Public Health
By the time Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California closed today — this time for real, sealing out even bikers and hikers — local residents were seething. The picturesque swath of desert east of Los Angeles had been overrun by visitors the weekend of March 21 – two days after Gov. Gavin Newsom issued…
Warning Wire
Confirmed cases of coronavirus globally surged past the 1 million mark this week, and now stand at more than 1,066,000, with more than 56,000 deaths. Confirmed cases in the U.S. passed 257,000, with more than 6,600 deaths.
Consumer Protection
The swindles have begun. As Americans struggle to cope with the spread of COVID-19, they will also need to brace themselves for “disaster fraud”—those cons that rely on post-catastrophe chaos to separate people from their money.
Consumer Protection
An environmental advocacy group is out today with its annual report on pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables. Raisin lovers, take note.
Nearly all conventionally-grown raisins have traces of two or more pesticides, according to government test data cited in a new report. That’s worrisome, says the environmental group that authored the report, because raisins are such a popular children’s snack.
Public Health
Americans are being told to limit public interactions during the coronavirus pandemic, and to stay at home as much as possible. They’re also being told not to denude grocery shelves by hoarding food and other essentials. But have these messages at times been contradictory? If people are supposed to avoid venturing out in public, including…
Consumer Protection
Con artists are cashing in on America’s clean energy revolution, tricking investors with bogus projects and empty promises.
Environment
Mike Walker has just finished his lunch in the cafeteria at PCC Community Markets in the Green Lake neighborhood of Seattle. On the small table in front of him is a plastic sandwich wrapper, a potato chip bag and an energy drink can. Only one of those three is destined for a recycling bin. And even then, there’s no guarantee that the can will end up recycled.
Consumer Protection
Many funeral homes don’t post prices for their services online, making it difficult for consumers to comparison shop.
Consumer Protection
Polaris Industries, which boasts of being a global leader in sales of off-highway vehicles, also has the dubious distinction of being the No. 1 company for recalls, according to a new report.
Transportation Safety
While walking and bicycling have been promoted as ways to get healthy exercise while reducing traffic congestion, air pollution and carbon emissions, the death toll for pedestrians and cyclists has risen sharply. Pedestrian and bicyclist deaths are now about 20 percent of all U.S. traffic fatalities.
Transportation Safety
Drunk drivers, motorcyclists and young or distracted motorists make up the majority of those involved in fatal vehicle crashes, and many states are failing to pass key safety measures that could prevent such deaths, according to a new report by a highway safety group.
Consumer Protection
Despite the efforts of Customs and Border Protection agents, counterfeiters are passing off ineffective refrigerator water filters to many thousands of consumers, who think they are buying the real thing. The fakes may not only be useless, but unsafe. Along with failing to do what they claim, counterfeits can introduce chemicals such as arsenic and octane, a petroleum-derived solvent, into users’ drinking water.
Consumer Protection
With the U.S. increasingly dependent on foreign manufacturers for prescription and generic drugs, the Food and Drug Administration’s problem-plagued efforts to inspect overseas plants are under growing scrutiny.
Environment
With hundreds of fields reaching end of life each year, the artificial turf industry is under pressure to find a sustainable solution.
Public Health 
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Public Health
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