Latest news with #environmentaladvocates
The Guardian
19-07-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
US wetlands ‘restored' using treated sewage tainted with forever chemicals
Many of the nation's wetlands are being filled with toxic Pfas 'forever chemicals' as wastewater treatment plant effluent tainted with the compounds is increasingly used to restore swampland and other waters. The practice threatens wildlife, food and drinking water sources, environmental advocates warn. Effluent is the liquid discharged by wastewater treatment plants after it 'disinfects' sewage in the nation's sewer system. The treatment process largely kills pathogens and the water is high in nutrients that help plants grow, so on one level it is beneficial to struggling ecosystems. But the treatment process does not address any of the hundreds of thousands of chemicals potentially discharged into sewers, including Pfas. Testing has found effluent virtually always contains Pfas at concerning levels, but the practice of using it for wetland restoration is still presented as an environmentally friendly measure. 'There's a huge dark side to this whole business of municipalities using effluent that's carrying loads of Pfas and other toxic materials and calling it 'wetland restoration',' said James Aronson, a restoration ecologist and president of Ecological Health Network non-profit. 'It's truly the worst kind of lying to the public.' Pfas are a class of about 15,000 compounds that are dubbed 'forever chemicals' because they do not naturally break down, and accumulate in the human body and environment. The chemicals are linked to a range of serious health problems such as cancer, liver disease, kidney issues, high cholesterol, birth defects and decreased immunity. The volume of wastewater that plants treat each day makes it virtually impossible to efficiently remove chemicals. Still, effluent has been used to recharge hundreds of wetlands across the country, as well as some rivers and aquifers, when they dry up or are otherwise degraded by human activity. Among the largest projects are in Louisiana, which has increased its use of effluent to restore the bayou and protect against coastal erosion that is in part driven by the installation of levee systems. Florida has in place similar programs aimed at regenerating the Everglades and shorelines. Meanwhile, some rivers in the south-west, like the Trinity River near Dallas, are 'almost entirely' effluent, while in California the Los Angeles, Santa Ana, and other rivers are 'effluent dominated'. Orange county, California, now uses effluent to recharge its aquifer that provides drinking water for 2.5 million people. At the same time, the country's water districts are spending an estimated $1.8bn to install technology that will remove Pfas and other pollutants from the water they pull from the aquifer. The levels of Pfas in effluent at 200 California wastewater treatment plants were almost all thousands of times above the level that the Environmental Protection Agency considers safe for some compounds, recent research found. The practice is often billed as 'recycling water' and 'green', but advocates say the terms are misleading because toxic waste is literally being pumped unchecked into the environment. It's not just Pfas – microplastics, heavy metals and other toxins have been found at high levels in effluent. Few regulations around chemicals exist, and though the wastewater industry knows the scale of the problem. It's a 'don't ask, don't tell' issue, said Laura Orlando, a civil engineer with Just Zero non-profit who has worked on waste management design. 'There's lots of hype about recycling and such, but nothing about public health, because they're following the rules – which are not protective of public or ecosystem health,' Orlando said. Though little research into how the levels of Pfas in effluent used to restore wetlands affects wildlife exists, the chemicals can have consequences for animals. For example, in North Carolina, where Pfas discharged from industrial sources polluted wetlands, the chemicals were thought to be behind health problems similar to lupus in alligators and immune impacts on pelicans. 'We're talking about ecosystem health,' Aronson said. 'It's the food web, and soil, animal, and water interactions – everything gets degraded and poisoned, and it's the opposite of restoration.' There is some potential to use some types of wetlands to treat effluent that can then be released as truly clean water. 'Constructed wetlands' are filled with effluent and the inflow and outflow of water is controlled. Those can be filled with plants that take up Pfas and other contaminants. The plants would have to be disposed of in hazardous waste facilities. While there are some efforts to explore how this could work on a broad scale, the chemicals and toxins are a problem that few in the wastewater industry are thinking about, Orlando said. 'Unless you acknowledge the problem you can't fix the problem and we have to examine these words like 'clean' and 'safe',' she said.
