Lmst

#fireFightingFoam

Just proving that #Trump's administration is TOXIC!

Trump #EPA withdrawal of #PFAS effluent limits is setback for #PublicHealth, #EWG warns

WASHINGTON – "On Tuesday, the Trump Environmental Protection Agency withdrew a pending Biden administration plan that would have protected public health from the chemical manufacturing sector by setting discharge limits on the toxic '#ForeverChemicals' known as PFAS.

"The Trump administration pulled the proposal from White House review – the last step before the agency could release the plan publicly and seek comment on it. The decision is a significant setback for efforts to address the growing public health crisis caused by industrial PFAS pollution of the water supply.

"Coupled with President Donald Trump’s executive order placing a freeze on any new federal regulations, the withdrawal prompts significant concerns from environmental and public health advocates about the future of PFAS regulation and whether tackling the PFAS contamination crisis will be an administration priority.

The following is a statement from Melanie Benesh, vice president for government affairs at the #EnvironmentalWorkingGroup:

"Yesterday’s action by the Trump administration to withdraw the long-awaited proposal on PFAS effluent limits is a devastating setback in the fight to protect our communities from toxic 'forever chemicals.'

"This move not only delays establishing critical federal standards but also sends a dangerous message giving polluters a green light to continue poisoning our water and communities without fear of consequence.

"It’s an unconscionable betrayal of the public’s health in favor of corporate interests, and it underscores this administration’s troubling shift in policy which threatens to roll back any progress to protect our #environment and hold #polluters accountable.

"PFAS contamination is already a public health crisis. The science is clear: PFAS are toxic at even the smallest levels, and they have been linked to serious health problems, including cancer, immune suppression and developmental harm. Communities across the country, especially those near PFAS-manufacturing facilities, have lived with the devastating consequences of this pollution for decades.

"State regulators have waited for the federal government to lead on this issue so they can incorporate effective monitoring and treatment requirements into their discharge permits. Without federal limits, those efforts remain stalled.

"The Trump administration’s refusal to act now puts even more lives at risk, leaving American communities to fend for themselves as polluters continue their unchecked discharges of toxic PFAS into our water."

https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/statement/2025/01/trump-epa-withdrawal-pfas-effluent-limits-setback-public-health-ewg
#WaterIsLife #PFASContamination #EnvironmentalDamage #ManMadeDisasters #AFFF #Wildlife #OceansAreLife #PFASPollution
#FirefightingFoam #PFOS
#3M #ForeverChemicals #Environment #BigChemical #CorporateInterests #Corporatocracy #TrumptyDumpty #WhenIdiotsRule #USPol

Meanwhile across the pond...

'Forever chemicals' used on Jersey's potato crops

Alex Green - BBC News
February 4, 2025

"So-called #ForeverChemicals are present in at least four #AgriculturalSprays used in Jersey, including one used on #PotatoCrops, the island's environment minister has said.

"In the States Assembly, Deputy Steve Luce was quizzed on what actions, if any, were being implemented to reduce contamination by sprays containing PFAS in the island's water and environment.

"The minister was also asked to provide a timeline for 'achieving measurable progress' in addressing the issue.

"Luce said his initial discussions with the industry were focused on finding an alternative and stopping the use of such sprays 'as soon as possible'.
Health issues

"PFAS, used in #FirefightingFoam, leaked into the area by the airport's fire training ground in the early 1990s.

"The chemicals, branded forever chemicals because they take a long time to break down, are found in a small quantity in most people's blood, and research is ongoing to determine if higher levels can lead to various health problems.

"After the foam was confirmed to be in #DrinkingWater in 1993, the island's government and the #airport, which it owns, stopped the use of the foam and offered to install new bore holes for affected residents.

"People living in the area believe the #ContaminatedWater damaged crops and caused a litany of ongoing serious health issues.

"The PFAS Scientific Advisory Panel, which makes recommendations, was set up by Public Health in May 2023.

