Chemicals

"Paddling in the Gowanus Canal, in Brooklyn, has inspired one recovering lawyer to write poetry about toxic sludge, floating condoms, and gentrification."

"Growers’ use of the neurotoxic weed killer paraquat is concentrated in just five agricultural counties, leaving low-income Latinos disproportionately exposed to a chemical linked to Parkinson’s disease, a new analysis shows."

"Over half of U.S. landfills observed by aerial surveys are super-emitting sources of methane, according to a new study in the journal Science published on Thursday.
The study is the largest assessment to date of methane from landfills, the third-largest source of U.S. methane emissions, and suggests an opportunity to tackle climate change by targeting a prevalent and potent greenhouse gas."

"The oil and gas company-owned Richmond Standard tells mostly positive stories about the major industry that dominates this California city and its skyline."

"A year after a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, the study found vinyl chloride accidents have happened on average “once every five days since 2010.” An industry group says the chemical is safe and “makes modern life possible.”"

"On a bright, cold day in February, Akim Lattermore stood in front of her house gesturing toward the site of a proposed facility that would convert old tires, electronic waste and plastic into fuel."

"Once the world’s top aluminum producer, the U.S. is now making much less of it — just as cleantech industries drive up demand for the metal and advocates try to drive its emissions down."

"The deal would place 40 percent of California’s idle wells in the hands of one operator. Campaigners warn this poses an “immense” risk to the state — which new rules could help to mitigate, depending on how regulators act."

"Use of petroleum-based chemicals skyrocketed during the postwar era, most of them entering the market with little concern for safety. Now, mounting evidence links petrochemicals to the rapidly rising prevalence of a slew of chronic and deadly conditions, a review published in the New England Journal of Medicine warned earlier this month."