Shantal Riley
@shantalwriter.bsky.social
Health and science journalist, writer, photographer, mother, gardener, cook, and lover of good English. Opinions are my own.
Pinned
Shantal Riley
@shantalwriter.bsky.social
· Jun 18
Small City Pays A Price For PFAS In Drinking Water
A military base polluted water in Newburgh, New York, with PFAS for years. Now a CDC-led study is uncovering the health impacts.
www.sciencefriday.com
My latest story on PFAS in Newburgh. A new CDC-led study finds high cholesterol and hypertension (++ risks for heart disease) in residents exposed to PFAS-tainted water.
The source? Stewart Air Base. A decade later, the military has yet to clean up the mess.
www.sciencefriday.com/articles/pfa...
The source? Stewart Air Base. A decade later, the military has yet to clean up the mess.
www.sciencefriday.com/articles/pfa...
Photojournalism matters.
Photo by Andrew Harnik, Getty
Photo by Andrew Harnik, Getty
November 6, 2025 at 11:57 PM
Photojournalism matters.
Photo by Andrew Harnik, Getty
Photo by Andrew Harnik, Getty
Last rays of Sunday. I love fall. #hudsonvalley #iloveny
November 3, 2025 at 12:49 AM
Last rays of Sunday. I love fall. #hudsonvalley #iloveny
Hey #Connecticut! Check out this new mapping tool to see your property’s climate risk. firststreet.org/connecticut-...
Connecticut Insurance Department of Climate Risk Mapping
Free tool allows Connecticut residents to identify risks using First Street’s technology, for planning and preparing for climate related perils.
firststreet.org
October 21, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Hey #Connecticut! Check out this new mapping tool to see your property’s climate risk. firststreet.org/connecticut-...
Reposted by Shantal Riley
Firing measles experts in the midst of a measles outbreak seems highly logical and smart
🤦🏽♂️
🤦🏽♂️
The mass layoffs of federal workers on Friday night swept up the top two leaders of the federal measles response team, even as the nation grapples with the most cases recorded since 2000, when measles was declared eliminated in the U.S.
C.D.C. Layoffs Included 2 Top Measles Experts Amid Rising Cases
Scientists who focused on other infectious diseases, like an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, also were let go.
nyti.ms
October 11, 2025 at 9:51 PM
Firing measles experts in the midst of a measles outbreak seems highly logical and smart
🤦🏽♂️
🤦🏽♂️
Reposted by Shantal Riley
Three scientists, including one from the U.S., share the 2025 Nobel Prize in chemistry for developing “metal-organic frameworks,” versatile molecular cages that can trap contaminants, store energy and possibly deliver drugs to specific areas of the body.
2025 Chemistry Nobel Goes to Molecular Sponges That Purify Water, Store Energy, and Clean Up the Environment
Three scientists, including one from the U.S., share the 2025 Nobel Prize in chemistry for developing “metal-organic frameworks,” versatile molecular cages that can trap contaminants, store energy and...
www.scientificamerican.com
October 8, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Three scientists, including one from the U.S., share the 2025 Nobel Prize in chemistry for developing “metal-organic frameworks,” versatile molecular cages that can trap contaminants, store energy and possibly deliver drugs to specific areas of the body.
apnews.com/article/nobe... Nobel Prize in medicine goes to 3 scientists for key immune system discoveries.
The Nobel Prize in medicine goes to 3 scientists for key immune system discoveries
They won for their work on peripheral immune tolerance, which is one way the body helps keep the immune system from getting out of whack and attacking your own tissues..
apnews.com
October 7, 2025 at 10:26 PM
apnews.com/article/nobe... Nobel Prize in medicine goes to 3 scientists for key immune system discoveries.
You can't make this stuff up. A judge just struck down a NY ban preventing Holtec from dumping radioactive water from the Indian Point nuclear plant into the Hudson River, a source of drinking water for seven — count 'em, seven — #HudsonValley communities.
www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley...
www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley...
Federal judge says New York overstepped in banning radioactive water disposal in Hudson River
The owners of the decommissioned Indian Point nuclear facility sued the state over its efforts to regulate wastewater disposal at the facility.
www.timesunion.com
October 7, 2025 at 6:18 PM
You can't make this stuff up. A judge just struck down a NY ban preventing Holtec from dumping radioactive water from the Indian Point nuclear plant into the Hudson River, a source of drinking water for seven — count 'em, seven — #HudsonValley communities.
www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley...
www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley...
