Category: Public health
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The Effect of Clean Water on the Economy
Water pollution, chemical spills, and algae blooms can wreak havoc on a community, not only by affecting the water supply and animal populations but also through many seemingly unrelated industries that tend to suffer with “dirty” water. Keeping our water clean through regulations like the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act directly bolster the local economy…
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When communities face drinking-water crises, bottled water is a ‘temporary’ solution that often lasts years − and worsens inequality
An emergency bottled-water distribution site in Flint, Mich., in early 2016. Sarah Rice/Getty Images A massive intrusion of salt water into the Mississippi River has left the tap water in several Louisiana communities unsafe to drink and could threaten the New Orleans metropolitan area. The most visible emergency response is the provision of bottled water, with authorities distributing huge…
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Biden-Harris Administration Proposes Ban on Trichloroethylene to Protect Public from Toxic Chemical Known to Cause Serious Health Risks
Proposal aligns with President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot by reducing toxic exposures known to cause cancer WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposal to ban all uses of trichloroethylene (TCE), an extremely toxic chemical known to cause serious health risks including cancer, neurotoxicity, and reproductive toxicity. TCE is used in cleaning and furniture care…
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Biden’s $8 billion quest to solve America’s groundwater crisis
A researcher measures water levels in an irrigation well near Marienthal, Kansas. Water levels in the state’s Ogallala Aquifer have been declining for decades. AP Photo / Charlie Riedel With little fanfare, the administration is using infrastructure funding to revive dormant plans for pipelines and reservoirs in rural areas across the U.S. West. Water is hard…
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Toxic PFAS from US military bases polluting drinking water, report finds
The defense department has only looked at about one-third of more than 700 facilities suspected of having contaminated the ground with PFAS. Photograph: Frederic J Brown/AFP/Getty Images Plumes of ‘forever chemicals’ from at least 245 sites are contaminating water for nearby communities Plumes of toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” flowing from at least 245 US military bases…
