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    Downtown Vision Installs Year-Round Programmable LED Lights Along Laura Street

    Canopy Road Café to Open Two More Jacksonville-Area Locations

    Canopy Road Café to Open Two More Jacksonville-Area Locations

    Building Up Jax: FIS to build 12-story tower; The Bearded Pig expanding

    Building Up Jax: Innovation Park gets two new tenants; M Shack closes in Riverside

    Cowford Chophouse, Jacksonville, FL

    5 Great Examples of Adaptive Reuse in Jacksonville

    Jacksonville University Is Done with Football

    Jacksonville University Is Done with Football

    Old Fire Station No. 5, Riverside, Jacksonville, FL

    Will the Brooklyn Development Boom Erase All of Its History?

    Building Up Jax: FIS to build 12-story tower; The Bearded Pig expanding

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    A Final Farewell to The Jacksonville Landing

    A Final Farewell to The Jacksonville Landing

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    Understanding the Importance of Historic Preservation

    Cowford Chophouse, Jacksonville, FL

    5 Great Examples of Adaptive Reuse in Jacksonville

    European Street Cafe in Avondale, Jacksonville, FL

    JAX EVOLVED: From Orange State Oil Company to European Street Café

    Old Fire Station No. 5, Riverside, Jacksonville, FL

    Will the Brooklyn Development Boom Erase All of Its History?

    The Arena / Main Street Arena, Jacksonville, FL

    The Pre-Coliseum Downtown Arena That Hosted Boxing and Women’s Wrestling

    Howard Biser's Restaurant

    Remembering Howard Biser’s Restaurant

    A Brief Timeline of Jacksonville’s Expansion

    A Brief Timeline of Jacksonville’s Expansion

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    Forgotten Neighborhoods from Jacksonville’s Past

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    Cowford Chophouse under construction, Jacksonville, FL

    Understanding the Importance of Historic Preservation

    Downtown Vision Installs Year-Round Programmable LED Lights Along Laura Street

    Downtown Vision Installs Year-Round Programmable LED Lights Along Laura Street

    Florida Theatre, Jacksonville, FL

    Florida Theatre Announces Five-Year, $10 Million Renovation Project

    Everything You Need to Know for Porchfest 2019

    Everything You Need to Know for Porchfest 2019

    Downtown Vision to Host 7th Annual “Trick or Treat on the Street”

    Downtown Vision to Host 7th Annual “Trick or Treat on the Street”

    Sun-Ray Cinema Plans Second Location in Beauclerc

    Sun-Ray Cinema Plans Second Location in Beauclerc

    The Phoenix Bar & Bowling, Jacksonville, FL

    HIDDEN GEMS: The Phoenix Bar & Bowling

    904VIEWS: Local Businesses Showing Love for the Jaguars

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    Cowford Chophouse Teams Up with Jacksonville Arts & Music School for 4th Annual MOO-VE IT 5K

    Cowford Chophouse Teams Up with Jacksonville Arts & Music School for 4th Annual MOO-VE IT 5K

    Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony Moves to Hemming Park

    Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony Moves to Hemming Park

    Simple and Stress-Free: How Opendoor is Changing Real Estate in Jacksonville

    Simple and Stress-Free: How Opendoor is Changing Real Estate in Jacksonville

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    Denise Dielwart Wants to Help You Move Past Your Grief

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    Jacksonville Needs a Free Sandbag Program for Hurricane Season

    OCD Jacksonville to Host Family-Focused Discussion at UNF

    OCD Jacksonville to Host Family-Focused Discussion at UNF

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    Does the JTA Have a Bus Driver Problem?

