Pollution

It’s Raining PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Miami, Study Finds

It’s Raining PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Miami, Study Finds

A new study has found per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in Miami’s rainwater. It is the most recent evidence that “forever chemicals” get caught up in the water cycle and circulate over great distances. “PFAS are practically everywhere,” said Natalia Soares Quinete, author of the study and an assistant professor of chemistry at Florida International […]

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    Millions of People in Lower 48 States May Be Relying on PFAS-Contaminated Groundwater for Drinking

    Millions of People in Lower 48 States May Be Relying on PFAS-Contaminated Groundwater for Drinking

    Roughly 71 to 95 million people living in the contiguous United States — more than one-fifth of the population — may be reliant on groundwater with detectable concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) for their drinking water, according to a new study by the U.S Geological Survey (USGS). The research provides the first national […]

    EPA Strengthens Standards for Exposure to Lead-Based Paint Dust to Protect Children

    EPA Strengthens Standards for Exposure to Lead-Based Paint Dust to Protect Children

    To mark National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week — October 20 to 26 — the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized stricter requirements for the identification and cleaning up of lead-based paint dust in homes and childcare facilities constructed before 1978. The new standards are the most recent action in the Biden-Harris administration’s strategy […]

    Planet Will Warm as Much as 3.1°C Under Current Policies: UN Report

    Planet Will Warm as Much as 3.1°C Under Current Policies: UN Report

    Without greater action, the planet will warm as much as 3.1 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, according to the latest United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Emissions Gap Report: No more hot air … please!. In the coming round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), countries must commit to slashing their collective yearly greenhouse […]

    Plastic Pollution Sounds Like Food to Whales Using Echolocation

    Plastic Pollution Sounds Like Food to Whales Using Echolocation

    For whales that dive deeper into the oceans for food, they face a growing threat: plastic pollution. That’s because the sounds that plastics make can be very similar to the sounds that prey make, leading to confusion for whales that rely on echolocation to source food. According to a new study, published in the journal […]

    42 Billion Euros Spent Annually by 5 Largest EU Countries to Subsidize Fossil Fuel Company Cars, Study Finds

    42 Billion Euros Spent Annually by 5 Largest EU Countries to Subsidize Fossil Fuel Company Cars, Study Finds

    The five biggest countries in the European Union spend 42 billion euros each year on subsidizing fossil-fuel-powered company cars, a new study commissioned by Transport & Environment (T&E) says. The report by Environmental Resources Management (ERM), “Company car fossil fuel subsidies in Europe,” called for increased subsidies for electric vehicles (EVs). “This is completely illogical […]

    Scientists Detect PFAS in Bottled and Tap Water Around the World

    Scientists Detect PFAS in Bottled and Tap Water Around the World

    In a new study, scientists detected the presence of 10 target per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), including compounds such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), in samples of tap water from the UK and China as well as in bottled waters from 15 countries. The study, published in the journal ACS ES&T Water, […]