Category: Public health
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Newark said its water was safe, but … was warned of problems months ago
City officials in Newark said they learned in October that lead water contamination wasn’t just affecting a dozen homes, but was a “widespread problem,” potentially impacting as many as 40,000 residents. But, a newly-released email shows officials were warned at least seven months earlier — months they spent insisting the water was “absolutely safe to…
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Nuclear Reactor Wastewater Will End Up In Beaver Lake
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Fayetteville City Council on Wednesday approved dumping wastewater from the site of a former nuclear reactor into the city’s sewer system. The water will eventually flow into Beaver Lake, our area’s main source for drinking water. One city council member thinks it’s a bad idea, but others claim it’s perfectly safe. "We…
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Toxic Firefighting Foam Has Contaminated U.S. Drinking Water
A small sea of fire retardant foam was unintentionally released in an aircraft hangar, temporarily covering a small portion of the flight line at Travis Air Force Base in California, Sept. 24, 2013. Photo: U.S. Air Force The EPA has yet to regulate the toxic PFCs found in fire-suppressing foam, Teflon, and other products that…
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Water Quality and Emerging Pollutants: addressing new global challenges
Published 03.12.2018 – UNESCO Office in Jakarta Emerging pollutants are commonly defined as synthetic or naturally-occurring chemicals or microorganisms that are not commonly monitored or regulated in the environment, yet which have potentially adverse effects on ecological and human health. The sources of emerging pollutants are many, ranging from pharmaceuticals and personal care products, to…
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Businesses discharging PFAS into Michigan’s waterways
Michigan businesses are discharging high levels of PFAS that move into the state’s waterways on a daily basis. An MLive investigation found that manufacturing sources are sending one version of the “forever chemicals” at up to 20,000 times the allowed amount into wastewater systems that discharge it into the state’s lakes, rivers and, ultimately, threatening…
