databasestories

Patches and Heat - This story involved analysis of several million adverse events records, obtained by the FDA. I was specifically looking for cases where patch medications (nicotine, high blood pressure, birth control) resulted in overdoses. I also filed FOIAs for specific instances to obtain the full record. The agency is now doing an investigation into how heat affects the patches..

Toxic Living - If you buy a house in Pennsylvania that's across the street from one of the most contaminated toxic waste sites in the county, no one has to tell you. Unless the house is directly on the property, there are no disclosure laws. We used state and national databases to look at housing developments and Superfund sites.

Meth Evacuation - I was looking at a police responder database when I noticed that several small Missouri towns were evacuated repeatedly due to ammonia clouds. Turns out that meth makers were breaking into farmer's anhydrous ammonia tanks, used for corn crops, and leaving the tanks open. If inhaled, it could be fatal. We used the database as well as police records to write about the towns and the emergency responders.