This week, EWG released a new analysis that shows more than 32 million pounds of toxic pesticides, including many linked to cancer and respiratory and developmental problems, were used on Ventura County farm fields from 2015 to 2020.
“Agriculture is a billion-dollar industry for Ventura County and a rich part of the county’s history. But today, the county’s bucolic vistas are marred by pesticide-intensive farming that exposes tens of thousands of residents and farmworkers to the risk of regularly inhaling toxic chemicals,” said EWG President Ken Cook.
EWG also released a report, along with Midwest Environmental Advocates, finding that in nine Wisconsin counties, commercial fertilizer and animal manure are overapplied to farmland at rates that are causing a water pollution crisis in rural Wisconsin.
A recent study found a toxic “forever chemical,” PFHxS, detected in the blood of West Virginia residents. A new EWG analysis found that the same chemical was also commonly found at almost 250 Department of Defense sites in groundwater or drinking water or both.
On Monday, the Biden administration proposed a rule restoring the legal foundation for limiting coal-fired power plants’ mercury emissions.
And finally, EWG broke down the key findings of two recent studies. The first study analyzed the use of fiberglass in new mattresses as a replacement for flame retardants. The second looked at cell phone radiation and the risks it poses to male fertility.
Here’s some news you can use going into the weekend.
Ventura County Pesticide Exposure Map and Report
Interactive maps of the county and underlying data released Thursday by the Environmental Working Group provide a scientific assessment of health concerns for county residents based on their proximity to pesticide-treated cropland and the amount and toxicity of pesticides applied.
Crop Insurance Report
Nearly two-thirds of federal crop insurance payments between 1995 to 2020 were paid out for damage from drought and excess moisture, according to an analysis of U.S. Department of Agriculture data by the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit advocacy organization.
Progressive Farmer – DTN: Coalition: Don't Cut Crop Insurance
Meanwhile, the Environmental Working Group issued a report last week charging that the crop insurance program doesn't encourage or require farmers to adapt to climate change or reduce greenhouse gas emissions. "The numbers don't lie: The climate crisis is already pummeling American farmers, at taxpayers' expense," said EWG Midwest director and agricultural economist Anne Schechinger. Farmer’s Weekly (South Africa): Billions in farming insurance pay-outs weigh on US taxpayers
According to a new Environmental Working Group (EWG) analysis of data from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), most of these pay-outs were linked to extreme weather exacerbated by climate change.
WFYI (Indianapolis): Report: Crop insurance doesn't encourage farmers to adapt to extreme weather
Crop losses in Indiana due to drought and excess rain cost taxpayers and farmers more than $3 billion in crop insurance payouts since 1995. That’s according to data from the Environmental Working Group.
FOX9: KMSP (Minneapolis): Activist group links climate change to increasing crop insurance payments
In an analysis of Department of Agriculture data, EWG found farmers received more than $143.5 billion in indemnities from 1995 to 2020 across the nation.
NBC13: WHO 13 News (Des Moines): How climate change is driving up crop insurance payouts
The EWG’s study found that the top 10 payouts per county due to drought all occurred in Texas, while Brown County, South Dakota took the top payout of any county due to excess moisture. The rest of the top 10 insurance payouts per county due to excess moisture all occurred in North Dakota.
Energy and PG&E
pv magazine: California NEM 3.0 delayed indefinitely
The Environmental Working Group of California said the best solution to prevent future wildfires caused by PG&E and other large utilities is to reform the current model of centralized electricity distribution that centralized power model that sends energy hundreds of miles through often unmaintained and dilapidated power lines over dry, drought-ridden central and Northern California landscape covered in brush and trees that fuel these fires.
“It is hard to conceive of a more offensive response to PG&E’s repeated misdeeds than granting a ‘safety certificate’ after the carnage this company has inflicted on countless families, their property and swaths of California’s landscape over just the past few years,” said Ken Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group.
EPA regulations for air pollutants from coal- and oil-fired power plants
Common Dreams: Biden Praised for Reversing Trump Effort to Unleash More Toxic Air Pollution
The new decision, said Environmental Working Group president Ken Cook, "returns sanity and science to EPA's efforts protecting children and other vulnerable populations from extremely dangerous pollution like mercury."
