Solve pollution. Save lives. Protect the planet.

Introducing Molly Bair: Superstar Model, Pollution Fighter!

Dec 16 , 2016

After a quick lesson at Pure Earth's office, Molly shows off her skills with the XRF--a handheld X-ray fluorescent analyzer that can identify toxic particles in soil in about 30 seconds! #FightPollution with Molly Bair When you see model Molly.

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The Missing Link Between Environment And Public Health

Aug 10 , 2016

This post is from Pure Earth summer intern Taylor Carroll, an environmental studies major in her senior year at Lehigh University. Some may be surprised to hear that the Environmental Protection Agency is primarily a public health agency, but EPA.

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Pure Earth Experts Contribute To WHO Children’s Environmental Health Training Modules

Aug 04 , 2016

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="203"] Dr. Amalia Laborde[/caption] [caption id="" align="alignleft" width="109"] Dr. Lilian Corra[/caption] The World Health Organization (WHO) has just released a new series of children's environmental health training modules that were prepared by experts around the world, including.

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Update on Latin America: A Dirty Talk and A New Research Paper

Jul 13 , 2016

Dirty Talk With A View  For our latest Dirty Talk (Pure Earth's awareness-raising lunchtime series), we brought experts to the New York Times building to talk about pollution in Latin America. The event attracted a full house and boasted some of the best.

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A Tremendous Loss: Dmitriy Tereshkevich

Jun 08 , 2016

The Pure Earth family is sad to learn of the sudden death of Dmitriy Tereshkevich, our country director in Kazakhstan. He was just 33. His passing is a shock and a tremendous loss to everyone at Pure Earth worldwide, and to the.

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Planning Our Strategy

May 05 , 2016

The Pure Earth program and management team recently concluded a three-day retreat at a donated vacation home in coastal Maine. There was much to plan as Pure Earth received a new grant and a renewal from a previous funder. In addition, our.

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Global Commission On Pollution May Be The Game-Changer

Nov 16 , 2015

On Oct 1, a panel of world leaders and key experts in the fields of pollution management, environmental health and sustainable development gathered in Geneva to launch the Global Commission on Pollution, Health and Development. Like the Stern Review, which brought.

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World’s Top Six Toxic Threats Affect 95 Million People, Steal 14.7 Million Years Of Life

Oct 22 , 2015

A new report - The New Top Six Toxic Threats: A Priority List For Remediation - has been released by Pure Earth and Green Cross Switzerland. It is the tenth report in the World's Worst Pollution Problems series that over the years has served.

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Bellandur Lake On Fire From Excessive Pollution

Sep 01 , 2015

This post is from one of our resourceful communications summer interns Alex Rivlin, who spotted this story and realized the connection to the work we do. How polluted does water have to be to become flammable? Bellandur Lake is just.

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What Is “The Brown Agenda” And Why Is It Making Waves?

Aug 17 , 2015

  “… while most everyone has heard about “going green,” few are aware of the more dire and sinister “brown” pollution — places where man-made toxic pollutants have taken root and spread.” - from "The Brown Agenda," by Richard Fuller.

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Applications Now Open: Fourth AuthorAid/Pure Earth Course in Research Writing

May 27 , 2015

Calling all researchers. Are you looking to improve your skills in writing papers for peer-reviewed scientific journals? Do you have a draft of a scientific paper you are preparing for publication? Are you a citizen of, and is your research related.

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Alerting Local Researchers To Mexico’s National Lead Problem

May 26 , 2015

Mexico's 500-year old tradition of using toxic lead-glazes in pottery is a problem that continues to plague residents to this day. In our paper "Blood Lead Levels in Mexico and Pediatric Burden of Disease Implications,” published in the Annals of Global.

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Usher, will.i.am, Fall Out Boy, and Others Rally 250,000… and Pure Earth

Apr 20 , 2015

Usher, No Doubt, Mary J. Blige, Fall Out Boy, Common, Train, My Morning Jacket and others rallied an estimated 250,000 people on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on April 18 in a day-long Earth Day concert organized by the.

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The Meaning of Pure Earth, and Actor Dev Patel’s Role in Our Name Change

Mar 18 , 2015

  Blacksmith Institute has changed its name to Pure Earth.  Our work and commitment remain the same. "... in the end, it was Dev Patel, the brilliant actor who played the hero of Slumdog Millionaire, who pushed us to choose Pure Earth..

