Pollution

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    Arctic ‘Mercury Bomb’ Threatens Food Chain as Climate Warms

    Arctic ‘Mercury Bomb’ Threatens Food Chain as Climate Warms

    As global heating caused by the climate crisis warms the Arctic as much as four times faster than the worldwide average, Alaska’s Yukon River is eroding thawing permafrost and releasing mercury-laden sediment that has been sequestered for thousands of years into the surrounding environment. The toxic contaminant is putting the food chain and communities that […]

    U.S. Signals New Support for Global Plastics Reduction, Reports Say

    U.S. Signals New Support for Global Plastics Reduction, Reports Say

    The U.S. has shifted its policy position and is now in favor of supporting limitations on global plastics, Reuters confirmed. As reported by Grist, the Biden administration announced in closed-door meetings this week that it supported global efforts to limit plastic pollution via the United Nations’ plastic treaty. Previously, the U.S. had held the stance […]

    Massachusetts to Phase Out Toxic PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Firefighting Gear

    Massachusetts to Phase Out Toxic PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Firefighting Gear

    Governor of Massachusetts Maura Healey has signed a new law to phase out per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the protective gear firefighters wear. PFAS “forever chemicals” do not break down in the environment and have been associated with serious health problems, including liver and thyroid issues, immune system disruption, cancer and reproductive harm. They […]

    Researchers Develop Method to Track Forever Chemicals to Their Source

    Researchers Develop Method to Track Forever Chemicals to Their Source

    Researchers from the University of Texas at Austin have found a way to track organofluorine compounds, which are common in pharmaceuticals and pesticides. The development could help trace these compounds and other types of forever chemicals found as contaminants in the environment to their sources. Organofluorine compounds have strong bonds that keep them from breaking […]

    EPA Issues Emergency Ban on the Pesticide Dacthal

    EPA Issues Emergency Ban on the Pesticide Dacthal

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued an emergency notice pulling the pesticide dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate, also known as DCPA or Dacthal. The chemical was placed under an emergency order to stop further use, the first order of its kind in nearly four decades, because of the risk it poses to fetuses in pregnant people. […]