Water Pumped Into Tampa Bay Could Cause a Massive Algae Bloom, Affecting Manatees and Fish
09 April
Animals
A wild manatee swims through algae floating in the water near Tampa, Florida. milehightraveler / Getty Images
By Larry Brand
Millions of gallons of water laced with fertilizer ingredients are being pumped into Florida's Tampa Bay from a leaking reservoir at an abandoned phosphate plant at Piney Point. As the water spreads into the bay, it carries phosphorus and nitrogen – nutrients that under the right conditions can fuel dangerous algae blooms that can suffocate sea grass beds and kill fish, dolphins and manatees.
<p>It's the kind of risk no one wants to see, but officials believed the other options were worse.</p><p>About 300 homes sit downstream from the 480-million-gallon reservoir, which began leaking in late March 2021. State officials determined that <a href="https://protectingfloridatogether.gov/PineyPointUpdate" target="_blank">pumping out the water</a> was the only way to prevent the reservoir's walls from collapsing. They decided the safest location for all that water would be out <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/2021/04/05/piney-point-florida-reservoir-breach-flood-tampa-bay-palmetto-evacuation/7088307002/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">through Port Manatee</a> and into the bay.</p><p>Florida's coast is dotted with <a href="https://www.fws.gov/southeast/gulf-restoration/next-steps/focal-area/tampa-bay/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">fragile marine sanctuaries</a> and <a href="https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/issue-briefs/2019/10/healthy-seagrass-forms-underwater-meadows-that-harbor-diverse-marine-life" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">sea grass beds</a> that help nurture the state's thriving <a href="https://coast.noaa.gov/enowexplorer/#/employment/total/2017/12081" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">marine and tourism economy</a>. Those near Port Manatee now face a risk of algal blooms over the next few weeks. Once algae blooms get started, little can be done to clean them up.</p><p>The phosphate mining industry around Tampa is just one source of nutrients that can fuel dangerous algae blooms, which I study <a href="https://people.miami.edu/profile/[email protected]#panelResearch" target="_blank">as a marine biologist</a>. The sugarcane industry, cattle ranches, dairy farms and citrus groves <a href="https://iwaponline.com/wp/article/20/5/919/41575" target="_blank">all release</a> <a href="http://doi.org/10.1016/j.hal.2006.08.005" target="_blank">nutrients</a> that often flow into rivers and eventually into bays and the ocean. Sewage is another problem – Miami and Fort Lauderdale, for example, have <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/sep/10/florida-sewage-spill-waterways-infrastructure" target="_blank">old sewage treatment systems with frequent pipe breaks</a> that leak sewage into canals and coastal waters.</p><p>All can <a href="https://iwaponline.com/wp/article/20/5/919/41575" target="_blank">fuel harmful algal blooms</a> that harm marine life and people. Overall, blooms are <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/24897842" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">getting worse locally</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1648-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">globally</a>.</p>
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Red tide in recent years has killed large numbers of Florida's manatees, a threatened species. David Hinkel/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
<h2>The Problem With Algae Blooms</h2><p>Just down the coast from Port Manatee, the next three counties to the south have had algae blooms in recent weeks, including red tide, which <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hal.2009.08.005" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">produces a neurotoxin</a> that feels like pepper spray if you breathe it in. <em>Karenia brevis</em>, a dinoflagellate, is the organism in red tide and produces the toxin.</p><p>This part of Florida's Gulf Coast is a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hal.2006.08.005" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">hot spot for red tide</a>, often fueled by agricultural runoff. A persistent red tide in 2017 and 2018 <a href="https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/2020-01-02/2019-was-not-a-good-year-for-manatees-boat-strikes-and-red-tide-took-a-toll" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">killed at least 177 manatees</a> and left a trail of dead fish along the coast and into Tampa Bay. If the coastal currents carry today's red tide father north and into Tampa Bay, the toxic algae could thrive on the nutrients from Piney Point.</p>
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A map shows red tide reports just south of Tampa Bay. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
<p>Even blooms that are not toxic are <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/what-is-harmful-algal-bloom" target="_blank">still dangerous to ecosystems</a>. They cloud the water, cutting off light and killing the plants below. A large enough bloom can also reduce oxygen in the water. A lack of oxygen can kill off everything in the water, including the fish.</p><p>This part of Florida has extensive sea grass meadows, <a href="https://floridadep.gov/rcp/seagrass" target="_blank">about 2.2 million acres (8.9 billion square meters) in all</a>, which are important habitat for lots of species and serve as nurseries for shrimp, crabs and fish. Scientists have argued that sea grass is also a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo1477" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">major carbon sink</a> – the grass sucks up carbon and pumps it down into the sediments.</p><p>Once the nutrients are in a large body of water, there isn't much that can be done to stop algae growth. Killing the algae would only release the nutrients again, putting the bay back where it started. Algae blooms can remain a problem for years, finally declining when a predator population develops to eats them, a viral disease spreads through the bloom or strong currents and mixing disperse the bloom.</p><h2>Agriculture Runoff Poses Risks to Marine Life</h2><p>The phosphate mining industry around Tampa is a large source of nutrient-rich waste. On average, <a href="https://www.epa.gov/radiation/tenorm-fertilizer-and-fertilizer-production-wastes#fertilizer" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">more than 5 tons</a> of phosphogypsum waste are produced for every ton of phosphoric acid created for fertilizer. In Florida, that adds up to <a href="https://fipr.floridapoly.edu/about-us/phosphate-primer/phosphogypsum-stacks.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">over 1 billion tons</a> of radioactive waste material that can't be used, so it's stacked up and turned into reservoirs like the one now leaking at Piney Point.</p><p>The reservoirs are obvious in satellite photos of the region, and they can be highly acidic. To get the phosphate out of the minerals, the industry uses sulfuric acid, and it leaves behind a highly acid wastewater. There have been at least <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/sep/17/florida-sinkhole-wastewater-leak-drinking-water" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">two cases where it ate through the limestone below a reservoir</a>, creating huge sinkholes hundreds of feet deep and draining wastewater into the aquifer.</p><p>Since <a href="https://protectingfloridatogether.gov/PineyPointUpdate" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">saltwater had previously been pumped into</a> the Piney Point reservoir, acidity is less of an issue. That's because the seawater would buffer the pH. There is some radioactivity, but <a href="https://protectingfloridatogether.gov/PineyPointUpdate" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">only slightly above regulatory standards</a>, according to state Department of Environmental Protection, and probably not much of a health hazard.</p><p>But the nutrients are a risk. In 2004, water releases from the Piney Point reservoir <a href="https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/piney-point-dumping-causes-algae-bloom-in-bishop-harbor/67-396514258" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">contributed to an algae bloom</a> in Bishop Harbor, just south of the current release site. In 2011, it released over <a href="https://thebradentontimes.com/piney-point-a-retrospective-p6328-158.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">170 million gallons</a> into Bishop Harbor again after a liner broke.</p>
Piney Point: Florida's Leaking Reservoir
<img class="rm-lazyloadable-image rm-shortcode" lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNjAzNDc5NS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNjM5MDc3MH0._qtv67bay76oqnix5O-YCLQX1m7fvx1-F51gL5V3IPU/img.png?width=980" id="0bc20" width="1200" height="900" data-rm-shortcode-id="358712a8098e782e6225230ab2566bdc" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />Map: The Conversation/CC-BY-ND
<p>Another significant source of algae-feeding nutrients is agriculture, particularly cattle ranching and the sugarcane industry. Nutrient runoff from cattle ranches and dairy farms north of Lake Okeechobee end up in the lake. South of the lake, much of the <a href="https://doi.org/10.4000/miranda.2881" target="_blank">northern third of the Everglades</a> was converted to sugarcane farms, and those fields back-pumped runoff into the lake for decades until the state started cracking down in the 1980s. Their legacy nutrients are still in the lake.</p><p>The nutrient-rich water in the lake then pours down the Caloosahatchee River and into the Gulf of Mexico near Fort Myers, south of Tampa. That's likely feeding the current red tide off the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River.</p><p>When water from the Everglades region's agriculture is pumped south instead, huge blooms tend to appear in Florida Bay at the southern tip of the state. Some scientists believe it <a href="http://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-019-3538-9" target="_blank">may be damaging coral reefs</a> there, though there's debate about it. During times that flow of water from the farms increased, reefs throughout the Florida Keys have been harmed. Those reefs have become overgrown with algae.</p><p>With the current red tide, the coastal currents have carried it north as far as Sarasota already. If they carry it farther north, it will run into the Piney Point area.</p>
<p>
<em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/larry-brand-1223487" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Larry Brand</a> is a </em><em>Professor of Marine Biology and Ecology, University of Miami.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Disclosure statement: </em><em><em>Larry Brand has received funding from the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, National Park Service, Department of Energy, Office of Naval Research, Army Corps of Engineers, Florida Department of Health, Dade County Department of Environmental Resources Management, Cove Point Foundation, and Hoover Foundation.</em></em>
</p><p>
<em><em></em>R</em><em>eposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/water-being-pumped-into-tampa-bay-could-cause-a-massive-algae-bloom-putting-fragile-manatee-and-fish-habitats-at-risk-158568" target="_blank">The Conversation.</a></em>
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Delta-8 THC is a cannabis product that has become a bestseller over the past few months, as many consumers find they can legally purchase it from CBD retailers. Its proponents say that Delta-8 THC will give you a nice little buzz, minus some of the more intense feelings (including paranoia) that are sometimes associated with marijuana.
