Keep up with PFAS-related developments in the Great Lakes area with Great Lakes Now’s biweekly headline roundup.
Click on the headline to read the full story:
Indiana
A bill to secure industry use of toxic PFAS is dead – for now. How could it have harmed Hoosiers? — WBAA
Indiana manufacturers pushed to change the state’s definition of toxic PFAS to ensure they can continue using some of those chemicals.
Minnesota
Study: Removing PFAS will cost more than global GDP at current emission rates — MPR News
PFAS are a large class of human-made chemicals originally developed in Minnesota by 3M back in the 1940s. Some PFAS have been linked to health effects, including some types of cancers, thyroid disease and low birth weight.
Health officials update fish consumption guidance for Mississippi River south of metro — Minnesota Department of Health
The Minnesota Department of Health has new and updated guidance on fish consumption for the Mississippi River from St. Paul to Wabasha, due to a mixture of pollutants — including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — found in fish tissue.
Ohio
Ohio takeback program aims to annihilate PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ — Dayton Daily News
A $3 million statewide initiative to collect and destroy stockpiled firefighting foam containing hazardous per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has seen Fairborn, Sugarcreek and Bellbrook fire departments turn in hundreds of gallons of the toxic foam.
Wisconsin
PFAS is piling up in our trash. Can we keep it contained? — Wisconsin Watch
Decades’ worth of toxic “forever chemicals” are sitting in landfills, presenting a new contaminant for waste handlers who didn’t create the pollution, but now find themselves awash in it. A few companies are trying to filter PFAS out of their leachate, and researchers are studying whether it might escape from trash into the air.
Test results show new spike in PFAS chemicals in Dane County — WKOW
New test results from Public Health Madison and Dane County conclude more PFAS contamination has been identified.
National
A new sensor detects harmful “forever chemicals” in drinking water — MIT News
The technology could offer a cheap, fast way to test for PFAS, which have been linked to cancer and other health problems.
Legal action could end use of toxic sewage sludge on US crops as fertilizer — The Guardian
New legal action could put an end to the practice of spreading toxic sewage sludge on US cropland as a cheap alternative to fertilizer, and force America to rethink how it disposes of its industrial and human waste.
A notice of intent to sue federal regulators charges they have failed to address dangerous levels of PFAS “forever chemicals” known to be in virtually all sludge.
Turf fields may have ‘forever chemicals.’ Should kids be playing on them? — Washington Post
Researchers are conducting studies to determine whether PFAS and other chemicals detected in turf can end up on athletes and pose a risk to their health.
US Government Seeks Immunity From 27 Lawsuits Related to PFAS Contamination — Truthout
The United States government said it is immune to 27 lawsuits filed by local and state governments, businesses, and property owners over the military’s role in contaminating the country with deadly PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals.”
Alarm over forever chemicals as scientists find ‘clear’ proof the toxic chemicals lurking in our … — MSN
Latest evidence by Dutch and German researchers suggests the impact of PFAS in the blood could be even greater than suspected.
US Kleenex plant contaminated drinking water with PFAS, lawsuit says — The Guardian
The lawsuit also alleges ‘forever chemicals’ used at Connecticut plant put residents’ health at risk and destroyed property values.
Chairman Carper’s Opening Statement: Hearing to Examine PFAS as Hazardous Substances —
U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works – Senate.gov
“We are gathered here today for an important discussion to better understand PFAS as hazardous substances and the impacts of regulating them under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Liability, and Cleanup Act, also known as the ‘Superfund law.’ But, first I want to thank our panel of witnesses for joining us today.”
Drinking water in U.S. prisons may have dangerously high levels of PFAS — UCLA Newsroom
Almost a million incarcerated people could suffer lifelong health consequences from exposure to PFAS.
EPA: PFAS forever chemicals found in drinking water systems for 70M — USA Today
At least 70 million Americans get their water from a system where toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” were found at levels that require reporting to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Waste industry implores Senate for PFAS exemptions under Superfund — Waste Dive
A Senate hearing put the waste industry’s longtime request for certain PFAS-related Superfund exemptions in the spotlight as the EPA is poised to make certain PFAS hazardous.
US appeals court curtails EPA’s ability to regulate PFAS under toxic substances law — Reuters
A federal appeals court has vacated two U.S. Environmental Protection Agency orders prohibiting a Texas plastics treatment company from manufacturing toxic “forever chemicals”, opens new tab while treating plastic containers used to hold things like pesticides and household cleaners.
Catch more news at Great Lakes Now:
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