A former chemical-industry executive who fought against stronger regulations under the first Trump administration is returning to take critical roles at the Environmental Protection Agency, two people with knowledge of the appointment said, raising concerns of corporate influence on chemical safety regulations. Nancy B. Beck, a toxicologist and former executive at the American Chemistry Council, […]

At the height of the Los Angeles County wildfires, atmospheric concentrations of lead, a neurotoxin, reached 100 times average levels even miles from the flames, according to early detailed measurements obtained by The New York Times. Levels of chlorine, which is also toxic at low concentrations, reached 40 times the average. The spiking levels underscore […]

For the first time, the Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday warned that “forever chemicals” present in sewage sludge that is used as fertilizer can pose human health risks. In a groundbreaking study, the agency said that while the general food supply isn’t threatened, the risk from contaminated fertilizer could in some cases exceed the E.P.A.’s […]