"Members met islanders who participated in the blood-testing programme and, in a draft report, recommended therapeutic phlebotomy for those affected.

"Therapeutic phlebotomy is a procedure that involves removing some blood from the body to lower the concentration of PFAS.

"In September 2024, the advisory panel published a report outlining the impact PFAS exposure had on health.

"The panel found exposure to certain PFAS was associated with #ElevatedCholesterol levels, and said there was evidence suggesting a probable increase in kidney and testicular #cancers among those exposed to certain PFAS materials."

https://www.aol.com/news/forever-chemicals-used-jerseys-potato-133931699.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9kdWNrZHVja2dvLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAABZmop0KSdL-pfyGNQQ6YFa_ZWa2A-I-IYn3iMdgNSqu8r3sx1KzjXe8z0xq6QlI6Ui8Tq3dKAIaPaOAbSwwC8hRdn7DYbc0Vij779pzAbzBL1JjbuMxIVifSgsCrBu06PFMbMHMiSzejtMNbpFXLIl_9TZMHjvEMPbmRriZkU1r

#ChannelIslands #JerseyUK #BalliwickOfJersey #PFASPollution #Farming #Potatoes

#Maine lawmakers introduce bill to create response program for #PFAS threats

February 6, 2025

AUGUSTA (WGME) – "State lawmakers have introduced a bill to create a response program to clean up and reduce threats created by dangerous chemicals known as PFAS.

"This comes months after toxic and potentially #cancer-causing #FirefightingFoam was accidentally sprayed at a former air base in #BrunswickMaine.

"While this bill would monitor PFAS levels, one Brunswick lawmaker says she and others are working on additional bills related to the fallout from that spill.

"'And we’re continuing to advocate for funding, whether it’s through the state budget or leaning on our federal partners, since that substance was put in by the Navy,' Sen. Mattie Daughtry (D-Cumberland) said. 'Because one thing I stand firm to is my constituents, myself, my neighbors, the taxpayers of Brunswick and Maine should not be on the hook for a disaster they did not cause.'

"This bill would allow the state to buy, sell or transfer property contaminated by PFAS and deposit the proceeds into a fund to deal with contamination."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/maine-lawmakers-introduce-bill-to-create-response-program-for-pfas-threats/ar-AA1yz81L
#WaterIsLife #CascoBay
#PFASContamination #EnvironmentalDamage
#ManMadeDisasters #AFFF
#PicnicPond #Site8Stream
#MereBrook #MerriconeagStream
#HarpswellCove #Wildlife #OceansAreLife #PFASPollution #BrunswickNavalAirStation
#BrunswickStation #Maine #AndroscogginRiver

High levels of #ToxicChemicals found in #BrunswickMaine airport hangar #sewers

#CitizenPFAS monitoring revealed concerning levels of toxic chemicals in the sewer outfall of #Hangar6 in Brunswick, though a company hired to assess risk at the hangar said there is no leak of the toxic firefighting foams on the premises.

by Kristian Moravec, The Times Record
Posted February 4, 2025, Updated February 5

"A citizens group’s testing revealed that sewer water flowing from Hangar 6 at Brunswick’s airport has high levels of harmful per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, better known as PFAS.

"#FriendsOfMerrymeetingBay conducted testing on Nov. 26. The tests detected high levels of a particularly toxic #PFAS chemical compound known as #PFOS. The update comes the same day the owner of the hangar, the #MidcoastRegionalRedevelopmentAuthority, sent a letter to the town stating that tanks that stored the chemicals were not leaking.

"PFOS is a compound known to be harmful to human health and is found in high levels in aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF). Brunswick Executive Airport’s Hangar 4, which is owned by the Navy but operated by MRRA, dumped 1,450 gallons of AFFF concentrate mixed with 50,000 gallons of water on Aug. 19, 2024.

