‘Unacceptable cancer risk’: A southeast Louisiana school board voted on Thursday to shut down a predominantly Black elementary school adjacent to a petrochemical facility embroiled in multiple lawsuits linked to its high levels of toxic emissions. Denka Performance Elastomer LLC in St. John the Baptist Parish produces the synthetic rubber neoprene used for wetsuits, laptop sleeves and other common products. The facility emits the likely carcinogen chloroprene at such high concentrations that it exposes the surrounding community to an unacceptable cancer risk, according to a 2023 federal complaint brought against Denka on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency. Read the full story.
Drivers, delivery and more: About one-tenth of the U.S. labor force is working in the gig economy, a share that’s held steady from the pre-pandemic years, a new government study found. The so-called gig economy employs some 15.5 million people or 10.2% of the labor force with alternative working arrangements, such as freelancers and on-demand talent, according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report published Friday. Read more from Bloomberg. A subscription may be required.
Going green: Toyota Motor Corp. says that California-led electric vehicle mandates starting next year are “impossible” to meet. The regulations call for 35% of 2026 model-year vehicles, which will begin to be introduced next year, to be zero-emission vehicles. Read more from CNBC.
