PFAS Update XII: PFAS/Emerging Contaminants News Stories are Every Day, Everywhere
Popcorn and artificial turf. No, we’re not inviting you to a game today but letting you know of some recent items where PFAS or emerging contaminants were identified.
It’s getting tough to keep up with the rush of stories on PFAS and emerging contaminants around the country and the globe. Below, are a wide variety of stories of consequence to everyone. For example, one story states that eating at home results in lower PFAS levels in your body.
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Get all the details here on PFAS and all emerging contaminants analysis, and why SGS delivers what you need every step of the way.
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To find out how we can best help you with your PFAS analysis, call +1 800 329 0204 or email PFAS.Expert@sgs.com. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
The SGS PFAS Team
Around the U.S. and Canada
Home Depot Phasing Out Products with PFAS
The Home Depot will be phasing out PFAS substances by December 31, 2019 in the U.S. and Canada.
PFAS: New Efforts to Put The Genie Back In the Bottle
The EPA’s 2019 action plan lays out a multi-pronged approach, but their strategy is moving slowly in the face of widespread PFAS exposures, a litany of settled and ongoing lawsuits and the pressing need to protect public health. However, some very interesting movement has occurred independent of federal efforts.
Toxic Chemicals Are Found In Blades Of Artificial Turf
Public health advocates have long raised alarms about artificial turf pellets, which simulate the give of natural grass but have been shown to contain benzene, cadmium, and other known carcinogens. Now, for the first time, a new series of tests has found that the blades, and their plastic backing, may also contain PFAS.
People Who Eat More Meals at Home Have Lower Levels of Harmful PFAS Chemicals in Their Bodies
A home-cooked meal has many benefits, including healthier ingredients and fewer processed foods. But there’s another reason to avoid eating out all the time. Preparing meals at home can reduce your exposure to harmful PFAS chemicals that are commonly found in take-out and fast food packaging, according to a new study by researchers at Silent Spring Institute.
Are commercial airports in U.S. responsible for PFAS contamination?
Much has been said about contamination with PFAS substances in and around military installations, but the environmental impact of their use in civilian airports remains largely on the side lines.
Global
Erin Brockovich Sounds Alarm Over PFAS Contamination After More Queensland Sites Revealed
American activist Erin Brockovich has warned all levels of government in Australia to act swiftly to prevent the spread of PFAS chemical contamination, with more affected sites coming to light.
Arcadis Signs Exclusive Agreement with EVOCRA To Gain Global License for Innovative PFAS Treatment Technology
Arcadis announced it has signed a Heads of Agreement with EVOCRA, enabling an exclusive commercial negotiating period within which the parties will finalize a license agreement for sole rights to the EVOCRA technology for PFAS solutions. This technology has already been proven at commercial scale on two projects in Australia.
Alaska
Despite Contamination, State Will Continue Using PFAS-Linked Firefighting Foam
The grassroots Gustavus PFAS Action Coalition has been asking for firefighting foams containing PFAS to be removed from the local airport. But state officials said they’re not ready to do that, despite requests from Gustavus’ elected officials.
California
Hundreds of Wells are Contaminated Across California. Find Out Where.
Nearly 300 wells and other sources of drinking water across California contain toxic chemicals linked to cancer, developmental issues in infants, and harm to the liver and immune system. The chemicals, known as PFOS and PFOA, have been used for decades in furniture, clothing, food packaging, cookware and firefighting foam.
Firefighting Foam Leaves Toxic Legacy in Californians’ Drinking Water
SACRAMENTO — It was a Sunday tradition at Bethany Slavic Missionary Church. After morning services, Florin Ciuriuc joined the line of worshipers waiting to fill their jugs with gallons of free drinking water from a well on the property, a practice church leader had encouraged… Church leaders boasted it was the cleanest water in Sacramento. In fact, test results showed the water contained toxic chemicals from firefighting foam used for decades on a now-shuttered Air Force base a mile away.
Colorado
Study to Examine Health Outcomes of ‘Unfortunate Natural Experiment’ of PFAS
El Paso County is one of seven sites across the country where researchers will be studying the human health effects of drinking water contaminated by potentially toxic chemicals known as PFAS.
Connecticut
Multiple UTC Subsidiaries Targeted in PFAS Pollution Lawsuits
At least four current or former subsidiaries of Connecticut-based United Technologies Corp. have been named as defendants in numerous lawsuits seeking damages for alleged pollution from potentially hazardous PFAS firefighting foam.
Massachusetts
Air Force: Pocasset Groundwater Contamination Will Last Years
Contaminants found in groundwater in Pocasset will continue to survive for decades to come, according to an Air Force analysis. The contamination is the result of oil spills at the Otis Rotary in 1997 and 2000. The spills were contained using firefighting foam that contained hazardous chemicals.
