Environmental Health Chat

What could healthier than a backyard garden? In this podcast, we learn why soil contamination makes gardening potentially risky in some areas. Our experts explain what recent research can tell us about safe gardening practices.

To eat fish or not to eat fish? This podcast explains why some types of fish contain high levels of mercury and how to find low-mercury seafood for your family to enjoy.

Schools built on hazardous waste sites? Yes, it really happens. In 1978, the discovery of toxic chemicals leaching into schools and homes built atop a former landfill brought international attention to a small New York neighborhood called Love Canal. The Love Canal story helped spark a national movement to address the toxic legacies of the past. In 2002, researchers mapped school sites in just five states and found more than 1,100 schools located within a half-mile of a known contaminated site, affecting more than 600,000 children in California, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, and New York. In this podcast: how researchers and community members teamed up to investigate contamination at Rhode Island schools.

The practice of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) to extract natural gas has expanded in recent years. The practice has fueled a national debate about the shale gas extraction process. Some people think that this practice will help provide for energy security. Others are concerned about the environment. Increasingly there are people who are worried about how fracking might affect their health and safety. In this podcast, we talk about the science of fracking, what we do - and don't - know about its impacts, and how Health Impact Assessments could be used as an approach to identify how drilling might affect community members.

Many homes in the United States harbor an invisible guest - radon. Exposure to this colorless, odorless gas is the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. In this podcast, we discuss the latest radon research and what you can do to protect your family.