The Guardian
18-07-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
US wetlands ‘restored' using treated sewage tainted with forever chemicals
Many of the nation's wetlands are being filled with toxic Pfas 'forever chemicals' as wastewater treatment plant effluent tainted with the compounds is increasingly used to restore swampland and other waters. The practice threatens wildlife, food and drinking water sources, environmental advocates warn. Effluent is the liquid discharged by wastewater treatment plants after it 'disinfects' sewage in the nation's sewer system. The treatment process largely kills pathogens and the water is high in nutrients that help plants grow, so on one level it is beneficial to struggling ecosystems. But the treatment process does not address any of the hundreds of thousands of chemicals potentially discharged into sewers, including Pfas. Testing has found effluent virtually always contains Pfas at concerning levels, but the practice of using it for wetland restoration is still presented as an environmentally friendly measure. 'There's a huge dark side to this whole business of municipalities using effluent that's carrying loads of Pfas and other toxic materials and calling it 'wetland restoration',' said James Aronson, a restoration ecologist and president of Ecological Health Network non-profit. 'It's truly the worst kind of lying to the public.' Pfas are a class of about 15,000 compounds that are dubbed 'forever chemicals' because they do not naturally break down, and accumulate in the human body and environment. The chemicals are linked to a range of serious health problems such as cancer, liver disease, kidney issues, high cholesterol, birth defects and decreased immunity. The volume of wastewater that plants treat each day makes it virtually impossible to efficiently remove chemicals. Still, effluent has been used to recharge hundreds of wetlands across the country, as well as some rivers and aquifers, when they dry up or are otherwise degraded by human activity. Among the largest projects are in Louisiana, which has increased its use of effluent to restore the bayou and protect against coastal erosion that is in part driven by the installation of levee systems. Florida has in place similar programs aimed at regenerating the Everglades and shorelines. Meanwhile, some rivers in the south-west, like the Trinity River near Dallas, are 'almost entirely' effluent, while in California the Los Angeles, Santa Ana, and other rivers are 'effluent dominated'. Orange county, California, now uses effluent to recharge its aquifer that provides drinking water for 2.5 million people. At the same time, the country's water districts are spending an estimated $1.8bn to install technology that will remove Pfas and other pollutants from the water they pull from the aquifer. The levels of Pfas in effluent at 200 California wastewater treatment plants were almost all thousands of times above the level that the Environmental Protection Agency considers safe for some compounds, recent research found. The practice is often billed as 'recycling water' and 'green', but advocates say the terms are misleading because toxic waste is literally being pumped unchecked into the environment. It's not just Pfas – microplastics, heavy metals and other toxins have been found at high levels in effluent. Few regulations around chemicals exist, and though the wastewater industry knows the scale of the problem. It's a 'don't ask, don't tell' issue, said Laura Orlando, a civil engineer with Just Zero non-profit who has worked on waste management design. 'There's lots of hype about recycling and such, but nothing about public health, because they're following the rules – which are not protective of public or ecosystem health,' Orlando said. Though little research into how the levels of Pfas in effluent used to restore wetlands affects wildlife exists, the chemicals can have consequences for animals. For example, in North Carolina, where Pfas discharged from industrial sources polluted wetlands, the chemicals were thought to be behind health problems similar to lupus in alligators and immune impacts on pelicans. 'We're talking about ecosystem health,' Aronson said. 'It's the food web, and soil, animal, and water interactions – everything gets degraded and poisoned, and it's the opposite of restoration.' There is some potential to use some types of wetlands to treat effluent that can then be released as truly clean water. 'Constructed wetlands' are filled with effluent and the inflow and outflow of water is controlled. Those can be filled with plants that take up Pfas and other contaminants. The plants would have to be disposed of in hazardous waste facilities. While there are some efforts to explore how this could work on a broad scale, the chemicals and toxins are a problem that few in the wastewater industry are thinking about, Orlando said. 'Unless you acknowledge the problem you can't fix the problem and we have to examine these words like 'clean' and 'safe',' she said.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Climate change pushes Arizona into ‘uncharted territory' with deadly heat
