Truthout
Public Health
![Oil facilities are seen past neighborhoods in Port Arthur, Texas, on September 12, 2012.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2024/02/2024_0216-port-arthur-400x300.jpg)
Plastics Are Fossil Fuel Industry’s Plan B. Fenceline Communities Pay the Price.
Production is concentrated in poor communities and communities of color, and residents face elevated health threats.
![Cows stand in a corral at the Jordan Dairy Farms Heifer Facility in Spencer, Massachussetts, on June 5, 2020.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2024/02/2024_0214-cows-400x300.jpg)
US Factory Farm Animal Population Soars by 50 Percent in 20-Year Span
“This unsustainable food system … must be reformed before it is too late,” one advocate said.
![A student walks to the yellow school bus waiting for him at the end of his driveway](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2024/02/2024_0214-school-covid-400x300.jpg)
“Back to Normal” Pandemic Policies Are Harming Those Most in Need of Protection
Public health advocates in California and Oregon fear contagion as public schools implement relaxed COVID policies.
![A mosquito control inspector wearing protective gear sprays a cloud of pesticide](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2023/12/GettyImages-594886094-400x300.jpg)
EPA Is Considering Approval of Pesticide Despite It Not Meeting Safety Standards
Internal emails suggest that political pressure plays a role in eschewing public health concerns.
![A group of kids gather on a park bench for an outdoor photo](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2023/12/2023_1211-our_childrens_trust-400x300.jpg)
18 Youths in California Sue the EPA Over Climate Pollution
“We feel a constant worry about the future, and all around us no one is moving fast enough," said one plaintiff.
![A man wearing a lab coat and stethoscope walks down a hallway carrying an inflated globe](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2023/12/2023_1206-cop28-400x300.jpg)
Public Health Finally Gets a Platform at COP28, But Will Real Action Follow?
As prior COPs have shown, making commitments is often the easy part — actually seeing them through is much harder.
![A neon sign of Pepsi-Cola logo set against skyscrapers in the background](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2023/11/2023_1120-pepsi-ny-400x300.jpg)
In First-of-Its-Kind Lawsuit, New York Targets PepsiCo’s Plastic Pollution
The suit is one of the first legal challenges from a state against a major plastic producer.
![Maria Turvin speaks at a vigil for Albert Garcia.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2023/10/DSCF1227-400x300.jpg)
After Hottest Summer on Record, Local Governments Are Underreporting Deaths
San Antonio's medical examiner blames lack of data for the decision not to list heat as a cause of any deaths.
![A lone lawn chair overlooks massive flooding of a street ahead of it](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2023/10/2023_1023-florida-flooding-400x300.jpg)
Hurricane Ian Spiked Cases of Flesh-Eating Bacteria in Florida
Warming ocean surface temperatures are leading to more Vibrio bacteria in the oceans, particularly in the Atlantic.
![An elderly patient in a medical mask wearily rests her face against her palm](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2023/10/2023_1002-medical-leave-400x300.jpg)
California Chamber of Commerce Targets Meager Paid Sick Leave Bill
SB 616 would change state law to require that workers be allowed 40 hours or five days of paid sick leave per year.