The 'Forever Chemicals' Fueling A Public Health Crisis In Drinking Water

[appalachiablue]

Source: The Guardian

The 'forever chemicals' fueling a public health crisis in drinking water. About 700 PFAS-contaminated sites have been identified across the US while those exposed to enough chemicals can face devastating health consequences.

In 2002, the French multinational Saint-Gobain boosted production of chemically weatherproofed fabrics that it produced in its Merrimack, New Hampshire, plant. Soon after, serious health problems began hitting residents living near the facility.

The Merrimack Citizens for Clean Water (MCCW) advocacy group says people there suffer from high levels of cancer, cardiovascular issues, autoimmune disorders, kidney disease and developmental disorders. That includes an alarming number of children facing rare and aggressive cancers, said MCCW's Laurene Allen, who lives in the city of about 30,000 that sits an hour north of Boston.

Residents suspected Teflon and other PFAS used in Sant-Gobain's fabrics were to blame, and testing appears to confirm that: officials have identified 34 PFAS in concentrations as high as 70,000 parts per trillion (ppt) throughout a 65-mile area around the plant. New hire's groundwater limit is 12ppt...

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/feb/03/pfas-forever-chemicals-what-are-they

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Saint-Gobain has been pushed by MCCW to fund a clean-up, but Allen said state and company's responses have been inadequate. The situation, she added, amounts to "insanity".

"Over and over people are asking: 'Why was this allowed to happen?' 'Why does it continue to happen?'" Allen said.

All over American similar fights are now playing out as residents, environmental groups and officials at all levels are confronted with a serious rising public health crisis fueled by PFAS, known as "forever chemicals" for their immense longevity in the environment.

- More: Toxic PFAS Chemicals Contaminate Tap Water In 44 Places; NY, DC, Phila, Chi, Atl, Mia, Nola: *NEW
https://www.democraticunderground.com/114222476

- More: https://www.ewg.org/research/national-pfas-testing/

- More: The Lawyer Who Fought DuPont's Pollution From Teflon-C8, PFAS Chemicals For 20 Yrs & Inspired the New Film 'Dark Waters' https://www.democraticunderground.com/1127135659

[KT2000]

1. thanks for posting this

shorter life spans and damaged brains - whoopie! How does this happen is the common response but once a corporation starts their PR campaign against the terrible environmentalists who try to stop this contamination, it is game over. Lost jobs and pension insolvency threats usually work.

[appalachiablue]

2. Chronic diseases in hopes of keeping people alive & paying for drugs

and treatment, rather than just kill people outright. Keep the money flowing.

- Terminally Ill Patients Face Obstacles To Assisted Dying As Catholic Hospitals Expand
https://www.democraticunderground.com/114222483

[Scotch-Irish]

3. So true. I see you have the Obama icon on your post.

What I wouldn't give to have him back in office.

[KT2000]

4. Me too -

the icon is a good reminder of what is possible. Hope is a good thing.

[Scotch-Irish]

5. I'm feeling very little hope these days.

But you're right...hope is a good thing!

[Mendocino]

6. Michigan alone has

11,000 PFA contaminated sites.

[Drahthaardogs]

7. I have spent the last 5 years of my life dealing with these chemicals

This article is a gross over simplification.

[Nitram]

8. Drathaardogs, could you explain a little? I am interested to know what has been simplified and what

we should know about this that the article doesn't explain.

[Drahthaardogs]

9. I can only say a little bit, because too much will identify me

As I am well known in the community that deals with these chemicals.

Just know that the science is VERY new and VERY incomplete. In the movie dark waters, you were talking about massive exposure and at pure product concentrations.

The cancer endpoints are not known. It may be associated with testicular cancer. It may be an endocrine disruptor. The data is poor.

There is just no real data on these chemicals so everyone is being very cautious. Thats good...a conservative aporoach, but telling people there are cancer clusters and children popping up with strange disease is probably not even anecdotal. I have yet to see it.

[Nitram]

10. Thank you.