popular stories 2022

Our 5 most popular reads from 2022

A corpse, woodworking dangers, plastic titans ... revisit the stories that stuck with our readers this past year.

The totals are in — here are the five most viewed stories from our newsroom in 2022.


1. A corpse in a barrel in a drying reservoir

corpse in a barrel in a drying reservoir

Our weekend columnist Peter Dykstra is always on the lookout for the weird and wacky in the environmental realm.

With this column, he found it.

2. The hidden, potential cancer-causing, danger in woodworking and art supplies

BADGE BPA chemical

Reporter Meg Wilcox did a deep dive on a scary chemical that's common in woodworking and art supplies. Might want to check this one out before your next craft night.

3. The Titans of Plastic

petrochemical shell pennsylvania plastic

In collaboration with the excellent Sierra Magazine, reporter Kristina Marusic gives readers a clear-eyed look at the multi-faceted impacts of plastics production.

4. For clean beauty brands, getting PFAS out of makeup might be easier said than done

PFAS in makeup

We spent a good part of the beginning of 2022 examining PFAS chemicals in everyday products. This investigation into makeup caught the eye of readers.

5. Chemicals in everyday products are spurring obesity, warns a new review

chemicals obesity

Our weight depends on more than diet and exercise. Reporter Grace van Deelen reported on the latest research examining a concerning class of chemicals called "obesogens."


An illustration of a house covered in a folded $100 bill

LA fire survivors got a rude surprise that could hit more Americans

Many home insurance policies don’t cover the full cost of rebuilding after a disaster, a problem that’s set to grow along with the impacts of climate change.

A view of a road in Alaska with an oil pipeline alongside it

Proposed surcharge on oil would help pay for responses to climate-related disasters in Alaska

A new bill proposes establishing a surcharge to help cover the mounting costs of Alaska disasters like landslides and floods.
A research ship with computers and crew
Credit: NOAA/Unsplash

High Seas Treaty takes effect, giving the open ocean real protection

The high seas used to be the wild west of the ocean, but a new treaty could finally bring oversight.
ship floating on ocean heading to ice burg

New map reveals landscape beneath Antarctica in unprecedented detail

Scientists believe the map could shed light on how Antarctica's vast ice sheet will respond to climate change.
The interior of a burned bulding

Homes that survived the 2025 L.A. fires are still contaminated

Testing of homes in communities surrounding the Eaton and Palisades fires has found dangerous levels of lead and asbestos — even after remediation.
Smiling people with signs marching in support of science.
Credit: Vlad Tchompalov/Unsplash

The state of science, one year on

How the Trump administration is redefining the way science is practiced and perceived in the United States.

EPA head Lee Zeldin at Turning Pint USA event
Credit: gage Skidmore/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/ https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Three things to watch in EPA’s endangerment repeal

The agency is close to finalizing its rollback of the endangerment finding. Legal experts say its success could hinge on these details.
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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