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David Masur, executive director of PennEnvironment, holds up a report on lead testing in Pa. school districts on Sept. 4, 2024.
Updated: September 5, 2024 | 11:12 am

Report calls for tougher lead testing standards for Pa. school districts

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say there is no safe level of lead in the blood.

By Rachel McDevitt
In this file photo from Oct. 14, 2011, a drilling rig is seen in Springville, Pa.
October 31, 2023 | 12:01 PM

A new report compiles years of data about the health risks associated with fracking

By Kara Holsopple/The Allegheny Front
A man takes photos as a black plume rises over East Palestine, Ohio, as a result of a controlled detonation of a portion of the derailed Norfolk Southern trains Monday, Feb. 6, 2023.
March 3, 2023 | 9:16 AM

After community pressure, EPA orders Norfolk Southern to test for dioxins

By Reid Frazier
Ilyse Kazar stands along the Susquehanna river in Harrisburg next to a stormwater outflow while anglers fish nearby. Kazar, of Harrisburg, is one of the volunteers who collected water samples as part of the Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper's annual water monitoring.
August 17, 2020 | 7:20 PM

Sampling confirms Harrisburg’s sewage overflow is polluting the Susquehanna River with E. coli

A related report finds Pennsylvania has ā€˜gone backwardsā€™ in its effort to curb river pollution
By Brett Sholtis
Sherry Vargson, who leased the mineral rights under a portion of her farm to the gas company Chesapeake Energy, illustrates her assertion that methane has leached into her well water by lighting the water on fire as it pours from her kitchen sink in Granville Summit. Scientists want more access to baseline or "pre-drill" water tests results from private wells to understand issues like methane migration.
June 30, 2020 | 5:15 AM

Department of Health says it is looking into fracking public health risks following grand jury report

The grand jury criticized the departmentā€™s response, saying it was ā€œunable to meet the challengeā€ of understanding how fracking could affect people.

By Brett Sholtis
Jerry Solomon, of West Lampeter Township, rolls the stone slab that covers his private well water pump at the back of his home on Dec. 9, 2019. Solomon's well was tested three times, the first time the results showed nitrate levels more than two limes the Environmental Protection Agency maximum limits for public drinking water systems.
March 2, 2020 | 5:30 AM

Can your well water make you sick? No testing is required in Pennsylvania.

Medical professionals, scientists and drinking water experts say the condition of drinking water is a significant factor in a community’s overall health.

By Hurubie Meko, LNP
Jessica Cutaiar never liked the taste of the well water at her Sellersville home. Now she knows it is contaminated with PFAS, a chemical used in fire retardant foam.
December 9, 2019 | 5:00 AM

A third of Pa. drinking water samples contained toxic chemicals. The state says there’s ‘no widespread contamination’

Amid federal inaction, there's no consensus on how much of the PFAS class of chemicals is too much.
By Brett Sholtis
In this Aug. 1, 2018 photo, a water tower stands above a residential neighborhood in Horsham, Pa. In Horsham and surrounding towns in eastern Pennsylvania, and at other sites around the United States, the foams once used routinely in firefighting training at military bases contained per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.
June 16, 2019 | 8:39 AM

Congress eyes ban on firefighting foams that have tainted drinking water

PFAS have been used since the 1940s and have been linked to health conditions including high cholesterol, thyroid disease, low birth weights, immunodeficiencies and some cancers.

By Nicholas Pugliese/WHYY
In a news conference, Del. Sen. Tom Carper, alongside Pa. Sen. Bob Casey, discusses measures pushing for a federal response to PFAS chemical contamination, following a roundtable discussion at the Horsham Township Library in Horsham, Pa. on Monday, April 8, 2019.
April 8, 2019 | 9:00 PM

Carper, Casey back bill forcing EPA to classify PFAS as hazardous

By Dana Bate/WHYY
FILE - In this May 22, 2017 file photo shown is the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Middletown, Pa. With nuclear power plant owners seeking a rescue in Pennsylvania, a number of state lawmakers are signaling that they are willing to help, with conditions. Giving nuclear power plants what opponents call a bailout could mean a politically risky vote to hike electric bills. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
March 24, 2019 | 5:03 AM

The Three Mile Island accident and the enduring questions of ties to cancer and deaths

Even the most comprehensive studies have fallen short of drawing conclusive verdicts on the ongoing debate.

By Ivey DeJesus/PennLive
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