Category: Toxic Chemicals

Air National Guard City of Madison Endocrine disruptors Environmental Justice Fish PFCs or PFAS Starkweather Creek Toxic Chemicals

PFAS “forever chemicals” impair our immune systems–National Academy of Sciences

April 16, 2021 Maria C. Powell, PhD

Above: Teens fishing at the mouth of Starkweather Creek in Madison, a popular shoreline fishing spot for people of color, including many who feed their families with the fish they…

City of Madison Environmental health Environmental Justice Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District Oscar Mayer PCBs PFCs or PFAS Starkweather Creek Toxic Chemicals Wastewater Treatment Water Pollution Yahara Lakes

Oscar Mayer contamination must be fully investigated & remediated before redevelopment

March 21, 2021 Maria C. Powell, PhD

For 100 years, Oscar Mayer & Co. and corporations that purchased it have polluted the land and groundwater beneath the site–as well as Starkweather Creek, Yahara River, and Lake Monona.…

Air National Guard Dane County Department of Defense Environmental health Environmental Justice F-35 PFCs or PFAS Racial Justice Toxic Chemicals Truax

Environmental group files new lawsuit over F-35 decision

March 11, 2021 Maria C. Powell, PhD

By Catherine Capellaro, Wisconsin Examiner A group seeking to halt the siting of a squadron of F-35 fighter jets at Madison’s Truax Field filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the U.S.…

Air National Guard City of Madison Environmental health Environmental Justice Fire fighting Madison Gas & Electric PFCs or PFAS Toxic Chemicals Water Pollution

PFAS from 2019 MGE fire continues to ooze, drain, and slosh into Lake Monona

March 1, 2021 Maria C. Powell, PhD

Firefighters spray PFAS-containing foam on exploded transformer at the Madison Gas & Electric Blount St. station in Madison, summer 2019 (Photo by Wisconsin State Journal) On July 19, 2019 an…

Air National Guard Dane County Dane County Regional Airport Fish Starkweather Creek stormwater runoff Toxic Chemicals Truax Water Pollution Wisconsin DNR

Dane County Airport’s WPDES permit is expired and doesn’t mention PFAS. Why?

February 24, 2021 Maria C. Powell, PhD

Over two and a half years ago, June 2018, we asked DNR to include PFAS monitoring in Dane County airport’s WPDES permit, which includes requirements for regular monitoring of Starkweather…

Endocrine disruptors Environmental health Fertility PCBs Toxic Chemicals

Male fertility has been plummeting for almost 100 years; Why are we pretending this is a “new” problem?

February 21, 2021 Maria C. Powell, PhD

Today’s New York Times column by Nicholas Kristof (pasted below for those who don’t have NYT subscriptions) raises alarms about declining sperm counts and fertility overall since the 70s, connected…

City of Madison City of Madison Parks Department Environmental health Pesticides Toxic Chemicals

Does anyone in Madison care about pesticide use? Whatever happened to ecology?

February 18, 2021 Maria C. Powell, PhD

Photo: City of Madison worker applying pesticides along curbs at the Warner Park Center parking lot A letter by Jim Powell to The Cap Times : In 2017, I wrote…

City of Madison Environmental health Environmental Justice Fish PFCs or PFAS Racial Justice Starkweather Creek Toxic Chemicals Water Pollution

Starkweather fish rests after hard work soaking up PFAS

February 17, 2021 Maria C. Powell, PhD

Free time after work! (Photo by Maria Powell, Summer 2018) This fish worked very hard cleaning up the PFAS in the west branch of Starkweather Ditch as it flows through…

City of Madison Environmental health Environmental Justice Fish Fish Advisory PCBs Pesticides PFCs or PFAS Pharmaceuticals Plastics Racial disparities Racism stormwater runoff Toxic Chemicals Water Pollution Wisconsin DNR Yahara Lakes

Monona Bay, Downtown Madison’s Toxic Cesspool

February 15, 2021 Maria C. Powell, PhD

Fish art on Monona Bay created by Eric Anang. Photo by Amber Arnold, Wisconsin State Journal. Graphic additions by a MEJO collaborator. PFAS was found at significant levels in Monona…

Environmental health PFCs or PFAS Toxic Chemicals

Male fertility declining; toxic chemicals blamed

February 10, 2021 Maria C. Powell, PhD

Image from the Book of Man, The Penis Gallery “Male fertility declining; toxic chemicals blamed”–Wisconsin State Journal, 1979 Scientists knew over 40 years ago that toxic chemicals were damaging male…

Environmental health PCBs PFCs or PFAS Plastics Risk Assessment Toxic Chemicals

Toxic substances are everywhere, two UW profs say

February 10, 2021 Maria C. Powell, PhD

Image from mindovermetal.co.uk Toxic substances are everywhere, two UW profs say From United Press International (in the Wisconsin State Journal) Toxic substances endanger the health of virtually every Wisconsin resident,…

City of Madison Clean Lakes Alliance Corporate greenwashing Fish PFCs or PFAS Starkweather Creek Toxic Chemicals Water Pollution

Clean Lakes Alliance–Madison’s Darling Corporate Greenwashers

February 4, 2021 Maria C. Powell, PhD

While unfunded, exhausted, and beleaguered Madison citizens slog for years begging city, county, and state agencies, and the U.S. military, to do more about the forever PFAS chemicals and a…

City of Madison Community engagement Environmental health Environmental Justice Madison Metro NEPA Oscar Mayer Public Participation Racial disparities Risk Assessment Toxic Chemicals Vapor intrusion Wisconsin DNR

Victory!! No Metro Bus Barn at the Poisoned Oscar Mayer site

February 3, 2021 Maria C. Powell, PhD

Oscar Mayer site in 1947 (photo from Wisconsin State Journal) Victory for Madison’s Northside! Madison’s Metro Transit authority has abandoned plans to buy the northern part of the highly-contaminated former…

Dane County Regional Airport Environmental health Environmental Justice PFCs or PFAS Starkweather Creek Toxic Chemicals Truax Water Pollution

How much PFAS is oozing down Starkweather Creek from Dane County Regional Airport & Truax base??

February 1, 2021 Maria C. Powell, PhD

Starkweather Creek flowing through the Darbo Worthington neighborhood, about a mile south of the airport and military base. See readable map here. Please contact info@mejo.us for reports with data depicted…

City of Madison Hartmeyer natural area Madison Water Utility Oscar Mayer Pesticides PFCs or PFAS Plastics Soil contamination Starkweather Creek Toxic Chemicals Toxins Water Pollution Water quality

What does 2021 hold for Oscar Mayer?

January 31, 2021 Jim Powell

As PFAS pollution in Madison is detected in more and more places, and as the government regulating the pollution (WDNR) and the government entities responsible for much of that pollution…