Exposure

Artificial intelligence is driving one of the largest infrastructure expansions in decades, and Pennsylvania has become a major target for new data center development. In this extended conversation, we sit down with Karen Feridun, co-founder of Berks Gas Truth and Better Path Coalition, to discuss what this rapid buildout could mean for communities across the Commonwealth. From electricity demand...

Three years later, many East Palestine residents are still asking the same question: What happened to our water? In this conversation, Yale researcher Dr. Nicole Deziel provides an update on the Yale Water Study which was designed to assess the potential long-term impact of the Norfolk Southern Train Derailment in East Palestine OH,  what researchers have learned so far, and how a sophisticated hy...

What happens when a small coastal community finds itself surrounded by some of the largest oil, gas, LNG, and petrochemical facilities in North America? In this episode of Exposure, we sit down with Rhianna Scott and Payton Campbell of the Coastal Watch Association, a Texas-based organization working to monitor industrial expansion, track environmental permits, conduct community air monitoring, an...

For years we were told the digital economy was clean. Our digital lives have been increasingly moved to  "the cloud." But there is no cloud. There are only buildings, power plants, transmission lines, substations, water systems, and the physical infrastructure required to support an increasingly digital world. As artificial intelligence accelerates, for the first time we are being confront with th...

Tom McKnight spent years working in the oil and gas industry—hauling condensate, crude, and waste, and cleaning up well sites during some of the most intense phases of production. He liked the work. He made good money. He took pride in being part of it. But when radiation risks came up in training, he says he was told it was "no more than a cell phone." Years later, after repeated exposure to brin...

From rural Ohio to public and political advocacy- MAHA Ohio director and former Ohio State director for Robert F Kennedy Jr. S presidential campaign, Elizabeth Frost discusses how growing up in the Ohio River Valley shaped her focus on environmental exposure. Her story provides a lens into how industry, public policy, and public health intersect in small, rural communities. In this episode: — A cl...

A new five-year human health study is now underway following the East Palestine train derailment and controlled burn. In this episode of Exposure, Jill and Stuart break down what's been announced, what a long-term study can (and can't) tell us, and why sustained health monitoring matters after a major chemical incident. Official Health Study Webpage - https://research.uky.edu/environment/east-pale...

For more than a decade, communities across Appalachia were promised an economic revival through shale gas development. Politicians spoke of a new Industrial Revolution. Industry leaders promised jobs, prosperity, and long-term growth. But after hundreds of billions of dollars in extraction, many of the counties at the center of the fracking boom are still losing jobs, losing population, and fallin...

Journalist Callie Lyons joins Exposure to revisit the case that first exposed C8, the "forever chemical" produced at DuPont's Washington Works plant. Long before PFAS became a national headline, Calli was documenting the signs that something was wrong: a creek turning black, cattle dying without explanation, and a community trying to understand what was happening to their water. In this episode, C...

In this episode of Exposure Points, we break down what really happens beyond the well—the part of fracking most people never see. This isn't about the drilling rig or the well pad. It's about the system behind it: gas processing, ethane extraction, petrochemical manufacturing, storage hubs, ammonia and hydrogen projects, and the growing network of "advanced recycling" and waste-to-fuel facilities...

Sign the Petition to help Truckers get the justice they deserve - https://ohiovalleyallies.org/#justice4truckers Truck drivers are the backbone of the oil and gas industry—and the ones paying the highest price for its shortcuts, secrecy, and toxic waste. In this episode of Exposure, Billy Randel, founder of Truckers Movement for Justice, lays out the truth no one else will say out loud: without tr...

What happens when a plastics pyrolysis facility is proposed right across from a high school? In this episode of Exposure, co-hosts Jill Hunkler and Stuart Day sit down with Andrew Early, staff attorney at Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services, to break down the proposed Clean Seas facility in Belle, West Virginia. We cover: What pyrolysis actually is — and why many experts consider it a form of...

Exposure Points: Episode One – Chemicals, Control, Data In this first episode of Exposure Points, Stuart Day unpacks three stories shaping the future of energy, industry, and community health: 🔹 Chemours & PFAS – A new federal injunction orders Chemours to stop unlawful discharges of "forever chemicals" into the Ohio River. We trace this fight back to DuPont, Parkersburg, and the landmark C8 laws...

