Attorneys general urge Congress to act on ‘forever chemicals’
30 Jul 2019 | Boston Globe
A coalition of 22 State Attorneys General urges the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to pass legislation to help state and local governments curb the costs of cleaning up drinking water supplies contaminated by PFAS.
Michigan is tiptoeing around PFAS in dairy agriculture
30 Jul 2019 | MLive
Michigan punted on testing an Allegan County dairy farm because it worried about killing the farmer’s business.
Michigan may become 1st state to regulate GenX chemicals
29 Jul 2019 | MLive
Michigan’s efforts to advance PFAS regulation broadened this summer when it added a newer form of the toxic chemical family to its drinking water scrutiny. The move comes as the state expects this year to start receiving laboratory test results that will show whether that chemical, known as GenX, is…
New York PFAS health study gets boost from feds
26 Jul 2019 | Times Herald-Record
New York has been awarded federal funding to support a health study on the effects of toxic PFAS contamination by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The money will be used to expand a monitoring program that will assess the extent of PFAS exposure in New York communities.
‘Markedly higher’ levels of 2 PFAS found in blood of NC residents, CDC reports
26 Jul 2019
The study conducted by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services with the CDC found two PFAS (PFHxS and n-PFOS) “markedly higher” in the people drinking contaminated water in N.C. than the national estimates. GenX was not detected in the blood or urine of any of the participants, but nine PFAS were detected in blood.
‘I need PFAS polluters to be held accountable’ Congress told at hearing
25 Jul 2019 | MLive
At a recent U.S. Congressional subcommittee meeting, Sandy Wynn-Stelt, the West Michigan woman with eye-widening number of fluorochemicals in her blood, detailed her sense of loss as she realized that her husband may have died from the high levels in their drinking water due to contamination from an old dump once filled with Scotchguard from Wolverine Worldwide’s factory.
Corporations behind toxic ‘forever chemicals’ spend big as lawmakers seek to crack down
25 Jul 2019 | E.A. Crunden
Manufacturers of toxic nonstick chemicals are ramping up lobbying efforts in the face of heightened lawmaker scrutiny of the products.
Ardmore refinery sues chemical manufacturers for toxic ‘forever chemical’
25 Jul 2019 | The Frontier
An Oklahoma petroleum refinery has sued several chemical manufacturers and fire suppression equipment companies for damages it expects to incur because of a type of chemical that was used in the fire-extinguishing foam stored and used at the refinery.
Military starts task force after spreading toxic “forever chemicals”
24 Jul 2019 | The Hill
Secretary Mark Esper created a task force responsible for devising PFAS cleanup standards, finding an alternative firefighting foam without PFAS, and addressing “Public/Congress perceptions of DoD's efforts.”
98 claims filed against New Windsor, NY over tainted water
23 Jul 2019 | Times-Herald Record
Ninety-eight notices of claim have been filed against New Windsor, NY seeking damages in the wake of the disclosure that its water contained PFOS and PFOA.
Wisconsin DNR asks sewage treatment plants to test for PFAS
23 Jul 2019 | Kenosha News
In an effort to understand how and where PFAS find their way into drinking water, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is asking 125 wastewater treatment plants to begin sampling for PFAS.
Alaska DEC rolls back PFAS chemicals to avoid remediation costs for polluters, violating state law
23 Jul 2019 | CoastAlaska
Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration directed DEC to change its regulations. It now screens for two PFAS compounds rather than five when determining whether water is safe to drink. By limiting its testing to two compounds, the DEC is no longer screening for PFHxS, one of the drivers for declaring a Yakutat drinking water source contaminated.
Federal PFAS hearing to focus on ‘widespread industrial contamination’
22 Jul 2019 | MLive
PFAS pollution across a 25-square mile swath of West Michigan traced to Wolverine World Wide’s manufacturing over decades raises questions of federal policy, state action and corporate responsibility… Sandy Wynn-Stelt’s home is just yards from a former Wolverine dump that is poisoning her water. Her blood tested at 750 times the…
“Forever chemical” replacements on the rise in the Great Lakes
22 Jul 2019 | Environmental Health News
Yet another game of toxic whack-a-mole—this time with PFAS chemicals. Phased-out compounds are decreasing in the Great Lakes, but replacements keep showing up.
North Carolina: Soil samples to be taken as part of GenX agreement
20 Jul 2019 | The Fayetteville Observer
Chemours, the company that makes GenX has agreed to take soil samples. The company is also to pay a $12 million penalty and $1 million in investigative costs to the state, submit monthly reports about its GenX emissions, and provide drinking water to homes near the plant that have elevated levels of GenX.