    Brightway Insurance, Jacksonville, FL

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    OCD Jacksonville to Host Family-Focused Discussion at UNF

    8 Great Local Date Night Ideas

    8 Great Local Date Night Ideas

    Money-Saving Fuel Tips for Your Summer Road Trip

    Money-Saving Fuel Tips for Your Summer Road Trip

    A Running List of Medical Cannabis Dispensaries in Jacksonville

    A Running List of Medical Cannabis Dispensaries in Jacksonville

    Talking “The Red Line” with Showrunner and Atlantic Beach Native Caitlin Parrish

    Talking “The Red Line” with Showrunner and Atlantic Beach Native Caitlin Parrish

    NATE@NITE: You Should Be Watching “Santa Clarita Diet”

    NATE@NITE: You Should Be Watching “Santa Clarita Diet”

    5 Movies That Were Filmed in Jacksonville

    5 Movies That Were Filmed in Jacksonville

    Revenge of the Creature

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    Jacksonville University Is Done with Football

    Jacksonville University Is Done with Football

    Mike Fafaul, Jacksonville Sharks

    SHARKS REPORT: Team Retains Fafaul and Gilchrist, Adds Depth

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    The Pre-Coliseum Downtown Arena That Hosted Boxing and Women’s Wrestling

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    Everything You Need to Know for the Florida-Georgia Game (2019 Edition)

    SHARKS REPORT: Team Continues to Assemble 2020 Roster

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    Can the Jaguars Still Make it to the Playoffs This Season?

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    Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Carolina Panthers: Week 6 Preview

    Truck Robinson, the GOAT of Jacksonville Basketball

    Truck Robinson, the GOAT of Jacksonville Basketball

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    Canopy Road Café to Open Two More Jacksonville-Area Locations

    Canopy Road Café to Open Two More Jacksonville-Area Locations

    Howard Biser's Restaurant

    Remembering Howard Biser’s Restaurant

    5 Great Locally-Owned Restaurant Chains

    5 Great Locally-Owned Restaurant Chains

    Everything You Need to Know for Porchfest 2019

    Everything You Need to Know for Porchfest 2019

    The Phoenix Bar & Bowling, Jacksonville, FL

    HIDDEN GEMS: The Phoenix Bar & Bowling

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The Coastal
  • News
    • All
    • Development
    Building Up Jax: FIS to build 12-story tower; The Bearded Pig expanding

    Building Up Jax: King Street District to redevelop Lakeshore property

    Downtown Vision Installs Year-Round Programmable LED Lights Along Laura Street

    Downtown Vision Installs Year-Round Programmable LED Lights Along Laura Street

    Canopy Road Café to Open Two More Jacksonville-Area Locations

    Canopy Road Café to Open Two More Jacksonville-Area Locations

    Building Up Jax: FIS to build 12-story tower; The Bearded Pig expanding

    Building Up Jax: Innovation Park gets two new tenants; M Shack closes in Riverside

    Cowford Chophouse, Jacksonville, FL

    5 Great Examples of Adaptive Reuse in Jacksonville

    Jacksonville University Is Done with Football

    Jacksonville University Is Done with Football

    Old Fire Station No. 5, Riverside, Jacksonville, FL

    Will the Brooklyn Development Boom Erase All of Its History?

    Building Up Jax: FIS to build 12-story tower; The Bearded Pig expanding

    Building Up Jax: Burger Barn coming to Durbin Park; Walnut Inn closing

    Building Up Jax: FIS to build 12-story tower; The Bearded Pig expanding

    Building Up Jax: Moxie Kitchen to rebrand for 2020

  • History
    • All
    • Jax Evolved
    A Final Farewell to The Jacksonville Landing

    A Final Farewell to The Jacksonville Landing

    Cowford Chophouse under construction, Jacksonville, FL

    Understanding the Importance of Historic Preservation

    Cowford Chophouse, Jacksonville, FL

    5 Great Examples of Adaptive Reuse in Jacksonville

    European Street Cafe in Avondale, Jacksonville, FL

    JAX EVOLVED: From Orange State Oil Company to European Street Café

    Old Fire Station No. 5, Riverside, Jacksonville, FL

    Will the Brooklyn Development Boom Erase All of Its History?

