In the News

August 8, 2019

News: Refineries Across America Could Create Catastrophic Acid Clouds. It Almost Happened In Philly.

Last month’s explosion at a 150-year-old oil refinery in Philadelphia could have forced 1.1 million people to evacuate. Read More

August 5, 2019

News: Exxon Refinery Explosion Another By-Product of Trump Deregulation

The Trump administration is working to roll back a chemical safety disaster rule, putting communities like Baytown, Texas, at risk. Read More

May 30, 2019

News: Dollar stores moving to pull dangerous plastics from shelves

Dollar stores, those ubiquitous businesses that sell everything from bathroom cleaner to eggs, are starting to take action that begins to right what consumer advocates call a clear wrong: Many of the plastic products on their shelves contain chemicals that can have grave health effects for their customers. Read More

April 18, 2019

News: 99 Cents Only stores carry products with toxic chemicals, protesters say

Environmental activists are calling on the 99 Cent Only store chain to clear their shelves of products with toxic chemicals.

"Four years ago we walked 150,000 petition signatures in there from their customers who wanted toxics out of products and they haven't listened," said Jose Bravo, with the Campaign for Healthier Solutions.

The group told Eyewitness News they conducted testing on some of the chain's products and found chemicals linked to cancer and the disruption of hormone levels. Read More

April 4, 2019

News: One dead, two seriously injured in fire at KMCO specialty chemical plant in Houston area

“From Hurricane Katrina to Hurricane Harvey, we’ve repeatedly witnessed communities inundated by toxic flood waters—laced with an unknown concoction of hazardous chemical substances. Black, brown, and poor communities are more likely to be impacted by chemical spills and suffer the health impacts of pollution,” says Michele Roberts, National Co-Coordinator of the Environmental Justice Health Alliance. Read More

April 3, 2019

News: Environmental justice advocates have questions after Croda settlement

Delaware Concerned Residents for Environmental Justice (an EJHA affiliate) is featured in this piece about the toxic ethylene oxide leak eminating from Croda Industries.

“Fines are meant to discourage polluters from violating again,” said Lambert. “If you look at that fine, if it were doubled or even tripled, it would still be a slap on the wrist. So with that being said, that fine isn’t acceptable.” Read More

April 2, 2019

OpEd: Why We Need Organic for All?

An OpEd by Jeannie Economos and Virginia Ruiz with our Farmworker Health and Justice Team:

"Many people choose organic food in order to protect themselves and their families from exposure to pesticides. But choosing organic also means helping to create a healthier food system for everyone, from farm to table. Far too often, discussions about pesticides in the food system exclude the men, women, and children who plant, tend, and harvest our food." Read More

April 2, 2019

OpEd: Industry growth must also address emergency response

OpEd by Pam Nixon, spokeswoman for People Concerned About Chemical Safety, an EJHA affiliate in Charleston, WV.

"We have known for years that chemical emergencies disproportionately impact low-income communities and communities of color and result in cumulative health problems. Yet, emergency response concerns remain unaddressed in the unincorporated fenceline communities of Institute and Jefferson, and others like them in the Kanawha Valley." Read More

December 22, 2018

News: Croda gas leak reportedly among worst of its kind in country this year

It took nearly a month after a toxic gas leak shut down the Delaware Memorial Bridge on one of the busiest travel weekends of the year for company and state officials to shed some light on what went wrong.

It remains unclear who will pay for the hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost tolls, who will fix any environmental harm, and who will address any lingering health effects that travelers, first responders and neighbors may have been exposed to that Sunday night... Read More

November 27, 2018

News: Croda gas leak highlights risks to poorer Delaware communities

As emergency crews worked to contain a gas leak that shut down the Delaware Memorial Bridge for six and a half hours Sunday night, some nearby residents had not been notified of the incident. That highlights the danger of industrial sites in close proximity to residential areas, according to a Delaware environmental group... Read More

November 7, 2018

Delaware Online news story: 'It's our turn': Southbridge residents say they're tired of being a dumping ground

Marie Reed’s first thought when she heard a grinding company had plans to build an industrial facility in south Wilmington was, “Here we go again.”

Reed, president of the Southbridge Civic Association, knew she wasn’t alone. The whole neighborhood “has been through so much,” she said. “We’ve had enough.” Read the full story on Delaware Online. Read More