Health
New records for greenhouse gases
According to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization, the three most significant greenhouse gases in the atmosphere all hit record levels in 2012. Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide levels all reached new highs last year. [Read more…] about New records for greenhouse gases
What color is your water?
When most of us turn on the tap, we find clean, flowing water. In fact, we’ve come to expect that across this country, and the alternative is both annoying and newsworthy. [Read more…] about What color is your water?
It’s in the air you breathe
Medical evidence continues to pour in showing a strong link between air pollution and increased human mortality. The big players are ozone and small particles, known as PM2.5, in the atmosphere. Both have been under scrutiny by the EPA for years. [Read more…] about It’s in the air you breathe
Pig farms and MRSA
A paper published recently in JAMA Internal Medicine found that people who live near pig farms or fields fertilized with pig manure are more likely to contract methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria – also known as MRSA. [Read more…] about Pig farms and MRSA
Eating natural food
More and more of us are interested in eating healthier foods and “natural” food is especially popular. Food companies have eagerly embraced this concept in their labeling. All sorts of food products are labeled “natural” or even “all-natural.” [Read more…] about Eating natural food
Let’s talk about ammonia
Most of us are familiar with ammonia as an irritating gas that is emitted from window-cleaning fluids. It is a great way to cut through grease that has condensed on glass. [Read more…] about Let’s talk about ammonia
The killing fields
To control weeds, American farmers apply vast amounts of herbicides to their fields each year. Glyphosphate is one of the most widely used herbicides; it’s effective at killing grasses, broadleaf, and woody plants. Crops tolerate it because they are genetically modified to be glyphosphate-resistant. [Read more…] about The killing fields
Fracking waters contaminate river sediments
Wastewater is produced during oil and gas production, from both conventional and non-conventional wells, including fracking. In the exploitation of the Marcellus shale formation for natural gas, some of the flowback water is derived from the fracking fluids used to release the gas at depth. Some is derived from the shale itself. [Read more…] about Fracking waters contaminate river sediments
Is fresh cafeteria food possible?
Like the ironic concept of “jumbo” shrimp, the idea of fresh school meals seems contradictory. After all, tater tots and chicken nuggets are staples in the country’s 30 million daily school lunches. [Read more…] about Is fresh cafeteria food possible?
Tracking disease in a warming world
Understanding how infectious diseases respond to climate change would help public health officials and environmental managers predict and mitigate disease impacts. [Read more…] about Tracking disease in a warming world
How hot is your smartphone?
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/EW-10-24-13-Urban-Temperatures.mp3|titles=EW 10-24-13 Urban Temperatures]
Recent studies suggest that rising temperatures are likely to be associated with changes in mortality in urban areas. Winter deaths may decline, as the severity of flu and the incidence of slippage on ice both decrease when winters are warmer. [Read more…] about How hot is your smartphone?
Seafood mislabeling
Next time you think about ordering a spicy tuna roll, you may want to consider this. A study by Oceana found that 59 percent of fish labeled “tuna” at restaurants and grocery stores in the U.S. were not, in fact, tuna. Sushi restaurants were the worst offenders, accounting for three-quarters of mislabeled tuna. [Read more…] about Seafood mislabeling
The hidden cost of antibacterial products
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/EW-10-14-13-Hidden-Cost-Antibacterials.mp3|titles=EW 10-14-13 Hidden Cost (Antibacterials)]
A new study is the first to reveal that triclosan – a synthetic antibacterial widely used in personal care products – is fueling the growth of resistant bacteria in streams and rivers. [Read more…] about The hidden cost of antibacterial products
Restoring the darkness
Recently, France instituted one of the world’s most comprehensive lighting ordinances, and all over that country – even in Paris, the City of Light – late nights have gotten darker. [Read more…] about Restoring the darkness
There’s a whole lot of shaking going on
One of the side-effects of the extraction of natural gas by hydraulic fracture, widely known as fracking, is the possibility that the injection of water into gas-bearing rocks will cause earthquakes. There is no doubt that this can happen, but as summarized in a recent paper by William Ellsworth of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Earthquake Science Center, the earthquakes from these oil and gas wells are too small to pose a significant hazard. Most are below magnitude 2.0, which can barely be sensed by humans. [Read more…] about There’s a whole lot of shaking going on
Keeping your beach trip healthy
As Labor Day and the end of summer approach, many of us probably hope to squeeze in a few more trips to the beach. But we may want to be cautious about where we swim.
[Read more…] about Keeping your beach trip healthy
Have we polluted the last vast place on earth?
Back in the 1950s, when our family visited Cape Cod, my father described the ocean as too big to get polluted. There were only 3 billion or so humans occupying the planet then, and he may have been right. The oceans offered a place of infinite dilution. [Read more…] about Have we polluted the last vast place on earth?
Toxic blues
I’m a big fan of blueberries, so on our summer vacation in Maine, it was a treat to drive by the blue berry barrens, many of which are now converted to large farms for commercial harvest. [Read more…] about Toxic blues
Powassan encephalitis