Delta-8 THC is being marketed as a legal option for consumers who either don't live in a state with legal cannabis, or are a little apprehensive about how traditional psychoactive THC products will affect them. But is it all it's cracked up to be? Let's take a closer look, exploring what Delta-8 THC is, how it differs from other THC products, and whether it's actually legal for use.
<h2>What is Delta-8 THC?</h2><p>To better understand <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/27/health/marijuana-hemp-delta-8-thc.html" target="_blank">Delta-8 THC</a>, it helps to cover some basics about THC and cannabis.</p><p>Cannabis plants come chock full of different <a href="https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/cannabis-marijuana-and-cannabinoids-what-you-need-to-know" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>cannabinoids</em></a>. These are naturally-occuring chemical compounds that bind with receptors throughout your body. They can offer a wide range of mental, emotional, and physical effects; indeed, the healing and therapeutic properties marijuana or <a data-linked-post="2648563694" href="https://www.ecowatch.com/strongest-cbd-oil-2648563694.html" target="_blank">CBD products</a> offer can be attributed to cannabinoids.</p><p>One of the most common cannabinoids is what's known as Delta-9 THC. Simply put, this is the part of marijuana that gets you "high." It's worth noting that Delta-9 THC remains illegal in many states, except for in the most minute doses, and is still illegal at the federal level. CBD products are made with trace amounts of THC, ensuring that consumers can enjoy positive health effects in a perfectly legal way, without the risk of getting high.</p><p>On a chemical level, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/27/health/marijuana-hemp-delta-8-thc.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Delta-8 THC</a> is not too different from Delta-9 THC; the distinction comes down to just a few molecules. But those molecules make a big practical impact: Delta-8 THC will give you a buzz, but the psychoactive effects are considerably milder than with Delta-9 THC.</p><p>More specifically, many cannabis enthusiasts report that Delta-8 THC helps them feel good but also leaves them relatively clear-headed; and, it doesn't produce the anxiety or jitteriness that often characterize a Delta-9 THC high.</p><p>Additionally, because of the way the law is written regarding Delta-9 THC, some CBD companies now sell Delta-8 THC products in places where traditional cannabis is still illegal.</p><h2>What's the Difference Between Delta-9 THC and Delta-8 THC?</h2><p>Here are the primary differences to note between Delta-9 and Delta-8 THC:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>Delta-9 THC is the primary psychoactive ingredient found in marijuana. In other words, it's the part that gets you high.</li><li>Though some states have found workarounds, Delta-9 THC is still illegal under federal law.</li><li>Delta-8 THC is also found in the cannabis plant, though it's not quite as powerful or as well-known. </li><li>Delta-8 THC is milder in its psychoactive effects. And, it's not <em>technically </em>illegal under current law.</li></ul><p>These are just a few of the key distinctions to keep in mind. Delta-8 THC is popular among consumers who want a smoother high, and don't want to violate federal law.</p><h2>Is Delta-8 THC Legal?</h2><p>We noted that Delta-8 THC is not <em>technically </em>illegal. Here, we need to get into some of the nuanced legal considerations that surround this substance.</p><p>First of all, there are plenty of cannabis companies that actively promote Delta-8 THC as a legal way to get high. Again, that's technically true, but is still a point of debate for some.</p><p>For one thing, it's not explicitly listed as an illegal substance. While federal laws, and some state laws, specifically ban Delta-9 THC, Delta-8 THC is never mentioned. More to the point, though, many proponents will cite the<a href="https://www.usda.gov/farmbill" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> 2018 Farm Bill</a>. This law legalized several industrial hemp products on a national level, including CBD.</p><p>The Farm Bill also includes some fairly nuanced positions regarding THC. In summary, the law says that hemp and cannabis-derived products are legal so long as they contain less than 0.3 percent Delta-9 THC.</p><p>With that said, some lawyers contend that Delta-8's heyday may soon come to an end. That's because the Farm Bill clears it only so long as it's derived directly from hemp; most of the Delta-8 THC products sold today aren't made from hemp, but rather from synthetically-altered CBD.</p><p>Some of these issues are a little fuzzy, and <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/delta-8-thc-legal-weed-explained-1113859/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the legal future of Delta-8 THC</a> remains a little uncertain. For now, though, many experts would argue that it is legal to purchase.</p><h2>What Kinds of Delta-8 THC Products Are Available?</h2><p><em>Each product featured here has been independently selected by the writer. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.</em></p><p>If you're looking to try Delta-8 THC products, you'll certainly find plenty of different products. Dispensaries and legal cannabis stores currently have a trove of products that use this cannabinoid. Some examples include:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>Vape cartridges, tinctures, and capsules.</li><li>Beverages made with Delta-8 THC, including some seltzers.</li><li>Edibles, including Delta-8 THC gummy bears, chocolate bars, and more.</li></ul><p>The cannabis industry has really been running with Delta-8 THC, finding creative ways to bring it to market. And chances are, even more products will be springing up in the weeks and months to come. </p><p>It's very important to note that you should only purchase Delta-8 THC products from reputable brands and established cannabis retailers. We do not recommend purchasing any products that contain Delta-8 THC from gas stations or vape shops. If you are looking for a reputable place to explore these products, here are a few brands that we trust and recommend:</p>
<h2>What are the Pros and Cons of Delta-8 THC?</h2><p>As you consider whether Delta-8 THC is worth your time, it may be helpful to weigh the pros against the cons.</p><p><strong>Pros</strong></p><p>Let's start with some of the positives:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>Delta-8 THC does have psychoactive effects, but it's a milder effect than with traditional Delta-9 THC.</li><li>Delta-8 THC is currently legal and widely accessible in multiple states.</li><li>There are a wide number of products that use Delta-8 THC.</li></ul><p><strong>Cons</strong></p><p>Now, a few of the downsides.</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>Delta-8 THC isn't quite as commonplace as other cannabis products, including CBD, and some of the options on the market are expensive.</li><li>While this substance is technically legal, there are plenty of uncertainties over its legal future. It's something you want to keep in mind.</li><li>As a relatively new product, Delta-8 THC products are not regulated by the FDA and there is not independent testing in place to verify that it is safe or pure.</li></ul><p>As with any cannabis product, Delta-8 THC has its pros and cons. As you seek the cannabis product that's best for you, it's largely a matter of personal preference.</p><p>Also note that smoking, vaping, or otherwise imbibing any kind of cannabis-related product can carry some medical risks and negative health consequences. If you have any specific concerns, we recommend consulting with your doctor before you try any Delta-8 THC product.</p><p><em><strong>Josh Hurst </strong></em><em>is a journalist, critic, and essayist. He lives in Knoxville, TN, with his wife and three sons. He covers natural health, nutrition, supplements, and clean energy. His writing has appeared in Health, Shape, and Remedy Review.</em></p>
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Study Links Pesticide Exposure to Childhood Central Nervous System Tumors
07 April
Health + Wellness
A helicopter sprays pesticide on a crop field in California. Jeff Foott / Photodisc / Getty Images
A new study adds to the evidence that pesticides harm children's health.