"The spill prompted ongoing cleanup and monitoring efforts as well as a push to get rid of the foam at the airport. Concern has grown around Hangar 6, which some have speculated is leaking harmful chemicals based on the testing data around the airport that Friends of Merrymeeting Bay has collected over the years. The sewage that flows out of Hangar 6, which is not treated for PFAS, ultimately flows into the #AndroscogginRiver."

Original article:
https://www.pressherald.com/2025/02/04/high-levels-of-toxic-chemicals-found-in-brunswick-airport-hangar-sewers/

Archived version:
https://archive.md/LlHx1

#CitizenScience #WaterIsLife #CascoBay #PFASContamination #BrunswickMaine #EnvironmentalDamage #ManMadeDisasters #WaterIsLife #PFAS #AndroscogginRiver #PFASContamination #AFFF #PFOS #PicnicPond #Site8Stream #MereBrook #MerriconeagStream #CascoBay #HarpswellCove #Wildlife #OceansAreLife #PFASPollution #BrunswickNavalAirStation #BrunswickStation #Maine #FirefightingFoam #OceansAreLife

Just like with #PFAS-laden #FirefightingFoam, less #Toxic alternatives are out there, but expense is often cited as a roadblock. TBH, things that benefit the environment and society shouldn't cost more than the toxic originals -- and toxic chemicals should be replaced! Period! Make #BigChemical pay! (Since they probably knew about the hazards but hid them from the public. As usual with Big anything these days...!)

A #PinkPowder is being used to fight #CaliforniaFires. It's getting everywhere

by Nadine Yousif, January 13, 2025

"Its use has been controversial in the past over its potential effects on the #environment.

"A lawsuit filed in 2022 by the #ForestServiceEmployees for #EnvironmentalEthics, an organisation made up of current and former employees of the #USForestService, accused the federal agency of violating the country's clean water laws by dumping #chemical #FireRetardant from planes onto forests.

"It argued that the chemical kills fish and is not effective.

"The following year, a US District judge agreed with the employees, but in her ruling allowed the Forest Service to continue using the retardant as it seeks a permit to do so from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

"The case drew the attention of communities devastated by #wildfires in the past, including the town of #ParadiseCalifornia, which was destroyed by fire in 2018.

"Its then-mayor, Greg Bolin, hailed the judge's ruling, saying it ensures communities 'have a fighting chance' in the face of fires.

"The Forest Service told NPR that this year, it phased out the use of one type of #PhosChek formula - #PhosChekLC95 - in favour of another - #MVPFx - saying that the latter is less toxic to #wildlife.

"The Forest Service also has a mandatory ban in place on dropping fire retardant in sensitive environmental areas, like waterways and habitats of endangered species. There are exceptions to the ban, however, in cases 'when human life or public safety are threatened.'"

#PortlandMaine fire department announced they were going to switch to #F3 soon!

#Maine officials look for safer alternatives to #toxic #firefighting foam

by Mal Meyer, WGME
Mon, August 26th 2024

"That's why the [Portland] fire department is turning over to something new soon, called 'F3,' that won't have #PFAS.

"'Over the last 8-10 months, the Department of Defense has approved a couple of different products,' Cenate said.

"The lack of options and cost has been part of the problem.

"'There are certainly challenges for the industry and nationwide moving forward,' Bradbury said.

"The South Portland Fire Department was quoted roughly $138,000 to replace the 3,000 gallons of #AFFF it has, not including the price of disposal.

"'It’s nice that we'll be on the forefront with our transition in October,' Bradbury said.

"It's tough to say how much of AFFF is around Maine.

"A state taskforce in 2019 tried to figure that out but got limited responses and that hasn't been updated since because there's been no funding for it.

"The group estimated there could be up to 48,000 gallons in Maine fire departments alone.

"'There has been discussion about whether or not to do a collection and destruction program,' Maine DEP Commissioner Melanie Loyzim said. 'Some other states have been doing that over the last several years.'

