Texas Toxic Air
As Alarm Over Plastic Grows, Saudis Ramp Up Production in the US
President Biden is in the kingdom this week to strengthen ties, consistent with ‘American values.’ Meanwhile, a US-Saudi joint venture on the Texas coast is pumping out toxic chemicals and greenhouse gases.
Health inequities
‘Chronic Underfunding’ of Public Health Threatens Lives in US, Report Finds
The United States spent $4.1 trillion on health in 2020 but only 5.4% of that amount went toward public health, the prevention of illness and death, a new report has found.
Commentary
Under-the-Radar Health Hazards: Gas Stoves
Gas stoves are a health hazard flying under the radar. Thirty-five to 40% of U.S. households rely on gas for cooking. Many of us think having a gas stove is a net positive, but it may not be.
women
Alcohol-Related Deaths for Women Surge Compared With Men
The pandemic fueled an upswing in drinking, at least among some groups. But the trend in heavier drinking among women, as well as related liver damage and other health effects, is not new, extending back at least two decades.
medicaid expansion project: ‘the holdouts’
North Carolina Senate Announces Medicaid Expansion Bill
In a move that many health care advocates have been pushing for years, the state Senate introduced a bill on Wednesday that would expand the state’s Medicaid program to some half million-plus low-income North Carolinians.
Mother Battling Cancer Is Impatient With Kansas Legislature’s Denial of Medicaid Expansion
The plight of Katy Everitt reflects the struggles of many Kansans who aren’t eligible for Medicaid coverage. GOP opposition has left Kansas among 12 states without broadened eligibility for the program.
As Gulf South Lawmakers Fight Over Medicaid, New Moms Weigh In: ‘Safety Nets Do Save Lives’
The COVID-19 health emergency could end soon, and tens of thousands of new mothers could lose their health-care coverage unless legislators in Mississippi and Alabama take action.
Support Public Health Watch
featured stories
Protect Water or Advance Green Energy
The green economy creates a tug-of-war in Northeast Minnesota, where companies seeking mining rights for critical minerals challenge those trying to protect pristine waterways.
Texas Abortion Providers Feel ‘Ignored’ by the Biden Administration
After the state’s strictest-in-the-nation abortion ban went into effect last year, the president promised a ‘whole-of-government’ response that experts say has not materialized.
As Pandemic Enters Third Year, Public Health Workers Are Suffering High Levels of Mental Distress
More than half of 45,000 workers surveyed reported at least one symptom of post-traumatic stress. Nearly one-third were considering leaving.
While Future of Texas Abortion Clinics Hangs in Balance, Public Funding Pours Into Anti-Abortion Pregnancy Centers
Public funding for Texas’ Alternatives to Abortion program has risen twentyfold since 2006, with funding diverted from programs that help needy families and human-trafficking victims.
environment
Small Plant, Big Polluter
Thanks to a loophole in the Clean Air Act, William Koch’s Oxbow plant in Port Arthur, Texas, puts out 10 times as much lung-damaging sulfur dioxide as its industrial neighbors. People who live nearby have asked the state for help, to no avail.
Koch-Owned Plant Finds Legal Ways to Pollute
A clean energy company that once operated at William Koch’s Oxbow plant in Port Arthur, Texas, claimed in a lawsuit that Oxbow manipulated sulfur dioxide emissions to avoid spending millions on pollution controls. Oxbow said it complies with the law.
While ExxonMobil Touts Net-Zero Promise, Its Huge Plastics Complex in Texas Goes Online
The same day ExxonMobil announced its ambition to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, word spread that its mammoth plastics manufacturing complex in Texas had begun production. The plant could pump more than 3.5 million tons of carbon dioxide into the air every year.
Flaring at Gulf Coast Plastics Plant Alarms Neighbors, Signals Growth in Polluting Projects
Environmental advocates fear that Gulf Coast residents are poised to suffer from new energy projects expected to add 50 million tons of greenhouse-gas pollution in coming years.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Be the first to learn about Public Health Watch’s latest investigations.
other stories
Young and Dying: Veterans Are Getting Brain Cancer and Struggling to Get Benefits
A joint investigation by Military.com and Public Health Watch found that glioblastoma, while rare, has struck hundreds of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. Many must fight for health care and compensation.
Cancer Cases in Kids Are Rising. Some Experts Blame Toxic Chemicals.
While death rates for childhood cancer victims are going down, incidence rates are going up. Are environmental exposures at fault?
Iowa’s Toxic Brew
Iowa copes with the climate-chemical reaction that can play havoc with drinking water.
