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Mike Belliveau, Bend the Curve

@mikebelliveau.bsky.social
1.3K followers 1.2K following 102 posts

Health. Climate. Justice. The good news? We're more than halfway through the 100-year campaign to transform the petrochemical & plastics industry so that it no longer harms people and the planet. bendthecurve.org

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Mike Belliveau, Bend the Curve @mikebelliveau.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
EPS plastic foam (styrofoam) used in appliance packaging is: ❌ Not recycled at scale ❌ Not compostable ❌ Made from crude oil & fossil gas ❌ Production emits dangerous carcinogens into the air You CAN take action. Visit our campaign website to get styrofoam outside the box:
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Look Outside the Box
Corporations need to end their reliance on styrofoam packaging. We're exposing its toxic lifecycle.
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Mike Belliveau, Bend the Curve @mikebelliveau.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
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bendthecurve.org
Styrofoam Packaging of Kitchen Appliances Widespread, Retail Survey Shows - Bend the Curve
Polystyrene plastic impacts health, climate, and justice at every stage of production Nearly half of the small kitchen appliances observed at two big-box retail stores in 2025 were packaged in…
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Mike Belliveau, Bend the Curve @mikebelliveau.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
The foam packaging inside your KitchenAid mixer isn't just landfill - it is made with benzene, a known human carcinogen. We've just launched a campaign to expose plastic foam's toxic lifecycle and name the companies behind still pushing its use.
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Look Outside the Box
Corporations need to end their reliance on styrofoam packaging. We're exposing its toxic lifecycle.
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Mike Belliveau, Bend the Curve @mikebelliveau.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Do you still drink coffee out of a foam cup? → crude oil refined to benzene (known carcinogen) → benzene to ethyl benzene (probable carcinogen) → to styrene (likely carcinogen) → to polystyrene (your coffee cup) Three cancer-linked steps. One disposable product. Almost zero recycling rate.
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Mike Belliveau, Bend the Curve @mikebelliveau.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
We'll let you in on a secret - peak plastics is within reach! Thanks to bad bets by the industry, conditions are ripe to reverse production. Radical optimism fueled by persistent will. That's how we Bend the Curve to a better, more just, and sustainable future for all #EarthDay2026
bendthecurve.org
Bend the Curve Home - Bend the Curve
The ever-growing production of chemicals and plastics made from oil, gas, and coal increasingly harms human health, racial justice, and climate progress. The major trend lines are all heading in the…
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Mike Belliveau, Bend the Curve @mikebelliveau.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
Industry says we need more ammonia plants. Our fact sheet says: ❌ Half of ammonia fertilizer is wasted — fix that first ❌ "Clean ammonia" fuel claims don't hold up to scrutiny ❌ Fenceline communities are already at their limit Read it and Share it:
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Ammonia - What to Expect from a New Chemical Plant - Bend the Curve
Ammonia chemical plants impact local communities, air quality, public safety, and climate change. New chemical plants producing more ammonia are not needed.
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Mike Belliveau, Bend the Curve @mikebelliveau.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Captured CO₂ is often used for enhanced oil recovery - producing more fossil fuels. You can’t solve the plastic crisis while expanding the industry that feeds it. Real solutions reduce extraction, reduce production, and keep fossil fuels in the ground.
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Could squeezing more oil out of the ground help fight climate change?
The pros and cons of enhanced oil recovery.
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Mike Belliveau, Bend the Curve @mikebelliveau.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
In Louisiana’s #CancerAlley, petrochemical expansion continues - even on the burial grounds of once enslaved people. This is environmental racism, historical erasure, and ongoing harm to frontline communities. We cannot honor history while poisoning the present.
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Demand the graves of enslaved ancestors be identified before being desecrated by a chemical plant
Not only would this new chemical plant bury this Louisiana community in more toxic pollution, but it could also bury its history.
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Floodlight @floodlightnews.org · 12/02/2026
Louisiana is racing to become a hub for “blue ammonia,” sold as a climate solution. But in Cancer Alley — already one of the most polluted regions in the U.S. — permit documents show the projects would still release thousands of tons of air pollution each year, raising alarms for nearby communities.
floodlightnews.org
Louisiana bets big on ‘blue ammonia.’ Communities along Cancer Alley brace for the cost.
