In the past five years, companies and workplaces have violated pollution laws more than 500,000 times. But the vast majority of polluters have escaped punishment. Full Story »
Posted by Kaizar Campwala - via MuckRack, Jay Rosen, Nicholas Kristof, OneRiot, Tom Friedman, New York Times (Most Emailed)
Good general story with lots of general examples, but few specific details. For example, "get sick right away" vs. "accumulate for years or decades before they cause problems." "Records analyzed by The Times" - which records? Even the local information link does not provide specific information about the types or quantities of pollutants, only the number of violations without information about the type or degree of the problem.
It's useful for people to know that water quality is a problem, but it would be more useful to mention what can be done, such as having water tested, filtering water, contacting legislators (which level of government is responsible?) and avoiding pesticide and triclosan use.