Articles by Grist staff

Snippets from the news

• Six E.U. states ready to block climate plan. • World Bank green-energy funding up 87 percent. • Offshore wind farm approved in New Jersey.

EPA talked out of declaring public-health emergency in asbestos-ridden town

A public-health emergency has never been declared in Libby, Mont., where asbestos exposure from vermiculite mining has killed 200 people and sickened more than 1,000 more. But documents and emails obtained recently by Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) show that in 2002, the U.S. EPA was primed to declare such an emergency — before being talked […]

Phthalates linked to abnormal genitalia in baby boys

Mothers exposed to high levels of phthalates during pregnancy are more likely to bear sons with abnormal genitals, says new environmental research published in the journal Environmental Research. (See what we did there?) The study looked at only 106 mothers and sons, and the afflictions — undescended testicles, smaller penises, and a shorter anogenital distance […]

Houston joins Los Angeles in having ‘severe’ smog problem

Houston has received the dubious honor of becoming the second U.S. city to have a “severe” smog problem, as classified by the U.S. EPA. Los Angeles is its partner in grime. The downgrade from a “moderate” to “severe” smog problem gives Texas’ largest city nine extra years to meet federal air-quality standards. Both Houston and […]