Public health

New Jersey seeks stricter limit on chemicals, PFCs in drinking water

Photo: Testing water samples for unsafe substances at a lab in Fairfield, NJ.

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. — New Jersey has some of the highest concentrations of perfluorinated chemicals, but the state is taking steps to reduce their risk to the public.

It has been nearly 20 years since a hazardous class of chemicals found in common consumer products like nonstick cookware and mattresses was manufactured in the United States, but it is still present in drinking water. Now, New Jersey, which has some of the highest concentrations of the chemicals, is seeking to take the lead in controlling the material and reducing its threat to public health.

The class of chemicals, known as perfluorinated chemicals, has been linked to illnesses including cancer, high cholesterol and developmental problems in young children, prompting the United States Environmental Protection Agency to issue a health advisory about what officials say is a safe limit in drinking water. While the E.P.A. does not formally regulate the chemicals, some states have started imposing their own restrictions. In New Jersey, a panel of scientists that advises the state government recommended last month that New Jersey impose strict limits on perfluorooctane sulfonate, or PFOS, a type of perfluorinated chemical […]

More about: forever chemicals (PFAS, etc.), pollution, and public health

Summary
Article Name
New Jersey Seeks Stricter Limit on Chemical in Drinking Water
Description
Perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) linked to cancer, high cholesterol, developmental problems in children. New Jersey seeks stricter limits in drinking water.
Author
Publisher Name
The New York Times
Publisher Logo

Recent Posts

Scathing report released detailing Navy’s handling of Red Hill fuel spill

The Inspector General of the Department of Defense released some scathing reports Thursday over the…

5 days ago

Growing Food Instead of Grass Lawns in California Front Yards

Photo: Morgan Boone, a volunteer with Crop Swap LA, harvested lettuce at the La Salle…

2 weeks ago

LA River restoration connects us back to ‘the life force of our city’

Los Angeles residents at a section of the Los Angeles River cleanup in Los Angeles,…

3 weeks ago

LAist: New study raises questions about heavy metals in fire retardants

Over the past decade, about 67 million gallons of fire retardant have been dropped on…

3 weeks ago

Meadow and watershed restoration in the Golden Trout Wilderness

Photo: Golden Trout Wilderness Seeking blue, seeing gold The Kern Plateau features a chain of…

3 weeks ago

First sighting of salmon in 100 years marks key milestone for California dam removal

For the first time in more than a century, a salmon was observed swimming through Klamath…

4 weeks ago