The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency denied a petition to remove stationary combustion turbines from the list of sources subject to regulation for emissions of air toxics, maintaining public health protections for communities near these facilities. Today's action supports EPA's comprehensive approach to address climate and health-harming pollution from stationary combustion turbines. EPA is engaging with stakeholders on next steps for a broad-based approach to new and existing combustion turbines, including a proposed revision to the air toxics standards for combustion turbines as well as ..read more

WDNR- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced new enforceable federal standards for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water. This includes a new enforceable Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 4.0 parts per trillion (ppt) individually for PFOA and PFOS and 10 ppt individually for PFNA, PFHxS and GenX. Additionally, the EPA finalized an MCL at a hazard index of 1 when a combination of PFNA, PFHxS, GenX and PFBS are present in a mixture.     The EPA's enforceable standards acknowledge the importance of limiting exposure to PFAS in total and ..read more

The new regulation is aimed at reducing the risk of cancer for people who live close to plants emitting toxic chemicals. The Environmental Protection Agency announced a major rule on Tuesday to reduce toxic air pollution coming from more than 200 chemical plants across the U.S. The new standards for petrochemical plants, once implemented, will cut enough cancer-causing emissions to reduce cancer risk by 96% for people living near these industries, according to the EPA. "This is a game changer any way you look at it," said EPA Administrator Michael Regan at a press event Tuesday. "This is a ..read more

WASHINGTON — April 1, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is announcing its next steps to protect people from the herbicide dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate (DCPA, or Dacthal). EPA is warning people of the significant health risks to pregnant individuals and their developing babies exposed to DCPA and will be pursuing action to address the serious, permanent, and irreversible health risks associated with the pesticide as quickly as possible. EPA has also issued a letter to AMVAC, the sole manufacturer of DCPA, restating the risks the agency found and stating that due to the serious risks ..read more

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued the fourth Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) test order requiring testing on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under EPA's National PFAS Testing Strategy, the latest action taken under EPA's PFAS Strategic Roadmap to confront contamination from "forever chemicals" nationwide.  This action orders the 3M Company and Wacker Chemical Corporation to conduct and submit testing on the physical-chemical properties of 2-(N-Methylperfluoro-1-octanesulfonamido)ethanol (NMeFOSE) (Chemical Abstract Service ..read more

Insects comprise much of the animal biomass linking primary producers and consumers, as well as higher-level consumers in freshwater and terrestrial food webs. Situated at the nexus of many trophic links, many numerically abundant insects provide ecosystem services upon which humans depend: the pollination of fruits, vegetables, and nuts; the biological control of weeds, agricultural pests, disease vectors, and other organisms that compete with humans or threaten their quality of life; and the macrodecomposition of leaves and wood and removal of dung and carrion, which contribute to nutrient ..read more

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is announcing finalized amendments to the Risk Management Program to further protect at-risk communities from chemical accidents, especially those located near facilities in industry sectors with high accident rates. The "Safer Communities by Chemical Accident Prevention Rule" includes EPA's most protective safety provisions for chemical facilities in history, requiring stronger measures for prevention, preparedness, and public transparency. The rule protects the health and safety of all communities by requiring industry to prevent acciden ..read more

New research found that boiling drinking water can remove up to nearly 90 percent of microplastics. "This study is aimed to stimulate more studies," the scientists wrote in their new paper. But they also noted that boiling water is relatively easy to do and has other health benefits — like killing potentially harmful microbes, parasites and viruses. If you want to try it, the researchers cautioned you should wait 5 to 10 minutes to let the solids settle — and let the water cool.  Then you can filter out the solids. Read full from Maggie Penman: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate ..read more

Ultra-processed food (UPF), "often chemically manipulated cheap ingredients" and "made palatable and attractive by using combinations of flavours, colours, emulsifiers, thickeners and other additives", directly linked to 32 health parameters spanning mortality, cancer, and mental, respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and metabolic health outcomes." From the Guardian: Ultra-processed food (UPF) is directly linked to 32 harmful effects to health, including a higher risk of heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, adverse mental health and early death, according to the world's largest ..read more

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule to strengthen the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for fine particulate matter (PM2.5). The current standard, which has been in place for more than a decade, limits the average annual amount of fine particle pollution to 12 micrograms per cubic meter of air. The EPA will now require a 25% reduction in the allowable PM 2.5 to 9.0 micrograms per cubic meter but will retain the previous standards for all other PM standards. The tougher standard on particulate matter, often referred to as the "soot rule," will be ful ..read more