Category: Public health
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On Farms, ‘Plasticulture’ Persists
U.S. farms are covered in plastic, from the sides of greenhouses to plastic mulch, hoop houses, irrigation tubes, and more. As it degrades, plastic accumulates in soil and in plants, with potential threats to food safety. Photo: Rows of plastic-covered strawberry plants. In 1948, E.M. Emmert, a horticulturist at the University of Kentucky, was tinkering…
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NOTEBOOK FEATURE: Are farm fields a hidden source of microplastics?
Row crop agricultural field in the gentle rolling hills of San Benito County in California. Photo taken January 14, 2013. John Chacon / California Department of Water Resources The agricultural use of plastic film is especially prevalent in the strawberry fields of California’s Central Coast region, but it occurs just about everywhere food is grown.…
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How will water sector be impacted as EPA targets PFAS?
In April, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released two much-anticipated final rules pertaining to certain contaminants within the broad class of synthetic compounds known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Commonly referred to as forever chemicals because of their long-lasting nature, PFAS have emerged as a chief source of contamination in drinking water supplies across the U.S. in…
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Lethal cyanobacteria are creeping into rivers—no one knows exactly why
Researcher Hannah Bonner conducts a visual monitoring survey of benthic cyanobacteria in North Creek, a tributary of Utah’s Virgin River. Image credit: Emily Butko (photographer). In the clear shallows of Utah’s Virgin River, a slimy brown glob clings to the streambed. Hannah Bonner stands shin-deep in the water, eyeing the goo. It looks like Microcoleus, a…
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In Millions of Homes, High Fluoride in Tap Water May Be a Concern
Top: Water tower in Comfort, Texas. Visual: Marcus Wennrich/ iStock/Getty Images Plus In communities across the U.S., water contains levels of fluoride some experts say could be harm developing brains. The town of Seagraves sits on the high plains of West Texas, not far from the New Mexico border. Nearby, water pumped from the Ogallala Aquifer…