<p>The study, published in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0013935121003728#tbl1" target="_blank">Environmental Research</a> last week, found that children were more likely to develop central nervous system (CNS) tumors if their mothers had lived within 2.5 miles of land where pesticides were being sprayed when they were born.</p><p>"This study is the first, to our knowledge, to estimate effects for a large number of specific pesticides in relation to CNS tumor subtypes," Julia Heck, a study coauthor and the associate dean for research at the University of North Texas College of Health and Public Service said, as <a href="https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/study-cites-childhood-tumor-risk-for-pesticide-exposure-during-pregnancy/2565696/https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/study-cites-childhood-tumor-risk-for-pesticide-exposure-during-pregnancy/2565696/" target="_blank">NBC Los Angeles reported</a>.</p>
<p>The research looked at the California Cancer Registry to identify cases of certain <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/cancer" target="_self">cancers</a> in children under six years old, the study explained. They focused on mothers who lived in rural areas and gave birth between 1998 and 2011 to identify 667 cases of childhood central nervous system tumors and 123,158 controls. They then compared these cases to data from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation's (CDPR) Pesticide Use Reporting (PUR) system to identify whether <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/chemicals" target="_self">chemicals</a> classed as possible carcinogens by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had been sprayed within 2.5 miles of the mothers' homes at birth.</p><p>One important implication of the study is that the mothers did not have to be directly working in <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/agriculture" target="_self">agriculture</a> in order for their children to face dangerous exposure.</p>
<p>"California's agricultural work force numbers more than 800,000, according to <a href="https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fescholarship.org%2Fuc%2Fitem%2F3qt5n6t1&data=04%7C01%7CJulia.Heck%40unt.edu%7C32414441535d41f7a65308d8f555248e%7C70de199207c6480fa318a1afcba03983%7C0%7C1%7C637529093332138948%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C2000&sdata=I5wDhhneyBfHkqdcbywIIjYwK9qTwbOfasnrC4aVa7M%3D&reserved=0" target="_blank">state estimates</a>," Dr. Christina Lombardi, study co-author and epidemiologist with the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, told <a href="https://beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/2021/04/living-within-2-5-miles-of-chemical-farming-increases-risk-of-childhood-brain-tumors/" target="_blank">Beyond Pesticides</a>. "In addition to the negative health effects of pesticides on workers there are large numbers of pregnant women and young children living adjacent to treated fields who may experience detrimental health effects as well."</p><p>This risk is exacerbated by the fact that farmland and residential land is not always clearly delineated in the state.</p><p>"This transition from farmland to residential neighborhoods is abrupt across California, and, of course, constantly changing as farmland is developed," study co-author Myles Cockburn of the University of Southern California told Beyond Pesticides.</p>
<p>The researchers found that some of the chemicals they studied increased tumor risk as much as 2.5 times. Overall, exposure to the pesticides chlorthalonil, bromacil, thiophanate-methyl, triforine, kresoxim-methyl, propiconazole, dimethoate and linuron all increased tumor risk.</p><p>This is far from the first study to show that pesticide exposure is a danger to pregnant mothers and children. In fact, researchers have been studying the link between pesticides and childhood cancer since the 1970s, according to NBC Los Angeles.</p><p>The report authors called for government action to better protect mothers and children.</p><p>"Policy interventions to reduce pesticide exposure in individuals residing near agricultural fields should be considered to protect the health of children," coauthor and UCLA's Fielding School of Public Health epidemiology professor Beate Ritz told NBC Los Angeles.</p>
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Flooding and a coal ash spill at Duke Energy's Sutton power plant near Wilmington, North Carolina on Sept. 21, 2018 after Hurricane Florence. Jo-Anne McArthur / Waterkeeper Alliance Inc. / Flickr
The threat of a catastrophic failure unleashing a 20-foot wall of industrial wastewater over nearby homes and businesses in Piney Point, Florida, illustrates the danger of widespread reliance on industrial waste ponds across the U.S., The New York Times reports.
<p>Many of these ponds, filled with toxic and sometimes radioactive, byproducts of climate-change causing activity like coal ash from power plants or manure from industrialized farms, are also at risk because of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change">climate change</a>. Open lagoons make up the extent of waste processing infrastructure for industrial hog farming operations and coal-fired power plants and both were overwhelmed by Hurricane Florence in 2018, when more than 100 hog lagoons were swamped throughout the Carolinas and coal ash poured out of containment ponds at Duke's Sutton Plant in Wilmington, N.C.</p>
<p>"They're just an irresponsible way to store very dangerous waste," Daniel Estrin, general counsel at the Waterkeeper Alliance, a clean water nonprofit group, told the Times. "And with climate change, we're going to see more frequent and stronger storms that are going to impact these sites."</p>
<p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong><br/></p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/06/climate/florida-ponds-toxic-waste.html?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=120059140&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--7eP3zgxhlzcvHgwaim68C3oXRKWOBGOYqg1KEuTVT3twTL-kq3yJ1XOmscdsRIBcWA5VDWFfHrJ2FYaiehFyb1ZsddA&utm_content=120059140&utm_source=hs_email" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>; Climate Signals background: <a href="https://www.climatesignals.org/climate-change-hurricanes?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=120059140&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8RVe9qLc9A_flyV55SUwFQJqu1Ts8h1WEyzmW5yz_5MFVfGcAhnWnjE7H4kFcj-T2p93-lr66487EJ28_hrhNTBicCBg&utm_content=120059140&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Hurricanes</a></p><p><em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>climate change</em></a><em> and </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/business/renewables/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>clean energy</em></a><em> news, you can follow Climate Nexus on </em><a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateNexus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Twitter</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClimateNexus/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, sign up for daily </em><a href="https://www.linktrack.live/hot-news-sign-up" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>, and visit their news site, </em><a href="https://nexusmedianews.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Nexus Media News</em></a><em>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
- Biden Faces Pressure to Tackle 'Unfunded' Toxic Waste Sites ... ›
- All Coal-Fired Power Plants in Texas Found Leaking Toxins Into ... ›
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Contaminated Military Bases 'Are No Place' for Kids, Advocates Warn as Biden Ramps up Detention Capacity
05 April
Politics
Young unaccompanied migrants, ages 3-9, watch TV inside a playpen at the Department of Homeland Security holding facility on March 30, 2021 in Donna, Texas. Dario Lopez-Mills - Pool / Getty Images
By Kenny Stancil
In a move that was condemned by environmental justice advocates on Friday, President Joe Biden's administration earlier this week sent 500 unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors to Fort Bliss — a highly contaminated and potentially hazardous military base in El Paso, Texas — and is reportedly considering using additional toxic military sites as detention centers for migrant children in U.S. custody.
<p>"We are extremely concerned to hear of plans to detain immigrant children in Fort Bliss. Military bases filled with contaminated sites are no place for the healthy development of any child," Melissa Legge, an attorney at Earthjustice, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2021/04/02/first-500-unaccompanied-minors-sent-toxic-military-base-fort-bliss" target="_blank">said</a> in a statement.</p><p>"We recognize that the humanitarian situation at the border needs to be addressed in humanity, compassion, and expediency," Legge continued. "Part of that requires keeping children away from toxic military sites."</p>
<p>"While we are hopeful that the Biden administration will keep children safe, we remain vigilant and ready to continue protecting detained minors in toxic facilities," she added. "Immigrant children under the care of the federal government should not be in cages, let alone toxic sites in military bases."</p><p>The Biden administration announced last week that facilities at Fort Bliss "would serve as temporary housing for up to 5,000 unaccompanied minors," the El Paso Times <a href="https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/immigration/2021/03/30/first-500-unaccompanied-migrant-children-arrive-fort-bliss/4811988001/" target="_blank">reported</a> Tuesday. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said "it will reserve the Fort Bliss accommodations for boys ages 13 to 17. Military personnel won't staff the site or provide care for the children, who are in the custody and care of HHS."</p>
<p>There are 17,641 unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors in U.S. custody as of Tuesday,<a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Health/covid-19-cases-unaccompanied-migrant-children-facilities-spark/story?id=76788478" target="_blank"> according to</a> ABC News. Over 5,600 children are being held in <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/03/15/fema-ordered-help-border-patrol-holds-3000-migrant-children-over-legal-limit" target="_blank">overcrowded facilities</a> run by Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which falls under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), while more than 12,000 are under the supervision of HHS.</p><p>Although DHS is supposed to transfer minors to the HHS's Office of Refugee Resettlement within 72 hours — after which children are housed in one of more than 200 HHS-approved shelters in 22 states until they can be placed with a family member or another suitable sponsor — thousands have been stuck for far longer than legally allowed in<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/03/19/sen-chris-murphy-fought-back-tears-visiting-detained-migrant-children-texas" target="_blank"> squalid conditions</a>.</p>
