Secondhand Clothing Sales Are Booming – and May Help Solve the Sustainability Crisis in the Fashion Industry
16 November
Business
According to a new report, the U.S. secondhand clothing market is projected to more than triple in value in the next 10 years. yoshiurara / Getty Images
By Hyejune Park and Cosette Marie Joyner Armstrong
A massive force is reshaping the fashion industry: secondhand clothing. According to a new report, the U.S. secondhand clothing market is projected to more than triple in value in the next 10 years – from US$28 billion in 2019 to US$80 billion in 2029 – in a U.S. market currently worth $379 billion. In 2019, secondhand clothing expanded 21 times faster than conventional apparel retail did.
<p>Even more transformative is secondhand clothing's potential to dramatically alter the prominence of fast fashion – a business model <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_fashion" target="_blank">characterized by cheap and disposable clothing</a> that emerged in the early 2000s, epitomized by brands like H&M and Zara. Fast fashion grew exponentially over the next two decades, significantly altering the fashion landscape by producing more clothing, distributing it faster and encouraging consumers to buy in excess with low prices.</p><p>While fast fashion is expected to <a href="https://www.thredup.com/resale/" target="_blank">continue to grow 20% in the next 10 years</a>, <a href="https://www.thredup.com/resale/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">secondhand fashion is poised to grow 185%</a>.</p><p><a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=IoRKq14AAAAJ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">As researchers</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=IasJfmIAAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">who study</a> clothing consumption and sustainability, we think the secondhand clothing trend has the potential to reshape the fashion industry and mitigate the industry's detrimental environmental impact on the planet.</p>
The Next Big Thing
<p>The secondhand clothing market is composed of two major categories, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/20932685.2019.1684831" target="_blank">thrift stores and resale platforms</a>. But it's the latter that has largely fueled the recent boom. Secondhand clothing has long been perceived as worn out and tainted, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/0959396032000101372" target="_blank">mainly sought by bargain or treasure hunters</a>. However, this perception has changed, and now many consumers consider secondhand clothing to be of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/20932685.2019.1576060" target="_blank">identical or even superior quality</a> to unworn clothing. A <a href="https://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/fashion/a31085526/how-to-sell-clothes/" target="_blank">trend of "fashion flipping"</a> – or buying secondhand clothes and reselling them – has also emerged, particularly among young consumers.</p><p>Thanks to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17543266.2017.1346714" target="_blank">growing consumer demand and new digital platforms</a> like Tradesy and Poshmark that facilitate peer-to-peer exchange of everyday clothing, the digital resale market is quickly becoming the next big thing in the fashion industry.</p><p>The market for secondhand luxury goods is also substantial. Retailers like The RealReal or the Vestiaire Collective provide a digital marketplace for authenticated luxury consignment, where people buy and sell designer labels such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Hermès. The market value of this sector <a href="https://www.retail-insider.com/retail-insider/2020/3/the-rise-of-pre-owned-luxury-fashion-marks-shift-amid-sustainability-movement" target="_blank">reached $2 billion in 2019</a>.</p><p>The secondhand clothing trend also appears to be driven by affordability, <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/covid-19-propels-an-already-surging-secondhand-clothing-market-2020-06-23" target="_blank">especially now, during the COVID-19 economic crisis</a>. Consumers have not only <a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/economy/spotlight/economics-insights-analysis.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reduced their consumption of nonessential items like clothing</a>, but are buying <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Industries/Retail/Our%20Insights/The%20State%20of%20Fashion%202019%20A%20year%20of%20awakening/The-State-of-Fashion-2019-final.ashx" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">more quality garments</a> over cheap, disposable attire.</p><p>For clothing resellers, the ongoing economic contraction combined with the increased interest in sustainability has proven to be <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/covid-19-propels-an-already-surging-secondhand-clothing-market-2020-06-23" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a winning combination</a>.</p>More Mindful Consumers?
<p>The fashion industry has long been associated with <a href="https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/publications/a-new-textiles-economy-redesigning-fashions-future" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">social and environmental problems</a>, ranging from poor treatment of garment workers to pollution and waste generated by clothing production.</p><p>Less than 1% of materials used to make clothing are currently recycled to make new clothing, a <a href="https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/publications/a-new-textiles-economy-redesigning-fashions-future" target="_blank">$500 billion annual loss for the fashion industry</a>. The textile industry produces <a href="https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/story/putting-brakes-fast-fashion" target="_blank">more carbon emissions than the airline and maritime industries combined</a>. And approximately <a href="https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/story/putting-brakes-fast-fashion" target="_blank">20% of water pollution across the globe</a> is the result of wastewater from the production and finishing of textiles.</p><p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/solitairetownsend/2018/11/21/consumers-want-you-to-help-them-make-a-difference/#efe999c69547" target="_blank">Consumers have become more aware</a> of the ecological impact of apparel production and are more frequently demanding apparel businesses <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/pamdanziger/2020/05/10/coronavirus-will-force-fashion-to-a-sustainable-future/#6973567f5292" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">expand their commitment to sustainability</a>. Buying secondhand clothing could provide consumers a way to push back against the fast-fashion system.</p><p>Buying secondhand clothing increases the number of owners an item will have, extending its life – something that has been <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12354" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">dramatically shortened in the age of fast fashion</a>. (Worldwide, in the past 15 years, <a href="https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/publications/a-new-textiles-economy-redesigning-fashions-future" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the average number of times a garment is worn before it's trashed</a> has decreased by 36%.)</p><p>High-quality clothing traded in the secondhand marketplace also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12354" target="_blank">retains its value over time</a>, unlike cheaper fast-fashion products. Thus, buying a high-quality secondhand garment instead of a new one is theoretically an environmental win. But some critics argue the secondhand marketplace actually <a href="https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/professional/is-resale-actually-good-for-the-planet" target="_blank">encourages excess consumption by expanding access to cheap clothing</a>.</p><p>Our <a href="https://doi.org/10.20900/jsr20200017" target="_blank">latest research supports this possibility</a>. We interviewed young American women who regularly use digital platforms like Poshmark. They saw secondhand clothing as a way to access both cheap goods and ones they ordinarily could not afford. They did not see it as an alternative model of consumption or a way to decrease dependence on new clothing production.</p><p>Whatever the consumer motive, increasing the reuse of clothing is a big step toward a new normal in the fashion industry, though its potential to address sustainability woes remains to be seen.</p>
<p>
<em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hyejune-park-1168814" target="_blank">Hyejune Park</a> is an </em><em>Assistant Professor of Fashion Merchandising, Oklahoma State University.</em>
</p><p>
<em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/cosette-marie-joyner-armstrong-1168817" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Cosette Marie Joyner Armstrong</a> is an </em><em>Associate Professor of Fashion Merchandising, Oklahoma State University.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Disclosure statement: </em><em><em>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</em></em>
</p><p>
<em><em></em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/secondhand-clothing-sales-are-booming-and-may-help-solve-the-sustainability-crisis-in-the-fashion-industry-148403" target="_blank">The Conversation.</a></em>
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Aclima is using a low-emission vehicle that's outfitted with sensing technology to measure air pollution. youtu.be
From air pollution caused by cars and trucks to methane leaks, many of the same emissions that cause climate change also harm public health.
