GW Experts Available: EPA Strengthens Rule on Harmful Soot Pollution

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is strengthening limits on soot, a harmful air pollution in which studies have shown that fine particles kill thousands of Americans every year. According to The Washington Post, the stricter standards could prevent thousands of premature…

Lung Disease Physicians and Researchers Disappointed by Environmental Protection Agency’s Slow-Motion Action to Curb Smog Ozone Air Pollution

In response to the Aug 21 announcement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that the agency will delay action on lowering the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ozone pollution, American Thoracic Society President M. Patricia Rivera, MD, ATSF, issued the following statement

UC Irvine PFAS Expert available to comment on Supreme Court’s ruling about EPA’s power to regulate water pollution

For an expert source on this breaking news, Scott Bartell, MS, PhD, UC Irvine professor of environmental and occupational health, is available for interviews. For the past 25 years, Bartell has dedicated his research to quantifying human exposures and health effects caused…

GW Experts: EPA Announces its Proposal Limiting Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Power Plants

WASHINGTON (May 11, 2023) –  The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing today new limits on greenhouse gas emissions from coal- and gas-fired power plants. According to the Associated Press, it’s the most ambitious effort yet to roll back planet-warming pollution.   GW faculty…

EPA Awards $1 Million to UAlbany Researchers for Community Air Pollution Monitoring Projects

The projects are focused on enhancing air quality monitoring in communities across the U.S. in areas that are underserved, historically marginalized and overburdened by pollution, supporting President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative.

Study First to Link Weed Killer Roundup® to Convulsions in Animals

A study is the first to link the use of the herbicide Roundup® to convulsions in animals. Glyphosate, the weed killer component in Roundup®, is the world’s most commonly used herbicide. Results showed that glyphosate and Roundup® increased seizure-like behavior in soil-dwelling roundworms and provides significant evidence that glyphosate targets GABA-A receptors. These communication points are essential for locomotion and are heavily involved in regulating sleep and mood in humans. What truly sets this research apart is that it was done at significantly less levels than recommended by the EPA and those used in past studies.

UAlbany Expert in Climate Change, Environmental Law Offers Insight on Supreme Court EPA Ruling

Albany, N.Y. (July 1, 2022) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday limited the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s authority to set climate standards for power plants.  The court’s 6-3 ruling – which addressed an Obama-era regulation aimed at coal-fired power…

Supreme Court’s decision to limit EPA oversight of CO2 emissions ‘a thinly veiled attempt to protect the coal industry,’ Notre Dame expert says

Alan Hamlet is an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering and earth sciences. His research focuses on integrated modeling of climate variability and climate change. In response to the recent Supreme Court EPA ruling, Hamlet said the following: “The…

New Tool Will Assess Water Discharge Impacts from Florida’s Everglades

An innovative tool will holistically examine and diagnose key processes with numerical simulations and experiments and predict changes in responses to water management, ecological restoration and climate change. It is designed to provide a suite of environmental and ecological information on the state of the greater Florida Bay ecosystem as well as potential future changes. Importantly, this model could potentially predict underwater aquatic vegetation coverage, harmful algal blooms, and fisheries resources under climate change and/or Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Program management scenarios.

Environmental health expert available to comment on breaking EPA findings on toxic “forever chemicals” in thousands of U.S. water systems

On June 15, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued nonbinding health advisories warning that two nonstick and stain-resistant compounds found in drinking water — PFOA and PFOS, also known as “forever chemicals” — pose health risks even at levels…

University of Oregon economist finds polluters sometimes game system to avoid penalties

Eric Zou, an assistant professor in the UO economics department, found that companies and in some cases government agencies will do what they can to help their communities’ air pollution levels meet federal standards, which he documented in a paper published earlier this year: “Unwatched Pollution: The Effect of Intermittent Monitoring on Air Quality.”

