Skip to main contentSkip to navigation
Print subscriptions
Sign in
Search jobs
Search
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

28 June 2019

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

    Thank you! With your help, we raised $150,000 for our Toxic America series

  • One thing is clear: eating organic avoids GMO/glyphosate concerns and reduces levels of pesticides known to be toxic to kids’s developing brains.

    Ask the experts: Do we need to watch out for glyphosate in food?

27 June 2019

  • Unfortunately BPA-free doesn’t mean bisphenol free. What little we know about Bisphenol S, a BPA substitute, is that it’s as estrogenic and toxic to embryos as its predecessor.

    Ask the experts: do the plastic linings of tin food cans contain BPA?

  • Fidelia Morales is a mother of five who lives in Lindsay, California, near citrus groves where chlorpyrifos use is common.

    ‘Children are being poisoned’: California moms lead the way to pesticide ban

26 June 2019

  • A young girl before getting a free test for lead in Flint, Michigan, in February 2016

    Poisoned by their homes: how the US is failing children exposed to lead

    Hundreds of thousands of children in the US remain at risk of exposure to lead, which causes cognitive and behavioral deficits

25 June 2019

  • US-EDUCATION-STUDENT-DEBT<br>Students earning degrees at Pasadena City College participate in the graduation ceremony, June 14, 2019, in Pasadena, California. - With 45 million borrowers owing $1.5 trillion, the student debt crisis in the United States has exploded in recent years and has become a key electoral issue in the run-up to the 2020 presidential elections. “Somebody who graduates from a public university this year is expected to have over $35,000 in student loan debt on average,” said Cody Hounanian, program director of Student Debt Crisis, a California NGO that assists students and is fighting for reforms. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP)ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images

    How banning dangerous chemicals could save the US billions

    Leonardo Trasande
    It’s a myth that environmental regulations stifle economic productivity. Harmful chemicals cost the US $340bn a year
  • Full Length Of A Woman And A Girl On Playgroundmother and daughter ride on a swing at the city playground

    US playgrounds: fears grow over health risks from rubber particles

    Experts concerned about the safety of crumb rubber from recycled tires – and as Congress lags behind, states are leading the charge
  • bottles blue

    A parent's guide to avoiding potentially toxic chemicals

    Exposure to potentially toxic substances that are part of modern life only adds to the many anxieties of parenting. Here’s what action you can take

21 June 2019

  • Bunch of plastic wrapped bell peppers<br>Bunch of plastic wrapped orange and red bell peppers

    Trump's EPA is 'dangerously off the rails' on toxic chemical regulation, say senators

    Five Democrats say Trump officials have failed to ensure chemicals used in everyday products and materials are safe for humans

6 June 2019

  • Monsanto has been subject to several major civil suits recently over evidence that Roundup may be unsafe.

    The unseen carcinogenic danger lurking in New York City's public parks

    Ben Kallos
  • Quinoa salad background<br>Fresh quinoa organic vegetables salad in bowl on concrete rustic background. Quinoa superfood concept. Clean healthy detox eating. Vegan/vegetarian food. Making healthy salad. Space for text. Top view

    A dietitian's guide to 'clean eating': what it is and how to do it right

4 June 2019

  • Los Angeles has some of the worst food ‘swamps’ in the country. Studies have shown that stocking convenience stores with affordable produce in neighborhoods that lacked it didn’t reverse the reliance on processed food

    'Food deserts' become 'food swamps' as drugstores outsell major grocers

    With CVS selling more groceries than Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s combined, researchers fear food ‘deserts’ are becoming ‘swamps’ of processed food

3 June 2019

  • Cook Malted chocolate layer cake &amp; Salted peanut caramel shortbread

    'Forever chemicals' found in seafood, meats and chocolate cake, FDA says

    Nearly half the meat and fish tested had at least double the advisory level for PFAS, chemicals linked to cancer and liver problems

30 May 2019

  • hy

    'They've been killing us for too long': Louisiana residents march in coalition against 'death alley'

    Five-day marathon to state capitol leaves Reserve, where chemical factory presents greatest risk of cancer to surrounding community
  • Fisherman Justino Gonzalez, 41, rides his bike back home through the Sarigua Desert, 230 kilometers (143 miles) west of Panama City, Panama on Sunday, June 9, 2002. Overgrazing by livestock and the loss of topsoil through erosion have devastated 8,000 hectares (20,000 acres) in Sarigua. (AP Photo/Tomas Munita)

    The world needs topsoil to grow 95% of its food – but it's rapidly disappearing

    Without efforts to rebuild soil health, we could lose our ability to grow enough nutritious food to feed the planet’s population
  • The first Crispr-edited products will begin reaching the US market this year, and researchers believe it’s only a matter of time before US grocery shelves could be filled with gene-edited produce, grains and meat

    Crispr gene-editing will change the way Americans eat – here's what's coming

    The technology will be labeled and subject to stringent health and environment review in the EU, but not in the US, where produce could be radically changed

29 May 2019

  • THE CO-OP FRUIT AND VEG STALL IN NORTH LONDON WHERE THEY HAVE STOPPED SELLING PRODUCTS WHICH USE HARMFUL PESTICIDES.<br>Mandatory Credit: Photo by Andy Paradise/The Independent/REX (2436288a) THE CO-OP FRUIT AND VEG STALL IN NORTH LONDON WHERE THEY HAVE STOPPED SELLING PRODUCTS WHICH USE HARMFUL PESTICIDES. THE CO-OP FRUIT AND VEG STALL IN NORTH LONDON WHERE THEY HAVE STOPPED SELLING PRODUCTS WHICH USE HARMFUL PESTICIDES.

    Pesticides explained: the toxic chemicals in up to 70% of produce

    Studies have linked long-term health issues, while regulators insist breaches of safe limits are rare
  • What's hiding in our grocery basket?

    What banned substances might be hiding in your groceries?

    The typical American shopping list is full of substances much more tightly regulated in other countries. Find out what’s in yours
  • Titanium dioxide, widely used to give foods a white glow, is one of a slew of new food additives that may cause health issues.

    'I wash all my food like crazy': scientists voice concern about nanoparticles

    US foods are increasingly full of nano-scale additives, even as scientists raise alarm bells about their safety

28 May 2019

  • Tesco Opens First Of Its “Fresh And Easy” Stores In L.A<br>A shopper selects from pre-packaged produce at a Fresh &amp; Easy grocery as Tesco PLC, the UK’s biggest retailer, officially enters the U.S. market, opening its first six stores in southern California on November 8, 2007 in Los Angeles, California. Tesco is importing its own system of grocery store operations, making heavy use of pre-packaged produce, in contrast to U.S.-based grocery chains, to reduce overhead and refrigeration costs. The Fresh &amp; Easy markets, which are significantly smaller than typical U.S. supermarkets, will use its own truck fleet for single deliveries from a centralized distribution center. The chain will operate from a relatively small $10,000 per square foot, producing more than a projected $200,000 a week, twice that per square foot of typical U.S. food stores .

    Burgers, berries, bread: 10 foods you should consider buying organic

    Many are wary of chemical residues frequently found in foods grown with pesticides. If your budget and time are limited, here’s a good place to start
About 59 results for Toxic America
123
Explore more on these topics