The Invisible Threat - with Dr. Silvia Aroca

The secret to raising healthy kids in a technological world.

This week on Green Street, Patti and Doug talk about chemical lobbyists inside the EPA gutting regulations on PFAS, how the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has been ordered by the administration to quickly approve new nuclear power plants, and a new study showing that males are more impacted by exposure to some PFAS chemicals than females. Then Dr. Silvia Calbo Aroca talks about her new book, “Playing with the Invisible: The secrets to raising healthy kids in a world of technology.”

Green Street - The Invisible Threat with Dr. Silvia Aroca

29:00

Links from the Interview

Buy Dr. Aroca's book (Kindle edition) on Amazon: https://us.amazon.com/Playing-Invisible-raising-healthy-technology-ebook/dp/B0FDD34TJ6/

Links from the News

An industry insider gets inside the EPA: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/28/climate/steven-cook-epa-pfas-forever-chemicals.html

NRC is being pressured to approve new nuclear power plants: https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eenews/2025/09/04/takeaways-from-big-senate-nrc-hearing-ew-00542598

New study shows males are more sensitive to PFAS chemicals than females: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-07-chemicals-impact-male-brain.html

The Fight Over Toxic Chemicals - with Dr. Philip Landrigan

The nation's leading expert on environmental toxins talks about his work and recent study on glyphosate.

This week on Green Street, Patti and Doug dedicate the entire program to their interview with the nation's leading expert on environmental toxins, Dr. Philip Landrigan. Over a career spanning decades, Dr. Landrigan has been out front on efforts to inform the public about the links between common environmental exposure and human health, including groundbreaking work on lead, asbestos, and pesticides. A pediatrician by training, Dr. Landrigan is currently the Director of the Program for Global Public Health and the Common Good, and Director of the Global Observatory on Planetary Health at the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society at Boston College.

The Fight Over Toxic Chemicals - with Dr. Philip Landrigan

29:00

Links from the interview

Glyphosate study: "Carcinogenic effects of long-term exposure from prenatal life to glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides in Sprague-Dawley rats" https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40490737/

Dr. Landrigan's page at Boston College: https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/morrissey/departments/biology/people/faculty-directory/Phil-Landrigan.html

The Ramazzini Institute web page: https://www.collegiumramazzini.org/

Dr. Philip Landrigan

People, Plastic and Climate Change - with Rick Smith

Author, biologist, environmentalist, and political activist Rick Smith talks about the two biggest environmental threats of our generation.

This week on Green Street, Patti and Doug talk about the FDA’s continuing failure to regulate toxic chemicals, how a group of mothers are suing manufacturers of plastic food containers, and how the Trump administration is rolling back drinking water standards for certain PFAS chemicals. Then Rick Smith, author of "Slow Death by Rubber Duck" and President of the Canadian Climate Institute, talks about the dual crises of climate change and plastic pollution as a human health hazard. 

Links from the Interview

The Canadian Climate Institute: https://climateinstitute.ca/ Rick's bio and links to recent blogs: https://climateinstitute.ca/people/rick-smith/

Links from the News

FDA reform — not just narrow ingredient bans — is needed to make America healthier: https://www.ehn.org/fda-gras-loophole-opinion

Two California women sue over safety of Rubbermaid containers: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2025/05/14/rubbermaid-class-action-lawsuit-microplastics/83618735007/

Trump's EPA plans to roll back PFAS regulations: https://grist.org/regulation/epa-pfas-drinking-water-limits-trump-rollback/