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<p>Crystal Upperman is with <a target="_blank" href="https://aclima.io/">Aclima</a>, a California-based company that measures ground-level air pollution. She says the results of those measurements vary dramatically, even on a local level.</p><p>For example, Aclima mapped air quality on city streets in Oakland, California.</p><p>Upperman says it found that "air pollution levels can persistently vary from one end of the block to another as much as by 800%."</p><p>Now the company is measuring and mapping emissions on the other side of the country. It's using a low-emission vehicle that's outfitted with sensing technology.</p>
<p>"And it'll be measuring air pollutant and greenhouse gas levels block by block in Brooklyn," Upperman says.</p><p>It will collect data day and night for three months. The results will allow residents to see how much pollution they're exposed to at home, school, or work. And it can help identify the specific sources.</p><p>"Communities can use the information to put forward very stringent, rigorous steps to reduce air pollution emissions and also help protect the health of their populations," Upperman says.</p><p>And reducing those emissions will, at the same time, slow global warming.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2020/11/car-outfitted-with-sensors-measures-air-pollution-block-by-block-in-brooklyn/" target="_blank">Yale Climate Connections</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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<p>Here you can learn about the importance of organic hemp oil, why it's better for the environment, and which CBD companies actually make trustworthy products with sustainable farming processes. origins which weigh heavily on many consumers who want to buy a product that's produced in the best way possible for not only themselves to ingest, but for the environment as well through sustainable farming methods. </p><h2>What Is CBD Oil?</h2><p>First things first, CBD stands for cannabidiol, and it's a cannabinoid found within cannabis sativa plants. This plant compound is believed to have many potential benefits, and it is primarily derived from hemp plants via a CO2 extraction process. </p><p>Since CBD is extracted from industrial hemp, which contains only trace amounts of THC (the psychoactive component in cannabis plants), this means that CBD won't make you feel high like marijuana, which has much higher levels of THC that causes psychoactive effects. Instead, the effects of CBD are much more subtle and promote a general sense of calm and relaxation in most users.</p><h2>What Makes a CBD Oil Organic?</h2><p>In terms of organic labels, perhaps the most important (and prominent) certification comes from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This government organization has been labeling foods as "organic" for many years, but what exactly does this certification entail? Essentially, a label indicating that a product is "USDA Organic" or "Certified Organic" means that at least 95% of the ingredients are obtained from organic sources.</p><p>For a crop to be considered organic by the USDA, it must be grown without the use of industrial solvents, irradiation, genetic engineering (GMOs), synthetic pesticides, or chemical fertilizer. Instead, farmers rely on natural substances and <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2012/03/22/organic-101-what-usda-organic-label-means" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mechanical, physical, or biologically based farming</a> techniques to cultivate healthy and organic crops.</p><p>Before the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, no hemp-derived products could be dubbed as "certified organic" since the hemp plant and its extracts were still categorized as a Schedule I Controlled Substance. However, it's still difficult for CBD companies to obtain a USDA certified organic label for their products due to the legal grey area that still surrounds CBD extracts. </p><p>Because of these challenges, and due to the fact that industrial hemp has only recently become an agricultural crop, very few CBD oils are USDA certified organic. Rather, many CBD products contain hemp extracts from plants that were grown in organic conditions but may not be federally certified.</p><h2>What are the Best Organic CBD Oil Brands?</h2><p><em>Each product featured here has been independently selected. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.</em></p>
<h2>Why Organic Hemp Oil Matters</h2><p>Hemp is a unique plant, not only for its rich cannabinoid content, but also for its ability to absorb a wide variety of components in soil. But this trait poses great risks when it comes to the creation of CBD products derived from hemp.</p><p>Because hemp has a high capacity for compound uptake, this means that the plants can retain <a href="https://www.remedyreview.com/industry/lab-test-results/" target="_blank">harmful chemicals like pesticides</a>, heavy metals, and other residual solvents. This is especially true when it comes to synthetic chemicals that are more toxic to humans, and difficult to remove once they have been absorbed by the hemp plant.</p><p>Organic farming practices help reduce the risk of hemp crops absorbing harsh chemicals that may later end up in CBD oil after extraction. When you're taking CBD as a wellness supplement to help alleviate your symptoms or improve your overall well-being, the last thing you want is to ingest compounds that might negatively outweigh the benefits of CBD. This is an important reason to look for third party lab test results when shopping for CBD products since these certificates of analysis can show the full cannabinoid and terpene profile of a hemp extract, as well as test results that search for the presence of any residual solvents.</p><p>In addition to creating a better end product, organic farming practices are also better for the environment. Sustainable and organic farming methods may <a href="https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/organic-foods.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reduce pollution, conserve water, reduce soil erosion, increase soil fertility, and use less energy</a>. The use of natural pest deterrents as opposed to chemical pesticides is also better for nearby animal populations and ecosystems.</p><h3>Organic vs. Natural</h3><p>While there are only a select few companies offering certified organic ingredients in their products, almost every brand in the CBD market creates "natural" products. The term "all-natural" or "plant-based" does not mean that a product is organic, and since hemp oil is a natural derivative of hemp plants, these products are often referred to as all-natural. However, there are some synthetic CBD oils that should be avoided because they are chemically constructed and may produce unwanted side effects that are not caused by naturally derived CBD extracts.</p><h2>What are the Benefits of Organic CBD Oil?</h2><p>There's a long list of potential CBD oil health benefits, and some of the most common wellness advantages include:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2503660/" target="_blank">Chronic pain relief</a></li><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4604171/" target="_blank">Anti-anxiety effects</a></li><li>Better sleep</li><li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/inner-source/201901/cbd-oil-mental-health-should-you-take-it-too" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Improvements in mood</a></li><li>Internal balance and regulation</li></ul><p>When dealing with pain, inflammation, sleep issues, and mental health struggles, it can be hard to find sufficient treatment options. The use of certain prescriptions can cause unwanted side effects, yet they are often the only solution for patients with these medical conditions. In search of other therapies, people have started to flock towards CBD oil as an alternative remedy for a variety of conditions. However, it should be noted that CBD products are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and you should seek your doctor's advice before using CBD if you have a serious medical condition.</p><h2>Look at the Labels Before You Buy CBD Oil</h2><p>When you go online to buy CBD oil, you'll quickly realize there is an overwhelming number of brands that are saturating the market. It can be difficult to determine which products are truly as good as they make themselves out to be. Always look for up-to-date third-party lab tests so you know you are getting a great product, and don't hesitate to contact the brand if you have any additional questions. And if you're intent on purchasing 100% organic CBD oil, it's best to look for certified products or brands that are held to strict regulatory standards.</p><p><strong>Melena Gurganus </strong>is the Reviews Editor at EcoWatch. She is passionate health and wellness and her writing aims to help others find products they can trust. Her work has been featured in publications such as Health, Shape, Huffington Post, Cannabis Business Times, and Bustle.<br></p>
Spruce
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjI3OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyOTM2NzgzOX0.axY0HjeqRctJsR_KmDLctzDpUBLBN-oNIdqaXDb4caQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="774be" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8379f35b1ca8a86d0e61b7d4bfc8b46e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="spruce organic cbd oil" /><p>As one of the best brands in the business, Spruce CBD is well-known for its potent CBD oils that feature many additional beneficial phytocannabinoids. This brand works with two family-owned, sustainably focused farms in the USA (one located in Kentucky and one in North Carolina) to create its organic, small product batches. The max potency Spruce CBD oil contains 2400mg of full-spectrum CBD extract, but the brand also offers a lower strength tincture with 750mg of CBD in total.</p>
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CBDistillery
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FAB CBD
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NuLeaf Naturals
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Charlotte's Web
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An aerial view shows Marathon Petroleum Corp's Los Angeles Refinery in Carson, California, the state's largest producer of gasoline, as oil prices have cratered with the spread of the coronavirus pandemic on April 22, 2020. David McNew / Getty Images
By Julia Conley
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Monday denounced the "audacity" of oil giant Shell after it waded into the global discussion about the climate crisis by asking members of the public what they would do to reduce carbon emissions.
