![]() And efforts to reduce PFAS resemble the often-frustrating, decades-long campaign to eliminate another environmental hazard - lead - from homes, soil, and water. PFAS’ presence in firefighting foam, food packaging, and even dental floss poses an ongoing challenge. Since their invention in the 1940s, the compounds - known by the moniker “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down quickly - have been widely applied to household and industrial products, including carpet, waterproof clothes, and nonstick cookware. ![]() (Rome News-Tribune)īoth the EPA advisories and the National Academies’ report follow steady grassroots efforts to curb PFAS chemicals, which have been used in consumer products for decades. The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to propose new limits on PFAS chemicals in drinking water this year. Local officials say toxic chemicals known as PFAS have entered the city's water supply from upstream. Grandjean, who helped review the report for the National Academies, said the committee concluded that “people have a right to know their exposure level and to be offered proper health care follow-up.” He said that doing so is “very important and, in my mind, necessary.”Ī raw water intake station is seen on the Oostanaula River in Rome, Georgia, in March 2021. In July, a report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine said PFAS testing should be offered to people who have likely been exposed to high levels through their jobs or those living in areas with known PFAS contamination. And some PFAS compounds bioaccumulate - meaning that chemical concentrations are not easily cleared in the body and instead increase over time as people consume trace amounts each day. They also are present in nearly every American’s blood, according to studies. Public records show the chemicals have turned up in water samples collected from home water wells, churches, schools, military bases, nursing homes, and municipal water supplies in small towns like Rome and big cities like Chicago. ![]() The Environmental Working Group, a research and advocacy organization that tracks PFAS, said it has logged more than 2,800 sites in the U.S. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |