Lead

Flint Heads Back to Court Because It Just Can’t Get Its Shit Together

The water crisis in Flint, Michigan, might feel like forever ago for some. “Isn’t that over?” folks have asked me. The short answer: no. The fear of lead contamination is still palpable in the predominantly black city and, according to a new motion filed in court Wednesday, fixing the problem isn’t going as smoothly as…

Environmental Justice Yessenia Funes Dec 29

Apparently the EPA Needs a Court Order to Protect Kids Against Lead Paint

The Environmental Protection Agency wanted another six years to update its lead-based paint rules. On Wednesday, a federal appeals court was like: Nah. The court gave the agency just 90 days to propose a rule and just a year to finalize it. This court order, from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, comes nearly 10…

Environmental Justice Yessenia Funes Dec 28

After the Water Crisis, Thanksgiving In Flint Is About Healing

Thanksgiving will never be the same for families in Flint, Michigan, the city that made national news in 2015 for its lead-contaminated drinking water. Mae Collins, 50, is no exception. Her annual family tradition has changed drastically since 2014, when city officials switched the city’s drinking water source to the Flint River, turning tap water…

Earther Yessenia Funes Nov 23

Lawsuit Out of East Chicago Reminds Us America’s Lead Crisis Isn’t Over

In East Chicago, Indiana, lead is seemingly everywhere: in the soil, in the water, even in the dust in people’s homes. That’s because the community is sitting within the USS Lead Superfund site. Nearby, companies used to spew lead and arsenic into the air up until 1985. Now, 38 households in the Calumet neighborhood are…

Earther Yessenia Funes Nov 2

There May Be a Lot More Lead-Contaminated Candy in Stores Than We Realized

You might want to wait on that candy bar. A new study out of California has found that the state’s public health department issued more alerts for lead-contaminated candy than any other food-borne contaminant between 2001 and 2014. Of the 164 California Department of Public Health food contamination alerts issued over 14 years, 42 percent…

Earther Ari Phillips Oct 27

Another Manslaughter Charge Related to Flint’s Water Crisis Shows It Isn’t Over

More than three years ago, residents in the small city of Flint, Michigan, began to ask: Why? Why was their water was brown? Why was it making them sick? And, most importantly, why wasn’t the city doing anything about it? This became nationally known as the Flint water crisis, which left the predominantly black city…

Environmental Justice Yessenia Funes Oct 9

Eighteen Million Americans Are Drinking Water That Isn’t Properly Tested for Lead

About six months ago, just as Flint began to acknowledge its lead crisis, a water testing expert from an EPA task force predicted that “every major city east of the Mississippi” was underestimating lead levels in their water. A big report from the NRDC now confirms that about 18 million Americans are living with lead…

Tech News Alissa Walker Jun 28

How to Protect Your Drinking Water From Lead

After the full impact of the Flint water crisis was revealed, it was almost inevitable that more cities would start to see the same problems when it came to lead in their water supplies. Now it’s been proven that dozens of utilities are underreporting the amounts of lead in their water: 33 cities in the…

Tech News Alissa Walker Jun 7

Google Is Helping Flint Prioritize Which Lead Pipes Need to Be Replaced

In March, Flint, Michigan began the seemingly impossible task of replacing the pipes that delivered lead-poisoned water to its citizens. I say “impossible” because there’s no real way for the city to know with absolute certainty which pipes need to go. A team of data scientists from Google and the University of Michigan’s Michigan Data…

Tech News Alissa Walker May 3

There’s Lead In the Water of 350 US Schools, And That’s Probably Only the Beginning

After Flint, it’s been disheartening to discover that lead contamination is far more widespread than originally thought. A new investigative report by USA Today claims that 350 schools and day cares across the country have tested above the EPA’s “action level” for lead content in water. But the problem is much bigger than that report…

Tech News Alissa Walker Mar 18

The Ambitious $55 Million Plan to Replace the Lead Pipes in Flint Will Only Take a Year

This morning, Flint’s mayor announced an ambitious plan to replace the damaged and dangerous drinking water infrastructure below the city’s streets—and work can begin as soon as next month. Mayor Karen Weaver held a press conference with retired National Guard Brigadier General G.H. McDaniel to explain the plan, namely how the city will prioritize which…

Tech News Alissa Walker Feb 9

What Happened In Flint Doesn’t Mean You Should Stop Drinking Tap Water

Lead poisoning the drinking water of Flint is the worst possible disaster. It’s a breakdown of urban systems that could’ve been avoided. It’s an instance of smarmy politicians lying to their constituents. It’s one of the scariest stories I’ve had to write about in some time. But it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t trust the water…

Tech News Alissa Walker Jan 30

Flint Mayor: Water Still Showing Lead Levels Beyond What Filters Can Remove

After lead poisoned the drinking water in Flint, residents received filters they were told would make their tap water safe. Now, tests over the last 24 hours are showing that lead levels in some homes are still too high for a filter to handle. At a press conference this evening, Mayor Karen Weaver delivered the…

