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Removing PFAS from public water systems will cost billions and take time – here are ways to filter out harmful ‘endlessly chemicals’ at home

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Chemists invented PFAS within the Nineteen Thirties to make life easier: PFAS made it possible to make nonstick pans, waterproof clothes, grease-resistant food packaging, and stain-resistant carpets. However, in recent times, the growing variety of health risks related to these chemicals have grow to be increasingly concerning.

PFAS – perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances – are currently suspected or he is understood to contribute for thyroid disease, high cholesterol, liver damage and cancer, amongst other health problems.

They may be present in the blood most Americans and in lots of drinking water systems, which is why the Environmental Protection Agency finalized work on it in April 2024 first enforceable federal limits for six forms of PFAS in drinking water systems. The limits – 4 to 10 parts per trillion for PFOS, PFOA, PFHxS, PFNA and GenX – are lower than a drop of water in a thousand Olympic-sized swimming pools, demonstrating the toxicity of the chemicals. The sixth type, PFBS, is regulated as a mix using the so-called threat indicator.

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Meeting these recent limits will not be easy or low cost. There’s one other problem: While PFAS may be filtered from water, these “forever chemicals” are difficult to destroy.

My team at the University of Notre Dame works to address contaminants in water systems, including PFAS. We are investigating recent technologies to remove PFAS from Potable water and to address PFAS waste. Here’s a glance at the dimensions of the challenge and how to reduce PFAS in your personal drinking water:

Removing PFAS will cost billions annually

Every five years, the EPA is required to select 30 unregulated pollutants to monitor in public drinking water systems. Currently, 29 of those 30 contaminants are PFAS. Testing gives a way of how common PFAS are in water systems and where.

The EPA collected 22,500 samples from roughly 3,800 of the 154,000 public drinking water systems within the US. In 22% of those water systems, testing detected at least one in every of the six newly regulated PFASs, and roughly 16% of the systems exceeded the allowable standards. recent standards. East Coast states had the very best percentage of systems with PFAS levels that exceeded the brand new standards in EPA tests conducted to date.

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Under the brand new EPA regulations, public water systems have until 2027 to complete PFAS monitoring and release publicly available data. If they detect PFAS in concentrations above the brand new limits, they will have to install a treatment system by 2029.

How much this will cost public water systems, and ultimately their customers, continues to be the large unknown, however it won’t be low cost.

The EPA estimated the prices to the nation’s public drinking water systems to comply with information rules at a cost of roughly $1.5 billion annually. But other estimates suggest that the general costs of testing and remediating PFAS contamination will be much higher. The American Water Works Association has set the cost at over $3.8 billion annually just for PFOS and PFOA.

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There are over 5,000 chemicals which are considered PFAS, nevertheless, only a couple of have been tested for his or her toxicity and even fewer have been tested for presence in drinking water. This is estimated by the United States Geological Survey almost half of all tap water is contaminated with PFAS.

Some money for testing and clean-up will come from the federal government. The remaining funding will come from 3M and DuPont, leading PFAS producers. 3M agreed to pay within the settlement $10.5 to $12.5 billion to help reimburse public water systems for certain PFAS testing and treatment. However, public water systems will still incur additional costs that will be passed on to residents.

Next problem: disposal of “forever chemicals”

Another vital query is how to eliminate captured PFAS once it has been filtered out.

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The creation of landfills is being considered, but this only shifts the issue to the subsequent generation. There’s a reason why PFAS are called “forever chemicals” – they are extremely durable and don’t decompose naturally, making them difficult to destroy.

Studies have shown that PFAS may be broken down using energy-intensive technologies. But this comes with huge costs. The incinerators must arrive over 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit (1,000 degrees Celsius) destroy PFAS, and potentially harmful byproducts could also be produced not fully understood yet. Other suggested techniques e.g supercritical water oxidation Or plasma reactorsthey’ve the identical disadvantages.

An engineer holds an ion-exchange resin used to remove PFAS next to recent water treatment equipment in Fullerton, California, in 2021. The Orange County Water District’s initial capital cost for PFAS treatment in a single well was $3.6 million.
Paul Bersebach/MediaNews Group/Orange County Sign up via Getty Images

So who’s chargeable for managing PFAS waste? Ultimately, responsibility will likely fall on public drinking water systems.

EPA on April 19, 2024 designated PFOA and PFOS as contaminants qualifying for Superfund statusmeaning firms chargeable for polluting sites with these chemicals may very well be required to pay for cleanup. However, the EPA found this out I had no intention of following him sewage treatment plants or public landfills.

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Steps to protect your home from PFAS

Your first instinct could also be to use bottled water to avoid exposure to PFAS, but a recent study found this even bottled water may contain these chemicals. Bottled water is regulated by one other federal agency, the Food and Drug Administration, which has no standards for PFAS.

