Opinion: The U.S. should follow California’s lead on banning toxic chemicals in IV bags and tubes
In 2017, at the age of 42, Susan Whitehead was diagnosed with an early form…
Category: environmental health
Opinion: HHS says it is working against climate change. But it’s really climate washing
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has stated it will do all that…
World Trade Center responders exposed to more dust saw higher risk of early dementia
Nearly a quarter of a century after the 9/11 attacks in New York City, first…
What we know about extreme heat’s health impacts after the hottest summer on record
Last summer’s heat waves demonstrated all the ways that extreme heat takes a toll on…
EPA bans asbestos, a deadly carcinogen still in use decades after partial ban
WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday announced a comprehensive ban on asbestos, a…
STAT+: EPA restricts cancer-causing chemical used to sterilize medical devices
On Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency finalized limits on a carcinogenic gas called ethylene oxide…
Air quality improvements belie rising racial and ethnic disparities in pollutant-related deaths, study finds
The U.S. is making progress in reducing the public health consequences of air pollutants and…
Getting the lead out of the water supply: How one health expert crunched the numbers and prodded the EPA
It’s known that lead in the water supply has severe health effects, including brain damage…
New research supports potential link between low-level lead exposure and liver injury
Nearly a decade on, the Flint water crisis still looms large in the minds of…
As extreme heat soars, laws to protect outdoor workers are bubbling up — and facing resistance
As weather starts to cool in much of the country, the heat-baked cement and sweaty…
Extreme heat could lead to 233% increase in U.S. excess cardiovascular deaths, study says
When the human body is exposed to extreme heat, it tries to fight back. To…
Older adults are vulnerable in a warming climate. Better buildings could help protect them
In 2003, during Europe’s worst heat wave in centuries, almost 15,000 people died in France….
Scientists want to put carbon footprints on drugs. But it’s hard to get accurate numbers
Anyone picking up a prescription from their pharmacy is used to the reams of paper…
Children of color and from low-income families disproportionately harmed by toxic chemicals, study finds
Children are often exposed to harmful chemicals in air, water, soil, food, food packaging, and…
Opinion: How the twin crises of climate change and poor public housing are harming people’s health
Climate change is an existential problem for human health. As climate change intensifies, the frequency…
Opinion: Why it’s so difficult to count the number of heat-related deaths
In late July, as parts of the southern U.S. approached 30 days of temperatures exceeding…
Long-term exposure to particulates from wildfire smoke linked to dementia risk, new study finds
Smoke permeates everything and impacts everyone. The visible stew of carbon and particulates typically from…
STAT+: EPA fines Roche’s Genentech unit for hazardous waste violations
Following an extensive inspection, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency fined Genentech more than $158,000 for…
‘Shocking’ heat waves persist through August as federal officials warn of far-ranging health risks
WASHINGTON — An already record-setting summer heat wave will continue through August and will put…
As wildfires burn, scientists race to understand the health dangers of prolonged exposure
More than 120 million Americans — one-third of the U.S. population — have been living…
STAT+: Major pharma companies call on their suppliers to reduce carbon footprints
As anxiety mounts over climate change, seven of the world’s largest drugmakers urged dozens of…
Mass. General totes up its waste in a move to tackle climate change
On an August Thursday in 2021, deep into the pandemic, two Massachusetts General Hospital doctors…
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From rapid cooling body bags to ‘prescriptions’ for AC, doctors prepare for a future of extreme heat
In Phoenix, where daytime temperatures are topping 110 degrees Fahrenheit for the third straight week,…
Listen: Wildfire pollution widens asthma inequities on Long Island
Wyandanch is a proud, resilient community on Long Island. There’s about 13,000 people who live…
Living in a historically redlined area linked to worse heart health, study finds
In the 1930s, the U.S. government introduced the practice of redlining — categorizing neighborhoods based…
Drinking water from nearly half of U.S. faucets likely contains “forever chemicals”: Study
Drinking water from nearly half of U.S. faucets likely contains “forever chemicals” that may cause…
Black Americans living in disadvantaged neighborhoods age faster than white peers, study finds
Black Americans who live in neighborhoods with lower levels of income and education may age…
Malaria cases in Florida and Texas: Here’s what you need to know
The five cases of malaria diagnosed in Florida and Texas in recent weeks — the…
Opinion: Smoke from Canadian wildfires shows outdoor workers need air quality protections
In 20 states, people are once again breathing in hazardous smoke from Canadian wildfires. The…
The Canada wildfires are exposing the harmful effects — and health inequities — of air pollution
Wildfires blazing in and around Quebec are creating hazardous health conditions throughout North America. Over…
How the public health lessons of Covid can help Americans protect themselves from wildfire smoke
An unusually early and ferocious outbreak of forest fires across Canada has sent unprecedented amounts…
STAT+: To push antibiotic makers to be more green, a new system will certify manufacturing practices
In response to concerns about pollution caused by antibiotic production, an industry group is launching…
‘A textbook case of environmental racism’: The battle over the Brookhaven Landfill
The area of North Bellport on Long Island sits in the shadows of a massive…
Study: Ingredient found in salad bowls and burger wrappers less safe than previously thought
A compostable salad bowl seems like an Earth-friendly way to enjoy a healthy lunch. But…
Led by students, a nascent climate movement is taking hold in medical education
When Cecilia Sorensen was an emergency medicine resident practicing at Denver Health in Colorado a…
EPA proposes limits on carcinogenic gas used to sterilize medical devices
On Tuesday, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed new limits on the use of a carcinogenic…
Opinion: Current heat warning systems are woefully inadequate in an age of climate change
I’ve spent a decade studying the health impacts of extreme heat. In the communities I’ve…
Pressure is building on pharma and biotech companies to take climate action
As the health impacts of climate change become harder to ignore, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies…
West Nile, Lyme, and other diseases are on the rise with climate change. Experts warn the U.S. is not prepared
In the summer and fall of 2021, West Nile virus spread rapidly through Arizona’s Maricopa…
EPA announces proposed drinking water limits for six ‘forever chemicals’
The Environmental Protection Agency for the first time on Tuesday proposed enforceable regulations for “forever…
Opinion: Leaders at Davos need to pay attention to the crossroads of climate change, health, and security
As CEOs and world leaders gather for the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this…
Scientists are finding increasing evidence for a link between air pollution and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s
The air in Mexico City was once so toxic that people watched as dead birds…
Why EPA’s long-awaited proposal on two ‘forever chemicals’ is bound to be controversial
By the end of this year, the Environmental Protection Agency has promised to propose new…
Opinion: Real-time data are needed to monitor health after disasters
Weather-related disasters like the millions of Floridians left without power by Hurricane Ian or the…
‘If I were a hospital, I’d be reading the tea leaves’: Pressures grow on the health care industry to reduce its climate pollution
Flooding, heat waves, wildfires, and other climate-driven weather extremes in recent years have catapulted hospitals…
A minuscule new HHS office has a mammoth goal: tackling environmental justice
WASHINGTON — Ask 10 people how a federal health care agency might tackle “environmental justice,”…
Opinion: Will there be a Supreme assault on public health?
In just seven days last June, the U.S. Supreme Court set back public health by…
Opinion: How the Inflation Reduction Act can help decarbonize the health care industry
The climate crisis — the greatest threat to human health in history — is often…
Opinion: Report: More people should be tested for potential exposure to ‘forever chemicals’
Nearly every American has been exposed at some point to a class of compounds known…
Study connects climate hazards to 58% of infectious diseases
Climate hazards such as flooding, heat waves, and drought have worsened more than half of…