Shannon Kelleher

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September 11, 2024

EPA denies duty to regulate PFAS in sewage sludge spread on farmland

By Shannon Kelleher

US regulators claim they are not legally required to regulate toxic PFAS chemicals in sewage sludge spread on farmland across the country, according to a court filing the government made this week in response to a lawsuit from an environmental watchdog group.

In its Sept. 9 filing, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) asked the US District Court in Washington, DC to dismiss the lawsuit, which was filed in June by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) on behalf of a group of Texas farmers and ranchers. The lawsuit claims contamination with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from sewage sludge has sickened and killed the farmers’ livestock, “injured their health, threatened their livelihoods, and devalued their property.”

The agency denied PEER’s claims that it is violating the Clean Water Act by failing to identify and regulate several types of PFAS that have been found in treated sewage sludge used as fertilizer. While the law requires the agency to conduct reviews, there is no requirement for the agency to actually identify “additional toxic pollutants,” the EPA said in its filing.

When it comes to sewage sludge, “both the identification and regulation of any additional toxic pollutants(s) are left to the discretion of EPA,” the agency stated in the court filing.

“The relief they seek— an order directing EPA to identify PFAS in its next biennial report, and to regulate PFAS thereafter—is simply not available,” the EPA stated.

PEER attorney Laura Dumais said in a press release that the agency’s position “flies in the face” of the language of the Clean Water Act, and harms people across the country who can be exposed to “PFAS-laden sewage sludge on millions of acres of land…”

August 30, 2024

California lawmakers pass bill banning food dyes in schools

By Shannon Kelleher

California lawmakers this week passed a bill banning schools from serving foods with six artificial dyes linked to neurobehavioral problems in children.

“[The bill] would not ban specific foods or products, but rather encourage companies to make minor modifications to products sold in California and could help prompt a nationwide transition to safer alternative ingredients,” says a press release from the office of California Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, who introduced the California School Food Safety Act (AB 2316) in March.

Governor Gavin Newsom has until the end of September to sign or veto the bill, which passed the state legislature on Thursday with bipartisan support.

The legislation is likely to have sweeping impacts throughout the US, since manufacturers are unlikely to make one version of a food product for California and another for other states, Gabriel noted at a press conference earlier this month.

AB 2316 comes on the heels of the California Food Safety Act (AB 418), the so-called “Skittles bill” signed into law last year that will ban brominated vegetable oil, Red Dye No. 3 and other toxic food additives beginning in 2027. Other states, including Missouri, Washington, New York and Illinois, have already moved to introduce similar bills.

California’s newly passed bill would ban Red Dye No. 40, Yellow Dye No. 5, Yellow Dye No. 6, Blue Dye No. 1, Blue Dye No. 2 and Green Dye No. 3 from California public school foods during regular school hours. Manufacturers use the controversial dyes to give some desserts, beverages and cereals their bright colors, but the additives don’t affect how the foods taste.

August 22, 2024

Climate change may be driving extreme fires far ahead of schedule, study warns

By Dana Drugmand

Last year’s record-shattering Canadian wildfire season was directly linked to human-caused climate change, according to a new study, which warns that the climate crisis may be fueling extreme fires decades earlier than previously expected.

This is the largest assessment specifically of Canada’s 2023 fire season, which was unprecedented in its scope and intensity, and adds to a wider body of evidence showing that climate change is fueling dangerous fires around the world at a rapidly growing pace.

“What was unusual is the amount of activity across the country,” said Piyush Jain, a research scientist with Natural Resources Canada’s Canadian Forest Service and a lead author of the study, which published this week in the journal Nature Communications. “Already we saw a year which would be as extreme as what we would expect to see in 2050.”

Fires burned across much of Canada from April through October 2023, torching an area roughly the size of Illinois – seven times more land than has historically been burned during the country’s wildfire season, on average. The extent of last year’s fire activity, stretching from British Columbia all the way east to Nova Scotia in a single season, had not been anticipated until later this century under current climate projections, according to researchers.

The wildfires in Canada last June also affected major cities on the East Coast of the US, turning skies a hazy orange and bringing alarming air pollution levels to New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, DC. Toxic particulates carried on the wildfire smoke raised risks of premature death from North Carolina to California and threatened $36 billion in annual US economic losses, one study found.

Climate change more than doubled the chances for the extreme fire weather conditions that led to the 2023 blazes, according to an August 2023 study. Another study examining global wildfire activity in 2023, published last week, reported that climate change both increased the chance of “high fire weather” last year in Canada and increased the burned area by up to 40 percent.

August 20, 2024

As the world heats up, so does the debate around artificial turf

By Carmela Guaglianone

Artificial turf carpets athletic fields, playgrounds, and residential lawns across the US, offering a low-maintenance alternative to natural grass that always looks lush and doesn’t require heavy watering. But while this popular synthetic material is marketed as eco-friendly, it has also long attracted controversy – for decades, environmental and health advocates have expressed concern about the chemical byproducts of the turf’s plastic fibers.