Carbon capture hasn’t delivered major climate benefits — and the plants would still emit thousands of tons of pollution.
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Mike Belliveau, Bend the Curve @mikebelliveau.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Canada’s appeals court has ruled plastics are “toxic”. Of course they are! From benzene + vinyl chloride in production to phthalates + bisphenols in products, plastics expose us to harm at every stage. Smart brands should act ahead of regulation and toward safer solutions.
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Canada’s top appeals court upholds Ottawa’s right to label plastic products as toxic
Canada’s Federal Court of Appeal unanimously ruled that Ottawa acted lawfully in listing plastic manufactured items as “toxic” under federal environmental law, restoring the government’s authority to…
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Mike Belliveau, Bend the Curve @mikebelliveau.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
Outdoor air #pollution, largely from #fossilfuels, is now linked to higher breast #cancer risk, per new research. Chemical + #plastics production add carcinogens like ethylene oxide (used for PET + polyester) to our air. Bending the Curve on Plastic Production = public health + #genderjustice.
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Air Pollutants and Breast Cancer Risk: A Parallel Analysis of Five Large US Prospective Cohorts | AJPH | Vol. 115 Issue 12
Objectives. To determine whether outdoor air pollution exposure is associated with breast cancer incidence. Methods. Residential-level concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2, parts per billion…
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Mike Belliveau, Bend the Curve @mikebelliveau.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
Texas's petrochemical boom persists despite global overcapacity, climate challenges, and environmental injustices. A just transition is possible but needs leadership from policymakers and downstream brands. Check out @pubhealthwatch.bsky.social piece on this issue:
t.co
Texas Clears the Way for Petrochemical Expansion as Experts Warn of Health Risks - Public Health Watch
Public Health Watch chronicles, in 13 scenes, a fossil-fuel infrastructure boom that could worsen air pollution in some areas and exacerbate climate change.
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Mike Belliveau, Bend the Curve @mikebelliveau.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
Holiday cooking is around the corner! And your cookware matters 👀 Plastic + non-stick coatings = tens of thousands of chemicals released into our food. But there are safer option, check out our website for more information:
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Is Silicone Toxic? We Dove into the Latest Research to Find Out - Bend the Curve
By Alden Wicker, EcoCult, May 13, 2024
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Mike Belliveau, Bend the Curve @mikebelliveau.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
Exposure to some plastics #chemicals is dropping but many others remain too high and are rising with kids in low-income and communities of colour facing the highest risks. An #EPA Advisory Committee recommends: • Less non-essential #plastic • Stronger testing • Tougher enforcement
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EPA panel warns plastics threaten kids’ health — Bayer says evidence lacking
A committee of expert advisers is calling for stronger environmental regulations to protect children from plastics and other harmful chemicals, despite a dissenting industry position claiming there…
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Mike Belliveau, Bend the Curve @mikebelliveau.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
The global beverage industry buys more than 500 billion plastic bottles every year to package its products. Bend the Curve and @che-healthenv.bsky.social break down the environmental and health impacts of these billions of bottle. buff.ly/Ws8yAVX
youtube.com
The Chemical Footprint of a Plastic Bottle
The global beverage industry buys more than 500 billion plastic bottles every year to package its products. A recent report documents the harmful impacts of plastic bottles on human health,…
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Mike Belliveau, Bend the Curve @mikebelliveau.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
Read the @bullardcenter.bsky.social new report on how Texas is once again ignoring its most vulnerable populations in favour of industry.
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Mike Belliveau, Bend the Curve @mikebelliveau.bsky.social · 03/11/2025
Thanks to a series of bad bets by the chemical industry, conditions are now ripe to bend the curve on plastic production and consumption down. But bold action is needed in the next five years. Discover more about the necessary steps on our Substack: bendthecurve.substack.com/p/peak-plast...
bendthecurve.substack.com
Peak Plastics is Within Reach
We can leverage over-supply through reduced demand to transform the petrochemical industry - for the better!
