Help make science loud in 2018 - support our work today

Help make science loud in 2018 - support our work today

We were strong in 2017 thanks to engaged readers like you. Let's keep that work going in the New Year.

I'm proud of our work over the past year. Engaged readers like you made it possible, and I hope you'll take a moment to see what impact you had – and what opportunities lie ahead of us. Because you should be proud, too.


We moved to a new, nimbler platform this fall. We're going to spend 2018 reaching new readers who might not realize how closely our health and climate change are related.

We also saw an institutional shift. After more than 15 years at the helm, founder and chief scientist Pete Myers stepped aside from day-to-day management this summer. He's still intimately involved – focusing considerable energy and expertise to draw connections among climate, environmental factors and our health.

Priority: Environmental justice

We're on fire with our journalism. In November our sister publication, EHN.org, published Peak Pig, a nine-part series in partnership with NC Policy Watch on the impacts of Big Ag on rural America. No clichés or recycled narratives here — we sent reporters to the heart of hog country and told of rural unrest through the eyes of those who feel voiceless and forgotten. And we saw novel new developments with hog waste and biogas.

We see urgent need to call out environmental injustice. We're looking hard at our carbon footprint and impacts. And veteran editor Peter Dykstra is keeping a sharp eye on climate science and regulatory rollbacks in his Weekend Reader.

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What's ahead? First, we hope to have your continued support.

Your donation drives good science into public policy and discussion on environmental health. Please consider us as you plan your year-end tax-deductible gifts.

Second, we're watching. Peter Dykstra is tracking rollbacks. We intend to keep a sharp eye on ways science and policy are diverging.

Check our new weekly newsletters

Pete Myers will continue to push forward the science on bisphenol-A and other endocrine-disrupting compounds. Our small staff will continue to curate news from around the world on environmental health and climate. And we are expanding our news pipeline: A new menu of weekly newsletters – all free – and enhanced efforts on Facebook and Twitter.

But it all starts with you, our readers. A small donation makes a huge impact.

You're the caffeine that fuels our early morning and weekend shifts. You're driving the discussion. Let's be loud in 2018.

Contribute a tax-deductible gift today. We're ready to roar.



With deep appreciation,

Douglas Fischer, executive director

Environmental Health Sciences, publisher of EHN.org and DailyClimate.org


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A hummingbird lands on a flower

Toxic chemicals and climate change work together to harm fertility across species

In a recent review published in NPJ Emerging Contaminants, researchers examine how toxic chemicals can reduce fertility in both humans and wildlife, and how these effects are worsened by climate change.


In short:

  • Animals - including insects, fish, reptiles, birds, humans, and other mammals - are constantly simultaneously exposed to synthetic chemicals and the impacts of climate change, including rising temperatures.
  • Both of these stressors can harm fertility, and many of the impacts found are similar across species, such as effects on sperm and eggs.
  • The stress caused by these exposures also impacts overall health, harming animals’ ability to adapt to a changing environment and worsening global biodiversity loss.


Key quote:

“To build a sustainable future, we must recognize that chemicals, once released, don’t simply disappear. Instead, they contribute to the larger issue of driving humanity towards the exceedance of planetary boundaries when considered in combination with climate change and other planetary-level impacts.”


Why this matters:

While climate change and toxic endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are both individually well-established as health threats, few studies have examined the implications of the widespread simultaneous exposure experienced by humans and wildlife. Many EDCs can also impact health across multiple generations, meaning their harm continues long after the original exposure. To better tackle the issue of EDCs, the authors of this study emphasize the need for strong regulations that address chemicals by class, rather than individually.


Related EHN coverage:


More resources:


Brander, S. et al. (2026). Impacts of environmental stressors on fertility and fecundity across taxa, with implications for planetary health. NPJ Emerging Contaminants.

Solar panels juxtaposed against transmission lines and wind turbines
Credit: kckate16/ BigStock Photo ID: 478351339

Hope is contagious and science is king: 10 big lessons on ending the fossil fuel era

At world-first Santa Marta climate meeting, delegates say it was ‘euphoric’ to finally be focusing on concrete solutions.

The home page of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

The SEC tried to silence activist investors. Now they're fighting back

After SEC limited EDGAR access, activists launched Proxy Open Exchange to share corporate accountability concerns, including climate issues.

A gas pipeline stretching across a desert landscape

With promises of money, controversial gas pipeline on Navajo Nation passes first hurdle

A 234-mile stretch of pipeline that could carry natural gas or natural gas-hydrogen blends across the Navajo Nation is a step closer to reality.

A row of oil and gas pump jacks against a sunset

Congress once shielded gun makers. Now it’s fossil fuel companies’ turn

Republican lawmakers have introduced a bill that would block current and future lawsuits seeking to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for climate damages.

Pumpjacks extract oil from an oilfield in Kern County, CA. using hydraulic fracturing.
Credit: Christopher Halloran/BigStock Photo ID: 59467733

Western lawmakers move to weaken Clean Air Act and shield fossil fuel companies from climate lawsuits

Members of Congress in Wyoming and Texas tout the bills as protecting energy security, but opponents say they amount to a corporate handout that will cost taxpayers billions and harm human and environmental health.
Insurance policy with magnifying glass, miniature auto, and hundred-dollar bill

States are demanding property insurance records to study climate change

An unprecedented nationwide data collection will show where storms and wildfires are causing large insurer losses and rate hikes.
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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