The best choice is to depend on the identical technologies that processing plants will use:

  • Activated carbon it is comparable to charcoal. Like a sponge, it captures PFAS, removing it from the water. This is identical technology utilized in refrigerator filters and some jug filters, equivalent to Brita or PUR. Please note that many refrigerator manufacturers’ filters are not certified for PFAS, so don’t assume they will remove PFAS to secure levels.

  • Ion exchange resin this is identical technology present in many home water softeners. Like activated carbon, it captures PFAS from water, and this technology may be present in many pitcher filter products. If you select to the entire house purification system that a plumber can connect where the water enters the home, an ion exchange resin will probably be the most effective selection. But it’s expensive.

  • Reverse osmosis is a membrane technology that permits only water and chosen compounds to go through the membrane, while PFAS are blocked. This is usually installed at the kitchen sink and has been turned out to be very effective when removing most PFAS from water. This is not practical for cleansing your entire house, however it will likely remove many other contaminants as well.

If you have got a personal well as an alternative of a public drinking water system, it doesn’t mean you are secure from PFAS exposure. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources estimates so 71% shallow private wells on this state they’ve some level of PFAS contamination. Using a licensed lab to test well water for PFAS can cost $300-$600 per sample, a cost barrier that will leave many private well owners at the hours of darkness.

For all treatment options, ensure that the device you select is PFAS certified by a good testing agencyand follow the really helpful filter maintenance and substitute schedule. Unfortunately, there may be currently no secure way to eliminate filters, in order that they find yourself within the trash. No treatment is ideal and none will remove all PFAS to secure levels, but some treatment is healthier than no treatment at all.

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This article was originally published on : theconversation.com
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Health and Wellness

Al Roker shares his journey into prostate cancer and offers an encouragement to Joe Biden

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Al Roker makes sure Joseph Biden knows that he will not be alone amongst his recent diagnosis of prostate cancer.

On Friday, May 18, Biden’s personal office announced that the 82-year-old former president was diagnosed with prostate cancer with a rating of 9 Gleason on 9.

“Although this is a more aggressive form of the disease, cancer seems to be sensitive to hormones, which allows for effective management,” he read the statement. “The president and his family are looking at the treatment options for their doctors.”

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The next day Roker, 70, thought of his journey with the disease that began in 2020. TODAY show.

“When I was diagnosed, I had 8 on Gleason’s scale, but they said they caught it early, even though it was aggressive, so I had a fairly wide range of treatment options,” said Roker.

Television personality for the primary time announced that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in November 2020. Later this month he underwent surgery within the New York Sloan Sloan Cancer Center to remove its prostate and some surrounding lymph and absorbent nodes.

According to Cleveland ClinicThe Gleason result’s a system of assessing prostate cancer, which ranges from 1, when cancer cells look essentially the most like normal cells, to 10, when cancer cells look very different from healthy cells. The lower the result, the slower the cells will probably grow.

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In May 2021 ROKER’s Six months control Nothing detected at the extent of a prostate -specific antigen (dog) was found, which suggests that it was in clarity. At that point he said People magazineHe was “grateful” to have the ability to see his first grandson.

“If there is a reason to make sure you are as healthy as possible, it is,” he said.

Roker, who fought all his life with constant health problems, also shared the words of encouragement to biden within the post on X.

“Mr. President. When I found out from my battle with prostate cancer, you are part of a group in which no one wants to be a part,” he wrote about Rak, which plague, On average, one in eight men. “But knowing you, you will face this latest challenge with courage, humor and grace.”

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Al Roker becomes a grandfather, he insists that the child's name is not related to his work

(Tagstranslate) al corer

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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We took the Corepower sculptor lesson with Jordan Chiles to celebrate the month of mental health awareness

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Hunter Moreno

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At the starting of this week, Corepower Yoga, a well-liked Yoga Studio brand, invited us to take a funny sculptural lesson of yoga with a good gymnast Jordan Chiles in honor of a month of mental health awareness and learn the way they support the member community throughout the month.

Do not make a mistake, the class carving yoga at Corepower Yoga shouldn’t be only your yoga class. Instead, it incorporates a high -intensity movement with traditional yoga poses (with weights) to help tons and lengthen the body. From delicious snacks, from not only the place of Los Angeles Erehon, to sessions of the face mask with a red dose, the class carving yoga, which made our hearts pumped while stretching our bodies, and informative questions and answers from chili, most participants, including me, I felt satisfied and good.

We took the Corepower sculptor lesson with Jordan Chiles to celebrate the month of mental health awareness

This is smart, because the last study showed that 59% of yoga participants had reduced depressive symptoms after heated yoga exercise for under 8 weeks. “Corepower yoga is about strength and stillness, and this says exactly where I am in my life. I want to show people – especially other athletes – release and tuning myself is powerful,” says Chiles. “If your mind is not adequate, your body will not be either. I learned how important it is to test yourself, know when to slow down and protect my room,” he says.

