Uploaded January 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Toxic PFAS "forever chemicals" are now in the bloodstream of virtually every single person in the world. This is a look at this alarming problem, the ways Americans are working to solve it, and some common sense steps you can take to prevent exposure.
Subscribe to TDC: youtube.com/TheDailyConversation
Information sources:
Shocking NYTimes PFAS in Sludge Investigation nytimes.com/2024/12/27/climate/epa-pfas-fertilizer-3m-forever-chemicals.html
Valley elementary PFAS test results edu.fcps.org/ves/sites/ves/files/VES_PFAS_Results.pdf
Watch Documentary “The Devil We Know” youtu.be/NJFbsWX4MJM?si=PyXMvSvV_LH8oDCS
Video: Maine PFAS expert panel (Dr. Segal) youtu.be/vWt4OH1SKSU?si=Ii-lx_AsNCxodJ4c&t=1495
Video: Dairy farmer Fred Stone youtu.be/VA6SfWwZ1zM?si=bej104b8gtgkteNa&t=81
New York’s sludge wars are personal ambrook.com/research/environment/sludge-biosolids-farmland-New-York-PFAS
Maine sludge regulation mainemorningstar.com/2024/05/28/a-call-for-sludge-regulation
Maine’s sludge disposal problem wgme.com/news/i-team/report-shows-maine-could-face-new-biosolid-capacity-crisis-2028-action-isnt-taken-sludge-wastewater-services-portland
California’s actions ewg.org/news-insights/news-release/2021/10/landmark-california-law-bans-forever-chemicals-products-infants
cen.acs.org/environment/persistent-pollutants/California-bans-PFAS-firefighting-foams/98/i38
saferstates.org/press-room/california-governor-signs-first-in-nation-ban-on-pfas-forever-chemicals-in-textiles
State-by-state PFAS action tracker saferstates.org/bill-tracker/?toxic_chemicals=PFAS
blog.sourceintelligence.com/us-pfas-regulations-by-state
Maryland PFAS action plan mde.maryland.gov/PublicHealth/SiteAssets/Pages/PFAS-Landing-Page/Maryland%20PFAS%20Action%20Plan%20December%202023.pdf
EPA introduces PFAS limits epa.gov/newsreleases/biden-harris-administration-finalizes-first-ever-national-drinking-water-standard#:~:text=For%20PFOA%20and%20PFOS%2C%20EPA,at%2010%20parts%20per%20trillion.
EPA PFAS road map epa.gov/system/files/documents/2024-11/epas-pfas-strategic-roadmap-2024_508.pdf
Forever chemicals and advanced filtration methods nsf.org/knowledge-library/forever-chemicals-advancement-filtration-standards
$79 at-home water test kit cyclopure.com/product/water-test-kit-pfas/?srsltid=AfmBOoqiiy4xueKcex9EK1OGXYbVMdeUIOAebZGyR_rK65506SYX41r1
Video: Maine PFAS expert panel (Dr. Miriam Taleb) youtu.be/kGTiH3NAj6M?si=bpiNzmQ-qwuLmIaB&t=3195
Last summer, this elementary school learned that their well water was contaminated with toxic chemicals, so they switched to drinking bottled water.
It’s a situation that is playing out in wells, rivers and lakes and farms all across the country.
The culprit is PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, basically any kind of carbon atom that’s had all of its hydrogens replaced by fluorines. This compound is used in many products because it is extremely effective at resisting heat, water, stains, and oils.
But because PFASs are nearly impossible to break down, every time we wash or throw away and landfill products containing them, they enter our environment, contaminate our water and food supplies. They are increasingly associated with health issues like birth defects and cancer.
The danger PFAS poses came to light when a class action lawsuit showed that the chemical giant DuPont had - for years - been dumping thousands of tons of it into America’s freshwater supply, even though they knew how hazardous it was. The settlement resulted in tens of thousands of residents participating in a study that found strong links between drinking water contaminated with PFOA and diseases like kidney cancer, testicular cancer, thyroid disease, and high cholesterol.
“There’s a fairly good causal link between these chemicals and the development of not only obesity, but diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cognitive dysfunction like Parkinson’s disease.”
A recent NYTimes investigation revealed that much of the sludge in the US is contaminated with PFAS and that one of the leading manufacturers of it, chemical giant 3M, knew PFAS was linked to serious health consequences and that the company’s scientists had discovered it in sewage all over the country. But when they shared this information with the EPA in 2006, the agency did nothing.
Most disturbingly, the sludge-spreading program continues, with over 2 million tons applied annually on more than 4 million acres. Over the decades, farmers have permits to use sludge on as much as 70 million acres–that’s 20% of all the farmland in the country.
Data center detroit mayor geothermal megacities obama anger translator donald trump delhi los angeles TDC thedailyconversation the daily conversation Dupont AI
Toxic PFAS "forever chemicals" are now in the bloodstream of virtually every single person in the world. This is a look at this alarming problem, the ways Americans are working to solve it, and some common sense steps you can take to prevent exposure.
Subscribe to TDC: youtube.com/TheDailyConversation
Information sources:
Shocking NYTimes PFAS in Sludge Investigation nytimes.com/2024/12/27/climate/epa-pfas-fertilizer-3m-forever-chemicals.html
Valley elementary PFAS test results edu.fcps.org/ves/sites/ves/files/VES_PFAS_Results.pdf
Watch Documentary “The Devil We Know” youtu.be/NJFbsWX4MJM?si=PyXMvSvV_LH8oDCS
Video: Maine PFAS expert panel (Dr. Segal) youtu.be/vWt4OH1SKSU?si=Ii-lx_AsNCxodJ4c&t=1495
Video: Dairy farmer Fred Stone youtu.be/VA6SfWwZ1zM?si=bej104b8gtgkteNa&t=81
New York’s sludge wars are personal ambrook.com/research/environment/sludge-biosolids-farmland-New-York-PFAS
Maine sludge regulation mainemorningstar.com/2024/05/28/a-call-for-sludge-regulation
Maine’s sludge disposal problem wgme.com/news/i-team/report-shows-maine-could-face-new-biosolid-capacity-crisis-2028-action-isnt-taken-sludge-wastewater-services-portland
California’s actions ewg.org/news-insights/news-release/2021/10/landmark-california-law-bans-forever-chemicals-products-infants
cen.acs.org/environment/persistent-pollutants/California-bans-PFAS-firefighting-foams/98/i38
saferstates.org/press-room/california-governor-signs-first-in-nation-ban-on-pfas-forever-chemicals-in-textiles
State-by-state PFAS action tracker saferstates.org/bill-tracker/?toxic_chemicals=PFAS
blog.sourceintelligence.com/us-pfas-regulations-by-state
Maryland PFAS action plan mde.maryland.gov/PublicHealth/SiteAssets/Pages/PFAS-Landing-Page/Maryland%20PFAS%20Action%20Plan%20December%202023.pdf
EPA introduces PFAS limits epa.gov/newsreleases/biden-harris-administration-finalizes-first-ever-national-drinking-water-standard#:~:text=For%20PFOA%20and%20PFOS%2C%20EPA,at%2010%20parts%20per%20trillion.
EPA PFAS road map epa.gov/system/files/documents/2024-11/epas-pfas-strategic-roadmap-2024_508.pdf
Forever chemicals and advanced filtration methods nsf.org/knowledge-library/forever-chemicals-advancement-filtration-standards
$79 at-home water test kit cyclopure.com/product/water-test-kit-pfas/?srsltid=AfmBOoqiiy4xueKcex9EK1OGXYbVMdeUIOAebZGyR_rK65506SYX41r1
Video: Maine PFAS expert panel (Dr. Miriam Taleb) youtu.be/kGTiH3NAj6M?si=bpiNzmQ-qwuLmIaB&t=3195
Last summer, this elementary school learned that their well water was contaminated with toxic chemicals, so they switched to drinking bottled water.
It’s a situation that is playing out in wells, rivers and lakes and farms all across the country.
The culprit is PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, basically any kind of carbon atom that’s had all of its hydrogens replaced by fluorines. This compound is used in many products because it is extremely effective at resisting heat, water, stains, and oils.
But because PFASs are nearly impossible to break down, every time we wash or throw away and landfill products containing them, they enter our environment, contaminate our water and food supplies. They are increasingly associated with health issues like birth defects and cancer.
The danger PFAS poses came to light when a class action lawsuit showed that the chemical giant DuPont had - for years - been dumping thousands of tons of it into America’s freshwater supply, even though they knew how hazardous it was. The settlement resulted in tens of thousands of residents participating in a study that found strong links between drinking water contaminated with PFOA and diseases like kidney cancer, testicular cancer, thyroid disease, and high cholesterol.
“There’s a fairly good causal link between these chemicals and the development of not only obesity, but diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cognitive dysfunction like Parkinson’s disease.”
A recent NYTimes investigation revealed that much of the sludge in the US is contaminated with PFAS and that one of the leading manufacturers of it, chemical giant 3M, knew PFAS was linked to serious health consequences and that the company’s scientists had discovered it in sewage all over the country. But when they shared this information with the EPA in 2006, the agency did nothing.
Most disturbingly, the sludge-spreading program continues, with over 2 million tons applied annually on more than 4 million acres. Over the decades, farmers have permits to use sludge on as much as 70 million acres–that’s 20% of all the farmland in the country.
Data center detroit mayor geothermal megacities obama anger translator donald trump delhi los angeles TDC thedailyconversation the daily conversation Dupont AI
