Environmental Health Project

05/31/2026

While plastic recycling programs exist in the United States, only around 5% of plastics are successfully recycled, meaning that most discarded plastic ends up in landfills, incinerators, and waterways.

Plastic manufacturers, petrochemical producers, and the oil and gas industry recently began advertising a new type of plastic waste processing called “chemical recycling” or “advanced recycling.” These catch-all terms include various methods that are purported to recapture plastic waste, but they do not accurately describe a closed-loop system that produces new plastic from waste plastic at scale. Among these processes, the most common is pyrolysis, which is used in about 80% of currently operating and proposed plastic waste facilities to break down long-chain polymers into smaller hydrocarbons.

Learn more about pyrolysis on the EHP blog.

https://www.environmentalhealthproject.org/post/pyrolysis-plastics-and-public-health

05/29/2026

After 22 years away from home, EHP Communications Manager E.J. Pavlinich returned to Beaver, PA to give back to his community. E.J. likes that his hometown has a main street lined with locally owned businesses and parks where kids play during summer, but pollution from the Beaver Cracker Plant and proposed data centers are threats to Beaver’s residents.

Like many small towns across the country affected by oil and gas development, it’s home to a close-knit and strong community. EHP is proud to work with Beaver and other frontline communities, providing data, resources, and air monitoring tools to help them protect their health and thrive for generations to come.

Our May fundraising campaign is almost over! Donate today at https://www.environmentalhealthproject.org/donate

05/27/2026

PARTICIPANTS WANTED!

Who? Rural Pennsylvanians with either a public or private water source within 10 miles of a shale gas extraction ( ) site.

When? Sampling is expected to begin in late May and continue into mid-June in the summer of 2026.

Why? To identify the organic chemical signature of drinking water in rural communities and assess exposure to possible persistent organic pollutants with an interest in anthropogenic chemicals, PFAS, quats, and ethoxylates.

How? Fill out this form: https://forms.gle/Nv4nYaw9rbCCz3f48

05/27/2026

Join the Environmental Health Project and Save Ohio Parks on Wednesday, June 3, at 6:00 p.m., in-person at the Brickhouse Social, to learn more about the HealthWatch air monitoring program in Guernsey County.

Since October 2025, community air monitors have been gathering local air quality information in the Salt Folk State Park area. The recent increase in fracking operations near the park puts community members at risk of developing negative health symptoms. Understanding air quality trends can help inform actions to protect yourself from fracking pollution.

More information and RSVP at https://www.environmentalhealthproject.org/events

05/26/2026

Are you interested in learning more about the air quality in Plum near sedat injection well?

Join us for an evening meeting where you can discover what is being reported about the area's air quality, find out how you can take proactive steps for your health, and learn how to get involved!

RSVP at/Go to: protectpt.info/plumair

05/25/2026

Honoring those who gave their lives while protecting the lives of others throughout the world.

05/22/2026

We rarely think about waste beyond disposal. As the saying goes: “Out of sight, out of mind.” But this expression does not apply to residents living near landfills, who continuously endure the nuisance of noise and odors. New on the EHP blog and in an accompanying, free, printable fact sheet, learn about air pollution health hazards from non-hazardous landfills.

💻https://www.environmentalhealthproject.org/post/air-pollution-health-hazards-from-non-hazardous-waste-landfills
🖨�https://www.environmentalhealthproject.org/_files/ugd/a9ce25_610bdcb577b14d919b735c226cc47d5b.pdf

05/21/2026

Congratulations to our Medical Advisor Dr. Ned Ketyer!!! 🎉

05/21/2026

05/20/2026

Shell's ethane cracker plant in Beaver is often referred to as simply, the "cracker plant." So much so that it's not uncommon to hear people wonder aloud whether saltines and oyster crackers are made there. Though it wasn't included in the original misnomers post on the EHP blog, "cracker plant" would be an appropriate entry.

So, what is the cracker plant? It's a sprawling industrial complex situated along the Ohio River, 30 miles west of Pittsburgh. The plant converts ethane, a component of methane gas fracked in Southwestern Pennsylvania, into polyethylene, a common plastic. The plant is scheduled to produce 3.5 billion pounds of plastic a year in the form of little beads called "nurdles."

We're collecting terms like this for a future blog post. Are there any oil & gas terms you'd like us to explain or words you think are used to downplay health and environmental risks? Let us know in the comments!