environmental risk News

EU Commission Eyeing Exemptions for ‘Forever Chemicals’ Ban, Letter Shows

The European Commission is planning to allow exemptions from a proposed ban on substances known as PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” to protect key industries, a letter seen by Reuters on Wednesday showed. In the letter to some EU lawmakers in …

EPA Designates PFAS Chemicals as Superfund Hazardous Substances

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday designated a pair of widely used industrial chemicals as hazardous substances under the country’s Superfund program, accelerating a crackdown on toxic compounds known as “forever chemicals.” The rule will require companies to report …

New Jersey Voters May Get to Decide If They Have a Right to a Clean Environment

New Jersey, known as much for its beaches and blueberries as for the chemical plants and refineries that line some of its major highways, is considering asking voters a fundamental question: Should the state guarantee its citizens the right to …

Republican-Led States Sue SEC Over Climate Risk Disclosure Rules

Ten Republican-led states have sued to challenge new federal rules that require U.S.-listed companies to report climate-related risks, a spokesperson for the West Virginia Attorney General’s Office said on Wednesday, hours after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approved the …

EPA Directs $1 Billion to 25 Superfund Hazardous Waste Cleanups

The U.S. environment regulator said on Tuesday it is launching new cleanup projects at 25 hazardous waste sites from New Jersey to Oregon with $1 billion in funds. The sites are in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund program, originally created …

Bottled Water Contains More Plastic Particles Than Previously Thought

A typical one-liter (33-ounce) bottle of water contains some 240,000 plastic fragments on average, according to a new study. Many of those fragments have historically gone undetected, the researchers determined, suggesting that health concerns linked to plastic pollution may be …

How Much Would Carbon Damage Cost if Corporations Paid for Their Emissions?

The world’s corporations produce so much climate change pollution, it could eat up about 44% of their profits if they had to pay damages for it, according to a study by economists of nearly 15,000 public companies. The “corporate carbon …

EPA Readies ‘Forever Chemical’ PFA Safety Plan Amid Calls for Tougher Action

The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to announce a plan for dealing with a class of long-lasting chemical contaminants amid complaints from members of Congress and environmentalists that it’s not moved aggressively enough to regulate them. So-called forever chemicals, perfluoroalkyl …

Chubb Forms ‘Custom Industry Solutions’ Product, Creates London Region

Chubb announced it has created a “Custom Industry Solutions” product cluster in UK and Ireland, which will bring together its life science, info tech, package and entertainment industry segments. This new product cluster is designed to meet the evolving needs …

17 Million U.S. Homes Worth $4.9 Trillion Are in Environmental Hazard Zones

Millions of homes and condominiums across the country are in high danger zones for environmental hazards. According to the Environmental Hazards Housing Risk Index, produced by ATTOM Data Solutions, 17.3 million single family homes and condos with a combined estimated …