"In Brunswick, the Navy had been planning to remove AFFF in mid-September, as leaders looked for something more environmentally friendly."

#PFASContamination #PFOS #CascoBay #Wildlife #WaterIsLife #OceansAreLife #PFASPollution #ForeverChemicals #FirefightingFoam

FFS! Municipalities need to change over to #F3 ASAP!

#Toxic firefighting foam spills into #wetlands after truck fire in #SouthPortlandMaine

by Ariana St Pierre, WGME
Fri, August 30th 2024

"Crews used 47 gallons of #AFFF #firefighting foam to put out the truck's diesel fuel that was burning. That foam contains PFAS or '#ForeverChemicals.'

"Despite their efforts to contain it, firefighters say 70 gallons of foam and diesel fuel spilled into the gravel wetland along Philbrook Avenue and #LongCreek.

[...]

"This comes about 10 days after over 1,400 gallons of firefighting foam containing PFAS spilled at the Brunswick Executive Airport and leaked into a nearby pond [which eventually drains into #HarpswellCove and #CascoBay]."

https://wgme.com/news/local/toxic-firefighting-foam-spills-into-wetlands-after-truck-fire-in-south-portland-maine-firefighters-afff-pfas-forever-chemicals-long-creek-philbrook-avenue

#PFASContamination
#PFOS #CascoBay #Wildlife #WaterIsLife #OceansAreLife #PFASPollution #FirefightingFoam #LongCreekWatershed

TONIGHT! (Thursday, August 29th)

Fighting the foam in #BrunswickMaine: Public forum being held to discuss the spill

Story by Aysia Reed, WGME

"It's been 10 days since toxic firefighting foam spilled in Brunswick. The public will now get to have their say on the release and the cleanup efforts so far.

"The town of Brunswick is holding a public forum at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday in the Council Chamber at Brunswick Town Hall to discuss the spill of more than 1,000 gallons of firefighting foam.

"The Brunswick Executive Airport had the foam stored away in hangar 4 in case they needed it to fight a fire. Last week, a faulty signal to the system caused a malfunction to release the foam, causing it to spill.

"The foam contains PFAS, which is a forever chemical. It leaked into a nearby pond, and the drainage system around the hangar.

"Crews are collecting samples around an outflow pipe that goes from the Brunswick Sewer District into the #AndroscogginRiver.

"Last week, officials said they collected about 6,000 gallons of foam and foam mixed with water."

#PFASContamination #AFFF #PFAS #PFOS #PicnicPond #Site8Stream #MereBrook #MerriconeagStream #AndroscogginRiver #CascoBay #HarpswellCove #Wildlife #WaterIsLife #OceansAreLife #PFASPollution #BrunswickNavalAirStation #BrunswickStation #FirefightingFoam

#MaineCDC Issues Advisories on Eating #FreshwaterFish Due to #PFASContamination at the Former #NavalAirStation in #BrunswickMaine

Aug 23, 2024

AUGUSTA -- "The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) today issued new freshwater fish consumption advisories recommending either no consumption or limited consumption of fish from four waterbodies located on and around the former naval air station in Brunswick, Maine.

"The testing of fish is part of the United States Navy's ongoing remedial investigation at the former base in response to #environmental contamination from the historic use of PFAS-containing aqueous film forming foam (#AFFF) in fire-fighting operations. Data were collected in October 2023 by the Navy, in coordination with Maine's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and shared with the Maine CDC in spring of 2024.

"The Maine CDC reviewed the data and determined they showed elevated levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, above the agency's recommended levels for regular consumption.

"While testing occurred before the August 19, 2024 accidental release of AFFF at the former naval air station, that incident is not expected to impact the guidance issued today. The waters likely impacted by the AFFF spill are on the east side of the runway at the air station. Today's advisory recommends a no consumption advisory for those waters based on prior testing data.

