pollution

A new state initiative is committing nearly $90 million to waterway cleanup. Colin Jackson has more on an announcement Thursday in Detroit.

Washtenaw County's rain garden system has filtered millions of gallons of stormwater runoff every year. Now, the program is expanding further into the county. Catie Wytychak from the Washtenaw County Water Resources Office spoke to Rebekah Warren about the expansion and Ypsilanti's upcoming Fall River Day.

Canadian wildfires have played havoc with air quality in Washtenaw County and the state of Michigan for the past few summers. Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian is the chief medical executive for the state of Michigan. She joined WEMU's David Fair to look at the short and longer-term implications.

Michigan’s air quality has nosedived in recent weeks, due to wildfire smoke from Canada. At one point, Detroit was listed as the third most polluted city in the world. The blanket of haze that has covered the region, including Washtenaw County, has prompted several air quality advisories. WEMU's Caroline MacGregor talks to Dr. MeiLan Han, Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care at the University of Michigan Health, to get a better understanding of how particulate matter from wildfire smoke affects our overall health.

An air quality alert remains in effect for Washtenaw County and is expected to continue for the next couple of days. WEMU’s Caroline MacGregor reports.

The Michigan Attorney General has filed a civil lawsuit against a Wixom-based automotive supplier for allegedly continuing to release harmful chemicals into the Huron River after multiple violations. WEMU's David Fair checked in with Huron River Watershed Council Climate Resilience Strategist, Daniel Brown. They discuss the lawsuit and the ongoing impacts to the health of the Huron River.

Doctors in Michigan are seeing an increase in ALS patients. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. WEMU’s Caroline MacGregor has more.

Legislative Democrats rolled out bills Monday to toughen Michigan’s pollution cleanup standards and force businesses that caused contamination to foot the bill even if it happened decades ago. Rick Pluta reports.

Michigan attracts trash. Accumulated garbage from places like Ohio, Indiana and Canada ends up in Michigan landfills. In fact, out-of-state garbage accounts for about 25% of what is being dumped in Michigan landfills. State Senator Jeff Irwin is looking to make Michigan a less attractive dumping site by raising the cost of sending garbage here. WEMU's David Fair talked with the Ann Arbor Democrat about his bills to increase tipping fees.

We all know that air pollution is bad for the environment and our health. A new study out of the University of Michigan now shows that it is contributing to a loss of independence among older adults. The study also shows that the economic impact of that loss comes in at an estimate of over $11 billion. WEMU's David Fair spoke with the lead author of the study, Dr. Sara Adar, about the findings.