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clean water

10/21/2018 / By Tracey Watson

Skyrocketing antidepressant use now affecting marine life, turning waterways into a ‘drug soup’

It might seem like flushing something down the toilet means it magically disappears, but unfortunately everything that goes down there ends up somewhere. This means that the many people who flush unused medications rather than throwing them in the trash can because they think they’re being responsible are actually polluting the environment. This is especially […]

10/19/2018 / By RJ Jhonson

Fruit and vegetable peels can be used to remove water pollutants

Fruit and vegetable scraps may often end up in the trash, but they are far from useless. A recent study published in the Journal of Chemical Education revealed that the seeds and peels of many fruits and vegetables can be used to remove pollutants, including dyes and heavy metals, from the water. The authors of […]

10/18/2018 / By Edsel Cook

Coal plants in Pennsylvania are dumping toxic pollution in rivers under expired permits

Pennsylvania is defined by its winding rivers and lovely lakes. But the beauty and health of those vital waters are threatened by pollution discharge from local coal plants that haven’t renewed their permits in years, according to a Sierra Club article. There are 20 coal-fired power plants operating in the state. In addition to the […]

10/10/2018 / By Isabelle Z.

Swimming with sunscreen damages the environment AND wildlife: Study

Most people slather on sunscreen before they go swimming without giving it a second thought. They believe they’re doing something good for their body by protecting it from the sun; perhaps they haven’t gotten the message that the sun isn’t quite as bad for them as it’s made out to be. Whether you believe you […]

09/24/2018 / By Tracey Watson

Is Fukushima radiation affecting the West Coast? Consider these signs

In March 2011, the province of Fukushima, Japan, was struck by a series of devastating events that culminated in one of the worst nuclear disasters in history. First, the area experienced a magnitude 9.0 earthquake; that, in turn, caused a 15-metre (50-foot) tsunami; and finally, the tsunami disabled the power supply and cooling functions at […]

09/13/2018 / By Ralph Flores

Thousands of food poisoning cases believed to be caused by fish are actually caused by environmental pollution

People are fond of seafood. In the U.S., this means that a person, on average, will consume more than 47 pounds (around 21.51 kg) of fish and seafood in a year. Unfortunately, this also means that his chances of being poisoned by eating contaminated fish are also increased. An article published in the journal Global Food Security […]

09/12/2018 / By Rhonda Johansson

Can floating islands help threatened insects such as bees and butterflies?

Iowa State University (ISU)’s landmark lake floating islands research project is being re-established this year since its first run in 2015. The Lake LaVerne Floating Islands project was intended to measure the nutrient uptake from the water of the LaVerne lake and then to design, construct, and monitor the amount of carbon the plants could […]

08/10/2018 / By Tracey Watson

Florida battling dual ecological disasters … What aren’t they telling residents about the connection between the toxic green algae and red tides?

The state of Florida has been hit by more than its fair share of environmental challenges and disasters recently. Having dealt with the devastating effects of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in 2017, the state went on to endure an unusually harsh winter that saw snowfall in Tallahassee and theme parks shutting down water attractions because […]

08/06/2018 / By Isabelle Z.

Here we go again: Michigan declares state of emergency after cancer-causing chemical confirmed in the public water supply

The state of Michigan has declared a local state of emergency in the city of Parchment after high levels of toxic perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were found in the municipal water source there. On July 26, residents were told to stop drinking water after tests showed that the city’s water supply had 1,587 parts […]

07/08/2018 / By Isabelle Z.

Geoscientist analyzes how contaminants, including bacteria and viruses, move through groundwater

It’s a topic that many of us don’t give much thought: How exactly do bacteria and viruses make their way through groundwater? Countless people can be sickened when this happens after flooding or heavy rains, for example, but what occurs on the microscopic level when this happens is largely a mystery. William Johnson, a geoscientist from […]

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