<
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/14/epa-drinking-water-limits-pfas-forever-chemicals>
"The US Environmental Protection Agency has taken the extraordinary step of
setting legal drinking water limits for six of the most studied and toxic PFAS
compounds, known commonly as “forever chemicals”, that are at the center of an
ongoing environmental crisis.
The new limits mark the first time in 26 years that the EPA has set legal
limits for a contaminant in drinking water. Municipal utilities will be
required to remove the compounds from drinking water, which could set off a
wave of lawsuits directed at PFAS polluters, including the US military and
chemical producers like 3M, DuPont and Chemours.
The new rules are “groundbreaking”, said Erik Olson, senior strategic director
for the Natural Resources Defense Council non-profit, which tracks PFAS
pollution.
“We have a five-alarm fire, and setting strong standards will help ensure the
fundamental right of every family to have safe water flowing from their kitchen
tap,” he said.
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of about 14,000
chemicals often used to make products resist water, stains and heat. They are
called “forever chemicals” because they do not naturally break down, and are
linked to cancer, liver problems, thyroid issues, birth defects, kidney
disease, decreased immunity and other serious health problems.
By some estimates, PFAS are contaminating drinking water for more than 200
million Americans, and the EPA has said it has moved more quickly to regulate
the compounds than any in the agency’s history.
Between 2016 and 2022, the agency worked off an advisory health limit of 70
parts per trillion (ppt) for PFOS and PFOA, two compounds commonly produced and
used for decades. Last year, after science showed virtually no level of
exposure to drinking water is safe, the EPA set non-enforceable “advisory
health limits” of 0.02 ppt and 0.004 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, respectively."
Via
Future Crunch:
<
https://futurecrunch.com/good-news-nuclear-ocean-chile-climate-change-solution/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