<p>Last month, the White House came under fire for <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/03/23/biden-restricts-media-access-photos-show-children-crowded-border-jails" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">restricting</a> media access to CBP's detention facilities, which some journalists have <a href="https://twitter.com/jacobsoboroff/status/1374047709078777857" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">described</a> as "border jails."</p><p>As the El Paso Times <a href="https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/immigration/2021/03/30/first-500-unaccompanied-migrant-children-arrive-fort-bliss/4811988001/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">noted</a>, HHS characterized Fort Bliss as "an 'emergency intake site' and a temporary measure to quickly remove the children from the custody of the Border Patrol."</p><p>Earthjustice argues that the Biden administration's plan to use military bases — many of which the group says "are known to be riddled with toxic hazards from past military operations, spills, storage of toxic chemicals, unexploded ordnances, and firing ranges" — to expand its capacity to temporarily detain unaccompanied children is no solution.</p><p>According to Earthjustice: "<a href="https://www.hillandponton.com/military-base-exposures-united-states/#:~:text=The%20EPA%20currently%20has%20over,sites%20listed%20as%20Superfund%20Priorities." target="_blank">130 military bases and installations</a> are considered priority Superfund sites by the Environmental Protection Agency. There are <a href="https://media.defense.gov/2020/Mar/13/2002264440/-1/-1/1/PFAS_Task_Force_Progress_Report_March_2020.pdf" target="_blank">currently 651 Department of Defense and National Guard sites</a> potentially contaminated by toxic chemicals known as PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. PFAS <a href="http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/hazardous/topics/pfcshealth.pdf" target="_blank">don't easily break down</a>, and they can <a href="https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/investigations/hoosick/docs/qandabloodtestingshort.pdf" target="_blank">persist in your body</a> and in the environment for decades."</p>
<p>Several of the military sites being considered by the Biden administration "are contaminated with potentially hazardous pollutants and some are even located on or near Superfund sites," Earthjustice said.</p><p>The organization continued:</p><blockquote>Superfund sites under consideration for housing children in immigration custody include the <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/immigration/article250010189.html" target="_blank">Homestead Detention Facility</a> in Homestead, Florida, <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/local/article/Moffett-Field-in-Mountain-View-may-be-used-as-16016637.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Moffett Field</a> in Mountain View, California, and <a href="https://www.atraxialaw.com/san-antonio/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Joint Base San Antonio</a> in Texas. Many of the sites remain inadequately remediated and still contaminated. Without proper environmental reviews, there is no way to guarantee these sites are safe for children, potentially exposing them to toxic chemicals that could have lifelong health impacts.<br>Fort Bliss is no exception. Earthjustice, along with partners including Alianza Nacional de Campesinas and the National Hispanic Medical Association, released <a href="https://earthjustice.org/features/migrant-children-detention-center-fort-bliss-documents" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">hundreds of documents of searchable documents</a> and an <a href="https://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/files/Fort-Bliss_Expert-Report_2019-11-18.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">expert analysis</a> of previous plans for construction of a temporary detention center for children and families at Fort Bliss. These records document several problems with the project, including that the Army did not adequately investigate to determine what types of waste had been disposed of at the site, that the methods used for testing the soil samples were inadequate or never completed, and that samples taken after the supposed clean-up still had concerning levels of pollution. Additionally, illegal dumping on the site may continue to this day. As a result, there is now even greater uncertainty about the environmental hazards at the site and a greater need for thorough testing, analysis, and cleanup.</blockquote>
<p>"We are deeply concerned about the decision to open temporary detention facilities for minors at Fort Bliss and the potential health risks to the minors detained in tents there," said Dr. Elena Rios, president of the National Hispanic Medical Association, a client in Earthjustice's 2018 FOIA lawsuit regarding the base.</p><p>"Based on what we found in our Fort Bliss investigation in 2018," she added, "there are still present toxins from past landfills, which means children could be forcibly exposed to toxicity linked to cancer and development defects."</p><p>Despite the GOP's <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/03/28/gops-border-stunt-nothing-divide-and-distract-tactic-say-immigrant-rights-advocates" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">dehumanizing and misleading narrative</a> that a "border crisis" is afoot, there has not been an uncharacteristic "surge" in migrants entering the U.S. at the southern border, but rather a predictable bump in border crossings that typically happens at this time of year, augmented by the arrival of people who would have come in 2020 but could not due to the clampdown on immigration during the Covid-19 pandemic, as The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/03/23/theres-no-migrant-surge-us-southern-border-heres-data/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a> last week.</p>
<p>An HHS statement on the transfer of migrant children to the military base in El Paso <a href="https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/immigration/2021/03/30/first-500-unaccompanied-migrant-children-arrive-fort-bliss/4811988001/" target="_blank">said</a> that "the use of the Fort Bliss facility will have no impact on the Department of Defense's ability to conduct its primary mission or on military readiness."</p><p>The deference to militarism is telling. According to <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/03/29/bowman-blames-decades-us-capitalism-imperialism-flow-asylum-seekers" target="_blank">Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) </a>and <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/03/31/its-not-border-crisis-says-ocasio-cortez-its-imperialism-crisis-climate-crisis-trade" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)</a>, it is impossible to understand the arrival of asylum-seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border without taking into account the role played by U.S. imperialism.</p><p>Earlier this week, as <em>Common Dreams</em> reported, the two progressive lawmakers made the case that the root causes of migration from Central America and Mexico to the U.S. can be found in decades of interventionist foreign policy, profit-maximizing trade and carceral policies, and the climate crisis — all driven by the pursuit of capitalist class interests.</p><p>Citing the U.S. government's "flagrant disregard for the health of those in custody," Earthjustice called for "the immediate halt of any plans to place children in such unsafe facilities, the securing of safe and suitable housing for children while they are required to remain in the care of the Department of Health and Human Services, and the development of solutions that do not involve placing children on or near toxic sites, military sites, or in detention-like settings."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/04/02/biden-ramps-detention-capacity-group-warns-contaminated-military-bases-are-no-place" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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A farm worker sprays pesticides on lemon groves in Spain. Worledit / iStock / Getty Images Plus
About one third of the world's agricultural land is at high risk from pesticide pollution, a new study has found.
<p>The research, published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-021-00712-5" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nature Geoscience</a> Monday, looked at the use and spread of 92 active pesticide ingredients in 168 countries. They considered an area at risk if the concentration of a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/chemicals" target="_self">chemical</a> exceeded the limit at which it would have no effect, and at high risk if that concentration exceeded the limit by a factor of 1,000.</p>
<p>"Our study has revealed 64 percent of the world's arable land is at risk of pesticide pollution," University of Sydney Research Associate and the study's lead author, Dr Fiona Tang said in a <a href="https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2021/03/30/two-thirds-of-farmland-at-risk-of-pesticide-pollution.html" target="_blank">University of Sydney press release</a>. "This is important because the wider scientific literature has found that pesticide pollution can have adverse impacts on human health and the environment."<br></p>
<p>Further, a total of 31 percent of land was at high risk, the study authors wrote.</p><p>Pesticides, herbicides and fungicides are widely used to boost productivity in <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/farming" target="_self">farming</a>, the press release noted. However, they have unintended consequences for human and environmental health. They can enter bodies of water through runoff or by entering the groundwater, contaminating <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/drinking-water" target="_self">drinking water</a>. Pesticides like <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/chlorpyrifos" target="_self">chlorpyrifos</a> have been shown to harm the cognitive development of children, while <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/organic-pesticides-health-foe-2617140140.html" target="_self">others</a> have been linked to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/cancer" target="_self">cancer</a>. They also pose a threat to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildlife" target="_self">wildlife</a> such as <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/pesticides-bees-genes-altered-2631023137.html" target="_self">bees</a> and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/neonicotinoid-pesticides-birds-2518407784.html" target="_self">birds</a>.</p><p>These threats are why the research is important, Tang told AFP.</p><p>"It is significant because the potential pollution is widespread and some regions at risk also bear high <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/biodiversity" target="_self">biodiversity</a> and suffer from water scarcity," <a href="https://phys.org/news/2021-03-global-farmland-high-pesticide-pollution.html" target="_blank">she said in an AFP article published by Phys.org</a>.</p>
<p>Specifically, 34 percent of the high risk areas were in regions with high biodiversity while five percent were in water-scarce areas, the study found. Nineteen percent of the high risk areas were in low or middle income countries.</p><p>Regionally, Asia had the most high-risk land, with China, Japan, Malaysia and the Philippines especially impacted, the press release said. In Europe, almost 62 percent of agricultural land was at high risk, AFP reported. This was largely due to high concentrations in Russia, Ukraine and Spain.</p><p>The researchers looked at 59 herbicides, 21 insecticides and 19 fungicides and based their calculations on application rate data from the U.S. Geological Survey and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. They then used a model to estimate how much of the pesticides would remain in the soil, atmosphere, groundwater and surface water.</p>
<p>The researchers pointed out that pesticide use is only expected to increase in the future because of the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a> and population growth.</p><p>"In a warmer climate, as the global population grows, the use of pesticides is expected to increase to combat the possible rise in pest invasions and to feed more people," coauthor and University of Sydney associate professor Federico Maggi said in the press release.</p><p>However, the researchers advised a different path.</p><p>"We urgently recommend that a global strategy is established to transition towards sustainable agriculture and sustainable living with low pesticide inputs and reduced food loss and food waste to achieve responsible production and consumption in an acceptable, profitable system," they wrote.</p>
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Independent pharmacy and lab Valisure has found high concentrations of benzene in 22 hand sanitizers. Morsa Images / Getty Images
As people rushed to buy hand sanitizer during the first months of the pandemic, new brands emerged to fill the gap left by more well-known labels. But in the frenzy, some manufacturers appear to have cut corners.
