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  Her work also takes note of the impact of the beauty industry on the planet’s climate,  which already finds itself challenged by such chemicals as perfluorinated alkylated substances, or PFAS (say it: pea-fass), which do not degrade easily in the environment—an attribute that has led to their nickname: “forever chemicals.” Some of those forever chemicals, which have  contaminated nearly half of the nation’s water supplies, are also found in beauty products. It’s another part of a toxic circle: in addition to higher levels of forever chemicals in the drinking water of communities of color, beauty products marketed to people of color often contain the substances. “They add PFAS because it has water- resistant properties,” Zota said of cosmetics manufacturers. “So it can be found in products that are long-lasting like mascara, foundation and some kinds of lipsticks. So it’s an exposure. But then you think about it: When you wash the products off your face, it goes rig...

  Immigrants cleaning up after Hurricane Idalia wonder if DeSantis’ immigration law will limit their ability to rebuild Florida As Florida residents emerged from Hurricane Idalia on Thursday , some have started to assess the trail of destruction the storm left behind — and this included a group of Latinos who started cleaning up the severely damaged hotel where they work. Alberto, Maggie and Jorge Vidal were among dozens of construction and agricultural workers who sheltered inside a 30-room hotel in the city of Perry. The Vidals had relocated to Florida from Mexico a year ago to work in construction, and Idalia was the first hurricane they've ever endured. "In Mexico, we had never experienced a catastrophe like this," Jorge Vidal told Noticias Telemundo in Spanish. He recalled hearing the windows of the hotel crack. The wind gusts that seeped in blew everything away, including parts of the hotel's ceiling, and the rain flooded some of the rooms.