Buildings aren’t the only things at risk in wildfires. Recent disasters in California have left local water system contaminated with toxic chemicals afterward, slowing return and recovery.
Episodes of reported PFAS contamination are never far from the news. Here’s a run-down of what PFAS is, and why we have little reason to worry about its potential effects on our health.
EPA is moving to regulate two chemicals from a group called PFAS that are contaminating drinking water. A public health expert explains why the agency should take much broader action.
The spill at Sydney’s Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation facility was of a household cleaning chemical that can be dangerous if it makes contact with the skin.
Dry cleaning isn’t really dry – it uses chemical solvents. Perc, the most common option, has contaminated soil and groundwater and poses serious health risks, but safer choices are emerging.
Hundreds of lawsuits against Monsanto contend that its popular Roundup weed killer gave users cancer. But proving this kind of connection is challenging in both science and law.
Dana Cordell, University of Technology Sydney; Dena Fam, University of Technology Sydney, and Nick Florin, University of Technology Sydney
Regulation can’t keep up with the thousands of harmful chemicals that wash down our drains. Rather, companies should take responsibility for their products – before they hit the market.
Research shows thyroid hormone, which is required for brain development in all vertebrates, is severely affected by chemicals present in our everyday cleaning products, clothing and cookware.
Carbon capture and storage gets a bad rap from its associations with ‘clean coal’. But the technology could prove vital in cutting emissions from other industries like steel, cement and chemicals.
Professor of Civil, Environmental & Ecological Engineering, Director of the Healthy Plumbing Consortium and Center for Plumbing Safety, Purdue University