"Elevated levels of the specific PFAS called perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) were detected in fish tissue samples collected from #MereBrook (also known as Mare Brook), #MerriconeagStream, #PicnicPond, and #Site8Stream. The new fish consumption advisories listed below apply to all fish caught in these waterbodies.

"In response to the recent release of AFFF and the reported presence of visible #foam on some of these #waterbodies on the eastern side of the runway, the Maine CDC additionally recommends the public avoid any contact with foam on these water bodies. Out of an abundance of caution, the Maine CDC also recommends the public refrain from any recreational activities (e.g., #swimming, #boating, #wading) that could result in contact with the foam or waters until the potential impact of the AFFF release on these waterbodies is fully assessed.

"PFAS are a group of man-made chemicals found in a variety of consumer products throughout the world. Based on a report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, exposure to certain PFAS chemicals has been associated with increases in cholesterol levels, decreases in birth weight, lower antibody response to some vaccines, and kidney cancer."

From the CDC website: Map of waterbodies included in the fish consumption advisory on and around the former Naval Air Station in Brunswick.

https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/news/maine-cdc-issues-advisories-eating-freshwater-fish-due-pfas-contamination-former-naval-air-station-fri-08232024-1200
#AndroscogginRiver #CascoBay #HarpswellCove #Wildlife #WaterIsLife #OceansAreLife #PFASPollution #PFOS #FirefightingFoam

A map of Brunswick Maine, showing light green and white for land, and blue for water. Marshy areas are indicated with blue leafy icons.

In the center of the map are two long lines, representing the airport runways (where the PFAS incident occured).

Crossing the runways is a brook named Mere Brook. Above the runways is a box indicating "Site 8 Stream" -- very close to the Androscoggin River.

To the right of the runways is a pond (Picnic Pond), and Merriconeag Stream. Picnic Pond empties into Merriconeag Stream, which flows to Harpswell Cove (not shown) and Casco Bay (not shown).

Waterways contaminated with "forever chemicals"
The fate of Bellingen's platypuses

"An Australian-first study found perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in the liver of deceased platypuses collected from numerous rivers in eastern NSW. PFOS is toxic to humans and has been linked to some cancers."

"Scientists from Western Sydney University (WSU) have discovered perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in the livers of eight deceased platypuses collected from numerous eastern NSW rivers, from the north coast in Bellingen to the alps of Jindabyne."

"All eight wild platypuses collected from NSW waterways over the past two and a half years returned results with concentrations of some PFOS in them, ranging from 4 micrograms per kilogram (µg/kg) to 1,200 µg/kg — some of the highest concentrations of any species in the world."
>>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-20/australia-first-study-finds-forever-chemicals-in-platypuses/104244072

Platypus Survival - Inspired by True Events
https://bellingenarea.blogspot.com/2023/11/platypus-survival-inspired-by-true.html
#platypuses #Bellingen #rivers #creeks #water #NSW #PFOS #pollution #sentinels #PerfluorooctaneSulfonate #FirefightingFoam #contamination #monotremes #wildlife #chemical #FoodChain #MidNorthCoast

State of #NewHampshire Launches Statewide #FirefightingFoam Take Back Program

#AFFF Take Back Program will use new technology to destroy #PFAS chemicals

"This is a groundbreaking step in safeguarding public health and the #environment in the state.”

August 13, 2024

Concord, N.H. — "The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (#NHDES), in partnership with the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal, has launched a statewide initiative to destroy hazardous per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in firefighting foam.

"During an event at the New Hampshire Fire Academy’s Aircraft Rescue Training Facility in Concord today, NHDES Commissioner Bob Scott announced details of the new Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF) Take Back Program. AFFF is primarily used by fire departments to smother flammable liquid fires, but its high concentrations of PFAS compounds resist typical environmental degradation processes and cause long-term contamination of water, soil and air. The ban on the use of these 'legacy foams' is possible because there are now PFAS-free foam alternatives available. The AFFF Take Back Program is set up to remove and properly dispose of AFFF from New Hampshire fire departments, local governments, and government-owned airports.

