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Home > Environmental Health

Expert Advice Helps Journalists Navigate Unfamiliar Scientific Seas [1]

Journalists who lack a strong science background can find themselves in deep water when reporting environmental stories. How do you avoid over- or understating research findings? What’s the difference between observational and experimental studies? And what about those pesky percentages? Former Washington Post science reporter Rick Weiss and his SciLine colleagues have some answers.

SEJ Publication Types: 
Features [2]
Topics on the Beat: 
Agriculture [3]
Air [4]
Climate Change [5]
Environmental Health [6]
Environmental Studies [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Pollution [9]
Science [10]
Wildlife [11]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [12]
International [13]
Visibility: 
Public [14]

"GOP Pushes Disastrous Environmental Plan As The Planet Bakes" [15]

"House Republicans on Wednesday advanced an appropriations bill for federal environmental agencies that would boost development of the same fossil fuels driving the myriad disasters that have ravaged the Northern Hemisphere this year."

Climate Change [5]
Energy & Fuel [16]
Environmental Health [6]
Environmental Politics [17]
Infrastructure [18]
Military [19]
Public [14]
National (U.S.) [12]
Source: HuffPost [20], 07/21/2023

Researchers Find Evidence Of ‘Forever Chemicals’ In Blood Of Pregnant Women [21]

"California researchers have found new evidence that several chemicals used in plastic production and a wide array of other industrial applications are commonly present in the blood of pregnant women, creating increased health risks for mothers and their babies."

Chemicals [22]
Consumer [23]
Environmental Health [6]
Public [14]
National (U.S.) [12]
California [24]
Source: Guardian [25], 07/21/2023

In N. Birmingham EPA Studies ‘Cumulative Impacts’ Of Pollution And Racism [26]

"With the EPA review ongoing at the 35th Avenue Superfund site, the Southern Environmental Law Center on Friday threatened new federal litigation against Bluestone Coke for alleged wastewater pollution."

Chemicals [22]
Environmental Health [6]
Environmental Justice [27]
Laws & Regulations [28]
Public [14]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [29]
Source: Inside Climate News [30], 07/18/2023

Fuel Workers Are Dying Inhaling Gases – Despite US Warnings To Big Oil [31]

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"Jeff Springman climbed the metal stairs on an oil storage tank at a production site in west Texas and opened the small hatch at the top. He was going to test the fluid in the tank before pumping it into his truck, a practice known as manual gauging. Instead he was engulfed by invisible chemicals that had built up inside."

Chemicals [22]
Energy & Fuel [16]
Environmental Health [6]
Laws & Regulations [28]
Public [14]
National (U.S.) [12]
Source: Drilled [32], 07/18/2023
July 27, 2023

Webinar: How To Cover Planetary Boundaries [33]

Are you interested in learning how to write about and cover the Earth’s nine planetary boundaries? Do you have a story idea related to ecological tipping points and the impacts on Earth’s ecosystems? Mongabay's latest webinar features a panel with experience on this increasingly covered topic. 7:00 a.m. ET.

Other Events [34]
Visibility: 
Public [14]
Topics on the Beat: 
Environmental Health [6]
Journalism & Media [8]
Planning & Growth [35]
Region: 
International [13]

Industry Wants New Pipeline on Navajo Land Scarred by Decades of Drilling [36]

"For the last several months, one of the nation’s largest pipeline operators has gone from one local government meeting on the Navajo Nation to another, outlining plans for what could end up being the country’s longest hydrogen pipeline."

Energy & Fuel [16]
Environmental Health [6]
Environmental Justice [27]
Laws & Regulations [28]
Public [14]
National (U.S.) [12]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [37]
Source: Inside Climate News [38], 07/14/2023

Oil And Gas Responsible For $77 Billion In Annual US Health Damages: Study [39]

"Proposed EPA methane limits may help curtail 7,500 yearly deaths from oil and gas production sites."

