The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "mercury" ...
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Mercury News: Loss of Trust
The San Jose Mercury News IRE contest entry "Loss of Trust" consists of an original two-part series published July 1 and July 2, 2012, and the series' remarkable aftermath. The series exposed the eye-popping fees charged by private professionals working as court-appointed conservators and trustees for dependent adults in Silicon Valley - exorbitant rates that together with attorneys' fees threaten to force their vulnerable clients onto government assistance to survive. Within days of publication, the Santa Clara County Superior Court launched an overhaul of its local rules, and state legislation was pledged for the coming year to rein in the abuses.
Tags: Conservators; Trustees; attorneys; overcharged fees
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"Mercury taints skin lighteners"
The Tribune decided to investigate a tip found in a New York Times story that suggested mercury might be present in certain beauty products. The Tribune tested 50 different skin-lightening creams purchased from various locations around Chicago and found that six contained enough mercury to be banned by federal law. When used over time, mercury can be cause health problems, including kidney damage.
Tags: mercury; skin-lightening cream; U.S. Food and Drug Administration; FDA; FOIA; Mercury Policy Project; EcoWaste Coalition
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Fly Ash: Coal-Fired Dilemma
This series of stories showed how a virtually unknown state environmental policy, blessed by the EPA, let developers sculpt an 18-hole golf course with 1.5 million tons of "fly ash," a contaminant-laden residue left from the burning of coal for electricity, posing a threat to the wells of adjacent homeowners. Fly ash contains heavy metals such as arsenic, lead and mercury, which can pose environmental threats through air and water. Although the EPA has been studying the the environmental;ecological impacts of fly ash for decades, it has twice determined that it doesn't warrant classification as "hazardous waste." The result is that there are no national guidelines for fly ash disposal; regulation is left up to the states, resulting in a hodge-podge of policies.
Tags: environment; EPA; contaminant; coal industry; fly ash; testing; site assessment; homeowners
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The Mercury Connection
"The Mercury Connection showed that people who live near mercury hotspots in South Carolina have unusually high levels of mercury in their bodies. The series showed how the state has done little or nothing to address mercury contamination in people."
Tags: mercury; pollution; contamination; poison; state government
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Combating Autism From Within
This series shows both sides of the vaccine debate concerning mercury's possible role in causing autism. Also, the stories touch on conflicts of interest with drug companies paying and conducting studies with government support, which may prevent users from knowing the truth.
Tags: autism; vaccine; mercury; drug companies; government support;
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Marshall Plant State's Top Mercury Polluter
The PPG Industries Chemical Plant in Natrium, Marshall County, "is West Virginia's largest source of mercury, a toxic metal that can poison the brain and is especially dangerous to children and developing fetuses." Reports filed with the Environmental Protection Agency reveal the plant "emit[s] more than 1,200 pounds of mercury into the air." The plant pumps salty water "through vats of pure mercury" to make chlorine and "only nine U.S. plants still use this 111-year-old process."
Tags: mercury; chlorine; toxic chemicals; chemical plants; West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection; Environmental Protection Agency; EPA; PPG Industries
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The Mercury Menace
The reporters investigated supermarkets throughout the Chicago area that routinely sell seafood highly contaminated with mercury, a toxic metal that can cause learning disabilities in children and neurological problems in adults. The Tribune commissioned mercury testing of random samples of fish from markets across Chicago.
Tags: mercury; fish; seafood; toxic; food regulations; learning disabilities; FDA
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Hurricane Katrina environmental coverage
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans and the surrounding areas faced high environmental risks. This series of stories covers the effect that Katrina and the resulting floods had on the area. It uncovered risk ranging from oil spills to high mercury levels.
Tags: hurricane; Hurricane Katrina; flooding; Environmental Protection Agency; oil spills; mercury levels; sediment testing
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Mercury Menace
The author documented widespread mercury contamination in the town of McIntosh, AL. Most of the very public contamination had apparently escaped the attention of the EPA during Superfund investigations between 1984 and 2005. The reporter showed that mercury levels in creeks and rivers would rank among the highest mercury-contaminated areas of the U.S.
Tags: FOIA; contamination; Mercury; McIntosh; Superfund; E.P.A; Fish and Wildlife Service; Alabama Department of Environmental Management; Olin Corp.; Ciba Corp.
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The Mercury Menace
The authors investigated supermarkets throughout the Chicago area that are routinely selling seafood that is highly contaminated with mercury, a toxic metal that can cause learning disabilities in children and neurological problems in adults. The Tribune commissioned mercury testing of random samples of fish from markets across Chicago.
Tags: mercury; fish; seafood; toxic; food regulations; learning disabilities; FDA