News & Commentary

Toxic PFAS-Coated Carpets Will Come Off the Shelves at the Home Depot

September 17, 2019 Expert BlogUnited StatesNRDC

The first-of-its-kind announcement addresses the public health crisis of “forever chemicals”—which can now be found in the blood of virtually every American.

Trump EPA Uses Animals to Hide Science Attack

September 12, 2019 Expert BlogUnited StatesKristi Pullen Fedinick

While on the surface, this announcement appears to be about protecting the lives of animals, there’s more here than meets the eye.

EPA Attack on Science Targets Animal Tests

September 12, 2019 Expert BlogUnited StatesDr. Jennifer Sass

Instead of protecting animals, and people, the recent EPA announcement will fast-track chemicals onto the market with limited or flawed toxicity testing.

The Broken Safe Drinking Water Act Won’t Fix the PFAS Crisis

September 12, 2019 Expert BlogUnited StatesErik D. Olson

The public health crisis with PFAS, or "forever toxic chemicals," in the drinking water of millions of Americans will not be solved by the Safe Drinking Water Act. Why we need to fix the law to protect the public.

A Lack of Balance: Runoff and Harmful Algal Blooms

September 9, 2019 Expert BlogCalifornia, Los Angeles, New JerseyCorinne Bell

There’s a lot local agencies and regulators can do to help prevent algae blooms that threaten public health.

Stand Up for Safe Drinking Water in New York State

September 9, 2019 Expert BlogNew YorkKimberly Ong

Get harmful chemical contaminants out of New York State's drinking water.

Don’t Stop to Smell These (Harmful Algal) Blooms

September 6, 2019 Expert BlogUnited StatesKelsey Kane-Ritsch, Dr. Kim Knowlton

If you’ve heard some sad stories this summer about pet dogs perishing after swimming in scummy ponds, take heed. You’re a mammal, too.

EPA Walks Back Protections Against Methane, a Potent Planet-Warmer

August 29, 2019 Expert BlogUnited StatesNRDC

The agency is allowing the oil and gas industry to skirt polluting-cutting, climate-saving measures—right when we need them the most.

Are My Denim Jeans Bad for the Environment?

August 27, 2019 ExplainerUnited States, ChinaCourtney Lindwall

Environmental reporter Tatiana Schlossberg, author of "Inconspicuous Consumption," says the American staple needs a 21st-century overhaul for the sake of our water, climate, and health.

California on PFAS: Missing the Forest For the Trees

August 26, 2019 Expert BlogCaliforniaDr. Anna Reade

California is missing a huge opportunity to deal more comprehensively with a large class of toxic, ‘forever’ chemicals, known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in our drinking water. 

NRDC Joins Medical Experts: Drinking Perchlorate Is Bad!

August 26, 2019 Expert BlogUnited StatesDr. Jennifer Sass

Don’t want toxic rocket fuel in your drinking water? Don’t like feeding your family chemicals that block thyroid function and interfere with growth and brain development? Then you will hate the Trump EPA’s proposal to set a drinking water limit…

Michigan PFAS Testing: Good Start but Many Still at Risk

August 21, 2019 Expert BlogMichiganDr. Anna Reade

While the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (MPART) announced that approximately 90 percent of water supplies had no PFAS detections, results show that many communities are still exposed to levels that can lead to serious health effects.

Now's the Time to Fortify CA Safer Consumer Products Program

August 20, 2019 Expert BlogCaliforniaAvinash Kar

Breaking down SB502

NYS Paint Waste Bill Awaits Cuomo’s Finishing Touch

August 13, 2019 Expert BlogNew YorkEric A. Goldstein

Leftover paints—one of the more problematic items in the municipal waste stream—are likely to be fished out of millions of garages and basements from Montauk to Niagara Falls and disposed of properly, thanks to a forward-looking law recently passed by…

Trump EPA Refuses to Ban Pesticide—Where’s California?

August 8, 2019 Expert BlogCaliforniaMiriam Rotkin-Ellman

California’s agricultural communities are continuing to sound the alarm for the health of their children, as a promised statewide ban on chlorpyrifos—a pesticide that harms children’s brains—has yet to go into effect.

NRDC Takes EPA to Court—Again—to Protect Children’s Health

August 7, 2019 Expert BlogUnited StatesNRDC

The agency’s own scientists concluded that chlorpyrifos harms developing brains—but the Trump administration still refuses to ban it.

The Future of Plastics Is Less: Addressing It at the Source

July 23, 2019 Expert BlogUnited StatesZak Smith

NRDC and hundreds of other organizations are demanding that the EPA take action to control industrial plants that produce plastic that is killing our wildlife.

EPA Still Doesn’t Want to Ban Pesticide that Harms Kids

July 18, 2019 Expert BlogNRDC

The agency continues to disregard the science that links chlorpyrifos to learning disabilities, developmental delays, lower IQ, and ADHD in children.

Do Plastic Bag Bans Work?

July 9, 2019 ExplainerUnited States, InternationalCourtney Lindwall

NRDC scientist Jennifer Sass says yes and debunks the skeptics’ claim that in trying to wean ourselves off plastic bags, we’re only creating more troubles.

Drugs in Your Milk? Maybe, Unless It’s Organic.

July 9, 2019 Expert BlogAllison Johnson

Antibiotic cheating may be rampant in the non-organic milk industry, but the strict rules prohibiting antibiotic use in organic agriculture are working.