The Bhopal Disaster: A Corporate Crime That Never Ended Nearly 40 years after the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster, survivors are still fighting for justice, clean water, and recognition. In this episode of Exposure, Jill and Stuart share first-hand accounts from survivors and draw chilling parallels to today's disasters, including the East Palestine train derailment. This story is not just about a single...

In this episode of Exposure, Stuart and Jill talk with Brooke Christy, Equal Justice Works Fellow at Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services, about one of the most dangerous tools industries use to silence critics: SLAPP suits (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation). Brooke explains how these lawsuits—often baseless—are designed to intimidate and bankrupt activists, journalists, and nonp...

In this eye-opening episode of Exposure, we welcome back Yale epidemiologist Dr. Nicole Deziel, whose groundbreaking research reveals a troubling link between fracking and childhood cancer, birth defects, endocrine disruption, and more. Dr. Deziel walks us through her team's findings, including a Pennsylvania study showing that children born within 2 kilometers of fracking wells had double the ris...

In this episode of Exposure, we unpack the tense and revealing town hall meeting that unfolded in East Palestine more than two years after the Norfolk Southern train derailment and subsequent chemical burn. With EPA officials, village leadership, and local residents in the room, the conversation swung between technical updates, government assurances, and raw community outrage. What emerged wasn't...

Smoke and Mirrors: The Truth About Chemical Recycling with Attorney James Yskamp In this explosive episode of Exposure, we speak with environmental attorney James Yskamp of Earthjustice to uncover the truth behind so-called chemical recycling facilities—also known as pyrolysis and gasification plants. Marketed as green solutions to the plastic crisis, these facilities are often toxic incinerators...

In Exposure Episode 7, we sit down with Bob and Darlene Williamson—lifelong residents of Jefferson County, Ohio—whose quiet country life has been upended by the rapid encroachment of oil and gas infrastructure. Their story is not one of opposition to energy development, but a deeply personal account of how fracking infrastructure—particularly compressor stations—can devastate a family's health, pr...

In this powerful episode, we sit down with Dr. Nicole Deziel, Associate Professor at Yale School of Public Health, to explore her groundbreaking research on the health impacts of fracking and petrochemical development. From growing up near cancer clusters in Long Island to leading a pivotal study in Barnesville, Ohio, Dr. Deziel shares what led her to become one of the nation's top exposure scient...

"The Ohio EPA has kind of gone against the community's clear desire to not want this project," Stuart noted during the episode. "At the very least, they should be investigating it further instead of pushing it through." On Valentine's Day, community members and activists gathered in Youngstown, Ohio, for an event exposing the latest betrayal by the Ohio EPA: its approval of the controversial SOBE...

In this episode of Exposure, hosts Stuart and Jill break down a crucial development: the newly signed energy executive order. With the beginning of 2025 ushering in a new administration, this executive order frames energy development as a national security emergency, opening the door to major changes in how energy projects are approved and implemented. This conversation is a cursory look into the...

Join us for Part 2 of our eye-opening conversation with investigative journalist Justin Nobel and oilfield veteran Richard as we dive even deeper into the hidden truths of the oil and gas industry. From radioactive waste spreading on farmlands to the shocking health impacts on workers and communities, this episode uncovers the untold stories of an industry operating in the shadows. Learn about the...

How has the fracking boom impacted Appalachia? In this eye-opening episode of the Exposure Podcast, we speak with Sean O'Leary, a leading researcher and expert on economic development in the Ohio River Valley. Sean breaks down the hard data that challenges the narrative that oil and gas are economic saviors for the region. From job losses to population declines in the top 22 gas-producing counties...

Exposure Episode 4 - Industry Insider Part 1: Understanding the Hidden Dangers of Oil and Gas Fracking Waste In this eye-opening episode of Exposure, co-hosts Jill Hunkler and Stuart Day interview investigative journalist Justin Nobel and former oil industry truck driver Richard Cummings to reveal the dangerous, often hidden realities of fracking waste. They delve into the toxic and radioactive el...