PFAS Found in Nearly Half of Cape Cod’s Private Wells
BARNSTABLE – PFAS chemicals have been found in detectable levels in about 46% of the private wells tested as part of a study on the compound’s effects on human health.
Michigan
New Regulations, Training for PFAS Firefighting Foam Approved in Michigan House
Firefighters would receive more training for appropriate use and safe handling of firefighting foam containing PFAS under legislation passed in the Michigan House Thursday.
Minnesota
More Fire Foam Chemicals Found in Water Near Duluth Air Base
More widespread groundwater and surface water contamination has been discovered on and near the Duluth Air National Guard base from the chemicals known as PFAS
New Hampshire
Strict New Limits on PFAS Chemicals in N.H. Water Supplies Take Effect
New state limits are now in effect for PFAS chemicals in public drinking water supplies. The now-common industrial contaminants have been linked to health risks.
Notorious Polluter 3M Fights New Hampshire Effort to Enforce Health-Protective Drinking Water Limit
One of the largest U.S. chemical companies, which for decades knowingly poisoned its own workers and drinking water supplies near its factories with the toxic fluorinated chemicals called PFAS, is fighting one state’s efforts to protect the public from these dangerous compounds.
New Jersey
One of The Worst Spots for These Cancer-Causing Chemicals is in N.J.
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst is a national hot spot of pollution. It’s among the 100 U.S. military bases most-contaminated by PFAS pollution, according to a list compiled by the advocacy organization Environmental Working Group. It is the only military installation in New Jersey that cracks the list.
Ridgewood Water Brings Treatment Plant Back Online After Addressing Chemical Contamination
A water treatment plant operated by Ridgewood Water that shut down in 2017 was reactivated last week after chemical contaminants in the system were eliminated, officials said Wednesday. Water at the Carr Treatment Plant had tested above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s limit for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS.
New York
Low levels of PFAS Found in Waterloo Water Samples
WATERLOO _ The presence of poly and per fluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have been found in recent samples of village of Waterloo source drinking water.
Amid Cancer Concerns, Long Island Considers Getting Water From NYC
NEW YORK – The water supply on Long Island could soon contain harmful chemicals and it would cost a lot of money to clean them out. So there’s a new idea being proposed: shipping water in from New York City.
Commentary: Water Suppliers Need More Time to Meet New Standards
Emerging contaminants and their presence in drinking water sources throughout the state have been dominating recent headlines…While we would be hard pressed to find a water provider that disagrees with providing their residents with safer, cleaner water, we have grave concerns with the impossible-to-meet compliance timeline.
North Carolina
GENX WATER INVESTIGATION: DEQ Release Results of PFAS Testing in Groundwater Wells
PFAS has been found in rivers, rainwater, the air, and now it’s been found in groundwater that the public drinks. North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality crews did three rounds of tests on more than two dozen wells in the past four months after Cape Fear Public Utility Authority reported traces of PFAS in its wells.
Toxic Chemical Spill Affects Pittsboro’s Drinking Water
PITTSBORO, NC – Residents were meeting Wednesday night to talk about the safety of Pittsboro’s drinking water after tests showed the town’s water contained high levels of a cancer-causing chemical weeks before anyone knew about it. The chemical is 1,4 dioxane, an industrial solvent used in paint strippers , varnishes and other solutions. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has identified it as a likely human carcinogen.
Ohio
Governor DeWine Orders State Agencies to Develop PFAS Action Plan for Drinking Water Sampling in Ohio
Governor Mike DeWine took the state’s most prominent action to date in response to the growing national health concerns related to PFAS in drinking water. In its press release, the Governor ordered Ohio EPA and the Ohio Health Department to develop an action plan by December 1, 2019 to sample public and private water systems that are near known PFAS contaminated sites.
Washington
Washington State PFAS Alternatives Assessment to Target Paper Wraps and Liners
Washington state has announced plans to focus on paper wraps and liners in its assessment of alternatives to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances used in food packaging. The state’s Department of Ecology (ECY) is also considering adding bags and sleeves to this scope, with the goal of finalizing candidate alternatives by mid-October.
Wisconsin
Sampling Finds Highest Contamination from ‘Forever Chemicals’ in a Stream Near Madison’s Truax Field
A first round of sampling of hazardous chemicals by state environmental investigators found the highest concentrations in a Madison stream and in the Wisconsin River near Rhinelander.
PFAS CONTAMINATION | HIGH LEVELS FOUND AFTER EXPLOSION: Officials Under Fire for Not Publicizing High PFAS Levels in Lake Monona After Substation Fire
An environmental watchdog is criticizing state and local officials for not doing more to warn the public that potentially dangerous levels of hazardous chemicals made their way into Lake Monona in the days after the July 19 transformer explosion in Downtown Madison.