"NHDES has contracted with #ReviveEnvironmental Technology (Revive) to administer the collection and destruction of AFFF in the state. Following collection of the foam, Revive will consolidate the containers and ship them to its Columbus, Ohio, facility, where the foam will be treated with Revive’s #PFASAnnihilator® technology, originally developed by Battelle, which uses supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) to destroy the PFAS chemicals without generating harmful PFAS byproducts or transferring the PFAS elsewhere in the process. It is estimated that the Take Back Program will remove and properly treat and dispose of more than 10,000 gallons of AFFF collected from over 100 #FireDepartments.

"'The State of New Hampshire has made great strides in reducing environmental contamination and the public health risk to New Hampshire residents from traditional firefighting foam, and this Take Back Program is a major accomplishment in that mission,' said NHDES Commissioner Bob Scott. 'The ability to not only assist our fire departments and other facilities with the removal of their foam inventories, but to also find a disposal solution that fully destroys the PFAS is both a monumental and reassuring development.'

"The Concord event on Tuesday is one of 10 collection events being held across the state in the month of August. A full list of dates and locations can be found on the program’s webpage. The collection program is operated at no cost to local fire departments, but agencies must register their AFFF materials to be scheduled for collection on those dates. Funding for the program was appropriated by the New Hampshire Legislature to address PFAS contamination in our state.

https://www.des.nh.gov/news-and-media/state-new-hampshire-launches-statewide-firefighting-foam-take-back-program

Leeuwarden Air Base in the Netherlands Source of Pollution on Frisian Shipping

https://www.defensemirror.com/news/36904/Leeuwarden_Air_Base_in_the_Netherlands_Source_of_Pollution_on_Frisian_Shipping

#Netherlands #LeeuwardenAirBase #PFAS #Contamination #EnvironmentalHealth #WaterPollution #Remediation #WetterskipFryslân #Friesland #FirefightingFoam #DefenseMinistry #MilitarySites #RiskAssessment #HealthEffects #EnvironmentalImpact #EpidemiologicalStudies #Chemicals #Waterbed #SurfaceWater

Leeuwarden Air Base in the Netherlands Source of Pollution on Frisian Shipping

https://www.defensemirror.com/news/36904/Leeuwarden_Air_Base_in_the_Netherlands_Source_of_Pollution_on_Frisian_Shipping

IN-DEPTH: For clean beauty brands, getting #PFAS out of #makeup might be easier said than done

“Even the most well-intentioned brands could experience PFAS problems.”

Elizabeth Gribkoff
Mar 24, 2022

"The [PFAS] compounds can be added to makeup to make products #WaterResistant, longer-lasting, and more spreadable. Until last year, there were no studies looking at how much PFAS were in North American cosmetics, although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is notoriously hands-off in regulating the safety of personal care products. With that in mind, a team of researchers from the University of Notre Dame, Indiana University, and other institutions tested more than 200 #mascaras, #concealers, #EyeShadows, and other cosmetics from North America.

"What they found surprised the researchers: roughly half the products they tested contained the PFAS indicator organic fluorine. Colored #lipsticks, mascaras, and #foundations advertised as '#LongLasting' or '#WearResistant' had particularly high levels."

#Cosmetics #Proprietary #FDA #SecretativeCorporations #PFAS #PFOS #WaterIsLife #WaterPollution #PFASPollution #PFOA #PTFE #Wildlife #Cancer #Contamination #Chemicals #Environment #FoodPackaging #Plastics #FireFightingFoam #Firefighters #Health #Mining #Lubricants #Electronics #Cosmetics #PFNA #PFHxS #PFB #GenXChemicals
#Toxic #Capitalism #Crapitalism

‘#ForeverChemicals’ – the part of cleaning you don’t want to last

"Notable categories of cleaners that either may contain, or have historically contained, PFAS are:

- glass and hard surface cleaners
- fabric, upholstery, and #CarpetCleaners and treatments
- #waxes and polishes for #floors, #furniture, #cars and #boat vessels
- dishwashing rinse aids
- #AerosolPropellant-based #cleaners and #AirFresheners
- #paints and #coatings.

