This week, EWG released an analysis that for the first time identifies and maps more than 2,500 animal feeding operations in, and at the edge of, the Western Lake Erie Basin – revealing 90 percent of them aren’t monitored by any government agencies.
“EWG’s groundbreaking report and map enable everyone – members of the public, policy makers and even regulators – to finally see the locations of all animal feeding operations in the Western Lake Erie Basin,” said EWG Midwest Director Anne Schechinger. “Pinpointing where manure is produced in the watershed constitutes an important first step in tracing where it ends up – and, ultimately, keeping it out of vital waterways like Lake Erie.”
EWG uncovered at least 24 Coast Guard bases across the U.S. suspected of contamination by the toxic fluorinated “forever chemicals” known as PFAS, according to records from the departments of Defense and Homeland Security.
On Wednesday night, Senate Democratic leaders announced the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. EWG applauded the bill, which includes historic amounts of funding for climate-focused conservation and clean energy investments.
A new National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report recommends people with a history of elevated exposure to PFAS be offered medical testing. The report also gives advice to clinicians about ways to reduce patient exposure to these chemicals.
“The entire U.S. population is likely overexposed to these toxic PFAS,” said David Andrews, Ph.D., a senior scientist at the Environmental Working Group. “This NAS report supports the mounting evidence that shows exposure to these forever chemicals causes adverse health effects in people.”
Here’s some news you can use going into the weekend.
AFOs in Western Lake Erie Basin
Agri-Pulse: Most AFOs in Western Lake Erie Basin unpermitted, report finds
The 90% of livestock operations in the Western Lake Erie Basin that are not required to obtain discharge permits account for most of the manure produced in the basin, which drains into Lake Erie, a new report from the Environmental Working Group found.
National Academies PFAS guidance for clinicians
CNN: Levels of potentially toxic chemicals should be tested in people at high risk, report says
They compare because the EPA "used human studies to derive safe exposure levels, or reference doses, that were then used to calculate a drinking water advisory," said David Andrews, a senior scientist for the Environmental Working Group, a consumer organization that monitors exposure to PFAS and other chemicals.
Inside EPA: NAS Advises Blood Testing For People With Elevated PFAS Exposures
“This new report reaffirms and amplifies the warning I have been trying to get out to the public and health officials for decades as to the unprecedented scope and scale of the public health threat posed by these man-made PFAS forever chemicals,” Rob Bilott, an attorney representing a class of plaintiffs seeking medical monitoring for their PFAS exposures, said in a statement distributed by the Environmental Working Group.
Titanium dioxide in candy
The New York Times: A Lawsuit Claims Skittles Are Unfit for Consumption. Experts Weigh In.
These include many chewing gums, baked goods, sandwich spreads, salad dressings and dairy products like cottage cheese, ice cream and coffee creamers, said Tasha Stoiber, a senior scientist at the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit focused on consumer health and safety.
USA Today: Skittles was sued for containing titanium dioxide. Plenty of other products have it too.
Tasha Stoiber, senior scientist at the consumer health nonprofit Environmental Working Group, says titanium dioxide can generally be thought as a "paint primer" – it often goes on a hard-shelled candy like Skittles before the color is added to give it a "uniform shine."
Cosmetics – Skin Deep
Teen Vogue: What Are Sulfates and Should You Be Using Sulfate-Free Personal Care Products?
You can use tools like INCIDecoder and the EWG’s Skin Deep database, which offer further information on the ingredients included in your favorite personal care products, and whether you should be concerned about using.
Energy
E&E News: High natural gas prices may ripple across the energy sector
“For renewables, you know what the cost is,” said Grant Smith, a senior energy policy adviser with the nonprofit Environmental Working Group.
PFAS
Inside EPA: Environmentalists Seek Expanded Limits On PFAS Purchasing In EO Guide
The Environmental Working Group and Ecology Center met with White House staff from CEQ, Office of Management & Budget (OMB) and the Office of Science and Technology Policy July 14 over CEQ’s upcoming “Implementing Instructions for Executive Order 14057 Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability,” according to OMB’s website.
2022 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™
USA Today: Are these $20 strawberries embraced by TikTokers worth it?
That said, strawberries are part of the Environmental Working Group's "Dirty Dozen." But Oishii doesn't use pesticides – even those that are organic, Koga says.