Sarah Palin promised to advocate for special-needs children once elected, but in Alaska she has refused to limit toxins that cause fetal abnormalities.
Environment & Health
The Wrong Path to Conservation
Conservation International attracted $6 million to protect marine life in Papua New Guinea. Instead, they secured little more than plush offices and first class travel.
Toxic Trailers Redux: When Did FEMA Know?
Internal documents show OSHA detected dangerous levels of formaldehyde in trailers used to house Katrina evacuees as early as 2005 but FEMA distributed them anyway.
Silencing the Scientist
A whistleblower at the federal Centers for Disease Control tried to sound the alarm about toxic formaldehyde in FEMA trailers – but faced retaliation instead.
Slash and Burn
In Indonesia, subsidies for biofuel crops have led to the illegal seizure of tribal lands and the destruction of pristine old growth forest.
Great Lakes Danger Zones?
A suppressed report documents the impact of industrial contaminants in the Great Lakes – increasing cancer risk and infant mortality.
Alaska: Big Oil and the Inupiat
Forget Anwar. Oil drilling off the coast nearby is accelerating the destruction of the artic ice shelf, threatening both whales and the indigenous peoples who depend on them.
The Fight to Save Congo’s Forests
Congo’s tropical forests are the second largest on the planet, and they process staggering amounts of CO2. But the nation’s new political stability may put them at risk of deforestation.
A Death in McAllen
As Medicaid payments to nursing homes stagnate, regulation is weakened, and a Texas law capping damages for pain and suffering in all medical malpractice suits is enacted, the death of Noe Martinez Sr. reveals a coming crisis in the nursing home industry.
The Secret History of Lead
You might think its naturally occurring, but there is no lead in gasoline unless somebody puts it there.