    The Arena / Main Street Arena, Jacksonville, FL

    The Pre-Coliseum Downtown Arena That Hosted Boxing and Women’s Wrestling

    Howard Biser's Restaurant

    Remembering Howard Biser’s Restaurant

    A Brief Timeline of Jacksonville’s Expansion

    A Brief Timeline of Jacksonville’s Expansion

    Forgotten Neighborhoods from Jacksonville’s Past

    Forgotten Neighborhoods from Jacksonville’s Past

  • Culture
    • All
    • Music
    • Shopping
    Cowford Chophouse under construction, Jacksonville, FL

    Understanding the Importance of Historic Preservation

    Downtown Vision Installs Year-Round Programmable LED Lights Along Laura Street

    Downtown Vision Installs Year-Round Programmable LED Lights Along Laura Street

    Florida Theatre, Jacksonville, FL

    Florida Theatre Announces Five-Year, $10 Million Renovation Project

    Everything You Need to Know for Porchfest 2019

    Everything You Need to Know for Porchfest 2019

    Downtown Vision to Host 7th Annual “Trick or Treat on the Street”

    Downtown Vision to Host 7th Annual “Trick or Treat on the Street”

    Sun-Ray Cinema Plans Second Location in Beauclerc

    Sun-Ray Cinema Plans Second Location in Beauclerc

    The Phoenix Bar & Bowling, Jacksonville, FL

    HIDDEN GEMS: The Phoenix Bar & Bowling

    904VIEWS: Local Businesses Showing Love for the Jaguars

    How Long Can Jacksonville Afford to Keep the Jaguars?

    Five Points, Jacksonville, FL

    Imagining a Pedestrian Mall in Five Points

  • Community
    Cowford Chophouse Teams Up with Jacksonville Arts & Music School for 4th Annual MOO-VE IT 5K

    Cowford Chophouse Teams Up with Jacksonville Arts & Music School for 4th Annual MOO-VE IT 5K

    Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony Moves to Hemming Park

    Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony Moves to Hemming Park

    Simple and Stress-Free: How Opendoor is Changing Real Estate in Jacksonville

    Simple and Stress-Free: How Opendoor is Changing Real Estate in Jacksonville

    Denise Dielwart Wants to Help You Move Past Your Grief

    Denise Dielwart Wants to Help You Move Past Your Grief

    Jacksonville Needs a Free Sandbag Program for Hurricane Season

    Jacksonville Needs a Free Sandbag Program for Hurricane Season

    OCD Jacksonville to Host Family-Focused Discussion at UNF

    OCD Jacksonville to Host Family-Focused Discussion at UNF

    NAIWBE Collection

    NAIWBE Finds New Life After the Landing

    Does the JTA Have a Bus Driver Problem?

    Does the JTA Have a Bus Driver Problem?

    Brightway Insurance, Jacksonville, FL

    Brightway Insurance Employees Share Stories of Growth, Flexibility

  • Life
    • All
    • Entertainment
    • Health
    • Pets
    Here’s Where You Can Find an Impossible Burger in Jacksonville

    Here’s Where You Can Find an Impossible Burger in Jacksonville

    OCD Jacksonville to Host Family-Focused Discussion at UNF

    OCD Jacksonville to Host Family-Focused Discussion at UNF

    8 Great Local Date Night Ideas

    8 Great Local Date Night Ideas

    Money-Saving Fuel Tips for Your Summer Road Trip

    Money-Saving Fuel Tips for Your Summer Road Trip

    A Running List of Medical Cannabis Dispensaries in Jacksonville

    A Running List of Medical Cannabis Dispensaries in Jacksonville

    Talking “The Red Line” with Showrunner and Atlantic Beach Native Caitlin Parrish

    Talking “The Red Line” with Showrunner and Atlantic Beach Native Caitlin Parrish

    NATE@NITE: You Should Be Watching “Santa Clarita Diet”

    NATE@NITE: You Should Be Watching “Santa Clarita Diet”

    5 Movies That Were Filmed in Jacksonville

    5 Movies That Were Filmed in Jacksonville

    Revenge of the Creature

    “Revenge of the Creature,” the 1950s Horror Sequel Filmed in Northeast Florida

  • Sports
    Jacksonville University Is Done with Football

    Jacksonville University Is Done with Football

    Mike Fafaul, Jacksonville Sharks

    SHARKS REPORT: Team Retains Fafaul and Gilchrist, Adds Depth

    The Arena / Main Street Arena, Jacksonville, FL

    The Pre-Coliseum Downtown Arena That Hosted Boxing and Women’s Wrestling

    Everything You Need to Know for the Florida-Georgia Game (2019 Edition)

    Everything You Need to Know for the Florida-Georgia Game (2019 Edition)

    SHARKS REPORT: Team Continues to Assemble 2020 Roster

    Zack Brown Jacksonville Sharks

    SHARKS REPORT: Team Makes First Signings for 2020 Season

    Can the Jaguars Still Make it to the Playoffs This Season?

