Hazard NJ

Toxic “forever chemicals” became a ubiquitous part of consumer products because largely they repel water, they’re stain resistant and they’re incredibly durable. But those same properties also mean that the chemicals can persist in the environment seemingly, well, forever. That’s left regulators and scientists in New Jersey and around the world grappling with how to permanently destroy the chemicals.

Forever chemicals have been so widely used, for so many purposes, for so many decades, that they are now in all of our blood. But what does that mean for our health? A team of Rutgers University researchers are trying to help answer that question by studying the blood of residents in Paulsboro, New Jersey, where a high-profile pollution incident left the town's water supply contaminated for years.

It was 1967 when explosions and fire erupted on an aircraft carrier off the coast of Vietnam — becoming one of the deadliest blazes in Navy history and ushering in a new kind of firefighting tool. Chemical foams made with PFAS became a critical part of dealing with intense fires for decades, saving countless lives. But the toxic mess left behind after that foam was sprayed is now contaminating water systems around New Jersey and beyond.

Presenting "All Gassed Up," a limited series about liquified natural gas from the Sea Change podcast. In this episode, hosts Carlyle Calhoun and Halle Parker investigate the liquified natural gas boom on Louisiana’s Gulf Coast. And what’s happening in Louisiana could eventually happen in New Jersey, too. For years, a plan to build an LNG export terminal along the Delaware River has stirred controversy. Regulatory roadblocks under President Joe Biden have effectively put the plan on hold. But with Donald Trump set to return to the White House, the LNG debate may soon return to South Jersey. Check out All Gassed Up, a three-part series from Sea Change that goes deep on the past, present and future of liquified natural gas. Here’s Part 1: The Carbon Coast

It was 1938 at a DuPont laboratory in far South Jersey when scientists stumbled upon the chemical that would become known as Teflon. The accidental discovery became a scientific miracle, laying the groundwork for an entirely new class of incredibly durable chemicals that would be used for all sorts of purposes. But that progress came with a toxic hidden cost that has only recently become fully understood. Now, the small town where it all started is on the frontlines of a global pollution crisis.

They are called PFAS or “forever chemicals.” They originated here in New Jersey decades ago with a promise of a future made easier by science. They’ve spread into countless products, and polluted countless places throughout the world. Now, they are even in our blood. Hazard NJ returns for a second season to take a deep dive into the history of these toxic substances, the current pollution crisis and the ways it is being addressed. Hosted by journalist Jordan Gass-Pooré, produced by NJ Spotlight News.

It's been two years since the federal taxes that bring money to the Superfund program were reinstated, and the results are already being seen at pollution clean-ups around the nation. A recent report published by the U.S. PIRG Education Fund and Environment America found that that billions of dollars are being collected, allowing previously stalled work at dozens of Superfund sites to finally move forward -- including 10 in New Jersey.

New Jersey's Meadowlands were swamped in 2012 when Superstorm Sandy washed ashore, causing widespread flooding in towns like Little Ferry along the Hackensack River. The next generation of flood protections for the area have been planned in the years since: Now, more than $46 million is being committed to bring those plans to life.

In Edgewater, on the banks of the Hudson River and in the shadow of the glitzy Manhattan skyline, the Quanta Resources Superfund site is finally a big step closer to being cleaned up. Last month, the EPA unveiled a new plan to deal with pollution that has seeped into the Hudson River from the tainted land. It’s a major step for a site that has already spent decades on the Superfund list, at the heart of an urban, redeveloping community. To learn more about the Quanta Resources site, check out Episode 7 of Hazard NJ “A Headache on the Hudson.”

Happy Earth Day from Hazard NJ and NJ Spotlight News! Thank you all for taking the time to listen to our podcast, and learn about the ways in which climate change is impacting some of New Jersey’s most toxic places. We’re happy to say that we are already working on our next season, which will take a hard look at a new pollution threat in the Garden State and beyond: PFAS, also called “forever chemicals.” We’ll have more on that soon, but for now, here’s a look back at the second half of Season 1.

Small steps forward this week on the clean-up of the lower Passaic River, where past dumping of Agent Orange and other chemicals created a toxic mess that is now one of the nation’s largest Superfund sites. But that progress comes as one of the main companies on the hook for the work is pushing hard against a deal the EPA has made with other polluters.

The decades-long drip, drip, drip of toxic chemicals from the Price Landfill in South Jersey reached crisis levels in the early '80s when the hazardous plume threatened to taint the water supply for the Atlantic City area. The site earned an emergency response and the reputation as the most polluted Superfund site in America. Now, more than 40 years later, Price Landfill has entered a new chapter… And this time, it's helping not harming.

Efforts to clean up the lower stretch of the Passaic River are getting a $150 million boost, thanks to a new settlement between the federal government and 85 likely polluters. This stretch of the river, running through Newark and nearby towns, is coated with a lining of toxic mud, tainted by decades and decades of chemical dumping. Getting it cleaned up will be difficult – and expensive. At roughly $1.8 billion, the Passaic River is estimated to be the costliest project currently facing the EPA’s Superfund program. That makes the settlement a small, but welcome, step forward.

We’re bringing you a special episode from the podcast “Damages”, which examines court cases that matter in the fight against climate change. In this episode, “Damages” host Amy Westervelt takes listeners to Minnesota, where the rights of threatened wild rice (or manoomin in the Ojibwe language) are considered in the face of efforts to build the Line 3 pipeline across the state. Check it out, and be sure to follow “Damages” wherever you get your podcasts.

In Edgewater, a bustling urban town across the Hudson River from Manhattan, a polluted lot of a former factory sits right on the water. Today it's a Superfund site being cleaned up, set to one day become a piece of prime real estate for redevelopment. But that cleanup has created problems of its own, and as the process drags on, the threat of flooding from the river grows.

We’re bringing you a special episode from the podcast “Drilled”, which scrutinizes the powers that have long profited from unfettered fossil fuel use. In this episode, “Drilled” host Amy Westervelt takes a look at how the oil and gas industry has pushed to portray environmentalists as idealists detached from reality, in an effort to undercut campaigns against fossil fuels. Check it out, and be sure to follow “Drilled” wherever you get your podcasts.

The Pinelands, a million-acre swath of pine forest dominating South Jersey, is one of America’s most unique environments. The Pinelands have always been a place prone to catch fire and today, climate change is making the area’s wildfire season more unpredictable. The fear is not only fire, but it’s impact on the area’s legacy of toxic illegal dumping.

We’re bringing you a special episode from our friends at “The Sweaty Penguin” podcast, which dives deep (with a bit of humor!) on all things climate change. In this episode, “The Sweaty Penguin” crew takes a look at the landmark Inflation Reduction Act, and what it does and does not do for the climate. Check it out, and be sure to follow “The Sweaty Penguin”, another show made possible by the Peril & Promise initiative, wherever you get your podcasts.

The National Lead company spent years in the 1970s recycling car batteries at a factory in rural South Jersey, haphazardly draining battery acid onto the ground. The pollution left dangerous heavy metals in the site's soil and groundwater --- a mess that is now on the verge of being cleaned up. But in an area along Delaware Bay, sea level rise is slowly pushing a new potential problem into the ground.

Former New Jersey Gov. Jim Florio, who wrote the Superfund law back in 1980, died this week at age 85. In this bonus episode, we reflect on Florio’s efforts to clean up New Jersey and America’s toxic messes, and we revisit our interview with him earlier this year.