<p>"I'm willing to hold you accountable for lying about climate change for 30 years when you secretly knew the entire time that fossil fuels emissions would destroy our planet," the New York Democrat and co-sponsor of the Green New Deal legislation replied. </p>
<div id="fb346" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e9b7c448217cd1e4db74efc4f245fd72"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1323304992372129792" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">I’m willing to hold you accountable for lying about climate change for 30 years when you secretly knew the entire t… https://t.co/0gwuy5P9h5</div> — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez)<a href="https://twitter.com/AOC/statuses/1323304992372129792">1604335470.0</a></blockquote></div><p>In the poll it posted to Twitter, Shell offered choices to the public including "stop flying," "buy an electric vehicle," and shifting to renewable electricity. </p>
<div id="2dc26" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5fcb1a371e5c97eb32c9472206736569"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1323184318735360001" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">📊 What are you willing to change to help reduce emissions? #EnergyDebate</div> — Shell (@Shell)<a href="https://twitter.com/Shell/statuses/1323184318735360001">1604306699.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Coming from the world's third-largest company, which <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2018/sep/19/shell-and-exxons-secret-1980s-climate-change-warnings" target="_blank">knew</a> as early as 1988 that its extraction of oil and gas was linked to the heating of the planet, the question was seen by Ocasio-Cortez and other critics as a gross deflection of Shell's own responsibility.</p><p>"The audacity of Shell asking YOU what YOU'RE willing to do to reduce emissions," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. "They're showing you RIGHT HERE how the suggestion that individual choices—not systems—are a main driver of climate change is a fossil fuel talking point."</p><p>The "good choices" American voters and lawmakers can make, the congresswoman <a href="https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1323306979314589696" target="_blank">added,</a> are ones that will help "reign in fossil fuel corporations" that are actually fueling the destruction of the planet. </p><p>The journalism initiative Covering Climate Now called Shell's tweet "a textbook example of greenwashing."</p>
<div id="0066b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a4f7bb9c4803396870649b97f6bc77fc"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1323336497412689922" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Here’s a textbook example of “greenwashing” + corporations making it seem like climate change is a symptom of every… https://t.co/wL55Zx3yCh</div> — Covering Climate Now (@Covering Climate Now)<a href="https://twitter.com/CoveringClimate/statuses/1323336497412689922">1604342982.0</a></blockquote></div><p>Prof. Katharine Hayhoe, director of the Texas Tech Climate Center, echoed Ocasio-Cortez's disgust at the company as she <a href="https://twitter.com/KHayhoe/status/1323316064911007745" target="_blank">noted</a> that out of 90 companies in the world, Shell is the sixth-highest contributor to fossil fuel emissions in history.</p><p>"Yes, everyone must do their part—starting with the biggest emitters," Hayhoe<a href="https://twitter.com/KHayhoe/status/1323316269370740738" target="_blank"> tweeted</a>, adding that the company has previously publicly suggested that individuals making changes to their daily habits is what will help save the planet.</p>
<div id="bbe8d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="c255f6d58a46ccfb50b18b0873df6ab7"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1323316064911007745" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Royal Dutch Shell is #6 on the list of 90 companies responsible for 2/3 of greenhouse gas emissions since the dawn… https://t.co/VKnFVwXtBm</div> — Prof. Katharine Hayhoe (@Prof. Katharine Hayhoe)<a href="https://twitter.com/KHayhoe/statuses/1323316064911007745">1604338110.0</a></blockquote></div><p>Shell's tweet drew outrage from international climate action group Greenpeace, international lawmakers, and climate experts.</p>
<div id="f789b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a5bbe12a91b66d037630be4cc93e6b46"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1323345812051537921" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Hey Shell: you willing to change your entire business model? https://t.co/CnjSBScTFr</div> — Leah Stokes (@Leah Stokes)<a href="https://twitter.com/leahstokes/statuses/1323345812051537921">1604345202.0</a></blockquote></div>
<div id="540d1" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8c816cf96de217ae3862e4a799f3c1cb"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1323337603601567745" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">You polluted our planet, you funded climate change deniers, you fund the lobby to slow down climate protection laws… https://t.co/zgcXDaVjRA</div> — Michael Bloss (@Michael Bloss)<a href="https://twitter.com/micha_bloss/statuses/1323337603601567745">1604343245.0</a></blockquote></div>
<div id="e6969" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f3be1f9f21462ec3f507d049da3fc941"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1323361897484324865" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">We’re willing to fight for climate justice and for people not to fall for your dirty tricks, @Shell. Individual cho… https://t.co/s7ZyawxM4V</div> — Greenpeace (@Greenpeace)<a href="https://twitter.com/Greenpeace/statuses/1323361897484324865">1604349037.0</a></blockquote></div><p>"What am I willing to do?" Hayhoe <a href="https://twitter.com/KHayhoe/status/1323321067541155841" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">wrote</a> in reply to Shell's poll question, which she later said was<a href="https://twitter.com/KHayhoe/status/1323342197312421896" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> hidden</a> on Twitter by the company. "Hold you accountable for 2% of cumulative global greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to those of my entire home country of Canada. When you have a concrete plan to address that, I'd be happy to chat about what I'm doing to reduce my personal emissions." </p>
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Exxon Mobil Refinery is seen from the top of the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on March 5, 2017. WClarke / Wikimedia Commons / CC by 4.0
Exxon Mobil will lay off an estimated 14,000 workers, about 15% of its global workforce, including 1,900 workers in the U.S., the company announced Thursday.
<p>Analysts said the layoffs are part of an effort by the beleaguered company to maintain its stock dividend despite sharply reduced demand during the coronavirus pandemic. </p><p>While other oil majors have leaned into reducing emissions and building out renewable energy, Exxon has doubled down on oil. </p>
<p>It plans to <a href="https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/e2t/tc/VXkl_C7Kdv9sW2hPj8t2QWZy2W9ccHTJ4hPvlPN3NdJHk3p_9LV1-WJV7CgMmCW3LS1-t3pMmTrW2dBgj85Xb1R7W2nJ0st59tx0YW3465Bp1TbXg1W37nfX23g4lYBN4P7T8rKXz0fW3PGr6f47tYZ5W1DBtjn6R3xbmW8gw91P9jrw7MW86gmKM6DwN1BW1C-w167TjNdkW1WsKvK75dTdQW8j1G351DdpMhW1bdhGw7FyJnJN6KRmSlnBH4BW1Kfvq762ghcjW7HHmDy3vvvNgW6LDqfL74bg6WW3rLBnB8y8rvyW5GmhVM4v7PG_W4Q4Xz08HJnz7W4nBy-y3XbRx0W9gHpcj8NXKzJW8zXmHf8GBP1yW5sXMCS6zgH1_W1N7t5b6QDm47W6-vPC94QPy9zW5rFKdc753Y1H344X1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">increase its greenhouse gas pollution</a> in the coming years.</p><p>News of the layoffs comes as a former Exxon employee, who consistently received strong performance reviews and was widely respected by his colleagues, says he was pushed out of the company after he raised Exxon's climate denial in a Q&A session with company executives.</p>
<p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/exxonmobil-layoffs/exxon-to-cut-14000-global-jobs-including-1900-in-u-s-as-pandemic-hurts-demand-idUSKBN27E30U?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=98644484&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9uQprMXUg6iyvoNDLff_7apAyEj6b_6aCMkPoE4YUVI7X6DDtZ7s_uanjL-rMxsFWeLsrkDyp-33vvACTMCqrtmUJSr5Ern4GlegWIVNLH_W3G724&utm_content=98644484&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Reuters</a>, <a href="https://login.politicopro.com/?redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fsubscriber.politicopro.com%2Farticle%2F2020%2F10%2Fexxon-mobil-to-cut-1900-us-jobs-as-pandemic-chokes-fuel-demand-2015160%3Futm_campaign%3DHot%2520News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=98644484&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9HSBwxvAIMrWjyFmy_2-j3gQF2u5Fxs1xg8MwGiKmx4OhWGCpFn3UkHH7RclPer5Gq-9W46J48imDmhpiwKLaLdg47faZ9GyhNYfBxxU9gLoXqwV8&utm_content=98644484&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Politico Pro,</a> <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-10-29/exxon-cutting-1-900-u-s-jobs-in-response-to-virus-driven-slump?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=98644484&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8iqy_Nsx6C0BcQ9tP75IeFhTFP5_INuh0OMuCAtUVQrje6pFkVJCTd_M9VfPBpT4daRhqaSU1GlzZPm9pvcKlBMUHskzL0ErH0Zjm-Hb_2bCu6amM&utm_content=98644484&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Bloomberg</a>, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/exxon-to-lay-off-1-900-u-s-employees-as-pandemic-wreaks-havoc-on-oil-demand-11603986398?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=98644484&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9IISEDbrdgzTXs-yRl4dbvWlN-fnWX3KU6w6xocquxtprMAMPnR7W-WfRwHma9E9tBvykPVjyQPwA5_Q1hU-7g3AE4c5Ix2TcqTZHn5zbmEe-Hy50&utm_content=98644484&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Wall Street Journal</a>, <a href="https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Exxon-To-Cut-1900-Jobs-In-The-US.html?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=98644484&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8MkQCEX3jVp_A4EB7PIQxvaG5UXc_qewcnViGhUULlzhqte5miAogpby0K2A70nf2NZCrtx6iLtZkrL8Au6zTYuVvzoDinl3IUeBokSWRriiB0agc&utm_content=98644484&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Oil Price</a>, <a href="https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/energy/article/Exxon-lay-off-1900-US-employees-mostly-in-Houston-15685353.php?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=98644484&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_T_wesrkbPA54TVqsNMVOVy-DVtOjcxn3Vq3U5i6OP_zh0Rzxlj-H6jX64nUVZbRgZroVfYsPWt0OLkwqhJGcGigIy7qQ7LYqVat1wWak4UhJzk0k&utm_content=98644484&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Houston Chronicle</a>; Employee retribution: <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/bvx84q/exxon-silences-staff-alarmed-by-the-climate-crisis-says-former-employee-enrique-rosero?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=98644484&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--pCb8jL0WB6VcsJbgX_Ej_YSk_VbYV5aju-qis2s0D7aA6zyHTnWaUxKl-8RzO8eIEQI2x8FqLEiMWPjwAOoIBGtUKZMroZZGq3nGbMXx27Tb1gSM&utm_content=98644484&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Vice</a><br/></p><p><em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" 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" 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>, and sign up for daily </em><a href="http://climatenexus.us4.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=7c84c08aaa" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>. </em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Khalaktyrsky beach in the eastern Russian city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy in 2018. Yuri Smityuk / TASS / Getty Images
By Charli Shield
Local authorities in the eastern Russian city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy have been warning people against visiting the nearby Khalaktyrsky beach, after surfers complained of partially losing their eyesight and experiencing headaches, fevers and nausea when venturing into the water.