Reposted by Shantal Riley
John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret, and John M. Martinis have won the 2025 #NobelPrize in Physics for experiments that revealed quantum behavior in electrical circuits, showing that even systems made of billions of atoms can obey the strange laws of the quantum world: cen.acs.org/people/nobel... 🧪
October 7, 2025 at 1:22 PM
John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret, and John M. Martinis have won the 2025 #NobelPrize in Physics for experiments that revealed quantum behavior in electrical circuits, showing that even systems made of billions of atoms can obey the strange laws of the quantum world: cen.acs.org/people/nobel... 🧪
Reposted by Shantal Riley
What parents need to know about Tylenol, autism and the difference between finding a link and finding a cause in scientific research
theconversation.com/what-parents...
theconversation.com/what-parents...
What parents need to know about Tylenol, autism and the difference between finding a link and finding a cause in scientific research
Trump’s definitive statements that Tylenol use during pregnancy causes autism suggest certainty that the science does not support.
theconversation.com
September 28, 2025 at 2:56 AM
What parents need to know about Tylenol, autism and the difference between finding a link and finding a cause in scientific research
theconversation.com/what-parents...
theconversation.com/what-parents...
Reposted by Shantal Riley
Very good news
This is huge: “A drug that provides near-perfect protection against H.I.V. with shots just twice a year will be made available at $40 per patient annually in low- and middle-income countries, offering new hope… making lenacapavir a realistic choice in countries with constrained resources.”
Philanthropies Strike a Promising Deal to Turn Back H.I.V.
www.nytimes.com
September 24, 2025 at 8:09 PM
Very good news
A calm stream on a Sunday. Sound on.
September 14, 2025 at 4:56 PM
A calm stream on a Sunday. Sound on.
Reposted by Shantal Riley
California is on the verge of banning toxic #ForeverChemicals known as #PFAS in products like cookware, cleaners more.
These chemicals don't break down in the environment and they build up in our bodies.
#SB682 is a crucial step toward safer homes. 🧵
www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/n...
These chemicals don't break down in the environment and they build up in our bodies.
#SB682 is a crucial step toward safer homes. 🧵
www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/n...
California bill to ban "forever chemicals" in cookware pits celebrity chefs against environmental advocates
California lawmakers are weighing whether to ban a group of chemicals known as PFAS, which are often called "forever chemicals," in cookware.
www.cbsnews.com
September 11, 2025 at 9:50 PM
California is on the verge of banning toxic #ForeverChemicals known as #PFAS in products like cookware, cleaners more.
These chemicals don't break down in the environment and they build up in our bodies.
#SB682 is a crucial step toward safer homes. 🧵
www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/n...
These chemicals don't break down in the environment and they build up in our bodies.
#SB682 is a crucial step toward safer homes. 🧵
www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/n...
Reposted by Shantal Riley
Multiple health groups and medical associations called on U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to step down in a joint statement on Wednesday, saying he was disregarding decades of lifesaving science and reversing medical progress.
www.reuters.com/business/hea...
www.reuters.com/business/hea...
Medical groups call on US Health Secretary Kennedy to step down
Multiple health groups and medical associations called on U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to step down in a joint statement on Wednesday, saying he was disregarding decades of lifesaving science and reversing medical progress.
www.reuters.com
September 4, 2025 at 3:29 AM
Multiple health groups and medical associations called on U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to step down in a joint statement on Wednesday, saying he was disregarding decades of lifesaving science and reversing medical progress.
www.reuters.com/business/hea...
www.reuters.com/business/hea...
Now for a bit of good news. Washington State just banned dozens of carcinogenic formaldehyde-releasing chemicals in cosmetics. Thanks to @toxicfreefuture.bsky.social for the heads up!
ecology.wa.gov/about-us/who...
ecology.wa.gov/about-us/who...
Washington moves to restrict cancer-causing chemicals in cosmetics
This week, Washington became the first state in the nation to adopt broad restrictions on more than two dozen chemicals used in cosmetic products that can release formaldehyde.
ecology.wa.gov
August 29, 2025 at 12:46 AM
Now for a bit of good news. Washington State just banned dozens of carcinogenic formaldehyde-releasing chemicals in cosmetics. Thanks to @toxicfreefuture.bsky.social for the heads up!
ecology.wa.gov/about-us/who...
ecology.wa.gov/about-us/who...
Reposted by Shantal Riley
The CDC quietly scaled back a surveillance program for foodborne illnesses.
As of July 1, a critical surveillance program is monitoring for only two pathogens instead of the usual eight.
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
As of July 1, a critical surveillance program is monitoring for only two pathogens instead of the usual eight.