<p>Last year, several hand sanitizer brands <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/hand-sanitizer-recall-2646806889.html" target="_self">were recalled</a> by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for containing toxic methanol, or wood alcohol. Now, tests from independent pharmacy and lab <a href="https://www.valisure.com/blog/valisure-news/valisure-detects-benzene-in-hand-sanitizers/" target="_blank">Valisure have found high concentrations of benzene</a> in hand sanitizers, an industrial <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/chemicals" target="_self">chemical</a> known to cause <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/cancer" target="_self">cancer</a> in humans.</p><p>"I was shocked that we were finding benzene at all," Valisure CEO David Light told <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hand-sanitizer-benzene-cancer-chemical/" target="_blank">CBS News</a>. "It might very well be the most well known... compound that is dangerous to humans."</p><p>Valisure tested 260 hand sanitizer products from 168 brands, and found that 44 of them tested positive for some amount of benzene. The FDA typically bans benzene in drug manufacturing. However, due to the high demand for hand sanitizer prompted by the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coronavirus" target="_self">coronavirus</a> pandemic, it allowed an interim limit of two parts per million in liquid hand sanitizers. Twenty one products that Valisure tested had benzene levels above this limit.</p><p>The most contaminated hand sanitizer is from artnaturals and contains 16 parts per million of benzene, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-24/carcinogen-found-in-hand-sanitizers-that-plugged-pandemic-gap" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bloomberg reported</a>. Other highly contaminated batches include products from <a href="https://scentsational-products.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Scentsational Soaps and Candles Inc.</a>, <a href="https://www.thecremeshop.com/index.php?route=common/home&gclid=EAIaIQobChMImvWfkqy97wIVGOXICh2V1gWHEAAYASAAEgKWsPD_BwE" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Creme Shop</a> and a Best Brands Consumer Products sanitizer sold in a Baby Yoda-themed bottle. The full list of contaminated products can be found <a href="https://www.valisure.com/wp-content/uploads/Valisure-FDA-Citizen-Petition-on-Hand-Sanitizer-v4.14.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>
<p>What's particularly concerning is how benzene is absorbed and how hand sanitizer is used, Valisure noted. For example, benzene is known to cause blood cancers such as leukemia. This makes the possibility that it could be absorbed through the skin especially worrisome, as FDA studies have determined that chemicals with a similar structure, such as sunscreen, can appear in the bloodstream after being applied to the skin.</p><p>Further, there are no recommended guidelines for how often a person should use hand sanitizer, raising the alarm that people could be exposed to high concentrations of benzene.</p><p>"As an example, when you're on a diet you may need to keep track of the total amount of sugar that you consume in a day," Light explained. "Having one small slice of cake with a high 'concentration' of sugar might be fine. Eating the whole cake would amount to a very different total 'exposure' of sugar, even though each individual serving would have the same 'concentration' of sugar. Hand sanitizer products are typically used in many times greater volume than standard drug products like tablets or capsules, so even a relatively low concentration limit can result in very high total exposure. This strongly underscores the need for a daily limit in addition to a concentration limit."</p><p>Valisure <a href="https://www.valisure.com/wp-content/uploads/Valisure-FDA-Citizen-Petition-on-Hand-Sanitizer-v4.14.pdf" target="_blank">filed a petition</a> with the FDA on Wednesday asking them to recall the contaminated products and set exposure limit guidance for benzene.</p>
<p>Another issue is that several of the products that tested positive also violated FDA guidelines against adding ingredients to make their products taste, smell or look better, since these added factors might make children more likely to ingest them. Hand sanitizers, such as Baby Yoda, appear to be marketed to children.</p><p>The Walt Disney Company has asked Best Brands to withdraw this hand sanitizer while it conducts its own testing, CBS reported.</p><p>Meanwhile, the FDA said that it tests hand sanitizers and works with companies on recalls. However, manufacturers were ultimately responsible for the products they sold.</p><p>"The agency reminds manufacturers, distributors, repackagers and importers they are responsible for the quality of their products and urges manufacturers to test their ingredients to ensure they meet specifications and are free from harmful contamination," FDA spokesman Jeremy Kahn told Bloomberg in an email.</p><p>However, watchdog group Public Citizen said the FDA should not be allowing any benzene in hand sanitizers.</p><p>"It has been taken out of most products, and for it not to be taken out of a product that is here to prevent people from getting exposed to coronavirus is inexcusable," Sidney Wolfe, the group's founder, told Bloomberg. "Most of these don't have any detectable levels. If it is possible to have hand sanitizers that don't have any detectable levels, it is inexcusable that the FDA doesn't ban any hand sanitizer that contains any detectable level."</p>
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U.S. Military Ordered 'Clandestine Burning' of Toxic Chemicals in Low-Income Neighborhoods, Study Finds
26 March
Health + Wellness
Hudson Mohawk Environmental Action Network / YouTube
By Kenny Stancil
New research conducted by environmental justice scholars at Vermont's Bennington College reveals that between 2016 and 2020, the U.S. military oversaw the "clandestine burning" of more than 20 million pounds of Aqueous Fire Fighting Foam in low-income communities around the country — even though there is no evidence that incineration destroys the toxic "forever chemicals" that make up the foam and are linked to a range of cancers, developmental disorders, immune dysfunction, and infertility.
<p>"In defiance of common sense and environmental expertise, the Department of Defense (DOD) has enlisted poor communities across the U.S. as unwilling test subjects in its toxic experiment with burning AFFF," David Bond, associate director of the Center for the Advancement of Public Action at Bennington College, <a href="https://www.bennington.edu/sites/default/files/sources/docs/AFFF%20News%20Release%20%5B03.23.21%5D.pdf" target="_blank">said</a> in a statement earlier this week.</p><p>Noting that scientists, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and even Pentagon officials have warned that "burning AFFF is an unproven method and dangerous mix that threatens the health of millions of Americans," Bond characterized the <a href="https://theintercept.com/2019/01/27/toxic-firefighting-foam-pfas-pfoa/" target="_blank">decision</a> of the military to dump huge stockpiles of AFFF and AFFF wastewater into "a handful of habitually negligent incinerators" as a "harebrained" operation as well as a manifestation of environmental injustice.</p>
<p>"In effect," he added, "the Pentagon redistributed its AFFF problem into poor and working-class neighborhoods."</p><p>After months of compiling and analyzing <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bqawpCZWFGXq725XzZ6G5OdAJjkyuHwIVmKBjl3iwKc/edit#gid=1266910885" target="_blank">data</a> — obtained last year from the Pentagon and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation — the team from Vermont launched an <a href="https://www.bennington.edu/afff" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">interactive website</a> this week that publicizes for the first time the results of their investigation into all known shipments of AFFF to hazardous waste incinerators in the U.S.</p>
<p>The Bennington College researchers summarized their findings as follows:</p><ul><li>Over 20 million pounds of the toxic firefighting foam AFFF and AFFF wastewater was incinerated between 2016-2020;</li><li>The U.S. military, the EPA, and state regulators all expressed serious concern about the ability of incineration to destroy the toxic chemicals in AFFF during this time;</li><li>Six incinerators were contracted to burn AFFF. Each is a habitual violator of environmental law. Since 2017, three of the incinerators were out of compliance with environmental law 100% of the time while the other incinerators were out of compliance with environmental law about 50% of the time;</li><li>35% of known shipments of AFFF (7.7 million pounds) was burned at the Norlite Hazardous Waste Incinerator in Cohoes, New York, located within a densely populated urban area and less than 400 feet from a public housing complex. Norlite burned 2.47 million pounds of AFFF and 5.3 million pounds of AFFF wastewater, which likely was burned in violation of its Resource Conservation and Recovery Act permit;</li><li>40% of the national stockpile of AFFF (5.5 million pounds) was sent to "fuel-blending" facilities where it was mixed into fuels for industrial use. It is not clear where the AFFF-laden fuel went next, although the DOD contract stipulates incineration should be the endpoint; and</li><li>970,000 pounds of AFFF was burned overseas.</li></ul>
<p>AFFF contains contaminants known as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS); exposure to trace amounts of these synthetic chemicals is associated with a variety of detrimental health effects, and some have <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/mar/18/toxic-chemicals-health-humanity-erin-brokovich" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">argued</a> that PFAS are so risky that they not only endanger public health but threaten to undermine human reproduction writ large.</p><p>Jane Williams, chair of the Sierra Club's National Clean Air team <a href="https://www.bennington.edu/sites/default/files/sources/docs/AFFF%20News%20Release%20%5B03.23.21%5D.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">stressed</a>: "We simply must stop burning PFAS compounds."<br></p><p>"Attempting to burn these forever chemicals can generate highly toxic emissions which endanger the health of nearby communities," she said. "Burning also releases gases which are powerful climate forcing chemicals."</p><p>According to Williams, "EPA and DOD are both pursuing advanced technologies that can more effectively destroy these compounds without causing these unacceptable impacts."</p><p>The pursuit of alternative disposal methods raises the question, posed by the researchers on their website: "If incineration is an unproven means of destroying these toxins, is burning AFFF solving the problem or simply emitting it into the poor communities that so often surround incinerators in the U.S.?"</p><p>According to the researchers, the military rushed to burn more than 20 million pounds of AFFF over the past four years because they feared the substance "would be classified as a toxic chemical (and with that designation, would require new safeguards and introduce new liability)."</p>
