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The Guardian - Back to homeThe Guardian

Toxic America

From weedkillers in your breakfast cereal to microplastics in your salt, this 2019 series from Guardian US investigates the risks of contamination in our food, water, and cosmetics

More about this series

22 December 2020

  • Wilmington, NC - Aerial Views<br>WILMINGTON, NC - FEBRUARY 26: An aerial view of the downtown area along the Cape Fear River on February 26, 2016 in Wilmington, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)

    ‘Forever chemicals’ pollute water from Alaska to Florida

    Whichever state you are in, there could be harmful PFAS chemicals in water near you

4 June 2020

  • In this Aug. 10, 2016, photo, Bill Bader surveys his peach trees for damage he says is from illegal use of the herbicide dicamba. In late 2016, Bader filed suit, first against Monsanto, now owned by the German pharmaceutical and life sciences company Bayer, and then against its German competitor, BASF, as he blamed dicamba for destroying his peach farm near Campbell, Missouri, about 80 miles south of Cape Girardeau. In late February 2020, after a three-week trial that captured widespread attention, jurors ordered Bayer and BASF to pay Bader $15 million in compensation and $250 million in punitive damages. (Bryce Gray/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)

    Court overturns EPA approval of popular herbicide made by Monsanto

    Ruling says EPA ignored clear evidence that the new herbicide would cause widespread damage to crops

29 April 2020

  • Thousands of potentially harmful chemicals are in products ranging from toys to plastic and carpets in the US

    The toxic chemicals in our homes could increase Covid-19 threat

    Leonardo Trasande and Akhgar Ghassabian
    Everyday hormone-disrupting chemicals could affect our immune system’s defenses against infections

30 March 2020

  • Missouri farmer Bill Bader won a $265m jury verdict against Monsanto and BASF after alleging his peach trees were damaged by the illegal use of the herbicide dicamba

    Revealed: Monsanto predicted crop system would damage US farms

    Internal documents describe how to profit from farmer losses and desire to oppose some independent testing

18 February 2020

  • overflowing plastic containers

    Are plastic containers safe for our food?

    The industry says its containers are safe but some experts point to a lack of data and warn that plastic and heat aren’t a good mix

27 January 2020

  • Erica Tarr, 31, at her home in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania. Tarr says, ‘I can’t bathe my daughter, wash my hands or do a load of laundry, it’s like living in constant crisis’.

    'We can't live like this': residents say a corrupt pipeline project is making them sick

    A community in Pennsylvania says clay-colored water appeared during a drilling mud spill, but the pipeline company insists it’s not to blame

10 January 2020

  • Michigan PFAS

    Pain, cancer, death: Michigan families devastated by toxic chemicals in their water

  • Posed by model African American woman spraying perfume on wrist

    New year health kicks are great – but your environment is also vital

    Dr Robert Wright

27 December 2019

  • ‘We notified the EPA 18 years ago that PFOA in drinking water presented a public health threat, and in 2019 there are still no federal regulatory limits,’ Bilott told me.

    Why a corporate lawyer is sounding the alarm about these common chemicals

    Carey Gillam
    The inspiration for Mark Ruffalo’s character in the film Dark Waters, Rob Bilott believes the battle to protect polluted communities is far from over

27 November 2019

  • Kim Foreman, executive director for Environmental Health Watch.

    'We can stop our children being poisoned': the fight for a lead-free Cleveland

    Campaigner Kim Foreman helped drive the creation of historic anti-lead poisoning legislation in the Ohio city earlier this year – and she is not done yet

24 October 2019

  • Tests found a type of flame retardant that has recently been banned by the European Commission

    TVs sold by Amazon and Best Buy 'contain chemicals banned in Europe'

    Several TV lines on sale in the US contain flame retardants linked to potential health problems, tests by public health campaigners find

11 October 2019

  • Mark Ruffalo and his wife Sunrise Coigney attending the EE British Academy Film Awards in London in 2016

    Mark Ruffalo says he helped make activism sexy as he takes lawyer role

    Mark Ruffalo’s new film tells the story of environmental lawyer Rob Billot who took on DuPont over contaminated water from one of its plants

19 September 2019

  • Sources for Dutch drinking water at risk<br>epa07837784 Water from a tap is poured into a glass in The Netherlands, 12 September 2019. According to media reports, research by the KWR institute for the drinking water sector shows that the quality of our sources for drinking water is at risk due to pollution by chemicals, and residues of medication. EPA/KOEN VAN WEEL

    Tap water contaminants linked with 100,000 cancer cases, US study finds

    Most of the risk is from naturally occurring arsenic, the byproducts of chemicals used to disinfect water and contaminants

11 September 2019

  • Passports stolen in raid<br>General view of 3M Security Printing and Systems Limited in Oldham. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 29, 2008. The Foreign Office today admitted a serious breach of security took place after blank passports destined for British embassies were stolen. A spokeswoman said 24 parcels containing blank passports and vignettes - the blank stickers for visa stamps - were taken from a van en-route from the factory in Oldham to RAF Northolt near London See PA story POLICE Passports. Photo credit should read: Dave Thompson/PA Wire

    Companies deny responsibility for toxic ‘forever chemicals’ contamination

    The 3M Company, the Chemours Company and DuPont appeared before lawmakers over PFAS

16 August 2019

  • Automation<br>A bowl of quinoa salad and a soda is picked up at Eatsa Restaurant a fully automated restaurant offering fresh quinoa bowls in South of Market neighborhood of San Francisco, CA on March 17, 2016. Ramin Talaie for The Guardian

    Is your takeout lunch bowl covered in toxic 'forever chemicals'?

    Joe Fassler
    Compostable bowls are considered eco-friendly, but they are covered in chemicals that persist indefinitely and are linked to troubling health effects

30 July 2019

  • Simon Strong and Vilma Tarazona Strong

    Families seek answers for US rise in childhood cancers

    Parents whose children have died from cancer are teaming up with scientists to study any correlations between toxicants and illness

18 July 2019

  • White House event on the Trump administration’s environmental policies<br>epaselect epa07704294 US President Donald J. Trump (R) adjusts a microphone for Administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency Andrew Wheeler (L), during an event held to discuss the Trump administration’s environmental and energy policies; in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 08 July 2019. EPA/MICHAEL REYNOLDS

    Trump administration won't ban pesticide tied to childhood brain damage

    Evironmental Protection Agency rejects proposed ban on chlorpyrifos, despite growing evidence of its toxicity

30 June 2019

  • ‘Pregnancy is a key time of vulnerability to harmful chemicals - we need to demand more from firms and government.’

    Parenting 'tips' to avoid toxics aren't enough – we need action to protect our kids

    Sonya Lunder
    The onus of protecting children from chemicals should fall on manufacturers and regulators, not parents

29 June 2019

  • Close-up of a woman drinking water from a bottle<br>GettyImages-177254832

    Ask the experts: are we unnecessarily afraid of chemicals?

  • Leeds, UK - 13 March 2018. Claire's Accessories store in the Trinity Shopping in Leeds was open for businiess as usual today, but rumours suggest the American company may file for bankrupty protection as early as today. Credit: James Copeland/Alamy Live<br>M7W3Y2 Leeds, UK - 13 March 2018. Claire's Accessories store in the Trinity Shopping in Leeds was open for businiess as usual today, but rumours suggest the American company may file for bankrupty protection as early as today. Credit: James Copeland/Alamy Live News

    What's in your kids' makeup? Asbestos recalls prompt regulation questions

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