Lead in drinking water: Key facts and reporting tips
For reporters new to the topic, journalist Anna Clark cleared up some common misconceptions about lead in drinking water.
water
Research roundups, articles, explainers and tip sheets on the subject of water.
Expert Commentary
Drugs in our rivers: Bugs on speed and Prozac in the food chain
When we flush, Prozac, cocaine and antibiotics trickle into the ecosystem. Researchers are just beginning to understand their effects.
Expert Commentary
A controversial insecticide and its effect on brain development: Research and resources
The EPA declined, after years of review, to ban the common insecticide chlorpyrifos in March 2017. We outline the controversy and the evidence it hurts developing brains.
Expert Commentary
Global warming, rising seas and coastal cities: Trends, impacts and adaptation strategies
Updated roundup of research on climate-change risks and the regions and groups most threatened by them, attempts to mitigate these risks, and adaptive efforts for coastal regions.
Expert Commentary
Fluoride in water in the United States and public health misinformation: Research review
2016 roundup of research on the health effects of putting fluoride in public water systems as well as a primer to help journalists avoid “he said, she said” reporting on the issue.
Expert Commentary
Trends in the frequency and intensity of floods across the central U.S.
2015 study from the University of Iowa published in Nature Climate Change examining long-term trends in the frequency and intensity of flood events in the central United States.
Expert Commentary
Water quality, pesticides and regulation: New research on dangers and trends
2015 study from the U.S. Geological Survey examining trends in pesticide traces found in waterways across the country and effects on aquatic life and human health.
Expert Commentary
Comparing price and non-price approaches to urban water conservation
2014 and 2009 studies from U.C. Riverside, Yale and the Harvard Kennedy School on the relative merits of policies to encourage efficient use of scarce water resources.
Expert Commentary
Climate change and the growing risk of “megadroughts” in California and the southwestern United States
2014 study from Cornell, the University of Arizona and the U.S. Geological Survey on the risk of multi-decade droughts in the context of ongoing climate change.
Expert Commentary
Fracking, shale gas and health effects: Research roundup
2014 review of scientific literature on potential health and environmental effects of hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” to extract natural gas and shale oil.
Expert Commentary