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Mike Belliveau, Bend the Curve @mikebelliveau.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
The real amount of exposure to hazardous chemicals in the fenceline communities near petrochemical facilities is often significantly greater—up to 10 times more—than what inaccurate emission calculations suggest. More information is available at t.co/D8bNsk1NyO.
t.co
Air Pollution From Industrial Facilities Is Far Worse Than Estimated
The Trump administration has put a stop to EPA rules that would have required more than 130 industrial facilities to install air monitors to measure pollution. Millions of people living near these…
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Mike Belliveau, Bend the Curve @mikebelliveau.bsky.social · 29/10/2025
The next issue of our newsletter is coming out soon! Stay informed with the latest updates and insights on how to bend the curve on plastic production and consumption. Sign up today to be among the first to receive it:
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Communicate - Bend the Curve
Sign-up to stay connected Our monthly newsletter and occasional alerts will keep you informed of recent news on plastic pollution and new actions you can take to initiate change and help bend the…
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Mike Belliveau, Bend the Curve @mikebelliveau.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
Another one bites the dust! The petrochemical industry bet big on endless plastic demand—and is now paying the price for massive overcapacity. Let’s keep bending the curve down on plastic production and consumption—for people and the planet. insideclimatenews.org/news/0610202...
insideclimatenews.org
Exxon Steps Back From Texas Gulf Coast Plastics Plant - Inside Climate News
In August a judge struck down the local school board’s decision to negotiate tax breaks for Exxon, following an environmentalist’s lawsuit.
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Mike Belliveau, Bend the Curve @mikebelliveau.bsky.social · 03/10/2025
This powerful new data visualisation tool from @climatetrace.org makes it impossible to ignore the outsized role industry plays in fueling the #climate and health crises around the world.
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Climate TRACE Shows How and Where Facilities That Contribute to the Climate Crisis Expose 1.6 Billion People to Harmful Air Pollution
New Climate TRACE tool enables anyone to see air pollution plumes flow out of sources that contribute to the climate crisis and into more than 2,500 urban areas.
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Mike Belliveau, Bend the Curve @mikebelliveau.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
Our latest Bend the Curve newsletter is out! 🎉 If you haven't received it, sign up now to stay updated on our work, partners' impact, and insights on reducing plastics production and consumption. 👉 buff.ly/Hzy50YU
bendthecurve.org
Communicate - Bend the Curve
Sign-up to stay connected Our monthly newsletter and occasional alerts will keep you informed of recent news on plastic pollution and new actions you can take to initiate change and help bend the…
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Mike Belliveau, Bend the Curve @mikebelliveau.bsky.social · 15/09/2025
I'm speaking at NYU's 2nd Annual Symposium on Plastics & Health at the Center for Environmental Hazards during NYC #ClimateWeek. Join global experts and me as we discuss the effects of #microplastics on health and policy solutions. Register to attend in person or online:
eventbrite.com
The 2025 Plastics, Human Health, and Solutions Symposium
The NYULH Center for the Investigation of Environmental Hazards and A Plastic Planet invite you to their one-day symposium.
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Mike Belliveau, Bend the Curve @mikebelliveau.bsky.social · 06/04/2025
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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @aoc.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
⚡️FIGHT THE OLIGARCHY RALLY ⚡️ STARTING TOMORROW. Nevada. Arizona. Colorado. You, me, and Bernie. Dem and GOP districts. ❤️💙 See you there 💪🏽🌞
Fight the Oligarchy Rally Poster with event details for: Las Vegas, NV, Tempe, AZ, Greeley, CO, Denver, CO, and Tucson, AZ
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Mike Belliveau, Bend the Curve @mikebelliveau.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
Fossil fools to meet up ... www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Oil Titans Uneasy Over Tariffs and Crude Prices Meet With Trump
The chief executives of more than a dozen oil companies will deliver a message of gratitude — as well as caution — when they meet with President Donald Trump on Wednesday.
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Mike Belliveau, Bend the Curve @mikebelliveau.bsky.social · 18/03/2025
"... air pollution regulations issued during the Biden administration would avoid over 100 million asthma attacks and save over 200,000 lives through 2050 while delivering over $250 billion in health and environmental benefits annually." www.thenewlede.org/2025/03/amer...
thenewlede.org
Americans to face more disease and death due to Trump's air quality rollbacks, health experts warn
By Dana Drugmand American families will face increasing rates of environmental-related illnesses and premature deaths, including lung and cardiovascular diseases, due to the Trump administration’s sw...