Tech News Alissa Walker Jan 29

Flint May Be Ordered By a Federal Court to Replace Its Lead Pipes

The water contamination scandal in Flint has led to plenty of legal action, but new lawsuit filed today finally has some teeth. A coalition of advocacy groups allege that by switching drinking water sources, Flint officials violated the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, meaning a federal court could order Flint to replace its lead-pipe infrastructure…

Tech News Alissa Walker Jan 27

Pouring Coca Cola into molten lead creates wild alien art

Coca Cola is delicious. It’s a causer of diabetes and a bringer of obesity but it is delicious. Turns out it’s also probably used by aliens to make art of their home planets. Check out what happens when you melt lead and then add that dark sugar water into the mix, it smokes and pops…

Sploid Casey Chan Jun 10

MIT Explains How To Turn an Old Car Battery Into a Working Solar Cell

There are over 1 billion cars in the world, and the vast majority of them use batteries made from lead. As lithium batteries replace these old timers, eventually there may be many of the lead suckers sitting in landfills. Which is why MIT wanted to find a way to reuse them—by turning them into a…

Tech News Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan Aug 18

Pollution Made It To The South Pole Before The First Explorers Did

The first explorer to ever set foot on the untouched South Pole did so over 100 years ago, in 1911. Although the area may have looked pristine, it had already been contaminated by lead. Top image: South Pole / Josh Landis, National Science Foundation A group of research scientists led by Joe McConnell from the…

io9 Ria Misra Jul 28

Uni-ball Kuru Toga Mechanical Pencil: Stays Sharp Forever

If I had to go back to high school math class again, the Kuru Toga Mechanical Pencil is the only pencil I’d take with me. Why? Because it has a twist and turn mechanism that automatically rotates its lead to keep a perfectly sharp point every time you write. Plusses It works! Every time you…

Reviews Casey Chan Jun 17

Incredible Earthlike planet has the density of solid lead

At first, the exoplanet 55 Cancri e didn’t look all that impressive: just another large rocky planet circling its star every couple of days. But a recalculation of its orbit has revealed that it’s the galaxy’s densest known planet. A couple days’ difference in orbital time can make a massive difference, as it did with…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins May 3

Bring Pleasing Visual Conformity to Cabling With the Rigid E-Line Cord

Turn your death-trap of precarious wiring into a design feature with E-Line. By placing a grooved, flexible exo-skin around the inner power cord, E-Line creates a semi-rigid cable you’re able to spend hours obsessively tidying into a pleasing shape. But don’t throw out your last-gen floppy cables in a frenzy of excitement—the E-Line Cord is…

Tech News Gary Cutlack Jul 7

Flint Heads Back to Court Because It Just Can’t Get Its Shit Together

Apparently the EPA Needs a Court Order to Protect Kids Against Lead Paint

After the Water Crisis, Thanksgiving In Flint Is About Healing

Lawsuit Out of East Chicago Reminds Us America’s Lead Crisis Isn’t Over

There May Be a Lot More Lead-Contaminated Candy in Stores Than We Realized

Another Manslaughter Charge Related to Flint’s Water Crisis Shows It Isn’t Over

Eighteen Million Americans Are Drinking Water That Isn’t Properly Tested for Lead

How to Protect Your Drinking Water From Lead

Google Is Helping Flint Prioritize Which Lead Pipes Need to Be Replaced

There’s Lead In the Water of 350 US Schools, And That’s Probably Only the Beginning

The Ambitious $55 Million Plan to Replace the Lead Pipes in Flint Will Only Take a Year

What Happened In Flint Doesn’t Mean You Should Stop Drinking Tap Water

Flint Mayor: Water Still Showing Lead Levels Beyond What Filters Can Remove

Flint May Be Ordered By a Federal Court to Replace Its Lead Pipes

Pouring Coca Cola into molten lead creates wild alien art

MIT Explains How To Turn an Old Car Battery Into a Working Solar Cell

Pollution Made It To The South Pole Before The First Explorers Did

Uni-ball Kuru Toga Mechanical Pencil: Stays Sharp Forever

Incredible Earthlike planet has the density of solid lead

Bring Pleasing Visual Conformity to Cabling With the Rigid E-Line Cord

‘Exit 8’ Is a Satisfying, Scary Twitch Stream Come to Life

Sam Altman Says It’ll Take Another Year Before ChatGPT Can Start a Timer

SpaceX Starship V3 Engine Goes Up in Flames at Texas Site

Rise and Shine and Grab the Breakfast Drugs: the ‘Rick and Morty’ Season 9 Trailer Is Here

Delta Becomes Third Airline to Hike Bag Fees as the Iran War Makes Jet Fuel More Expensive

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Touchscreen Laptop Is Now Cheaper Than an Entry-Level iPad at Best Buy

Polaroid’s New Hi-Print for Phone Photos Doubles as a Freestanding Frame

Researchers Turned Acid From Car Batteries Into Something Surprisingly Useful

Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 Review: Almost Better than My Ecobee

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

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