Yves right here. As a consequence of a lot competing information, we’ve been gentle on local weather and surroundings protection. Established readers might recall that Jerri-Lynn lined the warfare on plastics intensely. Then and now, the media studies how scientists are discovering plastic in increasingly more locations in human tissue. Just a few of many sightings:
Presence of microplastics in human stomachs Forensic Science Worldwide
Is plastic killing you?
A staff of Italian scientists not too long ago printed an eye-opening research on microplastics and cardiovascular ailments.
Right here’s what they discovered (it’s not good): pic.twitter.com/ffXGbCeTA5
— Max Hertan (@maxhertan) April 18, 2024
Microplastics present in mind tissue in new research EHN
Within the 20 years for the reason that time period “microplastics” was first coined, a quickly rising physique of analysis has persistently proven how pervasive and problematic the pollution have change into.
A brand new #ScienceReview supplies an summary of this analysis and the progress made in understanding… pic.twitter.com/DBtezQTtbP
— Science Journal (@ScienceMagazine) October 25, 2024
Given the common information concerning the extent and well being injury from plastic air pollution, one wonders why the appreciable variety of well being fetishists within the elite aren’t loudly demanding reforms.
And the worst is it’s not as if this environmental risk can’t be enormously diminished:
Our new analysis with @BerkeleyDataSci, @SchmidtDSE, and @UCSBenioffOcean can help policymakers of their push to just about finish international plastic air pollution. Learn extra about our newest research: https://t.co/sasnG8sw0l
— Berkeley Rausser Faculty of Pure Assets (@NatureAtCal) November 14, 2024
So why didn’t Trump appoint RFK, Jr., an environmental lawyer, to the EPA, the place he might have finished plenty of good by going after abuses and weak enforcement in areas the place it impacts well being? Plainly the true agenda is deregulation. Trump and RFK, Jr. appear to labor underneath the misguided view that deregulation n the medical space will enhance well being, when the document with the surroundings exhibits the alternative.
By Shannon Kelleher. Initially printed at The New Lede
ederal regulators have enabled US plastics vegetation throughout the nation to dump harmful chemical compounds into waterways by failing to replace wastewater limits for over 30 years, in keeping with a brand new evaluation by a watchdog group.
Whereas the Clear Water Act requires the US Environmental Safety Company (EPA) to evaluation wastewater discharge limits each 5 years to maintain up with advances in water remedy applied sciences, the company has not up to date its pointers for the plastics sector since 1993.
“Most folk don’t know that the plastics trade isn’t required to make use of fashionable wastewater remedy controls to restrict the quantity of air pollution they pour into our waterways,” Jen Duggan, the manager director of EIP, stated in a press name Thursday. “It’s long gone time these vegetation clear up.”
In its evaluation, the Environmental Integrity Challenge (EIP) targeted on 70 vegetation that make uncooked plastics known as “nurdles,” tiny pellets later used to make merchandise comparable to water bottles, meals containers and toy
Over 80% of the vegetation violated air pollution limits of their permits no less than as soon as between 2021 and 2023, in keeping with the report, but the EPA solely issued monetary penalties to 14% of violators, the report discovered. The Chemours Washington Works plant in West Virginia acquired 115 violations over this era – greater than another plant studied – however was not issued any penalties by regulators, the EIP evaluation discovered.
Moreover, 40% of the plastics vegetation are working on outdated water air pollution management permits, the research discovered.
The EPA stated it’s reviewing the report and would “reply appropriately.”
The report comes as nations put together for additional negotiations this month in Busan, Korea over a world treaty designed to curb plastic air pollution. Whereas the plastics treaty is “extremely necessary,” stated Duggan, it wouldn’t immediately tackle discharges of dangerous pollution from plastics vegetation “anytime quickly, if in any respect,” whereas implementing the prevailing Clear Water Act would dramatically scale back discharges, she stated.
A lot of the vegetation EIP analyzed lacked any limits of their permits for a lot of regarding pollution. Not one of the vegetation had limits on complete nitrogen and just one had a restrict on phosphorus— vitamins that may result in poisonous algae blooms and “useless zones” that injury waterways.
In 2023, the 70 vegetation launched practically 10 million kilos of nitrogen and nearly 2 million kilos of phosphorus into rivers, lakes and streams throughout the nation, in keeping with the evaluation.
The report famous that the EPA has not set any federal wastewater limits for 1,4-dioxane, a chemical labeled by the EPA as a possible carcinogen that’s produced when vegetation make plastic for water bottles, and dioxins, which the report calls “some of the poisonous chemical compounds recognized to science.” Whereas a number of vegetation’ permits included limits on these chemical compounds that had been set by states, most didn’t.
Eight plastics vegetation reported releasing over 74,000 kilos of 1,4-dioxane into waterways in 2022 whereas 10 PVC vegetation reported releasing 1,374 grams of dioxins and related compound the identical yr, in keeping with the report.
“All of this information was supplied to us by the trade itself,” James Hiatt, government director of the nonprofit For a Higher Bayou, stated on the press convention. “The truth is, the numbers that we’ve got are most likely decrease than the reality.”
Petrochemical vegetation are additionally potential sources of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), so-called “without end chemical compounds” linked to sure most cancers, hormone disruption and different well being issues which might be present in rivers and streams throughout the US. Nonetheless, there may be little information on PFAS launched by these vegetation because of an absence of EPA limits or monitoring necessities, notes the report.
In April 2023, EIP and different environmental teams filed a lawsuit within the US Court docket of Appeals within the Ninth Circuit towards the EPA over the company’s outdated limits on poisonous chemical compounds in wastewater from plastics vegetation, in addition to oil refineries, fertilizer factories and different industrial services.
On December 5, the teams will current their oral arguments for the case, stated an lawyer for EIP.
Regardless of the shifting political tide following Donald Trump’s current presidential win, Duggan stated she expects the court docket will uphold requirements set by the Clear Water Act.
“It doesn’t matter what Trump’s plans are, Trump can’t unilaterally wave away these sorts of necessary, statutory necessities,” she stated. “The Clear Water Act has a really clear mandate that EPA replace these water air pollution requirements to maintain tempo with expertise. Even some of the conservative courts within the nation, the US Court docket of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, has dominated to this impact.”
“It is a necessary obligation imposed by a statute,” Duggan added. “It’s a must-do. EPA can’t ignore it regardless of who’s within the White Home.”
