Maine’s ‘forever chemical’ restrictions not applied to compost
20 Aug 2019 | Portland Press Herald
State environmental regulators have allowed companies to sell compost made with treated municipal sludge to the public this summer, even as they restrict the use of sludge on many farm fields because of concerns about chemical contamination.
N.H. gets $5 million to test for chemicals in residents
19 Aug 2019 | NHPR
New Hampshire is getting federal money to study the health effects of toxins near a Superfund site in Berlin and in homes and private wells statewide including mercury, dioxins, and PFAS.
Michigan publishes first statewide study of PFAS in water supply
17 Aug 2019 | WJMN
Samples [were collected] from 1,723 public water systems statewide, such as community water supplies, schools on their own well, child care providers on their own well, and tribal water systems. 14 different PFAS compounds [were tested]. PFAS levels between 10 and 70 ppt were detected in roughly 3 percent of systems tested.
Maine dairy farmer’s blood tests high for ‘forever chemicals’ from toxic sludge
16 Aug 2019 | York County Coast Star
Blood tests performed on Arundel dairy farmer Fred Stone show levels of the “forever chemicals” 20 times the national average more than two years after he and his wife stopped drinking the milk and water on the farm.
Cancer-linked forever chemicals found in more consumer products raises unanswered questions
13 Aug 2019 | NBC Bay Area
The New Food Economy tested fiber bowls from 14 locations of eight New York City restaurants and found that they contained high levels of fluorine, which indicates intentional treatment with PFAS compounds.
Decades-old toxic chemicals are melting out of Himalayas now
13 Aug 2019 | The Weather Channel
The Himalayas, which feed numerous perennial rivers of South Asia with pristine water, have now become a source of toxic chemicals too! Despite being far away from the actual source of pollution, glaciers often act as cold storage units for many persistent toxic chemicals. But once the ice starts to melt, the toxic pollutants are released back into the environment.
Industry cites 3M experiment that exposed cancer patients to PFAS to claim the chemicals aren’t so bad
12 Aug 2019 | The Intercept
Defenders of the chemicals known as PFAS have seized upon an industry-funded study of cancer patients as evidence that the compounds used to make Teflon, firefighting foam, and many other products aren’t as dangerous as they seem.
PFAS contamination is likely at Pittsburgh airport. Airports may face legal challenges by doing nothing
12 Aug 2019 | Public Source
Records show the airport purchased 4,950 gallons of AFFF concentrate from 2012 to 2018. PublicSource does not have records for how much the airport purchased before 2012.
Chemical industry lobby opposing strong Connecticut action on PFAS pollution
11 Aug 2019 | Hartford Courant
Strong opposition from the chemical industry helped kill a PFAS-control bill in the 2019 General Assembly.
Chemical industry lobby opposing strong Connecticut action on PFAS pollution
11 Aug 2019 | Hartford Courant
State records show the American Chemistry Council spent more than $66,000 this year on lobbying the Connecticut General Assembly.
Exclusive: Maker of 'forever chemicals' cuts food packaging products
9 Aug 2019 | Politico
Chemours has quietly stopped making some non-stick coatings used in disposable food packaging.
Group calls for ‘real investigation’ of NH’s high cancer rates
8 Aug 2019 | Sentinel Source
New Hampshire Safe Water Alliance is asking people to sign a petition calling for a “real investigation” into the state’s high rates of childhood and other cancers.
Opinion: For toxic ‘forever’ chemicals, we need more than a temporary fix
8 Aug 2019 | UNDARK
Regulators have consistently been a step behind in their attempts to control PFAS contamination. It’s time for a new strategy.
New Mexico Governor says EPA abandoned state in fight against toxic 'forever chemicals'
7 Aug 2019 | The Hill
New Mexico sued the Air Force for PFAS contamination in March, and Lujan Grisham’s letter criticizes EPA for reneging on a promise from Wheeler to help the state “with legal and technical assistance in a confidential manner.” “Providing fact sheets and offering webinars are not meaningful,” she wrote.
Many eco-friendly takeout bowls contain dangerous chemicals linked to cancer and infertility
6 Aug 2019 | Brinkwire
It means these bowls are not compostable or biodegradable – meaning they will remain on earth for several generations and beyond.