June 20, 2025

Addressing PFAS Pollution: Why Sustainability Starts at the Source

June 20, 2025/ Kelly Pemberton

In a world increasingly focused on sustainability and environmental health, one of the most pressing challenges we face is PFAS contamination. Known as “forever chemicals” for their persistence in the environment, PFAS are a testament to the unintended consequences of human innovation. These chemicals have infiltrated ecosystems, contaminating water supplies, soil, and food chains. However, the growing awareness of this issue brings hope, as solutions are emerging — and they begin at the source.

November 01, 2023

Ensuring Chemical Safety in Food Packaging: Migration Testing for Sustainability and Health

November 01, 2023/ Kelly Pemberton

Food packaging testing involves testing of any packaging material that contains food items. Food packaging testing helps manufacturers ensure that the packaging on their food items is functional, and of course, safe – for both people and the environment.

January 04, 2018

DDT was banned long ago, so why is it still affecting your health?

January 04, 2018/ Kelly Pemberton

The New Year always encourages us to look ahead to the (hopefully brighter) future, but sometimes moving ahead means reconciling with the past. The lingering presence of DDT, and its continued effects on the health of the environment and, really, most of us, is one stark reminder of how harmful practices of the recent past continue to threaten lives in the present.

September 23, 2017

What You Should Know about Radon Poisoning

September 23, 2017/ Kelly Pemberton

(updated November 14, 2022)

Guest post by propertEco

A killer might be lurking in your house: no, it is not a person, but an invisible odorless and colorless gas known as radon. Radon gas is formed when the uranium that is naturally present in the ground decays. The gas that travels to the surface of the earth is called Radon.

October 15, 2016

10 Ways that Endocrine Disruptors are Screwing up your Health

October 15, 2016/ Kelly Pemberton

We are all exposed to endocrine disruptors like BPA, dioxin, lead, arsenic, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals. Here's a list of what they can do to the human body and the environment, along with a resource to help you minimize your exposure to these harmful synthetic chemicals.

March 17, 2016

Are BPA-free plastics still poisoning you?

March 17, 2016/ Kelly Pemberton

In my book on toxic chemicals, I wrote about the health effects of Bisphenol-A (BPA) as being pervasive: this chemical compound, found in plastics and even in some cash register receipts, has been linked to problems with metabolism, behavior, reproduction, the development of placentas and stem cells, and the growth of cancerous tumors. BPA has been blamed (at least in part) for obesity, diabetes, asthma, infertility, and even…

August 26, 2015

Direct and Indirect Health Effects of Triclosan

August 26, 2015/ Kelly Pemberton

Triclosan is an antibacterial chemical added to most commercial cleaning products that target bacteria. As mentioned here, long-term use of Triclosan may cause a disruption in the endocrine system. The direct and indirect effects of triclosan are important to understand for a healthier and sustainable lifestyle. The concept of “antibacterial” is particularly useful in a critical healthcare setting, but what happens when we over use this chemical in the comfort of our homes and our hormone levels are altered?

February 22, 2014

The Chemicals We Don’t Know: is West VA’s Chemical Spill Just The Tip Of The Iceberg?

February 22, 2014/ Kelly Pemberton

Five and a half weeks after a chemical spill in West VA and we still don’t know much about the chemical, Crude MCHM, that has alarmed officials in the state and increasingly, across the country. What little we do know gives a false sense of security: used to process coal, MCHM is made up almost entirely of the chemical called 4-methylcyclohexanemethol. It is listed in the Toxnet chemical database of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as a skin, eye, and respiratory system irritant. The CDC conducted a study that recommended 1ppm (part per million) for safe levels of MCHM in drinking water (as of a week ago, the group Appalachian Voices’ Appalachian Water Watch reported that levels of MCHM just near the site of the spill was 1.130 ppm).

This recommendation, and the implication that it MCHM is now undergoing intense evaluation, may be giving some people a false sense of security...