Kristina Marusic

Author / Award-Winning Journalist 

Environmental Health News •

PFAS: The latest toxic concern for those near fracking

PITTSBURGH—For more than a decade, Bryan Latkanich has discussed his concerns about fracking chemicals contaminating the water and air near his home with anyone who would listen.

Latkanich is a resident of Washington County, Pennsylvania, one of the state’s most heavily fracked regions. In 2020, an Environmental Health News investigation found evidence that Latkanich and his son Ryan had been exposed to harmful chemicals like benzene, toluene and styrene. Now, researchers have uncovered more harmful substances in Latkanich’s tap water —“forever chemicals.”
EHN •

Study: Pennsylvanians who live near fracking are more likely to be depressed

People who live near unconventional natural gas operations such as fracking are more likely to experience depression, according to a new study.

For the study, which is the first of its kind and published today in Scientific Reports, researchers from the University of California at Berkeley and Johns Hopkins University looked at rates of depression in nearly 5,000 adults living in southwestern Pennsylvania's Marcellus shale region in 2015.
Bustle •

Stockpiles, Self-Reliance, & Survival Skills: How Some Women Are Preparing For Our Uncertain Future

Kristen Tyler, a 36-year-old Portland resident who works as the director of recruiting for a software company, has spent the last decade learning how to be an effective prepper. If a major disaster happens — in her city, her country, or the world — Tyler wants to have everything she'd need to survive on her own.

Contrary to popular belief, not all preppers are religious folks preparing for an apocalyptic doomsday.
PublicSource •

Who should be responsible for replacing Pittsburgh’s lead water pipes?

Jude Vachon bought her “sweet little two-bedroom house” in Lawrenceville in 2009. It’s the first place she’s ever owned.

Her home, which she shares with her dog Charlie and cat Bedelia (like Amelia Bedelia), used to give Vachon, 52, a sense of security and safety.

But after getting a “nerve-racking” letter from the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority [PWSA] about lead, she requested a test kit to check her home’s pipes. Scratching the pipes revealed a soft, dull gray metal.
EHN •

A history-making millennial politician explains what air pollution and police violence have in common

In November, 30-year-old Summer Lee is expected to become the first black woman to represent the Pittsburgh region at the state capital.

In May she won a landslide victory against incumbent Paul Costa, who has represented Pennsylvania's District 34 for nearly 20 years and is a member of a multi-generational political family that's deeply entrenched in Pittsburgh's Democratic party.
MTV News •

Human Feces, Garbage And Dead Fish Are Taking Over The 2016 Olympic Waterways

When the AP first conducted tests on the waterways slated to be used for swimming, rowing, canoeing and sailing events in the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, they found concentrated levels of untreated human waste and disease-causing pathogens. Now, in spite of the Brazilian government’s continued promises to clean up their act, further testing has revealed that the extent of the pollution is even worse — like, a lot worse — than experts previously thought.
MTV News •

Here's Why 13 People Are Hanging Off A Bridge In Portland Right Now

At around 3 a.m. Wednesday morning (July 29), 13 Greenpeace activists rappelled from the St. John Bridge in Portland, Oregon. Their mission was to block the passage of a Shell oil icebreaker, which is a ship that’s used as a critical piece of equipment for drilling. The climbers now hang suspended from hammocks and roped together, blocking the ship from returning to the Arctic. These activists are determined to stop companies from drilling in the region, which poses threats to indigenous people and wildlife.
MTV News •

We Answered The Question, 'I Feel Guilty About Climate Change, But It's So F--king Hot -- Can I Turn On The AC?'

For the environmentally-conscious among us, the onset of summer can induce panic: “Am I just being a baby, or is it definitely hot enough to warrant turning on the AC?” “My hair is frizzy and I’m constantly drenched in sweat — is four showers a day too many?” “OMFG it’s so hot — MUST I CHOOSE BETWEEN ME OR THE PLANET DYING OF OVERHEATING?”
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