Harmful PFAS 'forever' chemicals in more than 120,000 US sites

[lordsummerisle]

theguardian.com

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified more than 120,000 locations around the US where people may be exposed to a class of toxic “forever chemicals” associated with various cancers and other health problems that is a frightening tally four times larger than previously reported, according to data obtained by the Guardian.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/oct/17/us-epa-pfas-forever-chemicals-sites-data

[The Jungle 1]

1. PFAS chemicals are everywhere!

DuPont has merged with DOW and will never pay a dime.
But don't worry there is nothing wrong with fracking fluid. Trust me on this

[bucolic_frolic]

2. It doesn't get much more pervasive than that

Everybody's into making money without regard for future consequences, and everybody has to have every product the world can produce, and at lowest cost. Everyone's acting rationally as far as they know. There are no limits until the population collapses from all the pollution.

[Probatim]

3. Wait until they test another 120,000 sites...

These aren't just forever chemicals, they are everywhere chemicals.

[joetheman]

4. Why so many politicians (like Manchin) are not good for life and health.

They really are not thinking about people. They are thinking about profits. The sad part is we could help people while still having good profits but they really don't want to help the people.

[DownriverDem]

5. We have

a big problem with PFAS here in Michigan. We also have a big problem with those who have septic systems. Michigan is the only state in the US without regulations. This is what happens with decades of repub rule and those who don't want to pay taxes.

[c-rational]

6. Socialized capitalism is what this is, as is all pollution of our air and water by corporate

entities, including abandoned oil ad gas wells etc.

[Ponietz]

7. Anyone find the list of contaminated sites?

I want to check my area. First hyperlink in story loops back to article. Latest news at EPA site doesn’t have it. https://www.epa.gov/pfas/press-releases-related-pfas

[NullTuples]

11. I'm not sure the media is reporting it accurately?

First, I could find no mention of a list or map of contaminated sites at the EPA, nor the state sites.

Then I did wider searches and came up with this, eventually:

https://awsforwp.com/2021/10/17/revealed-more-than-120000-us-sites-feared-dealing-with-harmful-pfas-forever-chemicals-the-u-s-environmental-protection-agency/

The EPA said in 2019 that it was compiling data to create a map of “known or potential PFAS pollution sources” to help “assess environmental trends in PFAS concentrations” and assist local authorities with oversight. But such a card has not yet been issued publicly.

The new data set shows a total of 122,181 separate facilities after adjustments for duplication and errors at listed locations and incorporation and analysis of additional EPA-identifying information. The EPA facility list was provided to The Guardian by the non-profit public servants for environmental responsibility (Peer), who received it from the EPA through a request for freedom of information. (Peer currently represents four EPA researchers who have requested a federal investigation into what they claim is an EPA practice of ignoring or covering the risks of certain hazardous chemicals.)

“This shows how PFAS permeates all industrial sectors,” said Peer CEO Tim Whitehouse.

The 120,000 sites appear to be industrial facilities that use PFAS & thus serve as entry points for the chemicals into our modern economy. From there they are consumed and eventually end up everywhere in the environment. Mostly concentrated in the few dozen sites I'm sure you've already come across on the EPA site (ie airfields, specific county disposal sites, etc).

[NullTuples]

8. GOP: We should just accept them and learn to live with them as part of modern life

Reason 4,322 that I vote Democratic Party.

[moreland01]

9. Like Covid wasn't job security enough

for the healthcare workers.

[yonder]

10. This is why drilling companies have always refused

to reveal the composition of their fracking fluid on their claim of it being "proprietary information", and if released, would give competing companies an industry advantage. I've always called bullshit on that — they have something to hide and they've always known it:

In July, a report by Physicians for Social Responsibility presented evidence that oil and gas companies have been using PFAS, or substances that can degrade into PFAS, in hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”), a technique used to extract natural gas or oil

Just a guess.

[Irish_Dem]

12. Maybe these have contributed to the lack of critical thinking skills and violence in US population.