The Clean Water Act, and other similar laws and regulations, are meant to prevent drinking water from being contaminated by dangerous pollutants. However, there are still some manufacturers and other companies who will, intentionally or not, allow their toxic waste to contaminate the water supply, resulting in serious potential harm. Here are seven types of water pollution that could impact you:
(more…)The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the launch of a program intended to address the issue of PFAS contamination in drinking water. It is estimated that the program will impact about 3,000 drinking water systems, primarily in rural and disadvantaged areas. Ideally, this will help to reduce PFAS exposure, protecting people from these potentially dangerous “forever chemicals.”
(more…)In a shocking reversal of its longstanding policy, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that it will no longer include the cost to human health and safety when determining appropriate regulations for air pollution. Instead, the focus will be on the cost to private companies when setting regulatory limits. This means that these regulations are likely to become far weaker over time, or may be repealed entirely, to the detriment of the average citizen.
(more…)A mistaken delivery from a heating oil company resulted in a Medford, MA home being flooded with nearly 400 gallons of oil. This horrific accident required specialized cleanup, and resulted in extensive damage to the victim’s home. However, this incident highlights the dangers that can come from heating oil spills, which are far more common than most people realize.
(more…)According to a recent article published by Consumer Reports, no less than 23 popular brands of protein powder were found to have lead contamination above their “level of concern.” While most of these brands did not have high enough levels of lead to be considered dangerous under normal circumstances, it still points to the potential dangers associated with these products. It also brings into question whether use of these dietary supplements is worth the potential health risks associated with lead exposure.
(more…)The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that it is ending its Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP), effectively halting the federal requirement of polluters to report how much greenhouse gases they release into the atmosphere. As a result, there will be substantially less information about how many of these emissions are being put into the atmosphere every year. This is part of a broader effort by the Trump Administration to reduce regulation of the energy industry, and hinder broader efforts to fight climate change.
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