Consumer

Homebuyers Not Told Houston's Reservoirs Would Flood Their Properties

"When Jeremy Boutor moved to a master-planned community in Houston’s booming energy corridor, he saw it as idyllic. ... Then, Hurricane Harvey changed everything. As the downpours began and Boutor studied maps flashing on his TV screen, he realized that his home wasn’t at risk of flooding just because of record rainfall; it was also located inside one of two massive reservoirs that had been built west of Houston decades ago to protect the city."

Source: Texas Tribune, 10/12/2017

"J&J Was Alerted to Risk of Asbestos in Talc in ’70s, Files Show"

"Johnson & Johnson trained its employees to reassure anyone concerned about whether the company’s talcum powder contained asbestos that the cancer-causing substance 'has never been found and it never will' in its iconic baby powder, according to an undated memo unsealed in a lawsuit against the drugmaker."

Source: Bloomberg, 09/25/2017

New Tack on Ticks — Infestations a Local Environmental Story

Tick populations are on the rise in the United States, bringing higher risk of serious tick-borne illnesses like Lyme disease and a host of others. That offers a chance to tell the story of the environmental factors behind the spread, such as climate change and rising deer populations. The latest TipSheet explains.

SEJ Publication Types: 
Visibility: 

Battling Mosquitoes: The Fog of Chemical Warfare

Mosquitoes are not just annoyances. They also bring disease. But is the current patchwork of mosquito-control efforts effective? Or are the remedies, particularly pesticide spraying, worse than the problem? This week's Tipsheet has resources to help you report on balancing the risks of disease against those of spraying.

SEJ Publication Types: 
Visibility: 

“Where the Water Goes: Life and Death Along the Colorado River”

Writer David Owen's “Where the Water Goes: Life and Death Along the Colorado River” tells the story of the Colorado, while exploring water issues ranging from drought and climate degradation to cross-state and cross-border legal complexities.

SEJ Publication Types: 
Visibility: 

“Hot, Hungry Planet: The Fight to Stop a Global Food Crisis in the Face of Climate Change”

Author Lisa Palmer tackles a question many experts in the natural and social sciences are also pondering: How can we feed a growing world population in the coming decades when climate change is stressing global food production systems?

SEJ Publication Types: 
Visibility: 

To Report on Drinking Water, Know Its Source

Safe drinking water is a long-standing challenge left unmet all across the United States. As our latest Issue Backgrounder explains, telling the story of drinkable water requires digging beneath complex relationships, understanding the sources of drinking water and much more. Here's help to do it.

SEJ Publication Types: 
Visibility: 

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - Consumer