Publication Items

Is Fluoride Facing Phaseout in Your Community’s Drinking Water? [1]

Fluoridated drinking water has helped limit tooth decay in the United States for decades. But that could come to an end in the Trump administration, if fluoride nonfan Robert F. Kennedy Jr., slated to head Health and Human Services, has his way. In the first installment of SEJournal’s new weekly EJ TransitionWatch column, we examine the challenge to this public health success story. Plus, questions to ask and resources for your reporting.

SEJ Publication Types:
EJ TransitionWatch [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Chemicals [4]
Consumer [5]
Environmental Politics [6]
Government [7]
Health [8]
Infrastructure [9]
Journalism & Media [10]
Laws & Regulations [11]
People & Population [12]
Policy [13]
Science [14]
Water & Oceans [15]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
Visibility:
Public [17]
- Read more about Is Fluoride Facing Phaseout in Your Community’s Drinking Water? [1]
Prize Winner Spurs Policy Change on Illinois PFAS Contamination [18]

When Illinois downplayed the results of long-delayed PFAS testing in the state’s public water supply, Chicago Tribune reporter Michael Hawthorne revisited a story he had first covered two decades before. His investigation uncovered dangerous practices threatening public health, won him accolades and moved the needle on state policy. How he went about it, in the new Inside Story Q&A.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [19]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [20]
Chemicals [4]
Environmental Justice [21]
Environmental Politics [6]
Environmental Studies [22]
Food [23]
Government [7]
Health [8]
Journalism & Media [10]
Policy [13]
Pollution [24]
Science [14]
Waste [25]
Water & Oceans [15]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [26]
Visibility:
Public [17]
- Read more about Prize Winner Spurs Policy Change on Illinois PFAS Contamination [18]
When Disasters Hit, Nursing Homes Can Be Disasters Waiting To Happen [27]

In any disaster, among the most vulnerable populations are the residents of nursing homes. Yet many communities may simply not be ready to protect them, despite a complex patchwork of state, federal and local regulatory oversight. That means environmental journalists should get on the case, reporting the risk in their locales, advises the latest TipSheet. Insights, plus a dozen story ideas and reporting resources.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [28]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [29]
Disasters [30]
Environmental Justice [21]
Health [8]
Journalism & Media [10]
People & Population [12]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [31]
Visibility:
Public [17]
- Read more about When Disasters Hit, Nursing Homes Can Be Disasters Waiting To Happen [27]
Future of Justice40 Program Hangs in Balance [32]

A Biden administration initiative that commits to allocating 40% of federal investments to disadvantaged communities plagued by overpollution is an environmental justice breakthrough, writes columnist Yessenia Funes. But it’s also a program with weaknesses, such as how it factors in race or keeps track of impacts. What is Justice40, what has it missed and what is its future?

SEJ Publication Types:
Voices of Environmental Justice [33]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Air [34]
Chemicals [4]
Climate Change [29]
Environmental Justice [21]
Environmental Politics [6]
Government [7]
Health [8]
Infrastructure [9]
Laws & Regulations [11]
People & Population [12]
Policy [13]
Pollution [24]
Waste [25]
Water & Oceans [15]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
Visibility:
Public [17]
- Read more about Future of Justice40 Program Hangs in Balance [32]
Sewage Sludge Can Spread the Harm of Many Toxic Chemicals [35]

What was once benignly dubbed biosolids is more accurately tagged toxic sludge. And some of it may be finding its way into our food. The latest TipSheet reports how that came to be despite (or perhaps because of) Clean Water Act regulation, and how hard it is to calculate the potential harms. Plus, more than a dozen reporting ideas and resources for this highly localizable story.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [28]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [20]
Environmental Politics [6]
Food [23]
Government [7]
Health [8]
Journalism & Media [10]
Laws & Regulations [11]
Pollution [24]
Waste [25]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
Visibility:
Public [17]
- Read more about Sewage Sludge Can Spread the Harm of Many Toxic Chemicals [35]
Looking for Environmental Justice Through the Smog [36]

A serious air pollutant prevalent in underserved communities, Superfund hazardous waste sites nearby, public drinking water systems out of compliance. All are new or enhanced insights found in an improved version of the federal government’s EJScreen data tool. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox reviews the changes and how they can be used to tell stories of real people’s daily lives.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [37]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [34]
Chemicals [4]
Environmental Justice [21]
Government [7]
Health [8]
Journalism & Media [10]
Laws & Regulations [11]
People & Population [12]
Pollution [24]
Transportation [38]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
Visibility:
Public [17]
- Read more about Looking for Environmental Justice Through the Smog [36]
Coequal Catastrophes — Quammen on Climate Change, Extinction and Epidemics [39]

Biodiversity loss can seem like a remote and abstract problem that pales in comparison to climate worries. But award-winning author David Quammen sees them as coequal threats, along with emerging diseases, and encourages journalists to illuminate the relationships between them. His advice includes getting out of big cities to see the extinction crisis firsthand and weaving humor and hope into your writing.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [40]
Topics on the Beat:
Biodiversity [41]
Chemicals [4]
Climate Change [29]
Environmental Health [42]
Environmental Studies [22]
Health [8]
Journalism & Media [10]
Pollution [24]
Science [14]
Wildlife [43]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
International [44]
Visibility:
Public [17]
- Read more about Coequal Catastrophes — Quammen on Climate Change, Extinction and Epidemics [39]
Could Beef Be the Route to a Bird Flu Pandemic? [45]

What goes on the backyard grill may be an important environmental story for any number of reasons. But as the latest TipSheet points out, one especially worrying one at the moment is the possibility that avian flu could jump species and create a public health crisis. Here’s what we know right now, along with story ideas and reporting resources.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [28]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [20]
Consumer [5]
Food [23]
Health [8]
Journalism & Media [10]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
International [44]
Visibility:
Public [17]
- Read more about Could Beef Be the Route to a Bird Flu Pandemic? [45]
Sea Surface Temperature Data Tells Many Environmental Stories [46]

With hurricane season expected to kick into high gear, a key data source for reporters is sea surface temperatures. But this widely available information can also tell reporters something about many other water-related environment stories, whether algal blooms, bacterial risks to public health or the prospects for entire estuarine systems. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox helps you dip your toe into this important data pool.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [37]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [29]
Environmental Health [42]
Fish & Fisheries [47]
Health [8]
Journalism & Media [10]
Science [14]
Water & Oceans [15]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [48]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [31]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [49]
International [44]
Visibility:
Public [17]
- Read more about Sea Surface Temperature Data Tells Many Environmental Stories [46]
Track Harmful Algal Blooms With Data. Avoid Bad Clams [50]

It’s summertime and the living is easy for algae that can be hazardous to human health. Climate heating and agricultural pollution are making the problem worse. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox explores useful sources of data for tracking trends. Plus, tips on how to use the data for local reporting on the risks posed by this seasonal threat.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [37]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [20]
Biodiversity [41]
Climate Change [29]
Economy & Business [51]
Environmental Health [42]
Fish & Fisheries [47]
Food [23]
Government [7]
Health [8]
Journalism & Media [10]
Natural Resources [52]
Pollution [24]
Science [14]
Water & Oceans [15]
Wildlife [43]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
Visibility:
Public [17]
- Read more about Track Harmful Algal Blooms With Data. Avoid Bad Clams [50]

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