Air [4]
Environmental Health [6]
Environmental Politics [17]
Laws & Regulations [28]
Pollution [9]
Public [14]
National (U.S.) [12]
Source: EHN [40], 07/14/2023

Houston To Relocate People Living Near Polluted Union Pacific Rail Yard [41]

"Houston plans to spend millions of dollars to relocate residents from neighborhoods located near a rail yard polluted by a cancer-linked wood preservative that has been blamed for an increase in cancer cases, the city’s mayor announced Thursday."

Chemicals [22]
Environmental Health [6]
Pollution [9]
Public [14]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [37]
Source: AP [42], 07/14/2023

WHO Lists Sweetener Aspartame As Possible Cancer Cause. Some Say It’s Safe [43]

"The World Health Organization’s cancer agency has deemed the sweetener aspartame — found in diet soda and countless other foods — as a “possible” cause of cancer, while a separate expert group looking at the same evidence said it still considers the sugar substitute safe in limited quantities.

The differing results of the coordinated reviews were released early Friday. One came from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a special branch of the WHO. The other report was from an expert panel selected by WHO and another U.N. group, the Food and Agriculture Organization.

Chemicals [22]
Consumer [23]
Environmental Health [6]
Food [44]
Public [14]
National (U.S.) [12]
Source: AP [45], 07/14/2023

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Links
[1] https://www.sej.org/publications/features/expert-advice-helps-journalists-navigate-unfamiliar-scientific-seas [2] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/features [3] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/agriculture [4] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/air [5] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/climate-change [6] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-health [7] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmentalists [8] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media [9] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution [10] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/science [11] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/wildlife [12] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national [13] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international [14] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81 [15] https://www.sej.org/headlines/gop-pushes-disastrous-environmental-plan-planet-bakes [16] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/energy [17] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-politics [18] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/infrastructure [19] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/military [20] https://www.huffpost.com/entry/gop-environmental-plan-climate-change_n_64b810c2e4b0dcb4cab6c1fe [21] https://www.sej.org/headlines/researchers-find-evidence-forever-chemicals-blood-pregnant-women [22] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/chemicals/toxics [23] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/consumer [24] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/california [25] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/19/pfas-forever-chemicals-pollution-pregnant-women-health [26] https://www.sej.org/headlines/n-birmingham-epa-studies-cumulative-impacts-pollution-and-racism [27] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-justice [28] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws [29] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southeast [30] https://insideclimatenews.org/news/16072023/birmingham-superfund-bluestone-cumulative-impact/ [31] https://www.sej.org/headlines/fuel-workers-are-dying-inhaling-gases-despite-us-warnings-big-oil [32] https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jul/13/fossil-fuel-deaths-inhaling-gas [33] https://www.sej.org/calendar/webinar-how-cover-planetary-boundaries [34] https://www.sej.org/category/event-type/other-events [35] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/cities-towns [36] https://www.sej.org/headlines/industry-wants-new-pipeline-navajo-land-scarred-decades-drilling [37] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southwest [38] https://insideclimatenews.org/news/14072023/industry-new-pipeline-navajo-land-scarred-by-fossil-fuel-extraction/ [39] https://www.sej.org/headlines/oil-and-gas-responsible-77-billion-annual-us-health-damages-study [40] https://www.ehn.org/oil-and-gas-pollution-2662262156.html [41] https://www.sej.org/headlines/houston-relocate-people-living-near-polluted-union-pacific-rail-yard [42] https://apnews.com/article/houston-relocates-residents-polluted-neighborhood-cancer-04adf611697ab3f5d0ef9dd0e9070394 [43] https://www.sej.org/headlines/who-lists-sweetener-aspartame-possible-cancer-cause-some-say-it-s-safe [44] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/food [45] https://apnews.com/article/aspartame-sweetener-cancer-who-diet-soda-f0ded163d975a023c8661f1b2d6b230e [46] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-health?page=316 [47] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-health?page=313 [48] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-health?page=314 [49] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-health?page=315 [50] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-health?page=318 [51] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-health?page=319 [52] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-health?page=320 [53] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-health?page=321 [54] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-health?page=906