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The EPA can’t wait to reopen the mine that poisoned North Idaho

The EPA can't wait to reopen the mine that poisoned North Idaho

Photo: Tubbs Hill on Lake Coeur d’Alene. – Kyle Johnson for Bloomberg Businessweek

The Bunker Hill Mine deposited 75 million tons of toxic sludge in Lake Coeur d’Alene, and the lead and zinc are still flowing.

For a century, the mines of the Coeur d’Alene Mountains in North Idaho produced much of the heavy metals that made the U.S. a global superpower. Starting in the 1880s, through the rise of … [more…]

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Hormone-Disrupting Weed Killer Taints Tap Water for Millions in Corn Belt

photo: child drinking water from an open tap

Seasonal spikes of atrazine–a weed killer that can disrupt hormones and harm developing fetuses–contaminate drinking water in corn-growing areas of the Midwest and beyond, according to an analysis of federal records by the Environmental Working Group (EWG).

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data show that in some Corn Belt communities, atrazine levels can spike three to seven times above the legal limit in late spring and early summer. But by … [more…]

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‘What did we do?’ Families anxious about chemicals found in tap water

photo: Michigan residents stock up on bottled water. 'What did we do?' Families anxious about chemicals found in tap water

Emergency response teams hand out bottled water to residents at Parchment High School.

(CNN)It’s been about three weeks since Tammy Cooper last drank water from her tap. That’s when she saw a warning on Facebook for residents of her small Western Michigan town to stop drinking the water.

In Michigan, water main breaks aren’t unusual, although they’re more common in winter. It didn’t immediately strike Cooper as out of the … [more…]

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Study: Flint’s lead-poisoned water had ‘horrifyingly large’ effect on fetal deaths

photo: Flint resident LaFonzo Williams

Flint resident LaFonzo Williams, 19, prays on Jan. 14, 2016, in Lansing, Mich., amid more than 150 Flint and Detroit residents before heading into the state Capitol to protest Gov. Rick Snyder, asking for his resignation and arrest in relation to Flint’s water crisis. (Jake May/Flint Journal-MLive.com via Associated Press)

The fertility rate in Flint, Mich., dropped precipitously after the city decided to switch to lead-poisoned Flint River water in … [more…]

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Human Medicine Loading River Creatures With Dozens of Drugs

photo: spider and web near water supply. Human Medicine Use Loading Up River Creatures With Dozens of Different Drugs

Spiders, such as the one pictured here, are found in riparian environments all over the world. They build their webs over streams and catch aquatic insects as they emerge from the water. Pharmaceuticals in the insects spread to the spiders and other organisms on land. Photo: Stephen Hamilton

Medicines do an excellent job of increasing the quality of life for humans around the world, but the drugs don’t stay with

… [more…]