<p>In a column published Thursday in The Guardian, Bond <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/mar/25/us-military-toxic-chemicals-us-states" target="_blank">explained</a>:</p><blockquote>While some states file suit against the manufactures of AFFF, the fingerprints of the U.S. Armed Forces are all over the scene of the crime. When federal scientists moved to publish a comprehensive review of the toxic chemistry of AFFF in 2018, DOD officials called that science "<a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/ucs-documents/science-and-democracy/PFAS-CDC-study-2.pdf" target="_blank">a public relations nightmare</a>" and tried to <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/michael-halpern/bipartisan-outrage-as-epa-white-house-try-to-cover-up-chemical-health-assessment" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">suppress the findings</a>.<br><br>Beyond damning internal emails, the military is still in possession of a tremendous amount of AFFF. As the EPA and states around the U.S. begin to designate <a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/product-liability-and-toxics-law/toxic-firefighting-foam-with-pfas-scrutinized-by-multiple-states?context=article-related" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">AFFF a hazardous substance</a>, the military's stockpiles of AFFF are starting to add up to an astronomical liability on the military's balance sheet. Perhaps thinking the Trump administration presented an opportune moment, the Pentagon decided to torch their AFFF problem in 2016.<br><br>Despite AFFF's extraordinary resistance to fire, incineration quietly became the military's preferred method to handle AFFF. "<a href="https://www.dla.mil/Portals/104/Documents/DispositionServices/Library/SEPT2017NewsletterFINAL.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">We knew that this would be a costly endeavor, since it meant we'd be burning something that was engineered to put out fires</a>," Steve Schneider, chief of Hazardous Disposal for the logistics wing of DOD, said in 2017 as the operation got underway.<br><br>---<br><br>As the military was sending AFFF to incinerators around the country, the EPA, state regulators, and university scientists all warned that subjecting AFFF to extremely high temperatures would likely conjure up <a href="https://cfpub.epa.gov/si/si_public_file_download.cfm?p_download_id=539774&Lab=CEMM" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a witches brew of fluorinated toxins</a>, that existing smokestack technologies would be <a href="https://cfpub.epa.gov/si/si_public_record_Report.cfm?dirEntryId=348571&Lab=CESER" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">insufficient to monitor poisonous emissions</a> let alone capture them, and that <a href="https://theintercept.com/2020/04/28/toxic-pfas-afff-upstate-new-york/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">dangerous chemicals might rain down</a> on surrounding neighborhoods. Weighing out its own liability against the health of these communities, the Pentagon struck the match.</blockquote><p>Judith Enck, former EPA regional administrator, <a href="https://www.bennington.edu/sites/default/files/sources/docs/AFFF%20News%20Release%20%5B03.23.21%5D.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said</a> the data compiled by the Bennington College team demonstrate that "we have a national problem on our hands."</p><p>"Congress needs to throw cold water on the Pentagon's mad dash to burn toxic firefighting foam. There is no evidence that incineration destroys AFFF," she added, calling for "a national ban on burning these forever chemicals."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/03/25/us-military-ordered-clandestine-burning-toxic-chemicals-poor-neighborhoods-study" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em><br/></p>From Your Site Articles
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California Regulator Praised for 'Landmark' Proposal to List 'Forever Chemical' as Carcinogen
25 March
Health + Wellness
A sign in a San Francisco Starbucks coffee shop warns customers that coffee and baked goods sold at the shop and elsewhere contain acrylamide, a chemical known to cause cancer and reproductive toxicity. The proposition is a California law passed by voters in 1986. Robert Alexander / Getty Images
By Andrea Germanos
A public health watchdog on Wednesday praised California's proposal to add the so-called "forever chemical" PFOA to the state's list of chemicals known to cause cancer.
PFOA, or perfluorooctanoic acid, was formerly used to make DuPont's Teflon and other products. It's part of a group of chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Dubbed forever chemicals because they don't break down and can accumulate in the human body, PFAS contamination is widespread. Humans can be exposed through workplace environments, groundwater contamination, or household products.
<p>The U.S. EPA <a href="https://www.epa.gov/pfas/basic-information-pfas" target="_blank">says</a> there's evidence PFOA can cause adverse health effects including reproductive and developmental, liver and kidney, and immunological harm. </p><p>The proposed listing decision was <a href="https://oehha.ca.gov/proposition-65/crnr/notice-intent-list-chemical-authoritative-bodies-mechanism-perfluorooctanoic" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">announced</a> last Friday by the California Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA). It said products with PFOA should carry a warning label that the chemical is known to the state to cause cancer under the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, or Proposition 65. That determination, said OEHHA, is based on findings from the National Toxicology Program.</p><br/>
<p><span>PFOA has been phased out of production in the U.S., but public health watchdogs says there remain concerns about ongoing contamination, existing stockpiles, imported products, and the fact that some replacement chemicals present health dangers of their own.</span></p><p>PFOA is <a href="https://oehha.ca.gov/proposition-65/chemicals/perfluorooctanoic-acid-pfoa-and-its-salts" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">already on</a> the Proposition 65 list, but for reproductive toxicity.</p><p>The public <a href="https://oehha.ca.gov/comments" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">comment</a> period on the new proposed listing ends May 3.</p><p>Adding the cancer warning to PFOA would be good news for public health, <a href="https://www.ewg.org/release/california-list-notorious-forever-chemical-cause-cancer-people" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">says</a> the Environmental Working Group (EWG), because such labeling "historically has pushed manufacturers to remove listed chemicals from their products."</p><p>EWG President Ken Cook, in a statement Wednesday, <a href="https://www.ewg.org/release/california-list-notorious-forever-chemical-cause-cancer-people" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">welcomed</a> the California regulator's move as a "landmark decision" that "underscores the state's longstanding commitment to protecting its citizens from cancer-causing chemicals like PFOA."</p><p>"The damage to communities nationwide from PFOA-contaminated drinking water and exposure through everyday consumer products is almost unimaginable," said Cook, "but California's action underscores the urgency of addressing the crisis."</p><p>The proposal also drew praise from environmental attorney and Right Livelihood <a href="https://www.rightlivelihoodaward.org/laureates/robert-bilott/%20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">laureate</a> Robert Bilott, who, following a two-decade legal battle, helped reach a $671 million settlement in class-action lawsuit against DuPont on behalf of thousands of people who said their drinking water was contaminated by the corporation.</p><p>Bilott said in a statement that the "more information and scientific data that is uncovered and revealed, the more concerned scientists and regulators all over the planet become."</p><p>"The current action in California is just the latest within the scientific and regulatory community to reject the manufacturers' claims that these forever chemicals present 'no risk' to humans," said Bilott.</p><p>Public health experts and legal observers say PFAS-making companies <a href="https://theintercept.com/2015/08/20/teflon-toxin-dupont-slipped-past-epa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">knew</a> of the chemicals' <a href="https://theconversation.com/pfas-forever-chemicals-are-widespread-and-threaten-human-health-heres-a-strategy-for-protecting-the-public-142953" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">harm</a> for decades but continued their production, leaving some affected residents to feel they "<a href="https://bcaction.org/2019/10/28/3ms-toxic-legacy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">collateral damage</a>" while companies try to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/health/cancer/how-dupont-may-avoid-paying-clean-toxic-forever-chemical-n1138766" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">dodge</a> accountability.</p><p>PFOA has been <a href="https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/whatwestudy/assessments/noncancer/completed/pfoa/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">phased out</a> of production in the U.S., but public health watchdogs say there remain concerns about ongoing contamination, existing stockpiles, imported products, and the fact that some replacement chemicals <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/anna-reade/epa-finds-replacements-toxic-teflon-chemicals-are-also%20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">present</a> health dangers of their own.</p>
<p class=""><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/03/24/california-regulator-praised-landmark-proposal-list-forever-chemical-carcinogen" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>. </em></p>From Your Site Articles
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De Beers Namaqualand Mine, Kleinzee. Matthew Gavin Frank
By Matthew Gavin Frank
In early 2021, De Beers — the world's biggest diamond company — achieved something of a public relations coup when it announced two new prestige jewelry lines intended to position the notoriously polluting corporation as environmentally friendly and responsible.