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Mike Belliveau, Bend the Curve @mikebelliveau.bsky.social · 18/03/2025
A message for swing voters ... paulkrugman.substack.com/p/the-stages...
paulkrugman.substack.com
The Stages of Trumpist Economic Grief
Or, how Scott Bessent (sort of) became spiritual
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Mike Belliveau, Bend the Curve @mikebelliveau.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
Keep it in the ground!
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Mike Belliveau, Bend the Curve @mikebelliveau.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
The war on science escalates! This time driven by the chemical industry's relentless pursuit of short-term profits at the expense of public health and environmental justice. Hold Congress accountable - only a 3-vote margin in the House or Senate decides our fate! www.propublica.org/article/legi...
propublica.org
Industry-Backed Legislation Would Bar the Use of Science Behind Hundreds of Environmental Protections
Two bills in Congress would prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from using hundreds of chemical assessments completed by its IRIS program in environmental regulations or enforcement.
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Mike Belliveau, Bend the Curve @mikebelliveau.bsky.social · 03/02/2025
This is your brain on plastic ...
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C&EN (Chemical & Engineering News) @cenmag.bsky.social · 02/02/2025
MIT professor Desirée Plata designs novel materials to tackle challenging environmental problems and has cofounded two climate- and energy-related start-ups: Moxair and Nth Cycle. cen.acs.org/people/profi... #chemsky🧪 #scinews
cen.acs.org
Desirée Plata: Chemist, oceanographer, engineer, entrepreneur
MIT professor is passionate about reducing the chemical industry’s impact on the environment and human health
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Mike Belliveau, Bend the Curve @mikebelliveau.bsky.social · 02/02/2025
Here comes Trumpflation! Inform the electorate - Trump's tariffs are a tax on the middle class and working families. Our costs are going up (to fuel tax breaks for billionaires)!
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Mike Belliveau, Bend the Curve @mikebelliveau.bsky.social · 01/02/2025
Can you say Trumpflation?
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Mike Belliveau, Bend the Curve @mikebelliveau.bsky.social · 01/02/2025
Ascension Parish, LA, already has six of the world's largest chemical plants & another dozen chemical manufacturers. Enough is enough says the beleaguered community! Next up - cancel the two giant ammonia plants that will threaten the safety of the Black communities of Modeste and Donaldsonville!
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Jack Resists 'Sic semper tyrannis' 8647 @jack2011.bsky.social · 28/01/2025
#RollingStone - A Change is Gonna Come The Number 1 Protest Song of All Time It is a beautiful, timeless, poetic, plaintive, and hopeful song. Sam Cooke wrote 'A Change is Gonna Come,' after he was denied lodging at a Louisiana hotel because he was Black. Enjoy #SamCooke #Protest #Segregation
youtu.be
Sam Cooke - A Change Is Gonna Come (Official Lyric Video)
YouTube video by SamCookeVEVO
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Heather McTeer Toney @heathermcteertoney.bsky.social · 23/01/2025
Thanks to @michaelrbloomberg.bsky.social, @bloombergdotorg.bsky.social will again work to ensure the US meets its climate commitments despite federal inaction. Funding & reporting obligations to UN Climate Change will be covered! url.us.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/1m1hCKrvYX...
url.us.m.mimecastprotect.com
UN Special Envoy Michael R. Bloomberg Announces Effort to Ensure U.S. Honors Paris Agreement Commitments | Bloomberg Philanthropies
Following the United States’ second withdrawal, Bloomberg Philanthropies and others will ensure the nation’s funding and reporting obligations to the UN Climate Change Secretariat are met Bloomberg wi...
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CCOHS @ccohs.bsky.social · 23/01/2025
What hazards are in your workplace? And how can you protect workers? This manual has you covered with the basics, with practical checklists and templates to help you conduct risk assessments: www.ccohs.ca/products/pub...
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Sherrilyn Ifill @sifill.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
I loved and admired this woman. She was one I would follow into battle. A true fighter and ally in every way. God bless you Cecile Richards. Rest in Peace and Power. www.cnn.com/2025/01/20/u...
cnn.com
Cecile Richards, former Planned Parenthood president, has died | CNN
Cecile Richards, the former president of Planned Parenthood, has died, her family said Monday in a statement.