<p>"I noticed the ocean had a strange taste and didn't smell like it usually does. My eyes hurt, I had a dry, scratchy throat and my body itched horribly," Anton Morozov, founder of local surfing school, Snowave, told DW.</p><p>He and his team first noticed their symptoms in early September, but didn't associate them with the ocean until later in the month, when they reported them to the authorities.</p><p>Since then, images of dead octopuses, seals, sea urchins and starfish littered along the beach have been shared on social media, with some beachgoers saying <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/hundreds-of-dead-dolphins-washed-up-on-french-coast/a-52537366" target="_blank">dead fish</a> look as if they have been boiled.</p>
Local Authorities Investigate Three Causes
<p>The authorities took samples from the ocean, where by the end of September, Morozov said a "yellowish-greenish liquid" had appeared along a 20 to 30-kilometer (12-18-mile) stretch of the shoreline.</p><p>Local investigators are now looking into three main reasons for the water pollution, including a toxic spill, volcanic activity in the area and naturally occurring deadly <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/biggest-ever-seaweed-bloom-stretches-from-gulf-of-mexico-to-africa/a-49480178" target="_blank">algal blooms</a>, governor of the Kamchatka region, Vladimir Solodov, told a press conference on Monday.</p><p>On a video posted to Instagram, the governor said the situation was normalizing due to the ocean's unique ability to self-regenerate.</p><p>"As I said, we will push for a full and meticulous investigation of the reasons behind what happened, but now we can observe that the situation has significantly improved in the past few days."</p><p>The region's natural resources minister, Alexei Kumarkov, said tests on samples had thus far only detected unusually high levels of the chemical phenol and oil products in the water.</p><p>However, later on Monday, Russia's Natural Resources Minister said that the pollution was unlikely to be manmade, the RIA news agency reported.</p><p>Ecology Minister Dmitry Kobylkin said that so far research had only uncovered slightly raised levels of iron and phosphates.</p><p>He also said that the incident might have been prompted by the stormy conditions recently experienced in the region of eastern Russia. </p>Little Evidence for Oil Spill
<p>Environmentalist Dmitry Lisitsyn, head of local NGO <a href="https://bankwatch.org/office/sakhalin-environmental-watch" target="_blank">Sakhalin Environmental Watch</a>, told DW there have been no visible signs of oil on the surface of the water, and the bottom-dwelling sea creatures that have been found dead are not normally linked to oil spills.</p><p>"Petroleum products are lighter than water — they form a film at the top of the water, which mainly kills birds. Oil products aren't poisonous enough to kill such a huge amount of animals," he said.</p><p>Nicky Cariglia, an independent marine pollution advisor, said <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/mauritius-oil-spill-disaster-tanker/a-48095315" target="_blank">oil spill events</a> are often "very obvious", and that though in some cases it is possible for spills of very light oil to kill marine animals that live on the sea floor, oil tends to float on the surface of the water.</p><p>"The first thing you see when you have an <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/mauritius-oil-spill-compensation-pay/a-54725675" target="_blank">oil spill</a> is the presence of oil — whether it's crude oil or bunker oil or even lighter types of oil," she told DW.</p><p>As to the high concentrations of phenol in the water, Cariglia said it is not enough to indicate whether the event is a result of human activity or a naturally occurring phenomenon.</p><p>"High levels of phenol concentration can result from land-based runoff — if there have been, for example, a lot of fires — or from harmful algal blooms, or also from other decomposing organic materials," she said.</p>Deeper Research Needed
<p>Lisitsyn is "convinced" the water pollution is linked to a leak of decades-old expired rocket fuel from the Radygino military base located 10 kilometers from Khalaktyrsky beach.</p><p>"It's very likely that the waste disposal site there started to leak, maybe the storage tanks broke and a large amount of rocket fuel was washed into the ocean," Lisitsyn told DW, speculating that the noxious liquid could have been washed into the ocean during a cyclone that hit the area on September 9.</p><p>He says it is now up to authorities to launch a thorough investigation into the source of the contamination, which includes determining whether there is an ongoing leak.</p><p>"The military base needs to be examined, as do the storage locations and all the streams of water that flow down from it into the ocean," he said, adding that the components of rocket fuel are carcinogenic and that if it were spilling uncontained into the ocean, it could have long-term effects — not just for marine life.</p><p>"They are very harmful to people. I wouldn't recommend walking along this beach or breathing in the fumes there."</p>From Your Site Articles
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Fossil fuel companies, a diesel engine parts manufacturer, and a nuclear waste management company were among the corporations which received up to $32 million in loans. Dirk Rabe / Pixabay
By Julia Conley
As the American public awaits a new coronavirus aid package and at least one in five small businesses expect to close by the end of 2020 due to economic hardship, government watchdog Accountable.US and the HuffPost revealed Sunday that at least five companies which were previously fined for pollution violations received millions of dollars in loans via the Paycheck Protection Program which was introduced in March.
<p>Fossil fuel companies, a diesel engine parts manufacturer, and a nuclear waste management company were among the corporations which received up to $32 million in loans, after they were forced to collectively pay more than $52 million in penalties, according to the analysis.</p>
<div id="28c35" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="39d60f1d30497c2d70e6bd472fc84cf8"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1312727026609074183" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Tens of millions of dollars went to companies with environmental mishaps. https://t.co/9gZs160fIt</div> — Chris D'Angelo 🌎 (@Chris D'Angelo 🌎)<a href="https://twitter.com/c_m_dangelo/statuses/1312727026609074183">1601813487.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>"These companies have a clear history of violating public trust and the law by contaminating the environment in pursuit of profits. Our federal government should not be essentially giving back portions of the penalties they've paid, but that's exactly what the Trump administration is doing through the PPP," Chris Saeger, director of strategic initiatives at Accountable.US, told the <em>HuffPost.</em></p><p>The companies include CountryMark Refining and Logistics, a subsidiary of an oil company based in Indiana, which took a PPP loan of $5 million to $10 million in April, seven years after it <a href="https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/countrymark-refining-and-logistics-llc#violations" target="_blank">paid</a> more than $18 million to correct its violations of the Clean Air Act, including emissions standards regarding the carcinogen benzene. </p><p>Utah-based diesel engine parts company Performance Diesel took a loan between $350,000 and $1 million, just a year after it agreed to pay $1.1 million to settle Clean Air Act violations.</p>
<p>"Polluters should receive penalties and regulatory scrutiny, not taxpayer subsidies," <a href="https://twitter.com/TrueJoeMurphy/status/1312759782395256838" target="_blank">tweeted </a>Joe Murphy, an environmental attorney in New York.</p><p>The report comes days after Friends of the Earth, Public Citizen, and BailoutWatch<a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/10/01/100-billion-lifeline-while-most-americans-are-being-left-behind-report-details" target="_blank"> revealed </a>"how the U.S. government provided a safety net for the flagging fossil fuel industry" through coronavirus relief packages by allowing oil and gas companies to issue nearly $100 billion in bonds through the Federal Reserve's bond purchasing program. </p><p>More than 7,000 fossil fuel companies have received a total of $3 billion to $7 billion in PPP loans, while an estimated 167,735 small businesses, including restaurants and independent retailers, have been<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/christiankreznar/2020/09/16/small-businesses-are-closing-at-a-rapid-pace-with-restaurants-and-retailers-on-the-west-coast-among-the-hardest-hit/#3f5d2a9b5033" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> forced to close</a> since March. Small business owners reported long delays in actually accessing funds after they were approved for PPP loans in the spring while they struggled to keep their businesses open and employees paid. </p>
<p>As of Friday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/03/coronavirus-stimulus-update-trump-urges-congress-to-pass-relief-bill.html" target="_blank">negotiating </a>more potential Covid-19 aid with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. House Democrats passed the HEROES Act in May and a second version of the legislation last week, calling for a reinstatement of the $600 weekly enhanced unemployment benefit included in the CARES Act, $400 billion for state and local governments, child care assistance funding, and funding for Covid-19 testing and contact tracing.</p><p>Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has so far refused to take up the legislation. </p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/10/04/tens-millions-ppp-loans-went-corporate-polluters-after-companies-were-fined-52" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Heo Suwat Waterfall in Khao Yai National Park in Thailand. sarote pruksachat / Moment / Getty Images
A national park in Thailand has come up with an innovative way to make sure guests clean up their own trash: mail it back to them.