Arizona broke a number of heat related records in 2024 and Phoenix experienced 113 consecutive days of 100 degrees or hotter, the longest run ever recorded. (Getty Images) In 2024, the max temperature in Phoenix sat at or above 100 degrees for approximately 30% of the year — and that non-stop consecutive heat has environmental advocates and doctors worried about the years to come as climate change continues to make the world and Arizona hotter. Last year saw Arizona break a number of heat related records and Phoenix experienced 113 consecutive days of 100 degrees or hotter, the longest run ever recorded. The next highest run was set in 1993 and was 76 days, the third longest run is from 2023 at 66 days. In fact, a number of the most recent heat-related records all come from more recent years. The top 10 for the most consecutive days with temperatures at or above 110 includes 2020, 2021 and 2022. The record was shattered in 2023, when Phoenix experienced 31 consecutive days of 110 degrees or higher heat. This year has already had a 17-day run of temperatures exceeding 100 degrees, including seven where highs were above 110. The records have also taken a grim toll. While 2024 was the hottest year on record for the state, there was a slight decline in the number of heat-related deaths from the record-breaking 2023, where 645 people lost their lives in Maricopa County due to the heat. Those 645 deaths in 2023 made up more than half of all heat-related deaths reported nationally, according to Centers for Disease Control data. Overall temperatures have been rising across the globe, contributing to what we are seeing in Arizona. The global temperature has risen by approximately 2 degrees Fahrenheit since 1880, but in Phoenix you can add another 5 degrees to that number due to the urban heat island effect. The urban heat island effect is when the temperatures in an urban area increase due to the heat retained by structures and ground coverings, lack of vegetation and other impacts of urbanization. That heat island also leads to other environmental effects, such as more and more days where pollution lingers in the atmosphere. A previous analysis of data from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality showed that Phoenix in recent years has experienced more days where the level of ozone in the air exceeds health and safety standards. For example, in 2015, Phoenix experienced 33 exceedance days for the whole year. In 2022, the region experienced 53, a 60% increase. 'We are at the epicenter of this crisis in the United States and there is nothing that kills more in regards to global warming or extreme weather than heat,' Dr. Jack Tuber, a Phoenix pulmonologist and member of the Sierra Club said to the Mirror. On a hot Thursday evening when temperatures outside were a sweltering 103 degrees, local environmental advocates, students, physicians and more were gathering at South Mountain Community College to discuss the impacts of extreme weather. The event featured a large number of groups from the Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter to the Union of Concerned Scientists, and even religious leaders who have opened their doors to vulnerable populations who often find themselves endangered by extreme heat. The event, dubbed the 'People's Hearing' on extreme heat, featured representatives of Democrats Sen. Mark Kelly and Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari. State Sen. Priya Sundareshan, a Tucson Democrat and former attorney who focused on climate issues, also attended. While the event focused on the stories of those impacted by climate change and extreme weather, it also had another major goal: to implore policy makers to pay attention to the climate crisis and bring into focus concerns about President Donald Trump's plans to roll back environmental protections. Trump's head of the EPA has vowed to eliminate regulations meant to curtail pollution, fire staffers that serve overburdened areas and push EPA scientists to approve new chemicals, moves that former and current employees have begun to voice their concerns over. 'I'm actually horrified at the administration's planned rollbacks,' Vernon Morris, a climate scientist and Arizona State University professor. (Morris said at the event that he was speaking on behalf of himself and not the university.) Morris voiced concerns over rollbacks to agencies like the EPA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which scientists have warned could harm weather prediction models, leading to further harms and even deaths. 'There is no precedent for what we are experiencing today,' Dr. Ryan Glaubke, a paleoclimatologist and member of the Union of Concerned Scientists, told the audience. 'We are pushing the climate into uncharted territory.' Glaubke and other scientists who spoke all agreed that climate change is real, happening and that humans are largely responsible — observations that have consensus among the scientific community. However, how to go about addressing that crisis and helping those directly impacted by it is not as easy to answer. It takes less than 30 seconds of being exposed to an object that 130 to 140 degrees to get a second- or third-degree burn, according to Dr. Clifford Sheckter, a burn surgeon at the Regional Burn Center at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in California. Sheckter is also the Burn Prevention Committee Chair for the American Burn Association and does health policy research focusing on the prevention and health economics of burn care. When the Mirror took the temperatures of common objects in Phoenix at midday in late June, temperatures regularly were dangerous. A sidewalk registered 136 degrees, the road was a blistering 146, a bike rack was 125 degrees, a mailbox clocked in at 136 and sand in a kid's playground reached 131 degrees. Those temperatures are already causing severe burns on people, particularly among the unhoused, those with drug and alcohol addiction issues and, as Sheckter pointed out, those with neuropathy. Neuropathy is seen largely in people with diabetes and it is a condition where a person loses sensation in their hands or feet. Sheckter said they have seen patients who don't realize they've burned their feet until it is too late. The Phoenix Police Department has also come under fire for ignoring the danger of extreme heat. In June 2024, two officers held a woman down on the hot pavement leading to severe burns — and it wasn't even the first time officers had caused similar injuries. For the family members of people who work in the heat, though, the dangers are known to them and they're only getting worse. 