I am a mom concerned about autism, and I am a clean air activist. And I think the two things are connected. On March 1st of this year, a new research study connecting autism and air pollution was published in Environmental Health Perspectives, a peer-reviewed journal published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. …

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 …

This was written by Environmental Defense Fund’s Elena Craft, PhD. The extended holiday season (which seems to start as early as Halloween now!) gives us the opportunity to reflect upon what we are grateful for and have maybe even taken for granted. Things like family, friends, and good health. Fitting under the “good health” category, …

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,

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! I should say read more about it. There are more and more reports and articles showing the link between air pollution and health conditions, diseases, and delays. Here's the latest in how air pollution and chemical exposures are linked to allergies, autism and asthma, three particularly vexing health problems …

We know that autism is on the rise, and as parents, we are frustrated. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one out of every 88 children in the US has been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. This is an increase of 78% since 2002. What is driving this? Genes evolve far …

“Air pollution is invisible, so we don’t pay attention to it.” I’ve heard variations of that sentiment often, even from people who want to clean up the air. It’s an excuse, an apology, a cop-out. And it ticks me off, because it is incorrect. Air pollution is not invisible. You can see photochemical and industrial …

Life is not fair. Some people are born with great advantages and others are born with major disadvantages. This is a fact of life that we are faced with from birth…and one that African Americans are all too familiar with. Being disproportionally affected by diseases, unemployment, divorce, crime, failing education systems (the list goes on …

In my last post, I outlined mercury’s journey from trace amounts in coal to a potent poison in fish. Because coal contains small amounts of mercury, and because we burn coal for energy in large amounts, and because many coal plants have neglected to use readily available pollution control technologies in their smokestacks, mercury accumulates …

This pre-BlogHer discussion was moderated by Cheryl Contee of Jack and Jill Politics. Cheryl was joined by Elisa Batista, founder of Mothertalkers, Joanne Bamberger, aka PunditMom and author of Mothers of Intention, and Dominique Browning, blogger at Slow Love Life, former editor-in-chief of House & Garden, and lead blogger for the Moms Clean Air Force. …