Federal bill tackles toxic PFAS chemicals ground water but food packaging still a concern
19 Dec 2019 | Komo News
Under the new bill, the military will phase out the use of PFAS over three years. Biophysical Chemist Arlene Blum, executive director of the Green Science Policy Institute, says it's a big first step.
Researchers find high levels of PFAS chemicals in rainwater in United States
18 Dec 2019 | The Weather Channel
Most of the samples had PFAS concentrations of less than 1 ng/l, or 1 ppt, but several were about 4 ng/l. The highest total concentration was nearly 5.5 ng/l in a sample from Massachusetts. For drinking water, some states have proposed setting the level at which some type of official action is required at 2 nanograms per liter.
A 'forever chemical' contaminates drinking water near military bases
16 Dec 2019 | NBC News
Communities nationwide have found levels of PFAS in their water hundreds, sometimes thousands, of times higher than the level recommended by the EPA.
Massachusetts regulators issue new standards for toxins
15 Dec 2019
Under Massachusetts’ new regulations, polluters must clean up contaminated soil and groundwater if the total concentration of six chemicals in PFAS reaches 20 ppt. The new standards are slated to go into effect Dec. 27.
[IATP Blog] Maine’s plan to address “forever chemicals” polluting farms, water and food
13 Dec 2019
Virtually all sludge has tested positive for PFOA and/or PFOS, generally two to three times the State’s screening level of 50 ppt, with some results as high as 20 times this level.
How PFAS negotiations fell apart
13 Dec 2019 | E&E News
Before Democrats managed to secure provisions to address a class of toxic chemicals in an annual defense measure, negotiations fell apart at the hands of their own members... "The American Chemistry Council probably has something to do with it," Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) told reporters.
Michigan starts collecting firefighting foam containing PFAS
13 Dec 2019 | Michigan Radio
After the foam is picked up, it will be shipped to a facility in Idaho. There it will be solidified and placed in a licensed hazardous waste landfill.
PFAS and Health: Troublesome, ubiquitous chemicals to be examined at YSPH Symposium
12 Dec 2019 | Yale School of Public Health
On December 13, 2019 the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the Yale School of Public Health will host a symposium on chemicals known as PFAS.
DuPont made billions polluting tap water with PFAS; will now make more cleaning it up
12 Dec 2019 | EWG News
DuPont announced on Wednesday it will purchase Desalitech Ltd., a manufacturer of closed-circuit reverse osmosis technology. Reverse osmosis is one of the most expensive water filter technologies on the market, but it can remove many fluorinated chemicals, known as PFAS.
Trump administration, GOP strip out PFAS standard, cleanup requirements from defense bill
10 Dec 2019 | Detroit Free Press
“While it’s good news that the Defense Department will finally phase out PFAS in firefighting foam and food packaging, communities desperately need Congress to tackle industrial PFAS releases into the air and water and to require DOD to clean up legacy PFAS pollution," said Scott Faber, an official with the Environmental Working Group.
Topic of Cancer: How PFAS threaten our water
10 Dec 2019 | Capital & Main
What’s more, while the persistent and mobile nature of PFAS chemicals means that no neighborhood is safe from contamination, smaller water systems—particularly those serving disadvantaged communities—face an uphill task in tackling the problem due to the higher probability of aging infrastructure and limited resources, as compared to larger utilities.
Defense bill boosts climate resilience, ends PFAS foam use (2)
10 Dec 2019 | Bloomberg Environment
“The provisions for nationwide water testing and phasing out PFAS in military firefighting foam are a major milestone in the fight against PFAS,” Tom Bruton, a senior scientist at the Green Science Policy Institute, said in a statement. “Just a few years ago achieving these critical protections, especially the foam phaseout, seemed impossible.”
Environmental group laments PFAS provisions missing from federal bill
9 Dec 2019 | WAMC
The annual federal defense bill, known as the National Defense Authorization Act, does not include certain provisions that would address PFAS water contamination. A Washington-based nonprofit group accuses Congress of caving on cleaning up the toxic substances.
House Democrats pull key PFAS provisions from defense bill
6 Dec 2019 | Politico
House Armed Services Chairman Adam Smith (D-Wash.) and Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) have pulled from negotiations the provisions that would force the cleanup of the chemicals PFOA and PFOS under the Superfund law and to regulate them in drinking water. The Superfund provision, in particular, had been a major source of tension as House and Senate negotiators seek to finalize a deal on the defense bill this week.
Michigan woman wonders if PFAS caused her family’s cancers
5 Dec 2019 | MLive
She wonders if PFAS played a role in her husband’s death from kidney cancer. And if it contributed to her battle with thyroid cancer.