Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode

Local businesses and local farms are being lost in this era of monopolizing America’s food system, but the food industry didn’t become corrupt overnight. In today’s episode, Ken is joined by Austin Frerick, expert on agricultural and antitrust policy. His debut book, “Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America’s Food Industry” profiles a series of powerful magnates to illustrate the concentration of power in the food system. Policy language used effectively by the food industry is designed to wall people off, Austin’s book let’s people in.During the 2020 presidential campaign, Austin advised candidates Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Pete Buttigieg on agricultural policy before ultimately serving as Co-Chair of the Biden campaign’s Agriculture Antitrust Policy Committee. He now works at Yale University, collaborating on research related to competition policy and antitrust enforcement.Want a deeper dive on today’s episode? Check out the links below:“Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America's Food Industry”EWG's Meat And Dairy Product Labels DecoderEWG’s quick tips for reducing your diet's climate footprintEWG’s Meat Eater’s Guide to Climate & HealthKen Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcastwww.ewg.org@environmentalworkinggroup

In a recent New Yorker article, investigative reporter Sharon Lerner writes about former 3M scientist Kris Hansen who conducted a study in the 90s where she found PFAs forever chemicals in the general public's blood. 3M executives told her PFAS chemicals weren't harmful, she believed them. Decades later she would learn the truth about the serious risks of  PFAS exposure, and why she decided to speak out against the company she worked at for decades.  We are aware of the harmful effects of PFAs because of Professor Philippe Grandjean, a Danish Toxicologist. In the first part of today’s episode, Ken is joined by Sharon Lerner and talks about the human experience 3m scientist Kris Hansen has gone through since finding out her employer lied to her and the general public for decades. Sharon Lerner refers to Professor Philippe Grandjean’s groundbreaking work in her article and in the second part of today’s episode, Ken is joined by Professor Grandjean to speak about one of his own articles that explores the vested interest in keeping facts about chemical exposure a secret from the public.Want a deeper dive on today’s episode? Check out the links below:How 3M Discovered, Then Concealed, the Dangers of Forever Chemicals (The New Yorker)Sharon Lerner's work at ProPublicaIs Pollution Value-Maximizing? The Dupont Case (National Bureau Of Economic Research)Paracelsus Revisited: The Dose Concept in a Complex WorldEWG’s PFAS resourcesLead: Celebrate its ban, but don't cross it off your list (EWG)Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcastwww.ewg.org@environmentalworkinggroup

Climate change, air pollution, jobs! These are buzzwords that have helped the nuclear energy industry stay in power. In today’s episode, Ken is joined by author and environmental engineering professor, Mark Jacobson and former Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and author, Greg Jaczko to discuss why we continue to waste so much money in nuclear power, what the new clean energy alternatives are and why we are still using both.Want a deeper dive on today’s episode? Check out the links below:Mark Jacobson’s Book, No Miracles NeededGreg Jaczko’s Book, Confessions of a Rogue Nuclear RegulatorEWG’s Green Energy GuideThe Economic Viability of Nuclear Power Is Only Going DownWhy Small Modular Nuclear Reactors Won’t Help Counter the Climate CrisisKen Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcastwww.ewg.org@environmentalworkinggroup

Almost 100% of Americans have toxic substances in our bodies and it negatively affects our health in numerous ways. In today’s episode,  Ken is joined by functional medicine pioneer and EWG board member, Dr. Mark Hyman. Functional medicine is a complete approach to your whole interconnected biological system. Dr. Hyman came to functional medicine after being diagnosed with mercury poisoning and after using functional medicine to detoxify his body, he became determined to help as many people as possible.  Ken and Dr. Hyman discuss why we are exposed to so many toxic substances, where we are exposed to them, and what you can do to help yourself reduce exposure and increase detoxification. Want a deeper dive on today’s episode? Check out the links below:functionhealth.com/markMark's Instagram Dr. Mark Hyman’s Website EWG's Dirty Dozen: Cancer Prevention Edition EWG's 2024 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce™ Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week. @kencookspodcast www.ewg.org @environmentalworkinggroup 

In today’s episode, Ken is joined by two guests, Diane Cotter and Peter Arlein who both came into environmentalism as a way to protect their families, friends, and communities from toxic ‘forever chemicals.’ Worcester, MA native Diane, wife of firefighter Paul Cotter, plunged into the PFAS rabbit hole when she questioned whether Paul’s exposure to the chemicals contributed to his prostate cancer. Her relentless pursuit for the truth revealed numerous sick firefighters and afflicted firefighter communities nationwide. Former ski-shop wax tech Peter took matters into his own hands by creating the Colorado-based company MountainFlo dedicated to making ski wax and bicycle lubricants without PFAS and petroleum, to protect the Rocky Mountains he cherishes and the outdoor sports community he belongs to. Want a deeper dive on today’s episode? Check out the links below:Peter’s Company: Mountain Flow & Mountain Flow Take Back ProgramDiane’s Documentary Burned: Protecting the ProtectorsWhat are PFAS chemicals?Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcastwww.ewg.org@environmentalworkinggroup

