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.
Government studying widely used chemicals linked to health issues
5 Dec 2019 | The New York Times
The federal government has started the first in a series of detailed studies of the impact the chemicals have had on human health.The goal is to determine what role the chemicals, known generally as PFAS, play in a long list of health conditions including thyroid, kidney, liver, cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases, among other ailments.
Commentary: What ‘Dark Waters’ reveals about corporate science
2 Dec 2019 | Chicago Tribune
When government agencies consider potentially harmful exposures and activities... they should insist the regulated industries... be required to pay for the research, but the studies... be conducted by scientists without conflicts of interest, under provisions that ensure their complete independence.
White House, CDC feuding over PFAS health study, causing delays, sources say
29 Nov 2019 | USA Today Network
Scientists say significant delays could limit the effectiveness of the study... “It seems like these kinds of studies should get really expedited reviews because of the concerns these communities have,” Southerland said. Southerland also said the OMB process can serve as a “black box,” where other federal agencies are able to exert influence away from the public eye.
The packaging industry takes on PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ in our food supply
26 Nov 2019 | Civil Eats
In recent years, a series of studies revealed a large portion of compostable and paper food packaging is contaminated with PFAS. World Centric acted quickly, however, and is now part of a massive, industry-wide effort to remove PFAS products from their catalogs.
What ‘Dark Waters’ reveals about corporate science
26 Nov 2019 | Bloomberg Opinion
When the first public concerns abound the compound emerged, DuPont did what too many corporations do: They took a page from Big Tobacco’s playbook and hired a firm to sow doubt about the scientific evidence.
‘Dark Waters’ just the tip of the iceberg
22 Nov 2019 | The Boston Globe
What happened to Parkersburg is a tragedy — tens of thousands of people were poisoned by a cancer-causing chemical called PFOA. What’s more tragic is that Parkersburg is far from alone.
Mark Ruffalo and Robert Bilott on the new film ‘Dark Waters’
21 Nov 2019 | NPR, All Things Considered
“In the end, part of what the debate, I think, about this film should be - and I think it's a debate that we're having nationally - is, do these systems that are made to protect us - are they actually in service of us, or are they in service of a corporate political system? And that's why we can't end this movie with our hero driving away in a SUV and a happy ending.”
‘Forever chemicals’ found in drinking water across Kentucky
21 Nov 2019 | WFPL
In total, PFAS were found in 41 of the 81 water treatment plants sampled. In about 82 percent of those samples, researchers found levels under five ppt. The highest levels (PFOS + PFOA at 42 ppt or sum of all PFAS at 66 ppt) were measured in Eastern Kentucky along the Ohio River in South Shore.
Pentagon admits it undercounted military bases contaminated with ‘forever chemicals’
21 Nov 2019 | EWG Blog
“The Defense Department worked with 3M to create fluorinated foams and has known it was toxic for decades but failed to alert service members or clean up legacy pollution,” said Scott Faber, EWG’s senior vice president for government affairs. “Now we learn they haven’t even tallied up the full scope of PFAS contamination on military bases."
The list of military sites with suspected ‘forever chemicals’ contamination has grown
21 Nov 2019 | Military Times
“As part of this process, we think there are probably more installations, and I’m not ready to tell you what that number is, but we found that we under-counted,” Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment McMahon told reporters in a briefing at the Pentagon.
Mark Ruffalo hopes his ‘Dark Waters’ film leads to environmental ‘revolution’
20 Nov 2019 | Roll Call
“Are we a country that is going to be responsive to people and make sure that our people remain healthy?” star of the upcoming film “Dark Waters,” asked a crowd gathered Tuesday on Capitol Hill. “Or are we going to be responsible only to the bottom line of corporations and their greed? Because right now the people are losing.”