Cosmetics – Skin Deep®
Today: Diarrha N'Diaye-Mbaye didn't see makeup for melanin-rich skin — so she made her own
The brand also promises that all of the ingredients used in its formulas are at a 4 or below on the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep scale and avoids parabens, phthalates, sulfates SLS and SLES, among other harmful ingredients.
EWG VERIFIED®: Cosmetics
Who What Wear: The Only Products That Soothe My Perpetually Irritated Winter Skin
Elaluz Beauty Oil…Most oils leave me feeling too greasy for daytime use, but this one is lightweight and absorbs quickly, so it's perfect for under makeup. Oh, and it's EWG verified clean, so I feel extra confident using it every day.
WWD: Baby Gear Resale May Be Next Big Thing as Premium Sustainable Brands Up Their Offering
In another swoop for parental approval, there’s modern baby care brand Coterie. Launched in May, the brand’s compostable wipes (with approval from the Environmental Working Group for chemical safety), are made with Lenzing’s Veocel Lyocell fibers, sourced from sustainably managed forests with Forest Stewardship Council certification.
EWG VERIFIED®: Cleaners
WhoWhatWear: 41 Black-Owned Wellness Brands to Shop and Support
If you're looking for all-natural and nontoxic cleaning products, look no further than Angela Richardson's company, PUR Home. The brand is Leaping Bunny–certified and has favorable ratings from the Environmental Working Group.
Food Chemicals
Health Digest: Popular Protein Powder Brands, Ranked Worst To Best
A number of the other suspicious ingredients in this specific protein powder have been deemed safe by the FDA. However, the Environmental Working Group's research plainly states that there is only a "fair" amount of research published on each of these ingredients.
PFAS in food
Civil Eats: The Field Report: PFAS Is Contaminating the Food Supply
The PFAS Project Lab at Northeastern University has documented PFAS in soil or water at 1,781 sites, while the Environmental Working Group has mapped over 2,800 sites where public and private water systems are contaminated. PFAS in fabrics and textiles
WWD: Fashion Sustainability News to Follow in 2022
Groups like the Environmental Working Group have catalogued nearly 30,000 sites where manufacturers could be discharging PFAS.
PFAS in household products
The Hill: What products to look out for in your home that might include 'forever chemicals'
The Environmental Working Group, Toxic-Free Future and other environmental health organizations offer their own lists, as does 3M, which manufactures a number of medical and industrial materials that contain PFAS. Reprinted by Yahoo!
Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce ™
Newsmax Health: Chili Peppers Benefit Heart Health
One caveat, however: The Environmental Working Group's 2021 Dirty Dozen puts nonorganic hot peppers at No. 10 for contamination with pesticides. So go organic.
GOBankingRates: Is Organic Produce Worth the Extra Cost?
“However, even some items with thinner skins are on the so-called Clean 15 from the EWG — including sweet corn, onions, papaya, frozen sweet peas, eggplant, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, kiwi, cauliflower and mushrooms — as these are exposed to fewer pesticides than other types of produce.” Reprinted byYahoo!
Tap Water Database
Detroit Metro Times: Metro Detroit’s drinking water is unsafe, and it’s not just lead
The Environmental Working Group, an independent nonprofit that advocates for clean water, compiled the list from tap water quality reports and included it in a searchable database for every ZIP code in the U.S.
The Good Men Project: Thirsting for Solutions
Contaminated drinking water disproportionately affects small water systems, which serve predominately rural, low-income communities with relatively high percentages of people of color. Sometimes those systems can’t even afford the salary of a full-time operator. Florencia Ramos’ hometown of El Rancho has only 65 people. The city of Lindsay has just over 13,000. “A lot of these folks are farmworkers, who are [unwittingly] helping to poison themselves,” says Anne Schechinger, a senior analyst with the nonprofit Environmental Working Group (EWG, a partner in this reporting project).
Water Filters
Health Digest: Is It Healthier To Drink Filtered Water Over Bottled Water?
Tap water contamination is a real issue. According to a 2021 news release from the Environmental Working Group, millions of Americans are unknowingly consuming an "invisible toxic cocktail made up of contaminants linked to cancer, brain damage, and serious health harms" when they drink from the tap. This may include arsenic, lead, and "forever chemicals," like PFA plastics