"Floor sealers and finishes – products that cure into a film once applied – often contain PFAS. During floor stripping and waxing, PFAS concentrations in dust and air particulate matter were one order of magnitude greater than typical residential indoor air and two orders of magnitude greater than outdoor air, according to a 2022 study.

"But now the cleaning products #Industry wants to keep consumers in the dark about the use of these chemicals in their brands. Earlier this month, a bill was introduced in Congress on behalf of leading household cleaning product makers that would deny Americans the right to know about #ToxicChemicals in cleaning products.

"The manufacturer #Reckitt applauded Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.) for introducing the bill, which would rob consumers of crucial information about the ingredients in their products. Reckitt makes popular household brands like #Lysol, #Woolite, #AirWick, #Vanish, #Calgon, among many others.

And industry giant #SCJohnson
called for a 'clear federal standard' on disclosing ingredients, knowing any such standard could take a decade or longer. The company manufactures #Glade, #Drano, #Pledge, #ScrubbingBubbles, #Shout and #Windex, along with many other products, including #Ziploc."

#PFAS #PFOS #WaterIsLife #WaterPollution #PFASPollution #PFOA #PTFE #Wildlife #Cancer #Contamination #Chemicals #Environment #FoodPackaging #Plastics #FireFightingFoam #Firefighters #Health #Mining #Lubricants #Electronics #Cosmetics #PFNA #PFHxS #PFB #GenXChemicals
#Toxic #DowChemical #DuPont #3M #BASF #Teflon #RainWater #DrinkingWater

Toxic #Gaslighting: How #3M Executives Convinced a Scientist the #ForeverChemicals She Found in Human Blood Were Safe

Decades ago, #KrisHansen showed 3M that its #PFAS chemicals were in people’s bodies. Her bosses halted her work. As the #EPA now forces the removal of the chemicals from drinking water, she wrestles with the secrets that 3M kept from her and the world.

by Sharon Lerner
May 20, 6 a.m. EDT

"Kris Hansen had worked as a chemist at the 3M Corporation for about a year when her boss, an affable senior scientist named Jim Johnson, gave her a strange assignment. 3M had invented #ScotchTape and #PostIt notes; it sold everything from sandpaper to kitchen sponges. But on this day, in 1997, Johnson wanted Hansen to test human blood for chemical contamination.

"Several of 3M’s most successful products contained man-made compounds called #fluorochemicals. In a spray called #Scotchgard, fluorochemicals protected leather and fabric from stains. In a coating known as #Scotchban, they prevented food packaging from getting soggy. In a soapy foam used by #firefighters, they helped extinguish jet-fuel fires.

"Johnson explained to Hansen that one of the company’s fluorochemicals, #PFOS — short for perfluorooctanesulfonic acid — often found its way into the bodies of 3M factory workers. Although he said that they were unharmed, he had recently hired an outside lab to measure the levels in their blood. The lab had just reported something odd, however. For the sake of comparison, it had tested blood samples from the American Red Cross, which came from the general population and should have been free of fluorochemicals. Instead, it kept finding a contaminant in the blood.

"Johnson asked Hansen to figure out whether the lab had made a mistake. Detecting trace levels of chemicals was her specialty: She had recently written a doctoral dissertation about tiny particles in the atmosphere. Hansen’s team of lab technicians and junior scientists fetched a blood sample from a lab-supply company and prepped it for analysis. Then Hansen switched on an oven-size box known as a mass spectrometer, which weighs molecules so that scientists can identify them.