Now, as climate change drives global temperatures to searing new records and cities scramble for ways to cool down, the old debate around artificial turf has taken on a new intensity. Along with concerns about toxic chemicals, some have begun to sound the alarm that artificial turf simply gets too hot in a world of ever-harsher heatwaves, exacerbating the health risks of the climate crisis.

Medical experts, like those at the Mount Sinai Children’s Environmental Health Center, have begun to recommend against artificial turf installations, often citing several health concerns — including “a very real risk of burns, dehydration, heat stress, or heat stroke.”

And the safety risks of hot turf go beyond the immediate, said Genoa Warner, an environmental toxicologist at the New Jersey Institute of Technology who has researched artificial turf and other plastics.

“You might have heard like not to microwave your plastics, not to leave your plastic water bottle in the car to heat up and be exposed to the sun because it’s more likely to leach chemicals into it,” she said. “It’s basically the same principle as applying with artificial turf.”

In part due to concerns that artificial turf is only adding to Los Angeles’ heat struggles, city councilmembers this spring proposed that the city begin to transition away from artificial installations, joining a growing list of cities around the country that have taken steps to ban the material.

In late June, the council’s Energy and Environment Committee approved the motion, which seeks to gather information on the impacts of turf and could ultimately lead to a ban.

August 15, 2024

Early exposure to toxic TCDF messes with gut bacteria later in life, finds study in mice

By Shannon Kelleher

Early-in-life exposure to a common toxic chemical found in some foods and in breastmilk may disrupt healthy bacteria in the gut and increase a person’s risk for developing various diseases later in life, according to a new animal study.

The findings, published Aug. 14 in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, may shed light on the link between childhood exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and widespread obesity and diabetes in adults, according to the authors.

More than 460 million people worldwide have diabetes, while global obesity levels have tripled since 1975. One in three US adults and one in six children are considered obese, according to a 2023 report.

“This study emphasizes the importance of the microbiome as a key target of early life environmental pollutant exposure,” the paper states. Exposure to the children can occur before birth when pregnant women are exposed to the chemicals as well as after birth through breastfeeding.

Although previous research has identified correlations between exposure to POPs and obesity and type 2 diabetes, the microbiome’s role has not been clear, according to the study.

The researchers fed infant mice pills containing the chemical 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzofuran (TCDF) for five days, collecting data on their gut microbiomes right after the mice were fed the last dose and again three months later, when they had reached young adulthood. Compared to a control group that was not fed TCDF, the mice had higher body weight and glucose intolerance – a hallmark of diabetes – long after they ingested the chemical.

The researchers also measured lower levels of two bacteria species important for gut health in the mice fed TCDF when they were four months old, as well as markers of immune problems and inflammation in the intestines.

August 13, 2024

Pressure grows to close controversial Napa Valley landfill

By Shannon Kelleher

A coalition of environmental groups are pushing California officials to close a Napa Valley-area landfill that has been the site of repeated regulatory violations and is suspected of sending toxic chemicals into local waterways, which drain into the river that irrigates the valley’s famous vineyards.

In a letter finalized Aug. 14, seven local nonprofit organizations called on officials overseeing waste management and water quality to shut down the Clover Flat Landfill and the related garbage collection recycling and composting operation called Upper Valley Disposal Services (UVDS).

The landfill is “long overdue to move its waste operations to a safer, less environmentally sensitive location,” the groups wrote.

The letter was signed by Sierra Club Redwood Chapter, Non-Toxic Neighborhoods, Napa Vision 2050, Institute for Conservation Advocacy Research & Education, Preserve Rural Sonoma County, the Save Napa Valley Foundation and the Suscol Intertribal Council, a group that works to preserve Native American culture in the Napa Valley area. The letter was also signed by Geoff Ellsworth, the former mayor of the St. Helena community, and local activist Anne Wheaton.

Last year, a group of more than 20 former and then-current employees of Clover Flat and UVDS filed a formal complaint to federal and state agencies, including the US Department of Justice, alleging “clearly negligent practices” in management of “toxic and hazardous materials at UVDS/CFL over decades”.

The employees cited “inadequate and compromised infrastructure and equipment” that they said was “affecting employees as well as the surrounding environment and community.”

Clover Flat Landfill and UVDS are owned by Waste Connections, a large national waste management company.

The Napa Valley wine industry has not publicly expressed concern about pollution from the landfill.

August 7, 2024

California bill to ban food dyes in schools may have nationwide impact

By Shannon Kelleher

A bill that would ban six food dyes linked to childhood learning problems from meals served at California public schools is close to passage and could bolster efforts to make foods safer across the US, according to proponents.

