Industrial pollution

Examining environmental health threats, contaminated products and more.

The Examination

Latest

The Examination

Texas lawmakers urge better regulation of toxic gas

Legislators respond to The Examination and Houston Chronicle investigation of oil companies leaking hydrogen sulfide near families and schools.

July 22, 2024
The Examination

The hidden pollution risk behind the electric vehicle surge

A new investigation examines the track record of chemical suppliers winning hefty contracts to fuel the green transportation revolution.

July 10, 2024
The Examination

‘Forever chemical’ polluters land hefty contracts to meet electric vehicle battery demand 

Chemical suppliers for lithium-ion batteries have been accused of misleading regulators, hiding information and contaminating communities while making related products.

July 10, 2024
The Examination

Future of delta-8 in question as lawmakers and hemp industry square off

Architect of hemp law says she ‘did not know’ that highly-potent compounds could be made from the plant.

June 27, 2024
The Examination

Is leaking hydrogen sulfide a risk to Texans living near oil wells?

A new investigation examines the health threat of H2S, a strong-smelling poisonous gas that saturates the Permian Basin of West Texas and other oil-production regions.

June 12, 2024
H2S sign in Odessa

Oil companies leak toxic gas across Texas — making local residents sick

Tens of thousands of people live close to oil and gas wells where they risk exposure to hazardous levels of hydrogen sulfide. Regulators do little to protect them.

June 12, 2024
The Examination

Court suspends battery recycling plant in the Republic of Congo, citing lead poisoning

Residents who live near the Metssa factory in Vindoulou submitted blood test results, including those commissioned by The Examination, as evidence of a health crisis.

April 23, 2024
Nano Delta 9 gummies

Sales of delta-8 and other hemp products are booming. Here’s what to know.

Marijuana for recreational use remains outlawed in half of the U.S. — yet it is easy to buy gummies, vapes and other products that deliver a high in many of those same states.

April 18, 2024
The Examination

Sales of delta-8 and other hemp products have soared. So have calls to poison control centers.

 As a new kind of legal weed takes the U.S. by storm, regulators, law enforcement and even industry voices are calling for more oversight.

April 18, 2024
Gloria Moraa

While many Black women in US abandon hair relaxers linked to cancer, sales climb in African countries

The companies at the center of thousands of U.S. lawsuits produce some of Africa’s most popular chemical straighteners like Dark & Lovely and TCB Naturals.

April 10, 2024
A man cradles his daughter in his yard, near the METSSA Congo factory in Vindoulou

Les entreprises indiennes introduisent en Afrique l’une des industries les plus polluantes au monde, entraînant des problèmes de santé au sein de la population.

Les tests révèlent que les familles résidant à proximité des usines de recyclage de batteries présentent des niveaux de plomb « dangereux » dans leur sang et dans le sol.

December 4, 2023