ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. It recently released a 8,000 word exposé on how 3M knew that its PFAS chemicals were in people’s bodies. The information in the article is too important to overlook, so here are its highlights. In 1997, Jim Johnson gave a 3M … [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.
President Trump has nominated Nancy Beck, a former chemical industry official, to head the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), an independent federal agency tasked with protecting the public from the same toxic chemicals Beck has long defended, alongside more than 15,000 other regulated products.
My neighbor is an NPR junkie and always has the radio on. Earlier this evening when I was visiting her, I listened in on their podcast. What grabbed my attention were the words “toxic chemical” and “found in 99% of humans’ blood.”
The latest US midterm is over — or nearly over — and Democratic candidates had a record wave of support from voters, but there’s still plenty of misunderstanding to clear up. We’ve gone through decades of misinformation campaigns, gaslighting, and political dystrophy. One blue wave doesn’t mean we’ve got everything in order.
One topic I was recently inspired to address is a simple one, but one that seems to skate under the radar of public consciousness.
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]
Beyond renewable energies, natural gas is one of the cleaner energy sources out there for those wishing to leave a green footprint. However, the techniques being used to obtain this gas are starting to make some worry.
Yes, we all know that thing about getting high from banana peels was a 1960’s hoax, but this is the real deal. A team of researchers has found that minced banana peels can clean pollution from river water, such as lead and copper. Not only that, but they can do it more quickly and efficiently than conventional chemical water treatments. Okay, so you’d probably need a ton of bananas to clean up a big site, but the discovery does have some implications for small scale uses, especially where budgets are tight.