Research Update: Cleaning & Disinfecting PPE for Reuse

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented disruption in supply chains across multiple sectors including the shortage of critical personal protective equipment (PPE). In addition to hand washing and social distancing, various PPE items are used to prevent contact with…

Rutgers Experts Available to Discuss Addressing Climate Change, Environmental Protection in 2021

New Brunswick, N.J. (Jan. 12, 2021) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick professors Robert E. Kopp and Pamela McElwee are available for interviews on how President-elect Joe Biden and his incoming administration could strengthen efforts to address climate change and protect the environment. Kopp, a professor in…

EPA Attacks Science and Breaks Precedent in Final Data Transparency Rule

The American Thoracic Society opposes the EPA’s final rule on Data Transparency issued in the waning days of the Trump Administration. The final rule, which is the focus of a press conference today, is a continuation of the Trump Administration’s persistent attack on the science showing the adverse health effects of environmental pollution. This rule would exclude vital scientific data from future EPA decision-making and make patient confidential information more vulnerable to public disclosure.

Presidential roundtable discussion: How do we restore science to policy making? Presidential roundtable discussion: How do we restore science to policy making?

Restoring science in the White House is the topic of the presidential roundtable discussion at that the Society for Risk Analysis’ (SRA) Virtual Annual Meeting, on Thursday, December 17 from 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. ET.

Air pollution spikes linked to lower test scores for Salt Lake County third graders

More frequent exposure to air pollution spikes were associated with reduced test scores for third graders in Salt Lake County. Schools with a higher proportion of students of color and from households experiencing poverty were exposed to more peak pollution days than were schools serving middle- to upper- class and predominately white students.

Bacteria Can Defuse Dangerous Chemical In Passaic River

Bacteria that can help defuse highly toxic dioxin in sediments in the Passaic River – a Superfund hazardous waste site – could eventually aid cleanup efforts at other dioxin-contaminated sites around the world, according to Rutgers scientists. Their research, published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, needs further work to realize the full potential of the beneficial bottom-dwelling microbes.

EPA Proposal to Change How It Evaluates Environmental Policy Ignores Science

The American Thoracic Society is extremely concerned with today’s announcement about changes in how the EPA evaluates the costs and benefits of environmental policy. While the details of economic analysis of environmental regulations are complex, the guiding principle is remarkably simple: compare all the costs and benefits of agency actions. The proposed changes in how costs and benefits are evaluated will sufficiently degrade the credibility of economic analysis conducted at the EPA to the point that it is no longer able to function as an objective policy analysis tool.

8 New Cleaning Ingredients Added to the EPA’s Safer Chemical Ingredients List

The Environmental Protection Agency’s Safer Choice program approved eight cleaning product ingredients submitted by the American Cleaning Institute (ACI) for inclusion in its Safer Chemical Ingredients List (SCIL).

The decision marks the first time Safer Choice has approved a SCIL submission by a non-manufacturer.

EPA’S Attempt to Roll Back Regulations on Mercury and Toxic Air Emissions Ignores Science, Common Sense

Against the recommendation of the environmental, public health and even the electric power industry, this week the Environmental Protection Agency issued final rules to roll back regulations on mercury and toxic air emissions from our nation’s coal and oil-fired power plants. To justify taking such action, says the American Thoracic Society, the EPA ignored years of precedent – used by both Republican and Democratic Administrations – determining how the agency conducts cost benefit analysis of environmental regulations.

Omega-3 Continues to Show Protection Against Heart Disease-Related Death, Without Prostate Cancer Risk

Should you take omega-3 pills? Or try to have two to servings of omega-3 rich fish a week, as the American Heart Association recommends? It may seem a bit murky if you follow headlines about nutrition and health. That’s why researchers at the Intermountain Healthcare Heart Institute continue to research the potential benefits and risks of this popular supplement, especially when it comes to prostate cancer risk and heart health.

States’ rights at the center of California auto emission conflict

The Trump administration is expected to strike down California’s ability to set in-state auto emissions standards this week. The move pits California against the administration in an unprecedented legal battle over the states’ right to regulate air quality. David Bateman,…