With dozens of states recovering from Sandy, Nemo, tornadoes, and other extreme weather, a new report out last month provides a clear-eyed assessment of what our nation has in store if it doesn’t address climate disruption now. Last month, an interagency task force released a draft of the Third National Climate Assessment. Written by 240 …

My children spend 6 to 9 hours at their school, depending on the day. I am invested not only in the quality of their school, but in the health of the school. When I drop them off, I sometimes feel like a stealth inspector for a commercial airline, checking every bolt, seam, and wire. I …

My couch contains a toxic flame retardant linked to cancer. Your couch probably does too. So, most likely, do your infant car seats, nursing pillows, televisions, and mattresses. Troubling? I agree. As I wrote in November, flame retardant chemicals are added to home furnishings and other products “under the guise of protecting my family from …

As a parent, the holidays are a strange mix of pleasure and anxiety. There’s the wonderful opportunity to thank my children’s teachers for the amazing work they do. Then again, we have to make and deliver 12 teacher gifts! There’s the cherished time we have with our extended family. Then again, it’s a lot of …

On December 14, the Environmental Protection Agency is scheduled to release a final standard for allowable levels of soot in ambient outdoor air. Moms Clean Air Force supporters have been speaking up since the proposed standard was released for public comment back in June,

When I bought my couch a few years ago, I sat on every couch in the store. I felt the difference between a deep seat and a shallow one, a tufted back and a cushion back, a twill and a velour. I learned about the wood frame and the springs and how the cushions were …

Soot is the mix of tiny particles that comes out of coal plant smokestacks, diesel engines, vehicle tailpipes, and oil refineries. It is a byproduct of burning fossil fuels, and it's  harmful to the health of our children. New standards for allowable levels of soot in the air are on track to be finalized by …

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, Moms Clean Air Force sat down recently with Florence Williams, author of the book, BREASTS: A Natural and Unnatural History, a compelling, scientific exploration of this unique organ. Did you know that a women's breasts are not fully developed until the third trimester of her pregnancy, when her …

  An interview with school nurse, Linda Mendonca: Environmental health is a very important aspect of school health that tends to get overlooked. As a school nurse I may be the only one in the school setting with a health background ensuring students are healthy and ready to learn. I’ve been a school nurse for …

  As the weather gets cold, I find I keep looking at this year’s first day of school photo. I see neat braids, clean backpacks, new sneakers, and brave smiles. The picture warms me up from the inside. The idea of going off to school conjures happy thought of new discoveries, new skills, new friends, …