'Try to imagine the weight of the sun on your skin for 8 to 10 hours,' Jazmin Moreno, with the non-profit environmental advocacy organization Agave Community Threads, said to the crowd when speaking about her father who has worked in construction for the past 30 years. 'This isn't just weather, it is a climate crisis on full display… Climate change is real, and denying it won't make the heat go away.' For doctors like Sheckter and local pulmonologist Tuber, though, that crisis means an increase in certain types of cases and a new need for more education. For burns, it means getting information to parents on how to make sure their kids are safe on playgrounds, and that those who have neuropathy are paying close attention. 'These are ways we've been able to save countless lives, through prevention,' Sheckter said, although he admitted that, 'at the end of the day, there is no way you can force somebody to put their shoes on when they go outside.' But for Tuber, the challenge is a bit more difficult. Vector borne illnesses — those illnesses that are transmitted by mosquitoes, ticks and fleas — are seeing a rise due to climate change. The change in the earth's climate has allowed for the insects that carry these diseases to spread farther and wider than ever before, impacting new populations. Illnesses like malaria, Lyme disease and the West Nile virus have all seen their numbers increase, with climate change being cited as a major contributing factor. Add to Arizona specifically that more heat, less rain and more building also translates to an increase in coccidioidomycosis, also known as Valley Fever, and you have what Tuber calls an 'environmental disaster.' The increase in heat is also not helpful for people's lungs. 'The lungs are exposed, just like skin, to the ambient air temperatures, and if you are breathing drier, less moist air, you are going to be transpiring more humidity out from the lungs into the environment,' Tuber said, comparing it to like leaving a cut apple out. 'There is a lot of truth to the heat causing more trouble to the lung than if there was not so much heat.' This week, the state got its first monsoon storms of the season as the majority of the state is still under heat advisories and wildfires, made more aggressive by the drier conditions created by climate change, rage in the state. Arizona Mirror is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Arizona Mirror maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jim Small for questions: info@
Daily Mail
09-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
'Boil in a bag' funerals to become available in Britain after catching on around the world - here's how the controversial method works
Putting a loved one to rest in the UK typically involves either a ground burial or a flame-based cremation. But an alternative method could finally get the go-ahead. A new consultation into funerary methods by the independent Law Commission could finally result in legal approval of 'boil in a bag' funerals in the UK. At the moment, there is no regulatory framework for the method, officially known as water cremation or alkaline hydrolysis – effectively banning it from use in the country. Water cremation involves rapidly decomposing a corpse in water and alkaline chemicals under high temperatures, leaving only liquid and bones. The liquid, known as 'effluent', can go down the drain with other wastewater and bones that can be ground to ash for the bereaved owner to take home. Advocates say the method is better for the environment, but others believe it is an undignified way to dispose of the dead. Here's a look at how the controversial method works. What is water cremation? Water cremation uses water, alkaline chemicals, heat, and sometimes pressure and agitation, to accelerate natural decomposition, leaving bone fragments and a neutral liquid called effluent. The effluent is sterile, and contains salts, sugars, amino acids and peptides – but no tissue or DNA is left. This effluent is discharged with all other wastewater, while the softened bone can be ground up for the owner to take home and lay to rest, much like ashes – although any metal hip and knee joints come out unchanged. At the Bradshaw Celebration of Life Center in Minnesota, there's an alkaline hydrolysis machine located in the basement that cost $750,000 (£580,000) to install about a decade ago. Bodies go into the rectangular steel box, which is about six feet high and four feet wide and looks like part of a high security 'bank vault'. With just the press of a few buttons, the machine locks and starts to fill with water – and the 90-minute process can begin. By the end, all tissue has dissolved and is free from DNA – and is a brown colour that somewhat resembles 'tea or an ale'. What happens during a water cremation? The corpse is loaded into the machine, which then works out the amount of water and potassium hydroxide needed. The pressurised tank is filled with the alkaline solution. The tank is heated to 152C (305F). The remaining liquid is cooled in a separate tank and drained. The liquid (about 330 gallons) is washed down the drain. The bones are ground to powder and given to the family in an urn. According to one Wired journalist who visited a water cremation facility in California, the liquefied human body 'smells like steamed clams'. Any metal hip and knee joints come out unchanged, but otherwise all that's left is the bones, which now crumble and fall apart to the touch and can