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      Male farmer spray fertilizer at tobacco farm

      Why 2% Is the Most Dangerous Number No One Is Talking About

      The sheer quantity of chemicals being dumped into the environment is quickly growing—and we may only be seeing the beginning of the harm they are doing to us.

      Richard Heinberg
      Sep 10, 2023

      We’ve had a summer from hell, with July 2023 temporarily claiming the title of hottest month on record. But while the klaxons of Earth’s climate system have riveted nearly everyone’s attention, something else is silently happening to us and other species that could turn out to be just as big a disaster.

      Nature is increasingly stewing in air- and water-borne toxins originating in industrial processes. Tens of thousands of chemicals, only a tiny proportion of which have been tested for safety, are making their way into the environment—from pharmaceuticals that have passed through human bodies, to plastics, pesticides, solvents, fire-retardants, and chemicals used in making cookware coatings.

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      Pollution
      Smoke rises following the wildfires in Lahaina, Hawaii

      Scientists Warn of Toxic Particle Pollution in Maui Wildfire Smoke

      "When you burn people's belongings, vehicles, and boats, we don't necessarily have a good understanding of what those chemicals are," said one expert.

      Julia Conley
      Aug 14, 2023

      Scientists and health officials in Maui County, Hawaii on Mondayurged residents to stay away from the island's western coast if possible to avoid exposure to potential toxins that may have been released following the wildfire that killed at least 96 people and destroyed the historic town of Lahaina.

      Officials have not determined exactly what toxins were released as last Tuesday's fire tore through the island and exposed an estimated 86% of Maui's 2,719 structures to the flames, but officials have taken note that a wide array of buildings and objects were burned by the fast-moving wildfire.

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      hawaii wildfires
      Boy pouring drinking water into a glass

      Conservationists Push EPA to Add 1,000+ Pollutants to 'Outdated' List of Toxic Chemicals

      "It's stupefying that the last time the EPA updated its toxic pollutant list, the 8-track was considered an advanced technology and Gerald Ford was president," said one group.

      Julia Conley
      Jul 31, 2023

      According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's official documentation, no toxic pollutants have emerged in the United States in nearly five decades—and two advocacy groups on Monday demanded that the agency add more than 1,000 chemicals to its list to bring the inventory up to date.

      Northwest Environmental Advocates (NWEA) and the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) filed a formal legal petition with a list of industrial and commercial pollutants—many of which have been outlawed in other countries—that they want the EPA to formally acknowledge as toxic.

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