Latest news with #environmentalcontamination
Reuters
2 days ago
- Reuters
Bomb attack suspends pumping on Colombia's Cano Limon-Covenas pipeline
BOGOTA, July 13 (Reuters) - Colombia's Cano Limon-Covenas Oil Pipeline was bombed by unknown actors, operator Cenit said on Sunday, prompting the suspension of pumping between oil fields in the country's northeast and the Caribbean coast, where the oil is exported. The attack occurred in a rural area of Saravena, in the region of Arauca, according to Cenit, a subsidiary of majority-state-owned oil company Ecopetrol ( opens new tab. There were no injuries or deaths reported. The bombing triggered the activation of a contingency plan to control spills and environmental contamination, said Cenit, which owns the pipeline. Cenit did not attribute the attack to any particular group. According to the military, guerrillas of the National Liberation Army (ELN) and FARC dissidents who rejected a 2016 peace deal with the government operate in the area. The Cano Limon-Covenas pipeline, which can transport up to 210,000 barrels of oil per day and runs along Colombia's northern border with Venezuela, is frequently the target of attacks, some of which cause fires and the contamination of rivers and streams, according to Cenit.
Malay Mail
22-06-2025
- Climate
- Malay Mail
Black liquid from Johor oil store fire seeps into drains, may reach Straits of Tebrau, warns city council
JOHOR BARU, June 22 — A black liquid, believed to be engine oil, has been detected flowing from the site of a fire involving a storage facility for lorries and engine oil at Jalan Cenderai in Taman Kota Puteri, Masai. Johor Baru City Council (MBJB) Mayor Datuk Mohd Haffiz Ahmad said the substance has been seen entering a drainage system and is feared to be heading toward the Straits of Tebrau. To prevent further environmental contamination, MBJB, along with multiple government agencies, has initiated immediate containment efforts. 'We are digging containment ponds at the site to block the flow of the liquid,' he said during a visit to the scene earlier today. Meanwhile, the Johor Department of Environment (DOE) will install oil booms in the drains and nearby areas to contain the spread. The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) and the Marine Department of Malaysia have also been deployed to the upper Straits of Tebrau to set up coastal booms to prevent the liquid from reaching open waters. 'The fastest containment step for now is to create these ponds on-site to stop the flow,' Datuk Haffiz added. The DOE will also be collecting samples to determine the exact composition of the substance. Earlier observations by Bernama reporters noted that the dark liquid, which emitted a strong and unpleasant odour, had seeped from the burned-out facility. The incident drew attention from members of the public, who began gathering at the scene as early as this morning. According to the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department's Operations Centre, an emergency call was received at 12.54pm. A total of 34 personnel from multiple fire stations, including volunteer teams, were dispatched to tackle the blaze. — Bernama
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
The US towns that took on 'forever chemical' giants -- and won
No corner of Earth is untouched. From Tibet to Antarctica, so-called "forever chemicals" have seeped into the blood of nearly every living creature. Tainting food, water and wildlife, these toxic substances have been linked to ailments ranging from birth defects to rare cancers. Yet if it weren't for the efforts of residents in two heavily impacted American towns, the world might still be in the dark. In the new book "They Poisoned the World: Life and Death in the Age of Chemicals," investigative journalist Mariah Blake recounts how people in Parkersburg, West Virginia, and Hoosick Falls, New York, blew the whistle on the industrial giants that poisoned them -- and, in the process, forced the world to reckon with per‑ and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. "We're talking about a class of chemicals that doesn't break down in the environment," Blake tells AFP, calling it the "worst contamination crisis in human history." First developed in the 1930s, PFAS are prized for their strength, heat resistance, and water- and grease-repelling powers. Built on the carbon-fluoride bond -- the strongest in chemistry -- they persist like radioactive waste and accumulate in our bodies, hence the "forever" nickname. Blake's research traces their history, from accidental discovery by a DuPont chemist to modern usage in cookware, clothing, and cosmetics. They might have remained a curiosity if Manhattan Project scientists hadn't needed a coating that could withstand atomic-bomb chemistry, helping companies produce them at scale. - Corporate malfeasance - Industry knew the risks early. Internal tests showed plant workers suffered chemical burns and respiratory distress. Crops withered and livestock died near manufacturing sites. So how did they get away with it? Blake tracks the roots to the 1920s, when reports emerged that leaded gasoline caused psychosis and death among factory workers. In response, an industry-backed scientist advanced a now-infamous doctrine: chemicals should be presumed safe until proven harmful. This "Kehoe principle" incentivized corporations to manufacture doubt around health risks -- a big reason it took until last year for the US to finalize a ban on asbestos. DuPont's own studies warned that Teflon had no place on cookware. But after a French engineer coated his wife's muffin tins with it, a Parisian craze took off -- and an American entrepreneur sold the idea back to DuPont. Soon nonstick pans were flying off shelves, thanks in part to a regulatory gap: PFAS, along with thousands of other chemicals, were "grandfathered" into the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act and required no further testing. - Massive litigation - The cover-up began to unravel in the 1990s in Parkersburg, where DuPont had for decades been dumping Teflon waste into pits and the Ohio River. The town reaped economic benefits, but female plant workers were having babies with birth defects, a cattle farmer downstream was losing his herd, and residents developed rare cancers. Blake tells the story through "accidental activists." One is Michael Hickey, a preppy insurance underwriter with no interest in politics or the environment. After cancer took his father and friends, he started testing Hoosick Falls's water. Another is Emily Marpe, "a teen mom with a high school education" who saved to buy her family's dream house in upstate New York, only to learn the water flowing from the taps was fouled with PFAS that now coursed through their blood in massive levels. "She knew the science inside out," says Blake, "and became an incredibly articulate advocate." Years of litigation yielded hundreds of millions in settlements and forced DuPont and 3M to phase out two notorious PFAS. But the companies pivoted to substitutes like GenX -- later shown to be just as toxic. Still, Blake argues the tide is turning. France has banned PFAS in many consumer goods, the EU is considering a ban, and in the US, states are moving to restrict PFAS in sludge fertilizer and food packaging. Liabilities linked to the chemicals are driving major retailers from McDonald's to REI to pledge PFAS-free products. Her optimism is tempered by the political climate. Just this week, the Trump administration announced the rollback of federal drinking water standards for four next-generation PFAS chemicals. But she believes the momentum is real. "Ordinary citizens who set out to protect their families and communities have really created this dramatic change," she says. "It's like climate change -- it feels intractable, but here's a case where people have made major headway." ia/acb