"As the lab equipment hummed around her, Hansen loaded a sample into the machine. A graph appeared on the mass spectrometer’s display; it suggested that there was a compound in the blood that could be PFOS. That’s weird, Hansen thought. Why would a chemical produced by 3M show up in people who had never worked for the company?"

#3MLied #ToxicChemicals #FirefightingFoam #Pollution

Are ‘#ForeverChemicals’ In Your Favorite Sparkling Water? Here’s What to Know

Many brands have #PFAS levels of more than 1 part per trillion, exceeding the #Environmental Working Group's recommendation.

By Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner
Published on April 28, 2024

"Bottled and canned water is often considered a healthier or safer option, thanks to purification and processing. But that may not necessarily be the case. In 2020, Consumer Reports ran a study to determine PFAS levels in 47 bottled waters, including 35 noncarbonated and 12 carbonated samples. Many of the carbonated waters had PFAS in them."

https://www.foodandwine.com/pfas-in-sparkling-water-8640113

‘#ForeverChemicals’ Are Found in Some #Milk, Including #Organic

Story by Lauren Kirchner
May 2, 2024

"It was November 2016 when one of the earliest warning signs flashed, in the form of an unassuming and very unlucky dairy farm in #Arundel, #Maine.

"That’s when Fred Stone learned that water on his farm contained high levels of #PFAS. The source of the pollution was later found to be recycled sewage #sludge, which he had been told for many years was a safe #fertilizer. But per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—otherwise known as “forever chemicals” for their persistence in the environment and in humans—have been linked to cancer, immunity and endocrine problems, and infertility.

"The chemicals had contaminated not just his body but his cows and their milk. The land that three generations of his family had worked on for over a century was now toxic.

"Stone took his story public, and similar reports from other farmers around the country followed. In 2018 a dairy and cattle farmer in New Mexico learned that PFAS-containing firefighting foam from a nearby Air Force base had leached into his well water, putting him out of business. In 2022 Michigan shut down a cattle farm because fertilizer it got from a nearby wastewater treatment plant had contaminated the cows’ feed with PFAS. And earlier this year, the owners of two ranches in Texas said that PFAS-laden fertilizer had killed their livestock and made them sick, too."

The #EPA is cracking down on #PFAS — but not in #fertilizer

Story by Zoya Teirstein
4/19/2024

"Although the EPA’s new restrictions are groundbreaking, they only apply to a portion of the nation’s extensive PFAS contamination problem. That’s because drinking water isn’t the only way Americans are exposed to PFAS, and not all companies spreading PFAS into the environment deliberately added the chemicals to the products. In Texas, a group of farmers whose properties were contaminated with PFAS from fertilizer are claiming the manufacturer should have done more to warn buyers about the dangers of its products. The first-of-its-kind lawsuit illustrates how much more regulation will be needed to rid the environment — and Americans’ bodies — of forever chemicals."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the-epa-is-cracking-down-on-pfas-but-not-in-fertilizer/ar-AA1nkhpu

LEAVE IT TO HUMANS TO NOT ONLY SH*T WHERE THEY EAT -- BUT WITH HARD TO BREAK FLUORINE-CARBON BONDS! GOOD JOB HUMANS! MAYBE CONSIDER ALL POSSIBLE OUTCOMES BEFORE MAKING STUPID DECISIONS!

‘This is #Chernobyl’: #Texas ranchers say ‘forever chemicals’ in waste-based fertilizers ruined their land

Story by Rebecca Lopez
April 28, 2024

"Ranchers here say their cattle, fish and horses are dying and getting sick because of a fertilizer spread on nearby farmland.

"The fertilizer is made from treated human waste from the city of Fort Worth.

"The company that makes the fertilizer says its products meet government standards.

"County officials have launched a criminal investigation, and ranchers are suing, saying runoff from the fertilizer has made their land useless."

#fireFightingFoam

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