When buying or eating food, we don’t often think about the chemicals used in weed killers…but we should. In today’s episode, we go in-depth with Carey Gillam, Managing Editor of The New Lede, EWG’s journalism initiative, and the widely used commercial toxic pesticides found in weed killers. Ken and Carey discuss their link to Parkinson's, non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, and childhood leukemia, and her ground-breaking investigations that have exposed corporations like Monsanto and Syngenta that have concealed health risks from the public for decades. Earlier this month, EWG partnered with California assembly member Laura Friedman to introduce Assembly Bill 1963 which would end the use of Paraquat on fields and orchards in California by January 2026. The passing of this bill could enormously impact the lives and the health of California’s farmworkers, their families, and agricultural communities across the state.Want a deeper dive on today’s episode? Check out the links below:Secret “Paraquat Papers” reveal corporate tactics to protect weed killer linked to parkinson’s diseaseToxic Weed Killer Found in Breast Milk, Infant FormulaThe New Lede’s ‘Paraquat Papers’ scoop recognized by agriculture journalistsCary Gillam’s WebsiteKen Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcastwww.ewg.org@environmentalworkinggroup 

For decades the American people have been exposed to toxic forever chemicals known as PFAS with no protection from our government. Until now… In today’s monumental episode, Ken travels to Fayetteville, North Carolina to join the EPA as they announce the first-ever legal limit on PFAS in the drinking water of tens of millions of Americans. In anticipation of this announcement, Ken spoke with environmental attorney, Rob Bilott, who has worked tirelessly for 25 years to make this legal limit on PFAS possible. Want a deeper dive on today’s episode? Check out the links below:The Lawyer Who Became DuPont’s Worst Nightmare Dark Waters featuring Mark Ruffalo The Devil We KnowEPA Says ‘Forever Chemicals’ Must Be Removed From Tap WaterRuffalo: PFAS drinking water standard delivers justice to poisoned communitiesKen Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcastwww.ewg.org@environmentalworkinggroup 

Each individual’s journey with food is unique. At 19, Moby confronted the contradiction of loving animals but consuming a bacon double cheeseburger, leading him to embrace veganism. Andrew Zimmern believes that our food systems are entirely broken, questioning the industrial food production practices in the U.S. and the dying art of small-business fishmongering. How can we change the public’s moral framework in regards to meat and food consumption without finger-wagging…? Want a deeper dive on today’s episode? Check out the links below: Andrew Zimmern's Website Andrew Zimmern's Spilled Milk (Substack) Coalition for Sustainable Aquaculture Moby’s Website Moby Pod EWG’s quick tips for reducing your diet's climate footprint EWG: Animal feeding operations harm the environment, climate, and public health EWG: The health benefits of a whole foods, plant-forward diet EWG: Climate Change & Agriculture EWG: Meat & Dairy Alternatives Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week. @kencookspodcast www.ewg.org @environmentalworkinggroup

Erin Brockovich is synonymous with environmentalism, which is why she is our inaugural guest. She is an environmental activist, author, and subject of the self-entitled Oscar-winning Steven Soderberg film, Erin Brockovich.Erin joins Ken on today’s episode to discuss the state of U.S. drinking water and why many toxic contaminants are allowed to flow from taps at levels that are legal, but nowhere near safe.Despite the promise of the 1974 Safe Drinking Water Act, woefully inadequate regulation persists 50 years later. Join Erin and Ken as they have an episode.Want a deeper dive on today’s episode? Check out the links below:What are PFAs ChemicalsSafe Drinking Water ActErin Brockovich’s websiteEWG’s national tap water databaseKen Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcastwww.ewg.org@environmentalworkinggroup

Join Founder and President of Environmental Working Group Ken Cook as he helps folks connect with their inner environmentalist. Through conversations with diverse innovators and disruptors, Ken delves into the challenges we face and the solutions available to address them. Everyone on Earth has an intrinsic desire to breathe clean air, drink clean water and eat clean food. So in reality, everyone already is an environmentalist, but not all of us are aware of it…yet. Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.  @kencookspodcast www.ewg.org  @environmentalworkinggroup.