Last week, it was exciting news when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced proposed limits on the toxic “forever” chemicals known as PFAS as a way to reduce drinking water contamination. The proposal targets six PFAS – PFOA, PFOS, GenX, PFBS, PFNA, and PFHxS. While these are the first federal proposed drinking water limits for […]
One of the best consumer actions in recent years is the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in 2011. Established after the Great Recession of 2007-08 to set up one federal agency to help consumers with their financial issues, the CFPB has made great strides in improving the position of consumers in the marketplace. […]
It’s important to reduce the amount of pesticides in food that you and your children are exposed to. One way to do that is to be aware of the amount of pesticides that may be on the fruits and vegetables you buy. Thirty years after a National Academies of Sciences study warning of the dangers […]
Photo: Kevauto Buying a new car is among one the most challenging purchases a consumer needs to make. Every year, Consumer Reports, a research, testing, and advocacy organization, conducts a battery of tests on the vehicles it evaluates, including braking, handling, comfort, convenience, safety, and fuel economy. Eight of the 10 top picks are new […]
The theme for International Women’s Day this year is “DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality,” because 37 percent of women don’t use the internet and 259 million fewer woman have access to the internet than men. If women aren’t able to access the Internet and don’t feel safe online, they’re unable to develop the […]
Things are busy, here in my corner of the USA. I’m behind in reporting on what’s happening for National Consumer Protection Week. A lot of my time has been taken up since the first of the year taking part in the Dean Ornish heart health program. It ends Wednesday. I’ll be reporting on its many […]
Recently, I wrote about where to donate clothes you no longer want to wear, including those that are worn out. I listed the usual locations – Goodwill and the Salvation Army – and donating to retailers such as H&M. I also reported on what environmentalists have to say about the huge amount of clothing that […]
Usually, I take clothes I no longer want to wear to the Goodwill because donation is easy. However, in the past few years, it has put out public service announcements that it only wants clothing that it can resell. Since I wear a lot of my clothes until they’re worn out, I needed another solution. […]
I’ve written about antibiotic resistance a number of times, and I have a section on it in the draft book on my journalism work. What is antibiotic resistance? Antibiotic resistance happens when germs such as bacteria and fungi develop the ability to defeat the drugs designed to kill them. That means the germs aren’t killed […]
I’m now a T-Mobile customer. Darn. I switched because I was upset that Verizon wouldn’t give me a deal on a new iPhone and I wanted to be in a family plan with my grandson from Spain who’s going to college in Massachusetts. T-Mobile announced last week that its customer records have been hacked again. […]
