Must-read recap: The New Lede's top stories over the last week
Another wild week in Washington
Health and environmental advocates were cheering some moves in Washington but outraged by others as the new administration continued to push policy changes impacting the chemicals in your food and water, and much more. Citing health concerns, regulators are working to eliminate synthetic dyes from foods, while separately removing limits on certain types of toxic chemicals in drinking water, citing economic burdens.
We’ll be keeping our eye on several issues this week, including the planned release of a key report from the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) commission aimed at guiding government actions to fight high rates of childhood chronic disease.
Here’s the latest from The New Lede:
Chemical exposure from ultra-processed foods may contribute to health issues
By Shannon Kelleher, May 16, 2025
Toxic synthetic chemicals that migrate into ultra-processed foods from packaging, processing equipment and other sources may explain why these foods are so bad for our health, according to a new review article. Read the full story.
WOTUS: A narrowing EPA definition is reshaping the Clean Water Act
By Brian Bienkowski, May 15, 2025
Debra Shankland was a kid when the Cuyahoga River in Ohio caught fire in 1969. “I saw the dead fish, I smelled it,” the retired biologist and environmental educator told a room of US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) representatives on Wednesday. Shankland was one of many speakers at the latest listening session led by the EPA as the agency crafts a new definition for the long controversial language “waters of the United States” contained in the Clean Water Act. Read the full story.
EPA dropping drinking water limits on four toxic PFAS
By Shannon Kelleher, May 14, 2025
US regulators said Wednesday they will do away with limits on certain types of toxic chemicals in US drinking water, a move that critics warn could expose millions of Americans to dangerous contaminants. Read the full story.
FDA approves three natural food dyes amid push to eliminate synthetics
By Brian Bienkowski, May 12, 2025
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved three new natural food dyes, making good on a promise to push for a phaseout of synthetic dyes in food. Read the full story.
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