May 14th, 2013

A new study of the compound used to fluoridate most city water systems in the U.S. has found that it contains significant levels of arsenic, raising concerns among fluoride opponents that this industrial-grade chemical raises health risks.

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June 18th, 2010

People who want to know more about how hydraulic fracturing in the natural gas industry might affect drinking water, can attend EPA meetings in July in Texas, Colorado, Pennsylvania and New York.

These states have witnessed increases in natural gas drilling, as oil and gas companies tap stores thousands of feet beneath the surface in areas such as the Marcellus Shale in New York and the Barnett Shale in Texas.

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May 18th, 2010

Two years ago, an AP investigation found that America’s medicine habit had a boomerang effect. Discarded and excreted medicines — heart and mood drugs, tranquilizers and hormone treatments — that had been flushed down the toilet were turning back up in drinking water. (Yes, that’s how our managed water cycle works.)

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April 2nd, 2010

Green Right Now Reports

Groups fighting for a safer, cleaner, more livable Appalachia praised the EPA’s move Thursday to restrict pollution from mountain top removal coal operations in Central Appalachia.

Hobet mountaintop removal site (Photo: Vivian Stockman, ilovemountains.org)

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October 13th, 2009

Green Right Now Reports

Just when we got clear of growth hormones in our milk, now comes news that estrogens and other hormones are floating around our waterways, interfering with the biological functions of fish and wildlife — and causing yet untallied health issues for humans.

These synthetic and natural hormones from plastics, pesticides and prescription drugs that have been flushed into sewer systems are “seeping into rivers and streams and having unintended consequences on wildlife, causing some male fish to become feminized and lay eggs,” according to a news release promoting a conference on the subject.

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October 8th, 2009

By Abrahm Lustgarten
ProPublica

A version of this story appeared in the Albany Times-Union [1] on Oct. 8, 2009.

A preliminary report [2] from a consultant hired by New York City warns that “nearly every activity” associated with natural gas drilling could potentially harm the city’s drinking water supply and that while the risk can be reduced with strict regulations, “the likelihood of water quality impairment…. cannot be eliminated [2].”

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May 4th, 2009

By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now

Drinking a glass of water. It should be a simple thing. But as we Americans wean ourselves from plastic water bottles and return to the tap, there are a new set of questions that arise.

The main one: How safe is tap water?

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March 30th, 2009

By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now

Before you turn over the first spade of dirt for your new veggie garden, you’ll want to take stock of your equipment. Spades, shovels, picks — these things tend to accumulate in garages and storage closets, and you’ve probably got some already. If you’ve done any flower gardening or have potted plants, you also likely have a watering can that can be used in the veggie patch.

But when it comes to hoses and watering equipment, there are some special considerations when growing food.

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September 25th, 2008

By John DeFore

Nitrates, substances which when consumed by humans can be toxic, especially for infants (whose blood can be made less able to carry enough oxygen), are commonly used in fertilizers. While efforts have been made in recent years to reduce fertilizer use, it’s hard to know — since it takes time for substances to migrate from topsoil into aquifers — how quickly changes to agricultural practices affect water supplies.

Now a study published in the Journal of Environmental Quality finds that nitrate levels in ground water are on the rise in many parts of the U.S., leading researchers to call for increased monitoring.

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