The Opioid Epidemic Is Devastating. It’s Also Really Expensive.
The opioid epidemic, which each year claims more lives than the entirety of American deaths in the Vietnam War, is also a growing financial burden. According to a new report from the White House Council of Economic Advisers, the epidemic cost the nation $504 billion in 2015—about 2.8 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product.…
Study: Black People Are 75 Percent More Likely to Live Near Toxic Oil and Gas Facilities
A child plays in front of a public housing project which borders an oil refinery in West Port Arthur, Texas.LM Otero/AP Environmentalists have long contended that communities of color are disproportionately affected by pollution from the oil and gas industry, and a study released on Tuesday details the extent of the harm. According to Fumes Across…
No One Knows How Many American Women Die From Causes Related to Pregnancy or Childbirth
byryo/Getty This story originally appeared on ProPublica. The questions are straightforward, with public health implications that would seem impossible to shrug off. How many American women die each year from causes related to pregnancy or childbirth? How many of these deaths are preventable? How does the nation’s current rate of maternal mortality compare to the…
The Over-the-Counter Sleeping Pill That’s Too Good to Be True
Thomas FuchsOnce upon a time, insomniacs counted sheep. Today, they take melatonin. Referred to by scientists as the “hormone of darkness,” melatonin is naturally produced by a gland in the brain at night, but it can also be purchased at any major drugstore. Millions of Americans take it, whether swallowing it in pill form, spritzing it…
We Now Know Just How Bad the Flint Water Crisis Was for Pregnant Women
A Flint resident holds up a bottle of the city’s water along with hair pulled from her drain.Molly Riley/AP This story was originally published by The Atlantic and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. When the city of Flint, Michigan, temporarily switched its water source to the Flint River in 2014, it didn’t treat the water…
10 Great Things That Trump Has Given America in the Last Year
fotojog/Getty One year ago today, Donald Trump—once just a New York billionaire famous for his orange complexion and “firing” wannabe celebrities on reality television—was elected to be the 45th president of this great land. In his first year, a lot has happened, to put it mildly. Here at Mother Jones we’ve spent a lot of time covering all…