In Texas, about 500 water utilities have tested positive for a weed killer with known negative health effects. Atrazine, an herbicide, is used to fend off weeds especially in warmer seasons, when it's easier for weeds to grow. The environmental working group (EWG) from EPA that reported these findings discovered, however, that these water utilities [...]
Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) are chemicals with known adverse health effects. PFAS have been present for decades in industrial and commercial use because of their versatility and resistance to heat, water, and oil. Due to a recent EPA program, water suppliers have been testing for PFAS in drinking water. Water suppliers have found PFAs [...]
The record rains of Hurricane Florence have posed multiple environmental and human health issues. As of September 19, 2018, at least 77 pig waste "lagoons" in North Carolina have flooded into the surrounding area or are at imminent risk of doing so. In these large-scale pig farms, pig waste falls through slatted floors into a [...]
Pig farmers just inland of the North Carolina coast were rushing to drain cesspools before Hurricane Florence hit in order to accommodate the expected rain. In pig farming, open air “lagoons” are a common way to handle animal waste. The lagoons themselves are usually not problematic in terms of pollution. With the threat of immense [...]