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Lindsay Dahl @lindsaydahl.bsky.social · 22/01/2025
Explicit protections for environmental justice communities erased with the stroke of a pen. Simply looking to the market to solve our toxic chemical mess will only continue to leave the most exposed communities behind: www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
whitehouse.gov
Initial Rescissions Of Harmful Executive Orders And Actions – The White House
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as
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Mike Belliveau, Bend the Curve @mikebelliveau.bsky.social · 22/01/2025
Early puberty is a risk factor, possibly triggered by stress, hormone-disrupting chemicals, obesity and excessive screen time ...
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Safer States @saferstates.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
From coast to coast, states are stepping up to protect people and the environment from toxic chemicals, hold polluters accountable, and promote safer solutions. 🌎 🙌 Curious about policies in your state? Explore our bill tracker! bit.ly/3P2gnLX
A map of the United States titled "Safer States: Bill Tracker," showing state-level activity on policies addressing toxic chemicals and materials. States are color-coded:

Light green for "Introduced" policies,
Dark green for "Adopted" policies,
Striped green for both "Introduced & Adopted" policies.
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Andrew @thewholeshebang.bsky.social · 18/01/2025
PFAS sandwich anyone?... "An analysis of global health data published in the journal BMJ Oncology predicts a 30% jump in early onset cancers between 2019 and 2030." www.uchicagomedicine.org/forefront/ca...
uchicagomedicine.org
Why are more young people getting cancer? What to know as cases rise - UChicago Medicine
UChicago Medicine oncologists say they’re treating more patients in their 30s and 40s in many cancers.
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David Corn @davidcorn.bsky.social · 14/01/2025
SCOOP: Insiders at a RFK Jr.-led nonprofit questioned why & how he funneled $67 million to a small environmental group he & a hedge-fund billionaire helped set up in the Bahamas. One board member resigned over this, noting he couldn't get RFK to explain it. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
motherjones.com
At RFK Jr.-led environmental group, insiders questioned how he spent $67 million
Kennedy sent millions to the Bahamas. Did it help a billionaire pal?
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Damian Carrington @dpcarrington.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
#climatecrisis blamed for about 25% of the fuel available for the LA fires, say scientists, making them bigger and more intense amp.cnn.com/cnn/2025/01/...
amp.cnn.com
Scientists report LA fires were larger and more intense because of planet-warming pollution | CNN
The result raises the question of whether the fires could have been easier to control were it not for the fire-fueling effects of climate change.
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Harvard Public Health magazine @publichealthmag.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
The number of women who reported using cannabis while they were pregnant doubled between 2002 and 2017. Emerging research has found that children who have had prenatal exposure are more likely to struggle with mental health issues in adolescence.
harvardpublichealth.org
How exposure to cannabis in the womb affects adolescent mental health
Research has found that children who have had prenatal cannabis exposure are more likely to struggle with mental health issues as teens.
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Mike Belliveau, Bend the Curve @mikebelliveau.bsky.social · 15/01/2025
FDA is a follower, not a leader, taking action only after Europe and California moved and decades after the science. Symptomatic of FDA's broken chemical safety system for food additives and food contact chemicals ...
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Mike Belliveau, Bend the Curve @mikebelliveau.bsky.social · 14/01/2025
"The most prolific corporate lobby on the PFAS restriction is the major producer Chemours (a spin-off business from DuPont ...) " ... "Other particularly active lobbyists include those from the battery; medical technology and pharmaceutical; semi-conductor and other manufacturing sectors."
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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 10/01/2025
Scientists on Friday confirmed that 2024 was the first to surpass a dangerous warming threshold of 1.5 Celsius that nations had pledged not to cross.
washingtonpost.com
You just lived through the hottest year on record. Again.
Scientists on Friday confirmed that 2024 was the first to surpass a dangerous warming threshold of 1.5 Celsius that nations had pledged not to cross.
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Mike Belliveau, Bend the Curve @mikebelliveau.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
Toxic chemical impacts on children's health remain unchecked, leading scientists say: www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
theguardian.com
Health experts rally for ‘call to arms’ to protect children from toxic chemicals
In new paper in the New England Journal of Medicine, leading researchers to propose action to protect kids
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