<p>Thailand's Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa issued a stern warning to visitors of the country's Khao Yai National Park last week.</p><p>"I will pick up every single piece of your trash, pack them well in a box and mail it to your home as a souvenir," he wrote in a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TOPVarawut/posts/1058216911296247" target="_blank">Facebook post Sept. 14</a>, according to a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/21/world/asia/thailand-park-mail-trash.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">New York Times translation</a>.</p><p>The post also included a picture of an abandoned tent filled with discarded <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/plastics" target="_self">plastic</a> bottles and other rubbish.</p>
<div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b8c0986fe76ad4f2771920a558c9a3f0"><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/TOPVarawut/photos/a.674770099640932/1058314587953146/"></div></div>
<p>The next day, Varawut revealed he had made good on his threat.</p><p>"The garbage that tourists left in the park is now packed into the box. It's ready to be returned to the owner of the garbage already," he wrote in a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TOPVarawut/posts/1058561024595169" target="_blank">Sept. 15 post</a>, according to a <a href="https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-news/thailand-national-park-mails-back-garbage-campers-litter" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Travel and Leisure </a>translation. He also posted pictures of the collected trash and a shipping box with the address marked out.</p><p>The trash was shipped back with a special message for its owners.</p><p>"You have forgotten some of your belongings at the Khao Yai National Park," the note read, according to The New York Times. "Please let us return these to you."</p>
<div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b1a28fa6a2f82659c3a1952924af20bf"><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/TOPVarawut/photos/pcb.1058561024595169/1058560754595196/"></div></div>
<p>Park officials were able to match the trash to their owners by checking rental equipment forms against a prescription bottle left in the tent. The offending visitors have also been blacklisted from returning to the park for overnight visits.</p><p>Varawut explained that abandoned trash could endanger wild animals, who might eat it by mistake when foraging for food. He said littering in the park could carry a fine of up to up to a 500,000 Thai Baht (about $16,000 U.S. dollars), a prison sentence of up to five years or both, Travel and Leisure reported. He said anyone caught littering would be reported to the police.</p><p>Khao Yai National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site about 100 miles northeast of Bangkok. It is the oldest national park in Thailand, according to <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-54200833" target="_blank">BBC News</a>, and is famous for its <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildlife" target="_self">wildlife</a> and landscapes, including waterfalls.</p>
<p>The lockdown initiated due to the coronavirus pandemic was a boon for the animals there, as elephants began returning to their old paths in the absence of human visitors, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/05/world/asia/thailand-elephants-coronavirus.html" target="_blank">The New York Times reported in July</a>. Other animals like the Asian black bear and a type of bovine called a guar emerged from hiding too.</p><p>The park reopened to visitors July 1, but limited the number to 5,000 at a time, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2020/09/18/tourist-trash-mail/" target="_blank">The Washington Post reported</a>. The Thai tourism board praised Varawut for reminding the returning visitors how to properly respect the park.</p><p>"We applaud Khao Yai National Park and The Minister of Natural Resources and Environment for their commitment to maintaining the beauty and wellbeing of our country's natural resources," Charinya Kiatlapnachai, director of the tourism authority of Thailand, told The Washington Post in an email. "Thailand's national parks and wildlife have had time to recover from damaging results of tourism such as littering over the past six months and this gesture has the best of intentions to ensure we all do our part to help our country remain clean, safe and beautiful."</p>
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Scientists and environmental advocates have long known that microfibers rub off clothing in the washing machine. Wachiwit / iStock / Getty Images Plus
What is the environmental footprint of your favorite pair of blue jeans?
<p>A new study indicates it might be quite large. The study, published in <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.estlett.0c00498" target="_blank">Environmental Science and Technology Letters</a> Wednesday, found denim <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/microfibers" target="_self">microfibers</a> had infiltrated all the way to the Canadian <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/arctic" target="_self">Arctic</a> Ocean. Researchers say it's a telling example of the extent of human-generated pollution.</p><p>"It's not an indictment of jeans — I want to be really clear that we're not coming down on jeans," study coauthor and University of Toronto environmental scientist Miriam Diamond <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/your-blue-jeans-are-polluting-the-ocean/?fbclid=IwAR0ImLGDKaFOz00SUdTb36l9TfbHyoliY16W8ICiuY0pTZSECXjsWMtOZJE&mbid=social_fb_sci&utm_brand=wired-science&utm_medium=social&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=facebook" target="_blank">told WIRED</a>. "It's just a really potent example of human impact."</p>
<div id="f07e3" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ed4acc51d06332189afa9d2eeb0c7195"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1301132809302663168" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Yay! Our study on 'The Widespread Environmental Footprint of Indigo Denim #Microfibers from Blue Jeans' is out in… https://t.co/RELNCtmquQ</div> — Sam Athey (@Sam Athey)<a href="https://twitter.com/sustainablesam_/statuses/1301132809302663168">1599049210.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/scientists" target="_self">Scientists</a> and environmental advocates have long known that <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/plastic" target="_self">plastic</a> microfibers rub off synthetic clothing in the washing machine, where they enter the world's <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/oceanshttps://www.ecowatch.com/tag/oceans" target="_self">oceans</a> and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/rivers" target="_self">rivers</a> via wastewater treatment plants. One study <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/laundry-clothes-plastic-pollution-oceans-2646168554.html" target="_self">estimated</a> that two garbage trucks worth of microfibers enter Europe's oceans this way every day. These fibers have been found everywhere from <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/plastics-ocean-animals-2509746046.html" target="_self">the bellies of deep-sea crustaceans</a> to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/microplastics-in-ocean-2645891531.html" target="_self">concentrated hotspots</a> in the sediment of the Mediterranean seafloor.</p><p>At any given moment, about half of the world's population is wearing blue jeans or other types of denim. So researchers at the University of Toronto wondered whether the popular garment had an equally global environmental impact.</p>
<p>To find out, they looked at water samples from the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, the Great Lakes, and suburban lakes near Toronto. They found that indigo denim microfibers made up a sizable percentage of all the microfibers found in the three locations, <a href="https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/presspacs/2020/acs-presspac-september-2-2020/the-widespread-footprint-of-blue-jean-microfibers.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">according to an American Chemical Society (ACS) press release</a>; the percentages were as follows:</p><ol><li>Toronto Lakes: 12 percent</li><li>Arctic: 20 percent</li><li>Great Lakes: 23 percent</li></ol><p>"Unfortunately, the results are not surprising to environmental scientists; they are even expected," Caroline Gauchotte-Lindsay at the University of Glasgow in the UK, who was not involved in the study, told <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2253421-blue-jeans-pollute-water-by-releasing-50000-microfibres-per-wash/?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=echobox&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1599053088" target="_blank">New Scientist</a>.</p>
<p>The researchers didn't just look to see where the denim ended up. They also examined how it got there. To do this, they washed used, new and new distressed jeans, according to WIRED. They found that the new jeans released more fibers, and that a pair of jeans could release 56,000 microfibers per wash.</p><p>They also counted the denim microfibers that turned up in effluent, or discharge, from two wastewater treatment plants on Lake Ontario. They concluded that as many as a billion denim microfibers could be entering the lake every day.</p><p>While denim is made with organic fiber, not plastic, study coauthor Sam Athey told WIRED that it could still bring human contaminants to ocean ecosystems.</p>
<p>"They're called 'natural' textile fibers," Athey said. "I'm doing air quotes around 'natural' because they contain these chemical additives. They also pick up chemicals from the environment, when you're wearing your clothes, when they're in the closet."</p><p>The researchers did not check to see if the denim had entered the Arctic food web, but they did check the guts of Great Lakes rainbow smelt. However, they only found a single denim fiber in all of the fish they collected.</p><p>More research is needed to determine what impact, if any, blue jean fibers are having on the environment and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/marine-life" target="_self">marine life</a>. For now, there are steps you can take to keep your jeans from shedding into the oceans, Athey advised on Twitter. You can wash your jeans less frequently, get a filter for your washing machine and buy your jeans used.</p>
<div id="ce0f7" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="397a94af0c14897aa42f0075e2accddf"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1301196803300352007" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">@EmmaAckerley27 @EnvSciTech @AdamsJenniferK @lisaerdle @liisajay @UofTTrashTeam @UofTEarthSci @UofTArtSci Good ques… https://t.co/Zdeb7heCZi</div> — Sam Athey (@Sam Athey)<a href="https://twitter.com/sustainablesam_/statuses/1301196803300352007">1599064467.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>"While we certainly need more research to fully understand the effects, we also have ample evidence right now to act," Nicholas Mallos, senior director of the <a href="https://oceanconservancy.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ocean Conservancy</a>'s Trash Free Seas Program who was not involved with the research, told WIRED.</p>
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A Lebanese boy cleans a damaged car in Beirut on August 11, 2020, after a huge chemical explosion devastated large swaths of the capital. AFP / Getty Images
By Kathleen Schuster
In the weeks since Beirut's deadly chemical blast, residents have been sweeping up the broken glass and wiping down surfaces caked in dust. And it's this dust that some say poses a major threat to the city.
