ecosystems Archives - Page 2 of 4

Forever Chemicals and Agriculture Case Study

Stop all land application of “biosolids”:Land application of sludge that contains PFAS, including composted sludge, is not safe. Continuing to allow this practice will result in water contamination and destroy land for future use as farmland. As farmers in Maine and elsewhere have discovered, once contaminated with PFAS, it is virtually impossible to make soils safe for farming. While EPA has taken initial steps that could change how PFAS-contaminated wastes are regulated in the future, the timing and scope of any changes are up in the air. There is no indication yet that EPA plans to revisit its biosolids rule. States have the authority to act, and doing so will incentivize the removal of PFAS from wastewater discharges and consumer products and prompt speedier development of safe PFAS destruction technologies.

July 12, 2021 Climate Change / Ecology / Environment / News & Updates

Pacific Northwest heat wave was ‘virtually impossible’ without climate change, scientists find

The unprecedented episode was made at least 150 times as likely by rising temperatures, according to a rapid analysis By all estimates, last week’s heat wave in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia was essentially unprecedented. Seattle hit 108 degrees, Portland spiked to 116 and Canada broke its national temperature record three days in a row, hitting 121 degrees on June 29. Hundreds of excess deaths were blamed on the brutal heat, which established records…

June 14, 2021 Ecology / Environment / News & Updates / Oceans / Plastics / Pollution

Plastic rafting: the invasive species hitching a ride on ocean.

There is now so much ocean plastic that it has become a route for invasive species, threatening native animals with extinction Japan’s 2011 tsunami was catastrophic, killing nearly 16,000 people, destroying homes and infrastructure, and sweeping an estimated 5m tons of debris out to sea. That debris did not disappear, however. Some of it drifted all the way across the Pacific, reaching the shores of Hawaii, Alaska and California – and with it came hitchhikers.…

May 15, 2021 Environment / News & Updates / Pollution

Study finds alarming levels of ‘forever chemicals’ in US mothers’ breast milk

A new study that checked American women’s breast milk for PFAS contamination detected the toxic chemical in all 50 samples tested, and at levels nearly 2,000 times higher than the level some public health advocates advise is safe for drinking water. The findings “are cause for concern” and highlight a potential threat to newborns’ health, the study’s authors say. “The study shows that PFAS contamination of breast milk is likely universal in the US, and…