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SNAPSHOTS OF PROGRESS: 2014

Feb 25 , 2015

  What did we do in 2014? We are glad to report that it was a great year of progress in the fight against toxic pollution. Here's why: Out In The Global Field - Asia, Africa, Central Asia/Eastern Europe, Latin.

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Focus on Research in Developing World: “We are missing the full picture”

Dec 17 , 2014

  Over the past few years, Blacksmith Institute for a Pure Earth has embarked on a broad effort to expand research and understanding about the issue of toxic pollution, especially its damaging impact in low and middle-income countries, where pollution is the.

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To Environmental Journalists: Address Underreported Issue of Toxic Pollution

Sep 12 , 2014

  When an airliner disappears into the Indian ocean and hundreds of people are assumed dead, it’s huge news and millions are spent to find it and understand what went wrong. But in Zamfara, Nigeria, in 2010, over 200 children.

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A Global Emergency: The Largest Cause of Death In The World Is Being Ignored

Jun 18 , 2014

http://youtu.be/V7ugPCl-oq4 UPDATE:  Our voices are being heard at the U.N.  Our call to #SpotlightPollution in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is making a difference. We've received 26 letters of support from governments, agencies, NGOs & universities. As a result, the zero draft.

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Q&A with “Slumdog Millionaire”: Dev Patel on his Belated Birthday Present – A Pure Earth

Apr 27 , 2014

[caption id="attachment_15288" align="alignnone" width="300"] Dev Patel with Freida Pinto at the inaugural PURE EARTH benefit gala in NYC on April 26, 2014.[/caption] Happy Birthday Dev Patel! Just three days after Patel's 24th birthday on April 23, the young actor/activist helped.

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What Does A Pure Earth Look Like to Susan Sarandon, Anne Hathaway, Yoko Ono…?

Apr 23 , 2014

What does a Pure Earth look like to you? This is what it looks like to Susan Sarandon, Anne Hathaway, Yoko Ono, Faith Ringgold and our other friends and supporters. PURE EARTH extends our deepest appreciation to the artists and celebrities.

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Tools of the Trade: The XRF Finds Toxic Hotspots in Under a Minute

Apr 18 , 2014

It is a small but powerful tool.  The handheld XRF (X-ray fluorescence) analyzer can identify toxic particles in soil in about 30 seconds, allowing remediation crews to quickly locate and determine the extent of any contamination, and potentially begin life-saving cleanup without.

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Top Ten List of Worst Polluted Places Generates Worldwide Attention, Triggers Renewed Focus on Global Problem

Dec 12 , 2013

The conversation about pollution just got louder. Since 2006, Blacksmith’s yearly reports have been instrumental in increasing public understanding of the health impacts posed by toxic pollution, and in some cases, have compelled cleanup work at pollution hotspots. This latest.

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New List of Top Ten World’s Worst Polluted Sites Is Released

Nov 19 , 2013

A new report released this November updates the top ten list of world's worst polluted places previously identified in 2006 and 2007, removing sites that have made progress, and adding new sites. "Top Ten Toxic Threats in 2013: Cleanup, Progress and Ongoing Challenges" from.

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Helping Countries Abide By Minamata

Oct 25 , 2013

Earlier this month, Pure Earth was with the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution (GAHP) in Minamata, Japan, to witness the landmark signing of the first international treaty to curb mercury pollution, and to help countries abide by the agreement. To.

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Guide To Lead Cleanup Now Available; First in Series of Global Remediation Guides

Oct 25 , 2013

The Global Alliance on Health and Pollution (GAHP) has released a technical guide focused on the containment of lead, one of the world's worst pollutants. It is the first in a planned series of guides on best practices in global.

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Blacksmith Newsletters

Dec 11 , 2012

Welcome to Blacksmith’s Newsletter Archives. Sept/Oct 2013: Top Ten Toxic Threats in 2013 Helping Countries Abide by Minamata Bringing Poisoned Poor to the European Parliament Training Women in Senegal Why are Children in Mexico Still Suffering from Lead Global Remediation.

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Top Ten Things You Might Not Know About Pollution

Oct 20 , 2011

See updated version: 15 Pollution Facts that Might Surprise You Pollution is a topic that often gets buried by talk of conservation, climate change, sustainability and energy issues.  Perhaps because it is a complex subject with lots of sources and.

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