvery year, the Central Valley Project (CVP) moves more than 2 trillion gallons of water - about 18 percent of California's fresh water supply - to thousands of farms in the state's arid heartland. Massive pumps push the water through 1,437 miles of canals. The electricity used in one year to move water around the CVP would power all of the homes in Chico for more than 18 months, and at current Pacific Gas & Electric Co. rates, cost customers more than $100 million.
Every year, the Central Valley Project moves more than 2 trillion gallons of water - about 18 percent of California's fresh water supply - to thousands of farms in the state's arid heartland. Massive pumps push the water through 1,437 miles of canals.
Read MoreHe's back. Dennis C. Paustenbach, a.k.a. Dr. Evil, the science-for-hire consultant who rarely met a chemical he didn't like, is on the short list of potential appointees to the EPA Science Advisory Board Asbestos Panel. The panel has a crucial task: advising EPA's upcoming risk assessment for airborne asbestos, a killer that takes 10,000 American lives a year.
Read MoreA series of critical new studies by scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that the EPA's proposed safe exposure level for the rocket fuel contaminant perchlorate is not protective of public health.
Read MoreAn Environmental Working Group (EWG) analysis of recently published data from scientists at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Boston University (BU) shows that infants are being exposed to dangerous levels of the rocket fuel component perchlorate.
Read More"Tests by the CDC and independent researchers have confirmed that many Americans are carrying the rocket fuel ingredient, perchlorate, in their bodies in amounts that lower thyroid hormone levels, in some cases substantially."
Read MorePlans to add fluoride to Southern Californians' tap water this summer are raising concerns that parents may not know of the potential risks of using fluoridated water to mix infant formula.
Read MoreIn a little-noticed but dramatic turnaround, the nation's leading fluoride advocate, The American Dental Association (ADA), issued an alert on November 9th urging parents to avoid fluoridated water when reconstituting infant formula.
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