PFAS CONTAMINATION
screenshot of video

‘Everybody is exposed to PFAS.’ To what extent and how? A video recapping the PFAS community education event

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To further educate local residents and environmental groups about the threat of PFAS, PublicSource and Environmental Health News hosted a special forum on Sept. 12 at the Marriott Hotel near the Pittsburgh International Airport. The military bases near the airport are identified sites of PFAS contamination, and the airport is a potential source of contamination as well, according to reports from former firefighters, airport records, expert scientists and a military study. The panel included: Carla Ng, a PFAS researcher at the University of Pittsburgh; Lisa Daniels, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's director of the Bureau of Safe Drinking Water; Melanie Benesh, the legislative attorney for the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit that has done extensive PFAS research; Hope Grosse and Joanne Stanton, residents in Eastern Pennsylvania who have lived near PFAS contamination (via video chat); and Caitlin Berretta, the manager of business development at Evoqua, a company headquartered in Pittsburgh that does PFAS remediation. Editor's note: This event was part of an ongoing collaboration between Environmental Health News and PublicSource on PFAS contamination in Pennsylvania and was funded in part through the Bridge Pittsburgh Media Partnership.

COVERING CLIMATE NOW
North Point, in St. Lucy, Barbados. (Photo by Jourdan Hicks/PublicSource)

Learning from Barbados, Pittsburgh collective builds local model for Black environmentalism

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For eight days, Publicsource Community Correspondent, Jourdan Hicks, joined the Black Environmental Collective of Pittsburgh, as an observer on a learning excursion in Barbados to learn more about the collective’s work. Professionals from industries ranging from Education to Hospitality, all from around Pittsburgh, met to uncover the primary reasons Black Environmental culture and participation don’t have significant footing or representation in Pittsburgh.

COVERING CLIMATE NOW

Single-use plastic and air pollution: Two leading experts share their knowledge about climate change

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This story is part of Covering Climate Now, a global collaboration of more than 250 news outlets to strengthen coverage of the climate story. Read PublicSource's stories here. Climate change is a crisis that impacts us at both the global and local levels. The decisions of local and state lawmakers determine the type of materials that end up on our shelves and in our environment. The impact of pollution can vary depending on where you are, not just on a regional level but on a neighborhood level — meaning Pittsburghers don’t all experience the same consequences from pollution in the same way.