This week, EWG released an analysis finding that nearly 99 percent of all food chemicals introduced since 2000 were greenlighted for use by the food and chemical industries, not by the Food and Drug Administration, the agency responsible for ensuring food is safe.
The Bay Area News Group reported that Pacific Gas & Electric’s CEO Patricia Poppe made over $50 million in 2021. This comes in the aftermath of the 2021 Dixie fire triggered by the California energy giant estimated to cost more than $ 1 billion in damages, much of it from homes and entire communities burned to the ground.
“PG&E’s customers may not know how high their monthly gas and electric bills may go this year, how they’ll pay them, or exactly how much of California the company will burn to the ground in 2022,” said Environmental Working Group President and Bay Area resident Ken Cook. “But when they learn that the head of PG&E earned $51 million last year, they will know this: PG&E is out of touch and out of control.”
EWG estimates that the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS could be contaminating nearly 20 million acres of U.S. cropland. The estimate comes from crop fields using sewage sludge, or biosolids, as a fertilizer, even though it’s often contaminated with PFAS.
And finally, EWG broke down the local environmental toll bitcoin mining foists on communities across the nation.
Here’s some news you can use going into the weekend.
PFAS cropland contamination
Politico: Forever chemicals' broad reach
Research out today from the Environmental Working Group sheds new light on PFAS contamination on cropland. About 5 percent of all U.S. farm fields, or 20 million acres, could be contaminated by PFAS.
Washington Post: ‘Forever chemicals’ upended a Maine farm — and point to larger problem
According to the nonprofit Environmental Working Group, more than 2,800 sites nationwide are contaminated by PFAS — and that’s only what’s documented. The real total is unknown, and possibly much higher. In Maine alone, the state Department of Environmental Protection is investigating 700 sites once fertilized with the same sort of sludge that likely contaminated Songbird Farm.
2022 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™
These Fruits And Vegetables Have The Most Pesticides. Once again, strawberries, spinach and leafy greens like kale and collards are the top offenders in the Environmental Working Group’s annual Dirty Dozen list, reports Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner.
The Atlanta Journal- Constitution: Pesticides found in over 70 percent of non-organic produce
The Environmental Working Group released their 2022 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce, revealing that some of our favorite fruits and veggies have massive amounts of pesticide residue on them.
Better Homes & Gardens: How to Eat a Plant-Based Diet on a Budget
The Dirty Dozen is a list of 12 foods that typically contain pesticides. When buying these items, opt for organic to avoid chemicals in your food. EWG also has a Clean Fifteen list. It details 15 crops that generally have the lowest concentration of pesticide residue. So you can feel confident buying these items nonorganic. Both guides are based on samples tested by the USDA.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has released its annual Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce, which includes its Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen lists of the non-organic produce with the most and least pesticides. “Everyone should eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, no matter how they’re grown,” EWG toxicologist Alexis Temkin, Ph.D, said in a press release announcing the new report. “But shoppers have the right to know what potentially toxic substances are found on these foods, so they can make the best choices for their families, given budgetary and other concerns.”
Real Simple: How—and When—to Wash Grapes So They Stay Fresh
Grapes belong to the Dirty Dozen—an annual list of produce with the highest levels of pesticides, compiled by the Environmental Working Group. The EWG recommends splurging on organic grapes, but not everyone can afford to buy organic produce, which can get quite expensive.
Eat This, Not That!: The 12 Most Pesticide-Covered Fruits and Veggies At Your Supermarket Right Now
That's just what new research from the non-profit group Environmental Working Group (EWG) showed: more than 70% of non-organic fresh produce sold in the U.S. contains residues of pesticides. And according to EWG, some fruits and vegetables are more pesticide-ridden than others—so much so that the group publishes a list of produce that contains the highest concentration of pesticides every year.
Spectrum News, NY1: Pesticide residue found on 70% of non-organic produce: study
A new study from the nonprofit the Environmental Working Group found pesticide residue on 70% of non-organic produce. The organization released its annual “Dirty Dozen” list of the most pesticide-contaminated fruits and vegetables, with strawberries topping the list.
KFYR-TV (Bismarck, N.D.): The “Dirty Dozen” fruits and vegetables
You eat fruits and vegetables because they’re good for you, but the Environmental Working Group has come out with this year’s so-called “Dirty Dozen” fruits and vegetables...those that contain the highest levels of pesticides. Topping the list are strawberries and spinach.
KBQI (Albuquerque): Dirty Dozen 2022: Fruits & Veggies With Most Pesticides
The Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) annual “Dirty Dozen” list names the fruits and veggies that contain the highest levels of pesticides and their 2022 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce is now out.
FDA’s food regulation
POLITICO: The FDA’s Food Failure
“People are literally going to die because of FDA’s surrender to agriculture on pathogens and irrigation water,” said Scott Faber of the Environmental Working Group, who helped craft FSMA when he was a lobbyist at the Grocery Manufacturers Association more than a decade ago.
Cleaning products
The Star Democrat (Easton, Md.): Go green to save green
A detailed report by The Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org) discovered that over 68% of 1,300 laundry detergents and associated cleaning products studied were found to be harmful to human health and the environment.
Mother Earth News: Grow Your Own Cleaning Supply Garden
Research your current products online at trusted sites, such as the Environmental Working Group. To avoid harmful fumes, keep whatever area you’re cleaning well-ventilated.
Skin Deep® cosmetics database
Harper’s Bazaar: The 15 Best Clean Perfumes Worth Adding to Your Rotation
Take a closer look the list of ingredients used in your favorite fragrances, along with the sourcing process of any essential oils that are included in their formulas. Are the blends considered natural and organic? Were the listed ingredients farmed responsibly? It can also be helpful to cross reference primary ingredients found in perfumes with a reputable third party, like the Environmental Working Group.
