Health and Public Safety
September 20, 2012 -
Under the Affordable Care Act, racial and ethnic differentials in health insurance coverage are poised to shrink due to the extension of coverage to hundreds of thousands of individuals and families, particularly through the Medicaid expansion.
September 14, 2012 -
Since Hurricane Isaac, oily tar has washed ashore along the beaches and bayous of the Gulf -- some of it linked to BP's Deepwater Horizon disaster, which locals report is having a lasting impact on their treasured fishing grounds.
September 7, 2012 -
So far, 93 oil industry accidents have been reported in Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Isaac, releasing millions of pounds of toxic pollution into the environment. Watchdogs say the incidents point to the industry's chronic failure to prepare for entirely predictable problems.
September 6, 2012 -
The Department of Justice has filed a memorandum with the judge in the BP lawsuit blasting the company for making misleading claims about its responsibility and the ongoing damage it's caused to the environment. BP is also facing fire for misleading claims from Alabama and from institutional investors.
September 4, 2012 -
The Gulf Restoration Network has documented an oil spill at a Conoco Phillips refinery and a coal spill from a major port on the Mississippi River. Pollution from the spills appears to be contaminating nearby communities, farmlands and wetlands.
August 30, 2012 -
The chemical industry is promoting a type of petrochemical plant known as an "ethane cracker" as a job creator for North Carolina once it begins fracking for natural gas in a couple of years. But such plants produce high levels of toxic pollution that take their toll on the health of nearby residents.
August 22, 2012 -
Tests find low levels of health-damaging pollutants including radioactive elements in and around the Texas Brine sinkhole in Bayou Corne, La. -- but environmental advocates say the potential cumulative health impacts justify continued monitoring.