<p>The first, the high-end "Reflections of Nature" jewelry line, supposedly celebrates the natural landscapes from which the corporation unearths its diamonds. It includes five unique sets and a total of 39 "exclusive" pieces that, according to De Beers, are meant to honor and "immortalize the glorious triumph… [and] raw beauty of nature untouched by man."</p><p>De Beers also announced its "ReSet Forever Love" collection, a collaboration with three young designers on pieces that "celebrate love and sustainability." According a recent article in Harper's Bazaar, De Beers <a href="https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/fashion/jewellery-watches/a35446835/de-beers-sustainable-jewellery/" target="_blank">stresses</a> that the diamonds included in this collection's intricately shaped rings, necklaces and brooch were "sourced sustainably to ensure it has a lasting positive impact for people and the planet." By "it<em>,</em>" one can assume the company means the jewelry itself, though this seems grandiose and makes no sense.</p>
<p>Harper's Bazaar isn't the only publication to fall under the spell of De Beers' spin doctors. The Robb Report was also <a href="https://robbreport.com/style/jewelry/de-beers-new-high-jewelry-collection-is-inspired-by-its-diamond-mine-locations-1234596494/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">quite taken</a> with the "Reflections of Nature" line and De Beers' campaign to place "the source of its most magnificent gems front and center." The Report further amplified the claim made by De Beers Jewelers CEO Céline Assimon, who said, "With this collection, we wanted to take everyone on a journey and escape to these locations that reside in the countries close to De Beers' heart." British Vogue has been seduced onto the bandwagon as well, <a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/article/de-beers-reflections-of-nature" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">gushing</a>, "No one shows off the variety and natural beauty of rough coloured diamonds quite like De Beers."</p>
<p>These pieces — rings and necklaces designed to reflect the dramatic hues and curves of the Namibian sand dunes, or diamonds cut to evoke a coral reef and its fish — range from $18,000 to $121,000 and are unlikely to save Earth, mitigate climate change or have much of a "lasting positive impact" on humanity.</p><p>But such greenwashing rhetoric, when mapped over and onto the actual environmental consequences of diamond mining, does indeed emphasize the impact and audacity of De Beers' PR machine.</p>
<h3>Environmental Destruction Is Forever</h3><p>This is just the latest example of claims laid out in what De Beers calls its "Building Forever" reports, wherein the conglomerate — in a forced nod to increasing public concern over sustainability and environmental ethics — purports to address the "environmental impact" of its diamond-mining business. <a href="https://www.debeersgroup.com/sustainability-and-ethics/protecting-the-natural-world/the-diamond-route" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">According</a> to Dr. Patti Wickens, De Beers' senior environmental manager, the reports are "driven by our commitment to have a net positive impact on biodiversity." But these reports are often scrutinized only by the company's own stakeholders, not outside authorities who can verify the information presented.</p><p>The reality is that the landscapes De Beers claims it wants to "immortalize" via the "Reflections" line and "sustain" via the "Forever Love" line have been so thoroughly ravaged they've resisted nearly all efforts at rehabilitation.</p><p>I spent the better part of 2016 on South Africa's Diamond Coast — one of the landscapes the corporation wishes to "honor" with its new collection — conducting research for my book, <a href="https://wwnorton.com/books/9781631496028" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Flight of the Diamond Smugglers</em></a>. There I interviewed Johann MacDonald, manager of the De Beers Namaqualand Diamond Mine, who had a slightly more nuanced view of the company's environmental concerns.</p><p>"It's a bit of a challenge to wring life out of this at this point," he told me, gesturing to the mine property, a landscape so arid and fallow it appeared more Martian than earthly.</p><p>The soil of South Africa's Diamond Coast has suffered since De Beers took it over in 1925, and the Namaqualand mine is no exception. De Beers had recently deemed this 79,000-acre expanse of land to be "over-mined," and MacDonald was responsible for slowly laying off the workforce and shutting down the mine (and, to some degree by extension, the entire town it once supported), and attempting to rehabilitate the desert soil after the decades of corporate pillaging.</p>
<h3>Claims Fall Flat</h3><p>The De Beers Family of Companies guidelines long stipulated, "We use lower hazard alternatives to high-risk hazardous substances when possible; We manage effluents, wastes, emissions and hazardous substances to prevent pollution wherever possible; We aspire to normal levels of discharges to sea, including sewage."</p><p>Despite these claims, the soils around the mines have suffered for the better part of a century.</p><p>In Namaqualand the corporation's Environmental Division has attempted to restore portions of the land via an agenda of <a href="https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/phytoremediation-17359669/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">phytoremediation</a>.</p><p>Phytoremediation is the process by which a variety of plants are carefully sewn into a ravaged and contaminated soil in the hopes of eradicating said contaminants and restoring the soil to a "pure" and healthy state, capable of once again supporting the growth and subsequent thriving of endemic flora and fauna. If this <em>rhizosphere biodegradation</em> proves successful, then the plants will release nutrients into the soil via their root systems, essentially "defibrillating" the naturally occurring microorganisms therein and compelling the contaminants to degrade. In the successful application of <em>phyto-stabilization</em>, on the other hand, the plants yield specific chemical compounds that — rather than destroy the contaminants in the soil — entrap and paralyze them. In this way the toxins are still present in the soil but are — so to speak — cryogenically frozen within it.</p><p>Various other sub-processes of phytoremediation are employed if these two methods fail to clean the soil — from <em>phyto-accumulation</em> (wherein the plants actually absorb, sponge-like, the soil's impurities), to <em>phyto-volatilization </em>(where the plants suck up contaminated groundwater, "clean" that water, and then discharge the contaminants into the air through their leaves), to <em>phyto-degradation </em>(where the plants take in the soil's toxins and metabolize them within their tissues, therefore destroying them).</p><p>De Beers brags about its efforts, but none of these processes have restored the land.</p>
<h3>A Bleak Landscape, a Bleaker Community</h3><p>The De Beers Namaqualand mine, in fact, is the antithesis of a "pure" landscape. A description of the place demands prefixes — <em>other, extra, pre</em> and <em>post</em>: otherworldly, extraplanetary, prehistoric, post-apocalyptic. It is nothing more than beige barrenness, littered with holes, chemicals, explosives and decomposing machine parts.</p>
<img
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Photo: Matthew Gavin Frank
<p>The people who live in this region have also suffered. Beginning slowly in 2007, and accelerating in 2009, De Beers downscaled its interests along the Diamond Coast, compelling an already-exploited labor force into an exodus to other parts of South Africa, onto the couches of distant family members and friends, and into other possible occupations. The company did nothing to help these people find future housing or alternative work. Many once-thriving municipalities became ghost towns.</p><p>For those who remain, survivalist proposals hang over the towns. One suggests turning the pit mines into hazardous-waste dumps; another calls for converting the migrant worker dorm into a prison.</p><p>Terms like <em>love</em> and <em>forever</em> and <em>sustainability, </em>especially when applied to luxury jewelry lines, ring hollow to those whose land this once was, later indentured to the machine of corporate colonialism. It's like an oil company claiming innocence of the environmental consequences of drilling into the seafloor by building a gas tank in the shape of a coral bed.</p><p>On the Diamond Coast, the Indigenous Khoisan populations told me they wish to try to once again farm using traditional methods. They're busy fighting — likely in vain — De Beers' efforts.</p><p>De Beers perpetuates the propaganda that the desert here has ultimately suffered not from mining, but from the grazing of the Indigenous population's farm animals.</p><p>The corporation maintains ownership of the mineral rights here, and as such, controls the land and how it's used. It has, in fact, gone so far as to compel local lawmakers to issue a ban on farming in the area. It doesn't want anyone else making money off this land while it's busy making claims about "restoration" and patting itself on the back.</p><p>Having successfully blocked Indigenous people from farming here, the corporation, after extracting its diamonds, appears to want to use the land as a private garden — a little spot to play in with their bulldozers, compost cocktails, cardboard "grow" circles, shovels and pails.</p>
<h3>The Restoration Fallacy</h3><p>Restoration and conservation seem to be fallacies here, mirages of corporate disinformation. To what level does De Beers want to restore this land, and why, after all these decades of plunder, should it be the company's to manage in any case? Even if the stab at rehabilitation did work, and even if the company's Environmental Division could make something verdant out of this havoc, wouldn't that also be insufficient? Wouldn't it be a case of environmental restoration as concealment of decades of gleeful corporate atrocity?</p><p>Even Namaqualand mine manger Johann MacDonald got frustrated beholding a plot of barren soil. He scooped up a fistful of sand and tossed it into the wind.</p><p>"This attempt to replant is a complete failure!" he told me. "The big challenge is to get things to grow. Some of these dumps have been reshaped and replanted for ten years, twenty years, and still nothing grows."</p>
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<p>Still, the PR machine chugs on, and this year gullible publications lauded the company for its supposed environmentally minded efforts, willingness to work with up-and-coming designers, and "fancy shapes and fancy colors."</p><p>But in 2021, if you want to behold the once "lush" landscapes of the diamond-bearing lands that De Beers claims to honor and sustain via its two new collections, the closest you'll be able to come is an image of a $100,000 brooch.</p><p>Which is all that's left. No sunny rhetoric can change that.</p>
<p><em>The opinions expressed above are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of</em> <em>The Revelator</em><em>, the Center for Biological Diversity or their employees.</em><br/></p><p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://therevelator.org/de-beers-destruction-forever" target="_blank">The Revelator</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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A dispenser with "Reef friendly" sunscreen can be seen on the wall at the surfjack Hotel in Honolulu. Christina Horsten / Picture Alliance / Getty Images
Hawaii is on its way to banning more reef-damaging sunscreens.