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
The CDC quietly scaled back a surveillance program for foodborne illnesses
As of July 1, a critical surveillance program is monitoring for only two pathogens instead of the usual eight.
www.nbcnews.com
August 27, 2025 at 2:39 AM
The CDC quietly scaled back a surveillance program for foodborne illnesses.
As of July 1, a critical surveillance program is monitoring for only two pathogens instead of the usual eight.
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
As of July 1, a critical surveillance program is monitoring for only two pathogens instead of the usual eight.
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
Echinacea, commonly known as coneflower, from the garden. Echinacea purpurea has been used medicinally by Native Americans for hundreds of years in the treatment of respiratory infections, tooth pain, snakebites, etc.
August 17, 2025 at 11:17 PM
Echinacea, commonly known as coneflower, from the garden. Echinacea purpurea has been used medicinally by Native Americans for hundreds of years in the treatment of respiratory infections, tooth pain, snakebites, etc.
Reposted by Shantal Riley
📣🍄🦇🍄🦇🍄📣
I am looking for a postdoctoral researcher for my lab in Ceske Budejovice, Czechia. We study biodiversity monitoring, ecology, conservation, and microbiology. Some of our work deals with bats, most with fungi! Email at danny dot haelewaters at gmail dot com if interested. #TeamLaboul #newPI
I am looking for a postdoctoral researcher for my lab in Ceske Budejovice, Czechia. We study biodiversity monitoring, ecology, conservation, and microbiology. Some of our work deals with bats, most with fungi! Email at danny dot haelewaters at gmail dot com if interested. #TeamLaboul #newPI
August 14, 2025 at 8:40 PM
📣🍄🦇🍄🦇🍄📣
I am looking for a postdoctoral researcher for my lab in Ceske Budejovice, Czechia. We study biodiversity monitoring, ecology, conservation, and microbiology. Some of our work deals with bats, most with fungi! Email at danny dot haelewaters at gmail dot com if interested. #TeamLaboul #newPI
I am looking for a postdoctoral researcher for my lab in Ceske Budejovice, Czechia. We study biodiversity monitoring, ecology, conservation, and microbiology. Some of our work deals with bats, most with fungi! Email at danny dot haelewaters at gmail dot com if interested. #TeamLaboul #newPI
Reposted by Shantal Riley
Fact check:
mRNA vaccines for respiratory viruses are meant to prevent severe illness (bad Pneumonia).
This means beefing up our immunity in the *lower* respiratory tract, eg the lungs.
Kennedy talks about the *upper* respiratory tract and vaccine efficacy in nonsensical gibberish.
mRNA vaccines for respiratory viruses are meant to prevent severe illness (bad Pneumonia).
This means beefing up our immunity in the *lower* respiratory tract, eg the lungs.
Kennedy talks about the *upper* respiratory tract and vaccine efficacy in nonsensical gibberish.
August 7, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Fact check:
mRNA vaccines for respiratory viruses are meant to prevent severe illness (bad Pneumonia).
This means beefing up our immunity in the *lower* respiratory tract, eg the lungs.
Kennedy talks about the *upper* respiratory tract and vaccine efficacy in nonsensical gibberish.
mRNA vaccines for respiratory viruses are meant to prevent severe illness (bad Pneumonia).
This means beefing up our immunity in the *lower* respiratory tract, eg the lungs.
Kennedy talks about the *upper* respiratory tract and vaccine efficacy in nonsensical gibberish.
Reposted by Shantal Riley
Tap water near 15 U.S. military bases is contaminated with toxic #PFAS, even though the #EPA officially says the exposure risk is “under control.”
This isn’t a glitch. 🧵
www.ewg.org/news-insight...
#PFAS #ForeverChemicals #Superfund #DOD #EPA #MilitaryBases
This isn’t a glitch. 🧵
www.ewg.org/news-insight...
#PFAS #ForeverChemicals #Superfund #DOD #EPA #MilitaryBases
15 military Superfund sites claim no health risks – but PFAS in tap water tell a different story
Results from new Department of Defense drinking water tests seem to contradict claims by the Environmental Protection Agency saying that 15 military bases designated as EPA Superfun
www.ewg.org
July 31, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Tap water near 15 U.S. military bases is contaminated with toxic #PFAS, even though the #EPA officially says the exposure risk is “under control.”
This isn’t a glitch. 🧵
www.ewg.org/news-insight...
#PFAS #ForeverChemicals #Superfund #DOD #EPA #MilitaryBases
This isn’t a glitch. 🧵
www.ewg.org/news-insight...
#PFAS #ForeverChemicals #Superfund #DOD #EPA #MilitaryBases