The Independent
13-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
New Jersey says chemical maker 3M agrees to 'forever chemical' settlement worth up to $450M
New Jersey 's attorney general said Tuesday chemical manufacturer 3M agreed to pay up $450 million to resolve lawsuits over natural resource contamination stemming from PFAS — commonly referred to as 'forever chemicals.' The settlement is subject to court approval and a public comment period, Attorney General Matt Platkin's office said. St. Paul, Minnesota-based 3M is expected to pay $285 million this year, with additional amounts payable over the next 25 years. The total amount could reach $450 million, Platkin's office said. 'Corporate polluters must be held accountable when they contaminate our state's water supply," Platkin said in a statement. PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of chemicals that have been around for decades and have now spread into the nation's air, water and soil. 3M said in 2022 it would end all PFAS manufacturing by the end of this year. In a statement, the company said it's on track to do so. 'This agreement is another important step toward reducing risk and uncertainty on these legacy issues, allowing 3M to focus on its strategic priorities,' 3M said. PFAS were manufactured by companies such as 3M, Chemours and others because they were incredibly useful. They helped eggs slide across non-stick frying pans, ensured that firefighting foam suffocates flames and helped clothes withstand rain and keep people dry. The chemicals resist breaking down, though, meaning they linger in the environment. Environmental activists say PFAS makers knew about the health harms of PFAS long before they were made public. The same attributes that make the chemicals so valuable – resistance to breakdown – make them hazardous to people. PFAS accumulate in the body, which is why the Environmental Protection Agency set their limits for drinking water at 4 parts per trillion for two common types — PFOA and PFOS — that are phased out of manufacturing but still are present in the environment. The New Jersey settlement stems from 2019 lawsuits at the nearly 1,500-acre (607-hectare) Chambers Works site in Pennsville and Carneys Point and another location in Parlin. The settlement also resolves all other statewide claims in litigation over PFAS in firefighting material used in the state. The lawsuits alleged the companies involved, including 3M, knew about risks from forever chemicals produced at the facilities but continued to sell them. The attorney general said that by agreeing to settle 3M would not go to trial next week in the Chambers Works case. New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection will use a portion of the settlement funds to 'protect public health, safety and the environment from impacts caused by PFAS,' according to a joint statement from the attorney general and DEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette.
Associated Press
13-05-2025
- Health
- Associated Press
New Jersey says chemical maker 3M agrees to 'forever chemical' settlement worth up to $450M
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey's attorney general said Tuesday chemical manufacturer 3M agreed to pay up $450 million to resolve lawsuits over natural resource contamination stemming from PFAS — commonly referred to as 'forever chemicals.' The settlement is subject to court approval and a public comment period, Attorney General Matt Platkin's office said. St. Paul, Minnesota-based 3M is expected to pay $285 million this year, with additional amounts payable over the next 25 years. The total amount could reach $450 million, Platkin's office said. 'Corporate polluters must be held accountable when they contaminate our state's water supply,' Platkin said in a statement. PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of chemicals that have been around for decades and have now spread into the nation's air, water and soil. 3M said in 2022 it would end all PFAS manufacturing by the end of this year. In a statement, the company said it's on track to do so. 'This agreement is another important step toward reducing risk and uncertainty on these legacy issues, allowing 3M to focus on its strategic priorities,' 3M said. PFAS were manufactured by companies such as 3M, Chemours and others because they were incredibly useful. They helped eggs slide across non-stick frying pans, ensured that firefighting foam suffocates flames and helped clothes withstand rain and keep people dry. The chemicals resist breaking down, though, meaning they linger in the environment. Environmental activists say PFAS makers knew about the health harms of PFAS long before they were made public. The same attributes that make the chemicals so valuable – resistance to breakdown – make them hazardous to people. PFAS accumulate in the body, which is why the Environmental Protection Agency set their limits for drinking water at 4 parts per trillion for two common types — PFOA and PFOS — that are phased out of manufacturing but still are present in the environment. The New Jersey settlement stems from 2019 lawsuits at the nearly 1,500-acre (607-hectare) Chambers Works site in Pennsville and Carneys Point and another location in Parlin. The settlement also resolves all other statewide claims in litigation over PFAS in firefighting material used in the state. The lawsuits alleged the companies involved, including 3M, knew about risks from forever chemicals produced at the facilities but continued to sell them. The attorney general said that by agreeing to settle 3M would not go to trial next week in the Chambers Works case. New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection will use a portion of the settlement funds to 'protect public health, safety and the environment from impacts caused by PFAS,' according to a joint statement from the attorney general and DEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette.
