nivek
As Above So Below
This report below is very disturbing to me, I mean come on, we are killing ourselves and our world in so many ways already, then I read something like this that I was unaware of...How many other things are contaminating us or our world that the public is not aware of or kept hidden from us?...
A New Mexico farmer is dumping 12,000 gallons of milk a day. Here's why
In towns and cities across the United States, Americans' tap water is contaminated with so-called forever chemicals -- and some are forced to live off bottled water.
PFAS -- short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals -- are the man-made heat- and water-resistant chemicals used for decades to make everyday items like nonstick pans, food containers and fabric protectants. Studies have linked PFAS to kidney and liver cancer, thyroid problems, high cholesterol, birth defects and pregnancy complications. They're called "forever chemicals" because they don't easily break down in the environment or the human body.
A tally by the clean water advocates at the Environmental Working Group shows 712 locations in 49 states have been discovered to be contaminated -- including public water systems, military bases and airports.
Federal government scientists believe PFAS chemicals are in the bloodstreams of nearly all Americans, and the Food and Drug Administration warns the contamination crisis threatens the US food supply.
There's growing alarm, including from health advocates and members of Congress, that federal regulators have not acted aggressively enough to protect the public.
The Obama administration created only an advisory level with no enforcement teeth and the Trump administration has promised to soon determine a maximum safe level for drinking water. Public health advocates, however, have been dissatisfied with the administration's action plan -- saying they had expected the administration to unveil actual actions rather than promises on paper.
"I think they're solely devoted to deregulating, to repealing public health protections, not putting any new ones on," Betsy Southerland, a former Environmental Protection Agency employee who oversaw the water office, told CNN. "We have a hope that Congress will actually force EPA to act and act quickly."
An underground threat
New Mexico dairy farmer Art Schaap has been milking his 1,800 cows every day for nearly a year -- and every day he dumps it all down the drain.
His milk is contaminated with PFAS, according to Food and Drug Administration tests. Because the chemicals are present, the New Mexico Department of Agriculture suspended his milk license.
"We have no income. For our family it's been devastating," he said. "I've been in the dairy business for 30 years and I worked my whole life for this."
Schaap says he dumps about 12,000 gallons of milk daily.
He says military officials first found the contamination on his property.
Tests show an underground "plume" has moved to his wells 2 miles southeast from the base, he said.
Firefighting foam used in training exercises at the nearby Cannon Air Force Base contaminated the groundwater with PFAS.
In a statement, a Defense Department spokeswoman said: "The department is committed to taking a strong stance to address the effects arising out of any releases of PFAS from all defense activities," adding that the department has established a "PFAS task force to ensure that it is approaching the problem in an aggressive and holistic way."
A nationwide problem
PFAS contamination sites are everywhere.
Manufacturers like 3M and DuPont have stopped making two of the chemicals in the class, but they're still shipped in on products from overseas.
Meanwhile, health and environmental advocates are dissatisfied with the pace of government action.
In 2002 and 2007, the Bush administration placed restrictions on some PFAS chemicals, many of which were no longer in use at the time.
The EPA under President Barack Obama then issued a guideline limit for safe exposure to PFAS that some saw as a precursor to a legally binding and enforceable limit. The Obama EPA also proposed requiring that any new use of PFAS-type chemicals and PFOA-related chemicals be approved by the EPA, but the Trump-led EPA has not put this rule into effect.
The agency did put out an action plan outlining how it would deal with the issue in February.
"To imply members of EPA leadership are not committed to addressing PFAS is just ridiculous and completely false," the EPA said in a statement to CNN. "Taking action to address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is a top priority for the Administrator, EPA leadership and the entire agency."
(more on the link)
.
A New Mexico farmer is dumping 12,000 gallons of milk a day. Here's why
In towns and cities across the United States, Americans' tap water is contaminated with so-called forever chemicals -- and some are forced to live off bottled water.
PFAS -- short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals -- are the man-made heat- and water-resistant chemicals used for decades to make everyday items like nonstick pans, food containers and fabric protectants. Studies have linked PFAS to kidney and liver cancer, thyroid problems, high cholesterol, birth defects and pregnancy complications. They're called "forever chemicals" because they don't easily break down in the environment or the human body.
A tally by the clean water advocates at the Environmental Working Group shows 712 locations in 49 states have been discovered to be contaminated -- including public water systems, military bases and airports.
Federal government scientists believe PFAS chemicals are in the bloodstreams of nearly all Americans, and the Food and Drug Administration warns the contamination crisis threatens the US food supply.
There's growing alarm, including from health advocates and members of Congress, that federal regulators have not acted aggressively enough to protect the public.
The Obama administration created only an advisory level with no enforcement teeth and the Trump administration has promised to soon determine a maximum safe level for drinking water. Public health advocates, however, have been dissatisfied with the administration's action plan -- saying they had expected the administration to unveil actual actions rather than promises on paper.
"I think they're solely devoted to deregulating, to repealing public health protections, not putting any new ones on," Betsy Southerland, a former Environmental Protection Agency employee who oversaw the water office, told CNN. "We have a hope that Congress will actually force EPA to act and act quickly."
An underground threat
New Mexico dairy farmer Art Schaap has been milking his 1,800 cows every day for nearly a year -- and every day he dumps it all down the drain.
His milk is contaminated with PFAS, according to Food and Drug Administration tests. Because the chemicals are present, the New Mexico Department of Agriculture suspended his milk license.
"We have no income. For our family it's been devastating," he said. "I've been in the dairy business for 30 years and I worked my whole life for this."
Schaap says he dumps about 12,000 gallons of milk daily.
He says military officials first found the contamination on his property.
Tests show an underground "plume" has moved to his wells 2 miles southeast from the base, he said.
Firefighting foam used in training exercises at the nearby Cannon Air Force Base contaminated the groundwater with PFAS.
In a statement, a Defense Department spokeswoman said: "The department is committed to taking a strong stance to address the effects arising out of any releases of PFAS from all defense activities," adding that the department has established a "PFAS task force to ensure that it is approaching the problem in an aggressive and holistic way."
A nationwide problem
PFAS contamination sites are everywhere.
Manufacturers like 3M and DuPont have stopped making two of the chemicals in the class, but they're still shipped in on products from overseas.
Meanwhile, health and environmental advocates are dissatisfied with the pace of government action.
In 2002 and 2007, the Bush administration placed restrictions on some PFAS chemicals, many of which were no longer in use at the time.
The EPA under President Barack Obama then issued a guideline limit for safe exposure to PFAS that some saw as a precursor to a legally binding and enforceable limit. The Obama EPA also proposed requiring that any new use of PFAS-type chemicals and PFOA-related chemicals be approved by the EPA, but the Trump-led EPA has not put this rule into effect.
The agency did put out an action plan outlining how it would deal with the issue in February.
"To imply members of EPA leadership are not committed to addressing PFAS is just ridiculous and completely false," the EPA said in a statement to CNN. "Taking action to address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is a top priority for the Administrator, EPA leadership and the entire agency."
(more on the link)
.