Category: Cancer

Cancer Endocrine disruptors Environmental health Environmental Justice Plastics University of Wisconsin-Madison

Wisconsin Environmental Health Network Conference 2025

February 19, 2025 Jim Powell

Some of you know that Maria was very artistic and one of her passions was using her childhood Barbie in various ways to communicate her (Maria’s) concern about plastic and…

Arrogance Burn pits Cancer City of Madison Dane County Denialism Doublespeak Environmental Justice Fish Fish Advisory Hypocrisy Inequality Madison Madison-Kipp Corp. Mercury Oscar Mayer Privilege Public Participation Racial disparities Racial Justice Risk Assessment Starkweather Creek Toxic Chemicals Truax Wastewater Treatment Water Pollution

Resistance Radio to feature “Poisoning Paradise: An Environmental History of Madison”

September 9, 2024 Jim Powell

Maria Powell’s book, “Poisoning Paradise: An Environmental History of Madison,” is the topic of an upcoming Resistance Radio interview with Derrick Jensen on Sunday, September 15 at 5 pm CDT.…

Cancer Denialism Environmental Justice EPA F-35 Fighter jets Fire fighting Fish Fish Advisory Hypocrisy Illicit discharge Madison Pesticides Plastics Privilege Public Participation Racial disparities Racial Justice Starkweather Creek Starkweather EJ Project Truax landfill University of Wisconsin-Madison

MARIA POWELL: A CELEBRATION OF HER LIFE – JULY 20, 2024

July 16, 2024 Jim Powell

Friends – please consider attending as I would love to see you there, and feel free to spread the word to others who knew Maria. MARIA POWELL: A CELEBRATION OF…

Air Pollution Arrogance Cancer City of Madison Community engagement Dane County Denialism Development Doublespeak Ecology Environmental destruction Environmental health Environmental Justice F-35 Fighter jets Fish Advisory Futility Hypocrisy Madison Martin Luther King Jr. Obfuscation Peace?? Privilege Public Participation Public Relations Racial disparities Racial Justice Racism

Reflections on Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

January 15, 2024 Jim Powell

MEJO founder Dr. Maria C. Powell wrote three essays on Dr. King and his views on the “giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism,” each posted on previous MLK Jr…

Air National Guard Air Pollution Arrogance Cancer Dane County Parks Deception Denialism Doublespeak Ecology Environmental health Environmental Justice F-35 Fish Hypocrisy Illicit discharge Inequality Landfills Madison Madison-Kipp Corp. Mercury PCBs PCE Pesticides PFAS Poisoned Yahara Lakes PFCs or PFAS Privilege Racial disparities Racial Justice Racism Starkweather Creek Stupidity Toxic Chemicals Toxins Trash Trees Truax Water Pollution Water quality

“Maria Powell wasn’t just an activist. In Madison, she was the premier environmental activist.”

November 18, 2023 Jim Powell

From the Cap Times: Madison just lost one of its best environmental assets By Steve Elbow, Opinion Editor Maria Powell wasn’t just an activist. In Madison, she was the premier…

Cancer PCBs PFCs or PFAS

What chemical exposures caused my cancer? Maybe all of them

September 19, 2023 Maria C. Powell, PhD

In January this year I was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer by oncologists at UW Hospital. I have outlived their original prognosis by a couple months, but will likely…

Cancer City of Madison Denialism Environmental health Madison Water Utility

How contaminated is Madison’s drinking water compared to other cities?

November 4, 2021 Maria C. Powell, PhD

As reported by Sharon Udasin in The Hill, Environmental Working Group’s recently released 2021 Tap Water Database compares contaminant levels in drinking water across all 50 states and Washington, D.C.…

Air National Guard Cancer City of Madison Ecology Environmental health Environmental Justice Fish Fish Advisory Military PFCs or PFAS Racial disparities Racial Justice Racism Starkweather Creek Toxic Chemicals Truax Water Pollution

Oops! We poisoned the “Giants Among Us”–the Yahara lakes

January 22, 2021 Maria C. Powell, PhD

MEJO’s Jim Powell and Touyeng Xiong teach kids how to put bait on fish hooks at the Olbrich Park fishing pier on Lake Monona, summer 2018. Sadly, they couldn’t eat…

Cancer City of Madison Community engagement Environmental health Environmental Justice Madison Metro Oscar Mayer Public Participation Racial disparities Risk Assessment Starkweather Creek TCE Toxic Chemicals Vapor intrusion Water Pollution

Madison Northsiders say NO to Metro Bus Barn!

November 22, 2020 Maria C. Powell, PhD

By Madison Northsiders No Bus Barn is the Northside community’s voice for better land use at the previous Oscar Mayer site. We are dedicated to place-making in this new era…

Air Pollution Cancer City of Madison Climate Change Community engagement coronavirus Environmental health Environmental Justice Privilege Racial disparities Racism Toxic Chemicals

Police brutality and environmental injustices are connected

June 11, 2020 Maria C. Powell, PhD

(Image from The Nation) MEJO condemns the brutal killing of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer–and commends Black Lives Matter, other racial justice activists, and all…

Air National Guard Air Pollution Cancer City of Madison coronavirus Environmental health F-35 Fighter jets PFCs or PFAS Racial disparities Starkweather Creek Toxic Chemicals Truax

Decision to base F-35s in Madison ignores public health concerns

May 1, 2020 Maria C. Powell, PhD

By Bruce Barrett and Paula Rogge, Cap Times Today we are dealing with the COVID-19 crisis. Our federal, state and local government officials have been working hard to contain the…

Cancer City of Madison Community engagement Environmental Justice Madison Water Utility PFCs or PFAS Public Participation Toxic Chemicals

Water Utility dismisses public concerns, puts public relations over public health

January 21, 2020 Maria C. Powell, PhD

On January 9, 2020, the Isthmus published a cover story on PFAS: “The fight for safe drinking water; Will Madison officials pay attention to the science on PFAS?” I commend…

Cancer City of Madison EPA Madison Water Utility PFCs or PFAS Public Health Madison Dane County Risk Assessment Starkweather Creek Toxic Chemicals Wisconsin DNR

The fight for safe drinking water: Will Madison officials pay attention to the science on PFAS?

January 9, 2020 Maria C. Powell, PhD

Graphic from ISTHMUS By Kori Feener, Isthmus Maria Powell used to believe that science would prevail. She co-founded the Midwest Environmental Justice Organization in 2005, hoping to draw attention to…

Air National Guard Cancer City of Madison Dane County Environmental Justice Fish Advisory Madison Water Utility PFCs or PFAS Public Health Madison Dane County Risk Assessment Starkweather Creek stormwater runoff Toxic Chemicals Truax Water Pollution Wisconsin DNR

Madison residents increasingly alarmed by PFAS levels in local waterways

December 11, 2019 Maria C. Powell, PhD

Photo: Starkweather Creek in the Darbo-Worthington neighborhood (Maria Powell). By Steve Elbow, Cap Times Lance Green has been collecting water samples from Starkweather Creek for years. As a volunteer for…

Air National Guard Cancer City of Madison EPA Madison Water Utility PFCs or PFAS Risk Assessment Starkweather Creek Toxic Chemicals Truax Water quality

Madison shutting down PFAS-contaminated well while insisting water is safe

March 5, 2019 Maria C. Powell, PhD

By Steve Verburg, Wisconsin State Journal Madison is shutting down a North Side drinking water well that has been contaminated with toxic chemicals from a nearby military base. In announcing…