be easily ground down and scattered much like ashes, or kept. Water cremation is not new – the process was originally patented in 1888 – but only now is it becoming an option for the general public. Some see religious connotations in water cremation, echoing the use of water in baptism at the start of a life. Why is water cremation controversial? Critics argue that dissolving bodies and disposing of the resulting liquid down the sewers along with other wastewater lacks dignity. In certain religious and cultural communities, water cremation is barred due to its perceived desecration of the body. Dr Lian Lundy, a wastewater specialist at Middlesex University, said the biggest hurdle blocking it in the UK is social acceptability. Staff at the Bradshaw Celebration of Life Center operate the alkaline hydrolysis machine located in the basement 'Some people view it as basically mixing up my loved one with poo in the sewer and they don't like that,' she told the Telegraph. 'But there's a lot that goes into the sewer that we don't really think about – waste from mortuaries and hospitals and all sorts of things that we don't know about – so from that perspective, it's not really any different.' Where is water cremation available? Water cremation is already available to the general public in nearly 30 states in America and is also permitted in Canada and South Africa. Ireland opened its first water cremation facility in early 2023 – the first of its kind in Europe. But in the UK, regulatory hurdles are preventing the method from becoming available. When will water cremation come to the UK? Co-op Funeralcare, which arranges more than 93,000 funerals every year, revealed in 2023 it would start to offer the service for deceased Brits, but plans were delayed as it was 'unable to find a path through the current regulatory framework'. Co-op Funeralcare welcomed the consultation on new funerary methods, which could potentially see water cremations come to the UK by the end of the decade. A spokesman from Co-op Funeralcare said: 'At Co-op Funeralcare, we are committed to serving the needs of our member-owners and clients and offering the most sustainable and affordable services. 'In 2023, we announced our ambition to pilot Resomation in the UK, and we subsequently worked closely with the Government to explore the regulatory requirements to introduce this service across the nation. 'However, we did not proceed with this as, at the time, we were unable to find a path through the current regulatory framework. 'We welcome The Law Commission's review and encourage exploration into alternative methods that provide consumers with greater choice and deliver environmental benefits.' How much will water cremation be? While the cost for water cremations remains unclear, it's expected to be around the same prices as a traditional cremation – a few thousand pounds. In countries where water cremation is already legal, the price typically ranges from $1,500 (£1,180) to $5,000 (£3,950), depending on the provider and location, the Farewell Guide explains. 'In the UK, once the service becomes available, the cost of water cremation will likely be competitive with regular cremation prices,' it adds. At the Bradshaw Celebration of Life Center in Minnesota, it costs $3,395 (£2,500) for a 'basic cremation' and $4,995 (£3,680) for an additional memorial service. Why are water cremations better for the environment? Advocates describe the method as 'green cremation' as it's a more eco-friendly alternative to land burials (which can pollute the soil) and flame-based cremations. A traditional cremation using flames consumes fuel and releases large amounts of carbon dioxide and other pollutants into the air. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the average cremation produces about 535 pounds of carbon dioxide, which is equivalent to driving a car about 600 miles. Land burials, meanwhile, pose the problem of the vessel containing the corpse taking years to decompose in the soil if it's made of metal or plastic. Even if the vessel is compostable, such as a pine box, the decomposing corpse doesn't usually have a healthy impact on the soil and can often stop grass and plants growing properly.
South China Morning Post
08-06-2025
- Science
- South China Morning Post
Researchers set sail, kicking off the third UN Ocean Conference in France
A fleet of 30 research and exploration vessels from around the world will set sail just off the French coastal city of Nice on Sunday to kick off the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) and pay tribute to World Oceans Day. The event themed 'Ocean Wonders' will see the vessels sail across Nice's Baie des Anges, or Bay of Angels, and is designed to spotlight the beauty and importance of the ocean while urging world leaders not to lose sight of its value as they make decisions about the planet's future. Thousands of delegates, including heads of state, scientists, and environmental advocates, are expected in Nice this week to confront growing threats to the ocean and the need to transform pledges into protection. The UN has called the threats a global emergency facing the world's oceans as they confront rising temperatures, plastic pollution choking marine life, and relentless overexploitation of fish and other resources. Just 2.7 per cent of the global ocean is effectively protected from destructive activities like industrial fishing and deep-sea mining – far below the global goal of 30 per cent by 2030. Participating boats include the Energy Observer, a solar-panel covered catamaran that was the first vessel to circumnavigate the globe using renewable energy alone. It produces hydrogen fuel on board via seawater electrolysis, offering a vision of zero-emissions maritime travel.