<p>"The most dangerous thing" right now, according to Greenpeace's Middle East and North Africa program manager in Beirut, Julien Jreissati, is that no one knows "what actually exploded besides ammonium nitrate" and, therefore, how toxic the dust is.</p><p>"We don't know what kind of pollution, what level of pollution, what the potential impact is and, therefore, what the potential countermeasures" should be, says Jreissati.</p><p>On August 4, nearly 3,000 tons of <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/lebanon-beirut-reform-explosion/a-54544805" target="_blank">the highly combustible chemical compound</a> exploded in Beirut's port, shooting a plume of orange smoke into the afternoon sky, followed quickly by a pressure wave that ripped through nearby buildings and blew out windows across the metropolis. </p><p>And while those toxic gases are believed to have dissipated after several days, authorities have yet to confirm what else burned in the port warehouse fire and subsequently exploded. They also don't know the magnitude or composition of the fine particulate matter released from the rubble and broken glass.</p>
Side Effects of Ammonium Nitrate
<p>What is known is that when heated, ammonium nitrate — commonly used in fertilizers and, due to its ability to speed up combustion, also in explosives — melts, releasing toxic gases like nitrogen oxides (NOx) and ammonia gas (NH3).</p><p>These gases, both harmful to the human respiratory system and the environment, in turn break down and react with other chemicals. Nitrogen oxides, for example, when combined with other pollutants and sunlight form "bad ozone," that is to say, <a href="https://www.epa.gov/ground-level-ozone-pollution/ground-level-ozone-basics" target="_blank">ozone at ground level</a>.</p><p>Not only would these gases mix with Beirut's already dangerous air pollution levels — a combination of fossil fuel combustion, <a href="https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/20/9281/2020/" target="_blank">sea salt, and mineral dust</a> — which were estimated at least 150% over the World Health Organization's (WHO) standards before the disaster, but also with demolition dust.</p><p>There's no up-to-date information on the level of air pollution at the moment: Beirut shut down its monitoring system to cut costs in 2019. In previous years, though, Lebanon has averaged roughly 30 micrograms of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) per cubic meter, far above the WHO recommendation of <a href="https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/69477/WHO_SDE_PHE_OEH_06.02_eng.pdf?sequence=1" target="_blank">10 micrograms per cubic meter</a>.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzU5Mzg1Mi9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzNTc3MjQ2MX0.MtdeL2v5Rx1FgEcUcJxPR4oYvpZORDh2FxvCW70wOOs/img.png?width=980" id="4254a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0d23f927fc33f9d36e5769086b5fd89c" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" /><p><br>"There's the demolition construction, demolition waste from the buildings, the walls, the concrete. There's a lot of glass, obviously, also from the buildings and some from the high rises that were the curtain wall, so a lot of glass," says Jihan Seoud, who manages the UNDP's Energy and Environment Program in Beirut.</p><p>It's this uncertainty that makes Seoud cautious. There are too many unknown variables to jump to conclusions, she says – and running tests will take time.</p>
Political Instability Holds Up Testing
<p>One person familiar with those tests is Najat Saliba, a professor of chemistry at the American University of Beirut, where she also directs the Nature Conservation Center.</p><p>Her team has been taking air samples with their own sensors and expects results in about a month — double the wait of the usual procedure, she says, due to the economic collapse.</p><p>"We are really running very low on resources like quality standards and equipment to do the tests," Saliba says.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzU5Mzg1Ny9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNDk3ODc0OX0.27EJx_2-WCG8HnVr0hBBWkYAveZVrX1a0Mywt_YApc8/img.png?width=980" id="349b8" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1dca42e00bb9d881d6f8f7a387c0aa7e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" /><p>She emphasizes that <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/beirut-pollution-explosion-lebanon-dust-environment-garbage/a-54704363?maca=en-VAM_volltext_ecowatch-28485-html-copypaste" target="_blank">at the heart of it all is political incompetence</a> — the same kind that has, for example, seen pollution levels worsen with the rise of diesel-powered generators across Beirut, where the power grid is unable to provide electricity for 24 hours a day.</p><p>And while the dust issue has been concerning, Saliba notes that a bigger problem is looming: garbage.</p>
Beirut's Epic Trash Problem
<p>That message doesn't bode well for Beirut, which has been dealing with a <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/trash-crisis-forces-lebanons-environmental-awakening/a-36765579" target="_blank">recurring trash crisis</a> for several years, and is now facing a cleanup to the tune of up to $15 million (€12.6 million). In 2015, the government failed to react quickly enough after a major trash dump was closed, leaving streets and beaches covered in mounds of solid waste.</p><p>In fact, one of the city's main landfills reached capacity in late April, prompting the government to approve a vertical expansion that would hold for roughly three months – or until around the time of the blast.</p><p>The question of what to do with the solid waste has been on the mind of some, like Salam Kabboul, a local freelance journalist and co-founder of "The Tent," a volunteer initiative launched the day after the blast. The name refers to their first project of offering victims snacks and a place to rest with the only thing they had on hand: a tent.</p><p>Now, they repair buildings and homes so life can return to normal. They take precautions for the dust, but when it comes to dealing with trash, they're also in the dark about what to do.</p><p>"It's not clear what happens to the waste," says Kabboul, who, like everyone else is aware of another imminent trash crisis.</p><p>A new aspect of this problem is the type of debris in the cleanup. According to Seoud from UNDP, there's a lot of <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-e-waste/a-47210118" target="_blank">hard-to-dispose-of items</a> like air conditioners, compressors, electronics.</p><p>There's also medical waste from the COVID-19 pandemic, and the fear of chemical waste – both of which could cause problems for the city's water. As things stand, Beirut is waiting to find out if all of its pipes are still intact post-explosion, and researchers still aren't allowed to test the already contaminated coastal waters, which are roped off as the search for the missing continues.</p><p>Beirut is facing one pollution problem on top of another. Now, with the magnitude of dust and debris putting the city under even more strain, civilians and NGOs alike hope that this disaster could mark a turning point as it moves forward.</p>
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Pollution From Oil Wells and Industrial Sites Hit by Hurricane Laura Remains Unknown
28 August
Climate
An LNG processing plant is seen in Cameron, Louisiana on August 26, 2020. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP / Getty Images
The full extent of the damage wrought by the storm formerly known as Hurricane Laura will only continue to grow as the weakened storm continues inland and pollution from petrochemical plants and other industrial sites is discovered.
