EPA action designates two widely used PFAS as hazardous substances under the Superfund law, improving transparency and accountability to clean up PFAS contamination in communities WASHINGTON — Today, April 19, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking another step in its efforts to protect people from the health risks … [continued]
PFAS, a category of toxic chemicals that consists of thousands of man-made compounds, are used by industry and often added to consumer products, ranging from cookware to cosmetics, to make them stain- and water-resistant. PFAS are nearly indestructible “forever toxic” chemicals that are found in our air, water, food—and our bodies. They can be harmful to human health even at very low doses, with some being linked to immune suppression, cancer, and developmental disorders. However, there has been little done to address PFAS contamination.
Imagine a future of foods free of harmful chemicals — a future where crops still grow strong and dense in the absence of choking weeds, but bees and other pollinators buzz and frolic among the crops. Over at Clint Brauer’s farm outside of Cheney, Kansas, that future is very nearly a reality, thanks to a swarm of autonomous robots.
When Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) scientists concluded that the chemical trichloroethylene (TCE) causes fetal heart defects, even at low doses, officials at the White House overrode their conclusions — an egregious example of political interference in science, and a violation of the EPA’s scientific integrity policy. The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) submitted a formal complaint to the EPA, urging the agency’s scientific integrity office to investigate.
Millions of people will soon be safer from the thousands of dangerous chemical facilities that sit in flood-prone areas.
The idea behind power-to-gas has been around for a while. It uses electric power to produce gaseous fuel, usually hydrogen. The advantages are that it can be used to take up excess electric energy from renewable generation in a chemical form. Later, the fuel can be used as needed.
A new report from CDP analyzes 22 of the largest global chemical companies, with a total market capitalization of $626 billion and responsible for a quarter of all emissions of the sector at 276 million metric tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.
Central California, already painfully stressed by the worst drought in 50 years (which the US Drought Monitor designates as “extreme or exceptional drought,” the most serious category on the agency’s five-level scale), has another problem with its water supply. Aquifers that supply drinking and irrigation water have recently had to … [continued]
Venture Capitalists (VCs), driven by their appetite for quick results, are missing out on huge opportunities in renewable biofuels and chemicals. That leaves the market wide open to a variety of alternative investors who, if equipped with the patience needed, will realize the substantial returns that await those who can … [continued]
If we’ve learned anything from the totality of human history, it is that if we ever find anything in great enough abundance, we’ll try to use it for something that benefits us. One need only look at the coal deposits, forests, and oceans for proof of this. This instinctual human … [continued]