    Can the Jaguars Still Make it to the Playoffs This Season?

    Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Carolina Panthers: Week 6 Preview

    Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Carolina Panthers: Week 6 Preview

    Truck Robinson, the GOAT of Jacksonville Basketball

    Truck Robinson, the GOAT of Jacksonville Basketball

  • Food + Drink
    • All
    • Beer
    • Reviews
    Canopy Road Café to Open Two More Jacksonville-Area Locations

    Canopy Road Café to Open Two More Jacksonville-Area Locations

    Howard Biser's Restaurant

    Remembering Howard Biser’s Restaurant

    5 Great Locally-Owned Restaurant Chains

    5 Great Locally-Owned Restaurant Chains

    Everything You Need to Know for Porchfest 2019

    Everything You Need to Know for Porchfest 2019

    The Phoenix Bar & Bowling, Jacksonville, FL

    HIDDEN GEMS: The Phoenix Bar & Bowling

    Strings Sports brewery, Jacksonville, FL

    Sports Bar Meets Craft Brewing at Strings Sports Brewery

    Here’s Where You Can Find an Impossible Burger in Jacksonville

    Here’s Where You Can Find an Impossible Burger in Jacksonville

    Mojo Bar-B-Que, Jacksonville, FL

    REVIEW: Mojo Bar-B-Que

    The Happy Grilled Cheese, Jacksonville, FL

    REVIEW: The Happy Grilled Cheese

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The Coastal
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J-FILES: The Government Wanted to Test the Effects of Pesticides on Jax Infants

by The Coastal
August 12, 2019
in Culture
J-FILES: The Government Wanted to Test the Effects of Pesticides on Jax Infants

(Flickr / Mike Mozart)

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Back in the mid-‘00s, Jacksonville was briefly the center of a controversy over a study proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Beginning in fall 2004, the EPA – led by then-acting-head Stephen Johnson – began recruiting local families for their Children’s Health Environmental Exposure Research Study, or CHEERS. Flyers were dispersed to doctors’ offices around the city, promising financial compensation for joining.

The object of the study was to determine the effect of heavy indoor use of common commercially-available pesticides and other household chemicals on the development of infants. All of the 60 families who signed up for the study had at least one child under 13 months old and were already heavy users of household chemicals.

Parents were tasked with videotaping their infants’ activities, as well as collecting blood and urine samples, over a period of two years. In return, they’d receive just under $1000, a collection of swag including a T-shirt that said “CHEERS” on it, and a new camcorder for documentation purposes that they got to keep after the study’s conclusion.

Jacksonville was chosen as the site of the study because it’s an area where frequent pesticide use is common.

The CHEERS study was to be performed in cooperation with the CDC and Duval County Health Department. The EPA insisted that everything they were doing was safe and ethical, with no additional chemicals being introduced to infants and researchers monitoring every step of the way.

That didn’t stop the study from coming under heavy criticism, both locally and nationally. Because of the compensation of cash and gifts offered, the EPA was accused of targeting lower-income families. And though the study didn’t require the use of additional pesticides, it did offer compensation for the continued frequent use of pesticides that feature heavy chemicals indoors around infants – a practice that existing research suggested to be potentially dangerous to infant development. It was argued that the study amounted to the government sanctioning dangerous parenting practices.

Adding to the complications behind CHEERS was its funding. 22% of the study’s $9 million budget came from a lobbyist organization that works on behalf of dozens of chemical companies.

After less than a year, the EPA backed down – but not because they agreed that the study was reckless. Instead, CHEERS’ end came about as a result of political chess. Johnson’s nomination process to become the permanent head of the EPA for the Bush administration was being held up by senators Barbara Boxer and Bill Nelson, who were specifically objecting to the study.

The EPA agreed to drop CHEERS in April 2005, and Johnson’s nomination was confirmed. Additional measures were added shortly after to prevent studies involving children and pregnant women.

Johnson served out the rest of his term in the Bush administration, then joined the board of directors for Scotts Miracle-Gro in 2010.

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