Our 2021 Annual Report: Environment, health, science & impact

An update from the front lines of climate change and environmental health

What a time of change and growth!

We are pleased to share Environmental Health Sciences' 2021 Annual Report, highlighting the many activities we undertook last year that set EHS up for a strong 2022.


Download our annual report here:

EHS-2021-Annual-Report.pdf

Environmental impact

Agriculture and environmental health

2021 was a year of excitement and challenge for our small nonprofit.

  1. We launched EHN en Español,
  2. Doubled down on our commitment to the groundbreaking early career science program Agents of Change, and
  3. Saw significant gains on both the toxics and climate fronts.

And we watched readers – like you! – get engaged in ways that continually surprised us.

Our work continues

PFAS in cosmetics

In just the first three months this year EHS staff has been a hive of activity:

  • Partnered with wellness community Mamavation.com to investigate PFAS contamination in sports bras, cosmetics and other products.
  • Driven a global campaign around groundbreaking BPA limits in Europe – and why the same scientific standards should be applied in the U.S.
  • Published 10 Agents of Change essays & podcasts exploring everything from new pathways into science to workplace chemical exposures.

Take a look at the work EHS did last year and be proud that you, as a reader, are moving it forward.

We certainly are grateful to you!

PS: Just today we published a look at impacts one year after publishing "Fractured," our groundbreaking investigation into spillover pollution from fracking fields in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Check it out!

Banner photo art by David Ryder for EHN.org

Wildland fire fighter, silhouetted  against flame-orange backdrop, training hose on wildfire.

Federal job cuts are making wildfires harder to fight

The Trump administration pushed out thousands of veteran U.S. Forest Service staff. An ‘extraordinary’ fire season is testing those who are left.
A view from below of a brick apartment building

Heat waves cost some Toronto residents more

Climate change is bringing more frequent heat waves to cities, but not all residents have equal access to space to cool down.

A view of a street with lots of flowering vines growing on the houses

Urban heat islands have solutions; many tropical cities can’t afford them

Urban heat islands pose a growing global health threat, but in tropical cities, the peril is surging.

A Black woman putting her voting record into a box at a polling station

In Arizona, the thermostat is driving voters to the polls

Record heat, two rate hikes and a data center boom have turned utility bills — not climate — into the state’s most volatile issue.
A closeup of a brown insect on a green leaf

Tick populations surge as the climate warms, and farmers bear the brunt

Farmers are at an elevated risk for tick-borne illnesses, which can have devastating health and economic consequences.
White government building with large decorative pillars

What to know about the Supreme Court’s major climate case this fall

The decision could set a significant precedent for states and cities trying to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for climate impacts.
A group of runners with numbered tags running on a city street

Hot weather forces marathons to consider changes to help runners

Marathon organizers are adjusting to warmer race conditions caused by climate change. Many races are shifting dates, starting earlier or offering shorter runs.
From our Newsroom
Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro speaks with the state flag and American flag behind him.

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

silhouette of people holding hands by a lake at sunset

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

wildfire retardants being sprayed by plane

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.

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