Daily Vanity: 16 indie Korean beauty brands you may not know of, but are very popular in Korea
The brand’s focus is on preserving natural beauty through the use of natural, safe, and healthy ingredients. They use plant-based materials as much as possible, but only choose to use the EWG green grade ingredients which are certified as safe to use for those with sensitive skin.
Crop insurance
The Economist: Why an agricultural boom does not help rural America
The reason why is visible in Mr Volk’s barn. As farming becomes more profitable, so do the gains from mechanisation. Today, just 6% of jobs in rural areas are directly linked to farming, points out Anne Schechinger, an agricultural economist for the Environmental Working Group, a research ngo. Most farms, even small ones, “are highly capitalised agribusinesses growing one or two commodity crops and employing very few people”, she says.
A recent analysis by the Environmental Working Group found that Americans are paying billions of dollars to prop up farmers who plant frequently flooded fields.
Cryptocurrency campaign: Change the code, not the climate
Benzinga: Tesla, Blockstream And Jack Dorsey's Block Team Up To Mine Bitcoin Sustainably
Bitcoin bulls will be happy to see some progress in making Bitcoin more environmentally friendly, after Bitcoin mining was under attack for its carbon footprint last week, with Greenpeace, Environmental Working Group, and Ripple's Chris Larsen launching a campaign.
Finder: Block, Blockstream and Tesla team up to build a solar-powered Bitcoin mine
Greenpeace and the Environmental Working Group started a campaign recently that calls for Bitcoin to transition away from the proof-of-work model, which requires powerful hardware and copious amounts of electricity to process transactions in order to mine new coins.
EWG VERIFIED®: Cosmetics
Forbes: Mother’s Day Gift Guide: The Best Clean Beauty Gifts
Common Heir 10% Vitamin C Serum is EWG verified as a clean beauty product and contains 10% vitamin C to help brighten skin and reduce signs of aging.
Variety: The Best Eco-Friendly Products to Gift in 2022
Henry Rose Fragrance Gift Box…The genderless fragrance line prides itself on 100% transparency, becoming the first fine fragrances to be both EWG Verified and Cradle to Cradle Certified. This DIY gift set allows you to pair any full-size bottle with a travel-sized tube, perfect for your loved one to use at home and on the go.
EWG VERIFIED®: Diapers
The Picky Eater: Best Disposable Diapers (2022 Guide)
Healthy Baby – Best Disposable Diaper for Sensitive Skin…These are the first-ever EWG Verified Diapers: non-toxic, dreamy, soft, and effective.
Food chemicals
Health Digest: The Truth About What's Really In Spray Cheese
Spray cheese contains both sodium citrate and sodium phosphate, according to the Environmental Working Group, ingredients that lead the non-profit to give it a "red" warning label to its level and method of processing.
The List: Why You Should Consider Using Natural Dental Floss
There's no denying that the world is becoming increasingly aware of the food we eat, the products we use, and what is in them. Activists like The Food Babe and organizations like The Environmental Working Group (EWG) are peeling back the layers and revealing hidden ingredients that are not only unnecessary but harmful — and your tiny string of dental floss is no exception.
Hexavalent chromium
Inside EPA: Water Agencies Pan California’s Draft Chrome-6 MCL, Citing Massive Costs
“We applaud the state for finally moving forward with regulation of chromium-6 in water, but this MCL is still not sufficiently protective of Californians’ health,” said Bill Allayaud, California director of government affairs for the Environmental Working Group, in a March 22 press release following the issuance of the proposal. “We urge the state to do better and take immediate steps to adopt a level that more closely reflects the state’s public health goal.”
In 2015, though, a report from the Environmental Working Group listed Shrewsbury, Danvers and a Cape Cod community as the three Massachusetts communities with the highest concentrations of hexavalent chromium.
Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment’s Proposition 65 revision
Inside EPA: California Eases Prop. 65 ‘Short Form’ Warning Change, But Pushback Looms
The coalition includes the Center for Environmental Health, Environmental Working Group, Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice, Environmental Health Coalition, Breast Cancer Action, Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the Earth, Pesticide Action Network, Physicians for Social Responsibility -- Los Angeles, and Clean Water Action.
PFAS
The New York Times: PFAS: The ‘Forever Chemicals’ You Couldn’t Escape if You Tried
“They’re called forever chemicals because they’re incredibly persistent,” said David Andrews, a senior scientist for the Environmental Working Group, an advocacy organization. “The carbon-fluorine bond itself doesn’t break apart in the environment, and so once the chemicals are released, they typically spread out.”
At 680°F, Teflon releases at least six toxic gasses, including two carcinogens, according to a study by the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit watchdog organization. "However, even if those gasses are formed, the odds that you're going to breathe enough of them to be sick are low," said Wolke, a point corroborated by several of the experts we interviewed.
Reeves' study, published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Water Research in February, correlates with studies done by the nonprofit, Washington-based Environmental Working Group, which has been sounding an alarm on PFAS compounds for decades. The findings of studies like Western Michigan's "really highlights what we just don't know," said Sydney Evans, a science analyst with EWG.
Star Tribune: Rare PFAS factory shutdown in Belgium costs 3M
"Short chain PFAs are not a good alternative to long-chain PFAS," said Tasha Stoiber, a senior scientist at Environmental Working Group, a U.S. research and advocacy group. Short-chain PFAS could entail similar ill health effects, and also do not break down in the environment, she said.
Tap Water Database
Gray contacted the Environmental Working Group, who warns that even low levels of TTHM can be concerning. “With higher concentration comes higher risk, and so the more that increases, the more worrisome it is,” said Sydney Evans with the Environmental Working Group.