![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() “The new plan that the EPA published on Monday includes an updated and accelerated timeline for various steps to regulate and remediate and conduct research on PFAS.” “That number is not legally enforceable right now, it’s just a recommended limit,” says Marusic. The federal EPA currently says a combined PFAS level above 70 parts per trillion is widespread contamination, however, many health officials have said that number is too high. Pennsylvania’s Environmental Quality Board voted in June to move forward with setting a maximum contaminant level for these substances, which comes after a 2017 promise to regulate PFAS chemicals from the state’s EPA, but the level has not been determined. “There was recently a problem in McKeesport where firefighting foam was accidentally shot back into a fire hydrant, … and they had to tell people not to drink or use the water there,” says Marusic. “In the initial round of sampling in 2019 they found contamination in Coraopolis near the Pittsburgh airport,” says Kristina Marusic, a reporter with the Environmental Health News. A study by the state Department of Environmental Protection found PFAS chemicals in southwestern Pennsylvania. These human-made chemicals don’t break down naturally, can end up in water supplies, and cause health issues like testicular and kidney cancers, decreased birth weights, and more. On Monday, the EPA released a strategic roadmap to address PFAS chemicals, short for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. On today’s episode of The Confluence: The state has begun to regulate harmful PFAS chemicals, but plans for federal regulation could alter the trajectory a Duquesne professor weighs in on how K-12 schools can support students’ mental health at a time when pediatric and child psychiatric groups are declaring a state of emergency and we visit an illegal dumpsite in the east hills with a crew of “DumpBusters” ready to clean it up.ĮPA to develop stricter regulations for PFAS chemicals ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |