#pfas

#pfas

The factory is almost brand new, but its machinery is not: it comes from the former Miteni factory in Vicenza, Italy. Miteni closed down in 2018 after one of the worst environmental scandals in the country's recent history: after decades of producing Pfas forever chemicals, the company's management was brought to trial for contaminating water resources in an area where 350,000 people live.

It's understandable that Americans are concerned about water quality these days. Not only is the news filled with stories about unsafe drinking water, but we are also constantly bombarded by marketing messages trying to convince us that bottled water is better than tap water. A lot of the time, the water coming out of the tap tastes bad - so there has to be something wrong with it, right?

The assessment found that PFNA interferes with human development by causing lower birth weights and, based on animal evidence, likely causes damage to the liver and to male reproductive systems, including reductions in testosterone levels, sperm production and the size of reproductive organs. The report also calculated the amount of PFNA that people could be exposed to without being harmed - a critical measurement that can be used to set limits for cleaning up PFNA contamination in Superfund sites and for removing the chemical from drinking water.

US manufacturers who late last year asked the incoming Trump administration for a "regulatory reset" have seen roughly 80% of their specific regulatory requests acted on in just the first eight months of Trump taking office. The fast action across various agencies comes after 100 manufacturing industry groups sent a letter to then President-elect Donald Trump last December complaining of a "regulatory onslaught" under the Biden administration that the group said was "strangling" the economy.

Datacenters' electricity demands have been accused of delaying the US's transition to clean energy and requiring fossil fuel plants to stay online, while their high level of water consumption has also raised alarm. Now public health advocates fear another environmental problem could be linked to them Pfas forever chemical pollution. Big tech companies like Google, Microsoft and Amazon often need datacenters to store servers and networking equipment that process the world's digital traffic, and the artificial intelligence boom is driving demand for more facilities.

The heartbreaking testimony of Amara Strande regarding her battle with cancer helped propel Minnesota to pass Amara's Law, banning PFAS chemicals.