<p>More than 1,400 active oil wells sit in the path Hurricane Laura carved through Louisiana's coastline, some of which are decades old and especially vulnerable due to the state's receding coastline. </p><p>"I have a lump in my throat thinking about them," Bob Bea, a specialist in catastrophic risk management and former well manager for Shell, told the New Orleans Advocate. </p><p>The environmental damage caused by leaking wells, as well as from pollution spread from other damaged industrial sites, may not be discovered for days as officials focus on search and rescue tasks in the wake of the storm.</p>
<p>The storm's rapid intensification, fueled by exceptionally warm sea-surface temperatures, likely made matters worse but overconfidence from regulators and oil companies is also to blame, according to Bea. </p><p>"When it comes to how we manage our platforms, pipelines, and wells, we here in the U.S. are not world leaders in risk management," he said. </p><p>"We're not Canada or Norway. We're not even a Third World country." </p>
<p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.nola.com/news/business/article_8106c25c-e86b-11ea-a890-fb56159b024e.html?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=94133008&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_VLOWHPFC592Gm_5D57qGB9LRL98MiRz3oGxdSpC7qsuf2cd_S4qAmA5Ps3kfhIcCRgU5Ia0C1DuRpa5L2RCX2SZb4dxbFgw9OUG6YFovxlBT8l3E&utm_content=94133008&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">New Orleans Advocate</a>; Potential industrial pollution: <a href="https://apnews.com/1887dbe11dec8c0db2f41988599382fc?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=94133008&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9dhp6AZcLb4AA5AUQRI20P8OFVHGu_7tB-IXKvNWtCzHjNPK8eOi1FpDpKWgIC_sH8pDi3bD6OqZciElqQ4Se8wxi0v6_cgxaeYTeHPGbCLsFHgLA&utm_content=94133008&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">AP</a>, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/27/climate/hurricane-laura-fire-pollution.html?searchResultPosition=3&utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=94133008&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8esde0511EKliwyNlN6Ts0ewK1sJvLLsOr8ximeb95eof33jzMzW6aI3DpdD7vZjU4-D0X4w-O1IrmO0_okgfQ5axh0I7uZw-BYBnRs122VkMadJI&utm_content=94133008&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">New York Times</a>, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/americas-energy-corridor-narrowly-averts-direct-hit-from-hurricane-laura-11598539350?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=94133008&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--wHrEUgGUYgpBwo_asKLbIC1xgahQH9DJyFcU4-r-Ubq-FZFycnVnewxrJRTFguz6q9t7y7NDVUxyfDPXQdF95XWB4Wd0dfwIrhOFMpkU6vWhRo1c&utm_content=94133008&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Wall Street Journal</a>, <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/emmanuelfelton/hurricane-laura-could-lead-to-an-environmental-disaster-on?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=94133008&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--v564n6L9bIwptZCCIdB--FxYL_N3AV4pZ2JheOXD4p8NYUEFAvhIHBG2rldHsPGQ82vP9y-RCUwsFDd9isz3-L6coCQiq4fe2XFhHhK0N0pqwCto&utm_content=94133008&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Buzzfeed</a><br/></p><p><em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" target="_blank"><em>climate change</em></a><em> and </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/business/renewables/" target="_blank"><em>clean energy</em></a><em> news, you can follow Climate Nexus on </em><a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateNexus" target="_blank"><em>Twitter</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClimateNexus/" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, and sign up for daily </em><a href="http://climatenexus.us4.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=7c84c08aaa" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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EPA Has Granted More Than 3,000 Pollution Monitoring Exemptions to Oil and Gas Industry
26 August
Climate
Environmental regulators across the country granted more than 3,000 requests from polluting oil and gas operations, government facilities, chemical plants, and other facilities to stop pollution monitoring. PxHere / CC0
Environmental regulators across the country granted more than 3,000 requests from polluting oil and gas operations, government facilities, chemical plants, and other facilities to stop pollution monitoring and other procedures intended to protect human health and the environment, an expansive two-month AP investigation revealed.
<p>The Trump administration, under pressure from the oil and gas industry, allowed for the exemptions in late March because of the coronavirus pandemic. </p><p>"It's like saying, 'We're going to remove the radar guns and remove speedometers, but you still have to comply with the speed limit,'" said Eric Schaeffer, now head of the Environmental Integrity Project advocacy group. "That doesn't make sense." </p><p>While EPA claims the monitoring waivers do not constitute a license to pollute at will, without effective monitoring there is no way to know. </p><p>As a whole, the skipped leak inspections could be endangering oil and gas workers and allowing thousands of tons of greenhouse pollution to be emitted into the atmosphere, a former oil and gas engineer told the AP.</p>
<p>The investigation's findings run counter to statements made by the EPA in June that the coronavirus was not impacting compliance and monitoring, and that the industry was not seeking relief. </p><p>In fact, the industry actors aggressively sought and were granted exemptions, as early as March, to skip inspections of smokestacks, tank seals, flare stacks, and emissions monitoring systems, which could raise the risk of explosions. </p><p>"As surely as night follows day there are going to be an increased number of deaths from those causes," Philip J. Landrigan, director of the Program for Global Public Health and the Common Good at Boston College, told the AP.</p>
<p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong></p><p><a href="https://apnews.com/3bf753f9036e7d88f4746b1a36c1ddc4?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=93878362&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8llXBR1XSIHnBMwvxjlxSTzAmU1Yd25iuXcsHj4vE8oBH169XOVGeDGxaAruzlCNLYkhcXGNC0FJFTnyKho_GYG7zgOD__m50Rvc-lLDpvzw2fuhM&utm_content=93878362&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">AP</a></p><p><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/broadcast-networks/three-years-corporate-broadcast-news-hurricane-coverage-failed-mention-specific" target="_blank"></a><em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" target="_blank"><em>climate change</em></a><em> and </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/business/renewables/" target="_blank"><em>clean energy</em></a><em> news, you can follow Climate Nexus on </em><a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateNexus" target="_blank"><em>Twitter</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClimateNexus/" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, and sign up for daily </em><a href="http://climatenexus.us4.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=7c84c08aaa" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>.</em></p>
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Research has revealed PFAS compounds — even some that have been previously phased out of production — in manatees, loggerhead turtles, alligators, seabirds, polar bears, dolphins and whales. Fadhilahmedh1357 / Wikimedia Commons / CC by 4.0
By Max G. Levy
In seabird after seabird, Anna Robuck found something concerning: per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, lurking around vital organs.
