Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by takyon on Monday January 27 2020, @11:24PM   Printer-friendly
from the bottoms-up dept.

U.S. drinking water widely contaminated with 'forever chemicals': environment watchdog

The contamination of U.S. drinking water with man-made "forever chemicals" is far worse than previously estimated with some of the highest levels found in Miami, Philadelphia and New Orleans, said a report on Wednesday by an environmental watchdog group.

The chemicals, resistant to breaking down in the environment, are known as perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. Some have been linked to cancers, liver damage, low birth weight and other health problems.

The findings here by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) show the group's previous estimate in 2018, based on unpublished U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data, that 110 million Americans may be contaminated with PFAS, could be far too low.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 28 2020, @02:11PM (4 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 28 2020, @02:11PM (#950059)

    Which is about 170 liters of water at 70 ppt.

    Just don't whine when your agriculture can't export in Europe
    It is now proposing a tolerable weekly intake of 6ng/kg body weight for PFOS and 13ng/kg body weight for PFOA. [chemicalwatch.com]
    Let me see, from 150ng/day to 6ng/week means a 175 times reduction - a tad higher than 2 orders of magnitude - if one were to trust your computation, only 0.85l of US-standards PFOS free water will suffice to pass the European TDI.
    On the plus side, if you reduce the contamination in US, you'll improve your chances to live a healthier life. But maybe you prefer to live a shorter life and let some extra bucks to your tax office when you die.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 28 2020, @04:26PM (3 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 28 2020, @04:26PM (#950117)

    At the very top of your link:

    Exposure assessment is 'highly uncertain'

    Alarmists, when allowed to take control, will do any number of crazy things. When economic consequences hit, they will not be the ones paying.
    But as for your "can't export in Europe", I don't think so. For so stupid a shot in the trade war, Trump will hammer them quite gladly in retaliation, and the EU economy at the moment doesn't look like it'll be able to soak the damage.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 28 2020, @10:46PM (2 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 28 2020, @10:46PM (#950293)

      Alarmists, when allowed to take control, will do any number of crazy things. When economic consequences hit, they will not be the ones paying.

      Of course not. The entire world is tuned to make khallow pay for the world's faults.

      But as for your "can't export in Europe", I don't think so. For so stupid a shot in the trade war, Trump will hammer them quite gladly in retaliation, and the EU economy at the moment doesn't look like it'll be able to soak the damage.

      They'll just sell more Airbus planes and it will be the Americans to pay the Trump's hammering. Not that Boeing is in the position to take the slack.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 28 2020, @11:15PM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 28 2020, @11:15PM (#950310)

        Producing more planes (CO2 baaad!) to fly more commoners around (CO2 doubleplusbaaad!!!11) is absolutely against The Climate Goals (tm). As is producing anything material at all, if you think about it (you likely don't). From that, one can easily extrapolate the results (you probably cannot, but that is of no consequence).
        The objective reality is that thing that keeps happening to you despite your wholehearted belief that it should not.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 29 2020, @12:20AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 29 2020, @12:20AM (#950340)

          Producing more planes (CO2 baaad!) to fly more commoners around (CO2 doubleplusbaaad!!!11) is absolutely against The Climate Goals (tm)

          Inquisitive minds want to know: is it general or just when europeans do it but Boeing planes are just fine.