We took the lesson of Corepower sculptor with Jordan Chiles to celebrate the month of mental health awareness

In addition to the introduction of the Mental Health Ambassador, Jordan Chiles, Corepower Yoga offers free access to a 31-day mindfulness journey for its members, and all the pieces they’ve to do is download the Corepower application and join a four-week journey, which goals to cultivate mindfulness, self-sufficiency, intention and private development.

In the case of chili, he believes that the profit of biological renewal practices, akin to Corepower Yoga, is rooted in holistic look after himself. “I think that a nice part of connecting with Corepower yoga is the ability to meet mental and physical strength and ensure the ability to leave you, regardless of whether it is anger, stress, regardless of whether you have to release it,” he says.

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Chiles continues: “I think that the biggest thing was really an attempt to find what a self -career was. As athletes, we always think about others and not ourselves. I also realized that my sport does not determine who I am.”

As for her love for yoga corepower, the point is that she has the opportunity to change the routine. “When I’m not in the gym, I still like to be active, but more cool. I love to do a role, strength training and stretching. I like the most in Corepower classes that they combine physical training with elements of mindfulness. I can build my physical and mental immunity, which is important when it competes at a high level. Yoga helps me rest, breathe and just slow down. flexibility, which also supports my gymnastics, “he says to Essence.

Chiles continues: “For me it is about something except what we do every day and change our routine a little differently. So the opportunity to do different things rejuvenates me and helps me to be present, allowing me to go to the next practice, feeling more confident.”

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This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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Health and Wellness

Safe marina for overwhelmed black women

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The Rest Spot, Atlanta


Smyrna, Georgia, Woman, Jena Burgess Singleton, opened a non-public biological renewal campus only for women entitled The Rest Stoth in June 2024. With one mission: help women discover a protected rest space. Singleton’s activity, satisfied especially towards black women, was born from a private healing journey for her and transformed right into a goal to realize joint healing when she realized that other women were fighting for similar things.

In an interview with Singleton Summoned Her life in 2023, when she felt that she had burdened her life, profession and fears of care.

Singleton remembered: “I was forced to rest. My body reacted physically. I still shock from cortisol; I had face paralysis. My nervous system was fried.”

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Singleton was forced to concentrate on healing her after her doctor ordered her due to her health problems.

“In a sense, it took me a toll because you hear all stories and become a safe space for so many people,” said Singleton. “I feel that between this and only my personal journey of my father in need of a kidney transplant, I had a daughter, I divorced, Covid and George Floyd happened.

Singleton turned it into healing into something that might be divided with others – the trouble that may result in the creation of the remainder.

The entrepreneur has transformed his home right into a healing space, developing naps and inventive spaces. The small sanctuary quickly needed to develop when the requests for protected space appeared at a greater pace than expected.

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Now the remainder is on the land of Earth in Smyrna. The location is positioned in lush green gardens and intentionally chosen vibrations built on calming fragrances for everyone who participates. The primary house of the remainder includes two common rooms, snacks and teas, a library and plenty of others – they’re all chosen to support emotional release for people looking for rest.

Singleton described from work outside the house to the place where the remainder is today.

“I would say that come, I will watch the children, and they went upstairs and they took a nap,” said Singleton. “I had a larger house, so I had two additional rooms and started designing them. I just wanted them to be really comfortable and cozy, and it would become a funny project for me.”

Now the remainder have large supporters of members, of whom about 90% are black women who can book time in various thematic apartments and spaces specializing in various varieties of supplementation to assist sleep, self -reflection and even fair expression. The rest have tools that help women in creative, mental and emotional rest.

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The rest even takes place for moms and doesn’t allow children to care for children to stop women from looking for their advantages.

The Singleton company includes a toddler care package and authorized staff for the care of the youngsters of moms they attend.

Singleton expressed: “For many black women who are members, they gave everyone a child for the first time. They are very excited because you see that they are in delivery. You see he is shaking.”

Singleton emphasizes the supply of the remainder by developing a membership model without traditional barriers to other biological renewal centers. Both meals and childcare are included in the value of membership.

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Prices are between USD 135 and USD 189 for monthly membership.

“We don’t punish women for being mothers. We meet them where they are,” explained the Singleton.

“Loneliness is an epidemic,” she continued. “We have quite a lot of women who are lonely who do not have children, pets or significant others. Women want to feel connected, and want to be with similarly thinking people. Every Thursday, 17–19, we have an social hour, and the chef produces snacks; we drink drinks, and this is a different way in which they will receive something in their membership.”

Singleton hopes to expand the activities in the sector of well -renewal to other parts of the Atlanta area and construct a current campus with seven different apartments.

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(Tagstotranslate) Jena Burgess Singleton (T) The Rest Plot (T) Essence (T) Smyrna Georgia

This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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