Articles by Grist staff

Waterways downstream from oil sands are full o’ toxins, says study

Fish, water, and sediment downstream from the gigantic oil sands projects in Alberta are chock-full of carcinogens and other toxins, says a new study. While the research does not make a direct link between the oil sands, the toxins, and presumed health consequences, the largely Native residents of downstream community Fort Chipewyan have long suspected […]

FEMA prohibits employees from entering toxic trailers

Concerned about formaldehyde fumes, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has prohibited its employees from entering thousands of stored trailers. And the hurricane victims living in some 50,000 trailers in Louisiana and Mississippi? Well, FEMA hasn’t gotten around to seeing if those trailers are toxic yet — last week, the agency postponed plans to begin testing […]

Everyday folk found to be contaminated with toxic chemicals

Volunteers across the U.S. were found to have toxic bisphenol-A, PBDEs, and phthalates in their blood and urine, says a small study sponsored by a coalition of environmental health groups. The “Is It in Us?” study analyzed 35 people from seven states; while the sample size was too small to be representative of the larger […]

Kansas, Minnesota pledge to green up government computer systems

Think of states that are environmental frontrunners, and Kansas and Minnesota may not leap immediately to mind. But it’s those two that are taking the lead in reducing energy use from government computer systems. Teaming up with the industry-backed Climate Savers Computing Initiative, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) and Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D) — […]