<p><br/></p>
<p><em><a href="https://therevelator.org/author/maxglevy/" target="_blank">Max G. Levy </a>is a freelance science journalist. He writes stories about the environment, public health, basic science, and how technology shapes policy.</em></p><p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://therevelator.org/pfas-ocean-wildlife/" target="_blank">The Revelator</a>.</em></p>
<p>"Brain, liver, kidney, lung, blood, heart," Robuck says, rattling off a few hiding spots before pausing to recall the rest. Robuck, a Ph.D. candidate in chemical oceanography at the University of Rhode Island, quickly settles on a simpler response: She found the chemicals everywhere she looked.</p><p>PFAS — a group of synthetic chemicals — are often called "forever chemicals" due to their quasi-unbreakable molecular bonds and knack for accumulating in living organisms. That <em>foreverness </em>is less of a design flaw than a design feature: The stubborn, versatile molecules help weatherproof clothing; smother flames in firefighting foam; and withstand heat and grime on nonstick pans.</p><p>Through consumption and disposal, the chemicals seep into ecosystems and bodies, where they have been <a href="https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/pfas/health-effects/index.html" target="_blank">linked to</a> cancers, pregnancy complications, and reproductive and immune dysfunction. Recent attention has focused on the prevalence of PFAS in drinking water.</p>
<p>"Over the past 10-15 years we've really developed this super negative picture of what PFAS do to humans," Robuck says. "But we've barely scratched the surface of that in wildlife."</p><p>One particular area of concern is the marine ecosystem. Long seen as a bottomless sink for pollutants, the ocean is a final stop for PFAS trickling into the ecosystem. Once in the ocean, PFAS can persist for decades or longer — and travel long distances. As a result, a growing body of scientific research suggests that marine wildlife are accumulating dangerous amounts of "forever chemicals."</p><p>"If we continue to emit PFAS, then the capacity of the ocean to dilute them is going to be exceeded," says <a href="https://pharmacology-toxicology.ecu.edu/dewittj/" target="_blank">Jamie DeWitt</a>, an environmental toxicologist at Eastern Carolina University. "For all we know, oceans could be reservoirs that re-pollute the land."</p>
Journeying Across the Globe
<p>Coastal environments seem especially vulnerable to PFAS seeping from the <a href="https://www.newsobserver.com/news/business/article235963052.html" target="_blank">chemical plants</a> and military bases <a href="https://www.ewg.org/news-and-analysis/2020/04/updated-map-suspected-and-confirmed-pfas-pollution-us-military-bases" target="_blank">responsible for heavy contamination</a>. <a href="https://scholar.harvard.edu/ccwagner" target="_blank">Charlotte Wagner</a>, a researcher at Harvard University studying the global transport of pollutants, says it's still unclear what fraction of PFAS pollutants remain contained at their source, and what fraction has already leached into other environments.</p><p>But the fact that they do spread — and far — is clear. They generally wind up in oceans, according to Wagner. And not just the ones nearby. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15913661/" target="_blank">Studies</a> in the early 2000s showed that PFAS survived decades-long journeys from manufacturers to remote ocean basins without breaking down.</p><p>"The ocean is not this static pool or bathtub," she says. Large-scale ocean circulation moves pollutants huge distances across the globe. Some varieties of PFAS may degrade slightly over the course of years, until they convert into one of the more stable "terminal PFAS" subgroups, including PFAAs.</p><p>"To the best of our knowledge PFAAs don't degrade at all under natural environmental conditions," says Robuck. Rather than diluting PFAS to infinitely low concentrations, oceans carry them to remote areas, like the <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.est.0c00228" target="_blank">Arctic</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1309104215304190" target="_blank">Antarctic</a>.</p><p>Other pollutants that reach the ocean, like <a href="https://therevelator.org/toxic-plastic-pollution-food-chain/" target="_blank">DDT and PCBs</a>, will stick to algae and sediment that eventually fall to the ocean floor. "That is a really important removal process," Wagner says. "For PFAS, that process is minor." Plants, algae and sediment only remove a small fraction of PFAS from the water column. That leaves more to accumulate in animals, reaching concentrations thousands of times higher than surrounding waters.</p><p>And those chemicals could travel right back to humans. Eating a lot of seafood, especially fish high on the food chain like tuna, would be concerning, she says.</p><p>But it's not just fish — and humans eating them — that are at risk. A study last year reported PFAS in seawater and <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.9b03230" target="_blank">plankton</a> dozens of miles off the Mid-Atlantic coast. Other research has revealed PFAS compounds — even some that have been previously phased out of production — in <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30803684/" target="_blank">manatees</a>, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30321810/" target="_blank">loggerhead turtles</a>, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27689886/" target="_blank">alligators</a>, <a href="https://cfpub.epa.gov/si/si_public_record_report.cfm?Lab=NHEERL&dirEntryId=345700" target="_blank">seabirds</a>, <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=Brain%20region%20distribution%20and%20patterns%20of%20bioaccumulative%20perfluoroalkyl%20carboxylates%20and%20sulfonates%20in%20East%20Greenland%20polar%20bears%20(Ursus%20maritimus)&author=A.K.%20Greaves&publication_year=2012&pages=713-722" target="_blank">polar bears</a>, <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es0506556" target="_blank">dolphins</a> and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28350446/" target="_blank">whales</a>.</p>
Measuring Harm to Ocean Life
<p>In North Carolina's Cape Fear River, striped bass carrying <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412019334762" target="_blank">high levels of PFAS </a>showed distinct signs of impaired immune and liver function. But in the vastness of ocean water, can PFAS levels be high enough to cause harm?</p><p>"In recent years there have been increases in immune-based diseases in turtles and dolphins," says DeWitt. One of the most <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22109712/" target="_blank">well-studied</a> health effects of PFAS is immune dysfunction. Most experiments are limited to humans, rodents and chickens, but researchers are piecing together the role of PFAS in marine immune issues.</p><p>One study concluded that PFOS, a phased-out PFAS that still circulates today, triggers <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5831401/" target="_blank">"chronic immune activation</a>" in bottlenose dolphins. A similar link between PFOS and susceptibility to disease appeared in <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16955890/" target="_blank">sea otters</a>. Other research links multiple PFAS to hormonal changes in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2016.07.015" target="_blank">polar bear brains</a>. But these aquatic wildlife health studies are few and far between.</p><p>"PFAS in wildlife is kind of the <em>wild west</em>," says Robuck. "Wildlife are inherently difficult to study in a lot of ways."</p><p>Zeroing on the health effects for individual species is tricky because scientists lack baseline data about stress responses and pollutant levels. They have no choice but to presume consequences in wildlife based on hormonal, immune and reproductive effects in lab animals. For Robuck, that means judging how a pelican will respond to its measured PFAS levels according to health data collected from a chicken. "That's a really crappy comparison," she says.</p><p>In one sense, the method is conservative: Lab animals are well cared for, so their health effects may be a best-case scenario compared to the stressful baseline of wild animals' experience. But it also means we don't have an accurate sense of what dangerous thresholds are for most aquatic life — despite a parade of red flags.</p>Endless Stream of Pollutants
<p>Part of the problem is the sheer number of different compounds. Of the thousands of known PFAS, studies have only deduced health thresholds for a handful. Scientists screening their effects simply can't keep up with the pace.</p><p>The chemical compounds that fall under the PFAS umbrella are also not all the same. Some are long, bulky molecules; others are smaller and more agile. Some forms tend to naturally convert into others; others don't degrade whatsoever. Each molecule has the potential to be more toxic or bioaccumulative than the next. But for a lot of PFAS, Wagner says, scientists don't even have standardized methods of <em>detecting </em>them.</p><p>To make matters worse, even as some of the most dangerous chemicals are being phased out, companies are making alternatives. But they <a href="https://www.ewg.org/release/epa-genx-nearly-toxic-notorious-non-stick-chemicals-it-replaced" target="_blank">may not be any safer</a> than what they're replacing. And scientists have found these alternatives are also accumulating in the bodies of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214158819300145?casa_token=6t17JUQM74gAAAAA:igHTxRV6z9RPhf1UNqwvbgD9iARSODj4WJtavRsmTbF6UUvn2P1YXirvBya2VC094wm8HMxb3A" target="_blank">fish and polar bears</a>.</p><p>"It seems that we haven't learned anything from the past," says Belén González-Gaya, an analytical chemist at the University of Basque Country in Spain. "We keep on substituting compounds [for] others without any knowledge of biological effects."</p><p><a href="https://www.ewg.org/experts/sydney-evans.php" target="_blank">Sydney Evans</a>, a research scientist for the nonprofit Environmental Working Group, suggests that researchers shouldn't have to prove the health risks for thousands of similar compounds in order to warrant regulatory action. "The burden needs to be on these companies and manufacturers to prove their compounds are safe," she says.</p><p>And while there is much we don't know about the majority of PFAS, experts argue that we do know enough to assume they all share fundamental features: persistence, bioaccumulation and health risks. For this reason a group of scientists recently <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.estlett.0c00255" target="_blank">published a call</a> for governments and companies to treat all PFAS, old and new, as a single hazardous group.</p><p>"It's really the only way that we can be ahead of the curve," says Wagner, who cowrote the article. "Rather than always realizing that a compound is toxic once it's already everywhere and we measure it on a remote ice-site somewhere in Greenland."</p><p>To shut off the flow of PFAS into the ocean, scientists say that manufacturers should phase out the chemicals and focus on proving safer alternatives.</p><p>With so many open questions, Robuck hopes to see research that more closely predicts threats to marine life — and by extension people, too.</p><p>"As humans, we rely on every natural resource under the sun," she says. "When we undercut a healthy environment, we undercut our own health."</p>From Your Site Articles
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