The measure has garnered strong bipartisan backing and is likely to reach the governor’s desk by the end of August, California Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel said at a press conference on Tuesday. Gabriel introduced the California School Food Safety Act (AB 2316) in March.

AB 2316 advanced through the Senate Health Committee last month and passed the California Senate Education Committee in June with a unanimous vote. The Senate Appropriations Committee is expected to decide next week whether to send it to the Senate Floor, according to Gabriel.

The dyes in question are used to give some beverages, desserts and cereals vibrant colors but don’t impact how the products taste. They account for two-thirds of the certified color additives the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved for use in food.

Due to the nature of the supply chain, manufacturers are unlikely to make one version of a food product for California and a different version for other states, so the measure could have a nationwide impact, Gabriel said.

The bill is not a ban on any foods, he said, because there are readily available substitutes for each additive and the same products are available in Europe without the harmful chemicals.

August 6, 2024

EPA issues rare “emergency” suspension of dangerous weed killer

By Benjamin Purper

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Tuesday said it was taking the rare step of issuing an “emergency suspension” of a chemical used to kill weeds on farms, golf courses and athletic fields, citing risks to unborn children.

The pesticide dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate, known as DCPA or Dacthal, has been the subject of regulatory scrutiny for the last several years amid growing evidence of health harms from exposure.

“DCPA is so dangerous that it needs to be removed from the market immediately,” Michal Freedhoff, assistant administrator for the EPA Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, said in a press statement. “It’s EPA’s job to protect people from exposure to dangerous chemicals. In this case, pregnant women who may never even know they were exposed could give birth to babies that experience irreversible lifelong health problems.”

Freedhoff said the suspension marks the first time in almost 40 years that the agency has used its emergency suspension authority to block continued use of a pesticide.

DPCA is primarily used on crops including broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbage, but it is also used in some non-agricultural settings including golf courses and athletic fields.

Today’s decision comes after years of research and smaller actions by the EPA to limit the impact of DCPA on public health. In April, the agency issued a rare warning that the pesticide posed “serious, permanent and irreversible health risks,” especially to farmworkers involved in tasks such as transplanting, weeding and harvesting after the pesticide has been applied.

The EPA said DCPA poses the highest risk to developing babies of pregnant mothers exposed to the pesticide, leading to conditions including low birth weight, impaired brain development, decreased IQ, and impaired motor skills later in life.

July 26, 2024

EPA has failed to protect consumers from PFAS-laced containers, lawsuit alleges

By Shannon Kelleher

US regulators have failed to protect the public from millions of plastic containers that contain toxic PFAS chemicals, which can leach into pesticides, condiments, household cleaners, and many other products, alleges a lawsuit filed this week by environmental groups.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, alleges that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) violated the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) by neglecting to demand that manufacturers stop making containers using a fluorination process that results in per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

When the EPA proposed drinking water regulations for six PFAS chemicals in March 2023, the agency stated it had determined there is no safe level of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and that this type of PFAS is likely to cause cancer. Under the TSCA, the agency had six months to start addressing PFOA’s presence in plastic containers but failed to do so, allege the Center for Environmental Health (CEH) and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).

“EPA’s failure to protect the public from exposures to toxic PFOA in their daily lives is inexcusable and reflects a severe leadership deficit at the agency,” said Kyla Bennett, science policy director for PEER, in a statement.

The EPA declined to comment, citing pending litigation.

PFOA is one of thousands of PFAS chemicals, which do not break down naturally in the environment and are found in the blood of most Americans. PFAS are in many everyday products, including nonstick cookware, dental floss, rain gear, and makeup.

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July 25, 2024

The perils of plastics extend to our pets

By Aidan Charron

By now, you’d practically have to be living on Mars not to have heard about the health risks associated with plastics and the toxic chemical cocktail used to produce them.

Almost all plastics are derived from fossil fuels and have been found to contain over 16,000 chemicals, many of which are considered hazardous. Shockingly, despite evidence of harm, the US regulates only six percent of chemicals used to produce plastic, leaving potential health risks from most of the chemicals unchecked.

As plastics break down, they don’t disappear – they degrade into smaller pieces known as microplastics. When we eat, drink, or inhale microplastics, they leach plastic chemicals directly into our bodies.

To bring attention to these dangers, EARTHDAY.ORG released a report last November, Babies VS. Plastics, highlighting infants’ heightened plastics exposure and vulnerability to health risks. It makes for grim reading: microplastics and their additive chemicals are linked to interruptions in maternal-fetal communication, damaged DNA, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, early onset puberty, and some forms of cancers.

Writing that report, I discovered that crawling on the floor puts babies at increased risk of inhaling microplastics in household dust. And since babies chew on everything, they are also more likely to ingest microplastics. The report made me wonder about my own plastics exposure, and about my two rescue dogs, Buzz and Sally. Since dogs and cats crawl on the floor and chew on everything their whole life span, are pets, like babies, especially vulnerable to microplastics?