Closed Philadelphia refinery continues to leak toxic fumes
The Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery continued to emit concentrations of benzene far above EPA limits, after a 2019 fire shut down the processing facility.
Green Schemes: How fraudsters are cashing in on the clean energy boom
While the U.S. Department of Energy declares America to be in the midst of a clean energy revolution fraudsters have already started to cash in.
Concerns raised over FDA’s capacity to inspect overseas drug makers
With the U.S. increasingly dependent on foreign manufacturers for prescription and generic drugs, the Food and Drug Administration’s problem-plagued efforts to inspect overseas plants is under growing scrutiny. The number of inspections performed by the agency has been falling since 2016.
Pedestrians and bicyclists now account for one in five traffic deaths
Policymakers have eagerly promoted walking and bicycle riding as a way to get healthy exercise while reducing traffic congestion, air pollution and carbon emissions. But those activities are becoming increasingly dangerous in America.
Boxed in: Dollar Tree cited for job safety violations at dozens of stores
This story was produced by FairWarning, a nonprofit news organization based in Southern California that focuses on public health, consumer and environmental issues. There are so many boxes at Dollar Tree stores that workers are always running out of room. The boxes form unstable piles that block aisles, reach precarious heights and, most seriously, block …
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Her son died of an overdose. Now she sends hundreds of cards to parents like her, hoping to ease the stigma.
MaryBeth Moore Zocco used to send her son, Ryan Moore, care packages. Last December, days before Moore, 25, died from an overdose, his mom mailed him a box with fun winter-themed items: hot chocolate ingredients, an ornament and a red plush blanket. Moore, who struggled with addiction on and off for at least seven years, …
Foreign influence? How we built the database of expert testimony
Our story on truth in testimony forms used a combination of data collection, manual data-entry and and field reporting. To build our Truth in Testimony database, we wrote a computer program to automatically capture the publicly available data about who has testified before House committees, including their Truth in Testimony disclosure forms, from the U.S. …
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Foreign influence? House transparency in numbers
From transportation to climate change, members of Congress listen to expert testimony before they make decisions on important issues. But who gets a seat at the table and why? Is it possible they are advocating for a foreign government under the guise of expert advice? In an attempt to know more about any conflicts of …
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What’s in a name? Ghostly spirits stalk the medical literature
In an age of distortion, propaganda and fake news, medical literature might seem to be a safe space for honest scientific inquiry, with no room for bias or spin. It isn’t so.
Toyota settlements in sudden acceleration cases echo previous safety scandals
This story was produced by FairWarning, a nonprofit news organization based in Southern California that focuses on public health, consumer and environmental issues. On the last day of 2015, Berta Orellana picked up her 7-year-old grandson from day care in a brand new Toyota and headed on a road trip with the boy and two …
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