<p>On Tuesday of last week, its state Senate approved <a href="https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=132&year=2021" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Senate Bill 132</a>, which would ban all sunscreens containing the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/chemicals" target="_self">chemicals</a> avobenzone or octocrylene. The bill then moved to the House, where it passed its first reading on Thursday, March 11. If approved, it would build on a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/hawaii-coral-reefs-sunscreen-ban-2565189657.html" target="_self">2018 law</a> that banned sunscreens containing the chemicals oxybenzone and octinoxate, which went into effect this January.</p>
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Coastal Oahu, Hawaii and the Kualoa Ranch. Hawaii is considering banning more reef-harming sunscreens to protect its unique coral reefs. Art Wager / E+ / Getty Images
<p>"This is great news for our imperiled <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coral-reefs" target="_self">coral reefs</a> and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/marine-life" target="_self">marine life</a>," Maxx Phillips, Hawai'i director and staff attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), <a href="https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/hawaii-senate-bill-bans-harmful-sunscreen-chemicals-2021-03-09/" target="_blank">said</a> in response to the Senate vote. "People can protect their skin without harmful petrochemicals while Hawai'i protects public and environmental health."</p><p>The bill comes amidst growing scientific awareness of the impact of common sunscreen chemicals on marine life. These chemicals can make corals more susceptible to viral infections and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coral-bleaching" target="_self">bleaching</a>, as well as disrupting the reproductive systems of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fish" target="_self">fish</a> and other animals, the <a href="https://www.staradvertiser.com/2021/03/12/breaking-news/sunscreen-bill-banning-more-reef-unfriendly-chemicals-in-hawaii-advances-legislature/" target="_blank">Honolulu Star Advertiser reported</a>.</p><p>In particular, octocrylene can disrupt human hormones and harm marine animals, according to the CBD. A soon-to-be-published study has found it can break down into the carcinogenic benzophenone, which also kills plants and disrupts reproduction. Avobenzone, meanwhile, is also an endocrine disruptor and can make coral less resilient to the high temperatures caused by the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a>.</p><p>"Studies show fish exposed to octocrylene exhibited endocrine disruption, brain deformities in larvae and reproductive toxicity," ecotoxicologist Craig Downs told the CBD. "Because octocrylene bioaccumulates, what does that mean for people eating these fish, especially pregnant women and keiki? Avobenzone may cause a dysfunction with the powerhouse of the cell, which may kill cells and induce a bleaching effect in corals."</p>
<p>The CBD has petitioned the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban these chemicals on the national level, but for now it falls to Hawaii to protect its unique ecosystems: Around one fourth of all of the plants, fish and invertebrates found on Hawaii's reefs are native to the archipelago.</p><p>If it passes, the bill would go into effect Jan. 1, 2023. It will ban the sale or distribution of any sunscreen containing the targeted chemicals unless the buyer has a valid prescription. For those looking to protect themselves from the sun without harming ocean life, scientists and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recommend products containing non-nanoized titanium dioxide and non-nanoized zinc oxide, the Honolulu Star Advertiser reported.</p>
From Your Site Articles
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Dumped fridges at the water's edge release CFCs into the atmosphere. Eye Ubiquitous / Universal Images Group / Getty Images
The Montreal Protocol banning ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in 1987 has been hailed as an example of successful international collaboration to stop an environmental threat. But, like a creature from a horror movie, those banned chemicals could rise from the depths to stalk our atmosphere once again.
<p>That's the finding of a new study, which concluded that the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/oceans" target="_self">ocean</a> would shift from absorbing to releasing at least one type of CFC, known as CFC-11, by the end of this century. By the mid-2100s, the ocean could emit enough to be detectable.</p><p>"By the time you get to the first half of the 22nd century, you'll have enough of a flux coming out of the ocean that it might look like someone is cheating on the Montreal Protocol, but instead, it could just be what's coming out of the ocean," Susan Solomon, study co-author and Lee and Geraldine Martin Professor of Environmental Studies in MIT's Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, said in an <a href="https://news.mit.edu/2021/oceans-emitting-cfc-ozone-0315" target="_blank">MIT press release.</a> "It's an interesting prediction and hopefully will help future researchers avoid getting confused about what's going on."</p><p>The research, led by MIT, is newly published in the <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/12/e2021528118" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>. To draw their conclusions, researchers used models to simulate the ocean's current and future uptake and release of CFC-11. They found that by 2075, the ocean would emit more of the chemical than it absorbed. By 2145, it would release enough to be detectable by existing technologies.</p>
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<p>The models found that this process could be sped up by the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a>. If the planet warms by five degrees Celsius by 2100, the ocean will become a net emitter of CFC-11 by 2065 and release detectable levels by 2140.</p><p>"Generally, a colder ocean will absorb more CFCs," Peidong Wang, a study lead co-author from MIT, explained in the press release. "When climate change warms the ocean, it becomes a weaker reservoir and will also outgas a little faster."</p><p>However, the ocean's eventual release of CFC-11 is not dependent on the climate crisis. Instead, it is based on another mechanism, as <a href="https://www.livescience.com/cfcs-release-from-oceans-ozone-destruction.html" target="_blank">LiveScience explained</a>:</p><blockquote>[T]he ocean and atmosphere tend to stay in balance. When the atmosphere has a lot of a water-soluble molecule, like a CFC, the oceans suck some of it up. And when the oceans have a lot of that same molecule but the atmosphere doesn't, they tend to release it back into the air. As the world has stopped producing CFCs, atmospheric CFC levels have dropped, and the oceans are absorbing less and less from the air. Eventually, the balance will tip, and the oceans will become net-emitters of CFCs.</blockquote><p>CFCs were commonly used in refrigerants, aerosols and household and industrial goods during the second half of the 20th century. They were thought to be non-toxic, non-flammable alternatives to substances such as ammonia and butane. However, they too broke down once released into the atmosphere, bonding with ozone and weakening the ozone layer that protects the planet from harmful ultraviolet radiation. This discovery led to CFCs being banned under the Montreal Protocol of 1987.</p>
<p><br>However, during their heyday, oceans absorbed about five to ten percent of all CFC-11 emissions, the study authors wrote. When CFCs eventually release back into the atmosphere, their lifetime will be extended by five years. The researchers found that the ocean would continue to release CFC-11 until the end of their study period.<br></p><p>"By the end of the run in 2300, the effect of the ocean on atmospheric CFC-11 remains significant," they wrote.</p><p>The scientists behind the study said that more work could be done to understand the interchange between the ocean, CFC-11 and the atmosphere.</p><p>"Some of the next steps would be to do this with higher-resolution models and focus on patterns of change," Jeffery Scott, another MIT study co-author, said in the press release. "For now, we've opened up some great new questions and given an idea of what one might see."</p>
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