NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks with former member of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board Rick Engler about the current state of chemical safety following a string of incidents in the U.S. Read more here.
May 8, 2026 Today, Governor Mikie Sherrill signed S1370/A1514 which requires new flooring for schools, community centers, and childcare centers to be certified mercury-free. In the 1960s a number of companies began manufacturing and installing a thin layer of synthetic, polyurethane flooring on top of concrete sub-floors, to provide a resilient and rubberized surface. Certain formulations of polyurethane incorporated a mercury catalyst, such as phenylmercuric acetate (PMA), to produce a solid seamless rubber-like floor. Mercury-containing polyurethane floors were widely installed in school gymnasiums across the United States. These floors may have been manufactured as late as 2005 and installed as late as 2006 (Washington Twp., NJ). Read more on Insider NJ here.
Story By Hiroko Tabuchi New York Times, May 14, 2026 For a year now, the Chemical Safety Board, a small independent federal agency that investigates chemical spills and other disasters has faced elimination under President Trump's budget cuts. That hasn't stopped the Board from taking on the Trump administration. Read more here.