Out of Eden: A Christian Study and Action Guide to Food and the Environment

A practical Study and Action Guide for use by small groups discussion or personal reflection. The guide covers topics that are actionable on the personal and policy levels: sugar’s impact on our bodies and sugar corporations’ truth-telling and accountability, corn and corn subsidies creating over-supply, plastic and its biological impact on animals and humans, the true cost of meat in terms of soil depletion and air pollution, and food waste and the practices which can diminish it.

Wikipedia, Neuroplastic Effects of Pollution (Wikipedia)

Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (website)  Heavy metals and other toxins found in cosmetics and kids products.

Linda Gorman, The Impact of Childhood Lead Exposure on Adult Crime. NBER, May 2008.

Carolyn Gallagher and Melody Goodman, Hepatitis B Triple Series Vaccine and Developmental Disability in US Children Aged 1-9 Years. Journal of Toxicological and Environmental Chemistry, Sep 2008.  "Boys in United States who were vaccinated with the triple series Hepatitis B vaccine, during the time period in which vaccines were manufactured with thimerosal [a mercury compound], were more susceptible to developmental disability than were unvaccinated boys"

Physicians for Social Responsibility, How Air Pollution Damages the Brain. Physicians for Social Responsibility, 2009.

Kevin Drum, America's Real Criminal Element: Lead. Mother Jones, Jan/Feb 2013.

Mental Health Daily, Air Pollution Causes Brain Damage. Mental Health Daily, Aug 11, 2015.  Very good summary of research and links.

Linda Pressly, How Mercury Poisons Gold Miners and Enters the Food Chain. BBC News, Sep 17, 2013.

Nadia Prupis, As Flint Suffers, Big Pharma Slammed for Lead Poison Drug Price Hike of 2,700%. Common Dreams, Oct 14, 2014.

Megan Cartwright, Treacherous Element: The Most Beautiful, Practical, and Poisonous Uses of Lead in History. Slate, Aug 21, 2015.

Justin Gardner, Navajo Water Supply is ‘More Horrific than Flint,’ But No One Cares Because They’re Native American. Free Thought Project, Jan 31, 2016.

James J. Feigenbaum and Christopher Muller, Lead Exposure and Violent Crime in the Early Twentieth Century. Harvard University, Mar 22, 2016.  re: lead pipes

Juliet Linderman, Facebook Account Deactivated as Woman Posts During Standoff. San Francisco Gate, Aug 3, 2016.  The woman was lead poisoned

M.B. Pell and Joshua Schneyer, The Thousands of U.S. Locales Where Lead Poisoning Is Worse Than in Flint. Reuters, Dec 19, 2016.

Sophia Tesfaye, House Republicans Shut Down Investigation Into Flint Water Crisis, Blame EPA Instead. Salon, Dec 19, 2016.

Jordan Chariton, Mike Pence May Be Damaged Goods Before Stepping Into White House. Mediaite, Jan 2 2017.

Ben Panko, Scientists Now Know Exactly How Lead Got Into Flint's Water. Smithsonian, Feb 3, 2017.

The Young Turks, Bronx School Lead Levels Sixteen Times Higher Than Flint. The Young Turks, Feb 9, 2017.

Vann Newkirk II, The Poisoned Generation. The Atlantic, May 21, 2017.  Lead poisoning, especially in minority communities like in New Orleans.

Sarah Jones and Emily Atkin, Rural America’s Drinking-Water Crisis. New Republic, Feb 12, 2018.  See also Darcey Rakestraw, New Analysis Reveals Martin County Water Crisis a Perfect Storm of Coal Industry Power, Mismanagement and Disinvestment. Food and Water Watch, Feb 27, 2018.  The Massey coal sludge spill in 2000 contaminated water with heavy metals.

Associated Press, Water Tests at Flint Elementary Schools Show Increase in Lead Levels. Time, Mar 13, 2018.

Michelle Lou and Arthur Delaney, Michigan Not Waiting Around For EPA To Fix Weak Rules On Lead In Drinking Water. Huffington Post, Jun 15, 2018.  While federal regulations and the EPA drags its feet on a fix to Flint water crisis. 

Abrahm Lustgarten, In How the EPA and the Pentagon Downplayed a Growing Toxic Threat. CNBC, Jul 8, 2018.

Ariel Tu and Associated Press, AP Exclusive: Toxic Metal Found in Chain Stores' Jewelry. ABC News, Oct 11, 2018.

Liz Leyden, In Echo of Flint, Michigan, Water Crisis Now Hits Newark. New York Times, Oct 30, 2018.

J. David Goodman, Al Baker and James Glanz, Tests Showed Children Were Exposed to Lead. The Official Response: Challenge the Tests. New York Times, Nov 18, 2018.

Lisa Friedman, New E.P.A. Plan Could Free Coal Plants to Release More Mercury Into the Air. New York Times, Dec 28, 2018.

Nolan Hicks, Lead-Linked NYCHA Officials Stayed on Payroll Months After Resignation. New York Post, Jun 25, 2019.  “NYCHA announced in November 2017 that the two top officials in charge of authority’s lead inspection and abatement program — Brian Clarke and Jay Krantz — had resigned in disgraced fashion, but payroll records show they collected their full salaries through at least June 2018.”

Nick Corasaniti and Corey Kilgannon, Lead Crisis in Newark Grows, as Bottled Water Distribution Is Bungled. New York Times, Aug 14, 2019.  “Worries about the safety of the drinking water in New Jersey’s largest city have raised comparisons to Flint, Mich”

Sandee LaMotte, 95% of Tested Baby Foods in the US Contain Toxic Metals, Report Says. CNN, Oct 17, 2019.  “Tests of 168 baby foods from major manufacturers in the US found 95% contained lead, 73% contained arsenic, 75% contained cadmium and 32% contained mercury. One fourth of the foods contained all four heavy metals. One in five baby foods tested had over 10 times the 1-ppb limit of lead endorsed by public health advocates, although experts agree that no level of lead is safe. The results mimicked a previous study by the Food and Drug Administration that found one or more of the same metals in 33 of 39 types of baby food tested.”

Sharyn Alfonsi, Early Results from 174 Flint Children Exposed to Lead During Water Crisis Shows 80% of Them Will Require Special Education Services. 60 Minutes | CBS News, Mar 15, 2020.  “Five years ago, lead seeped into the tap water in Flint, Michigan, while state and local officials said everything was fine. Now, the same doctor who proved something was wrong is taking the first comprehensive look at the thousands of kids exposed to lead in Flint.”

Jordan Chariton and Jenn Dize, Michigan's Ex-Gov. Rick Snyder Knew About Flint's Toxic Water—and Lied About It. Vice, Apr 16, 2020.  “Six years after the city of Flint, Michigan, began using a toxic water source that sickened its residents, VICE uncovered payoffs, the silencing of a whistleblower, a shady financial deal, a coverup, and the former governor who presided over it all.” See also Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti, Journalist Uncovers MASSIVE Flint Cover-Up, Reveals How CNN Ignored the Story. Rising | The Hill, Apr 21, 2020.

CNBC, How Tesla’s Battery Mastermind Is Tackling EV's Biggest Problem. CNBC, Apr 10, 2021. Lithium ion batteries and waste management; former Tesla CTO and Elon Musk's right-hand man, JB Straubel and the story of Redwood Materials.