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Toxic Pesticide Levels Found in Tampons 40 Times Higher Than Legal Limit for Water
Toxic pesticide levels have been found in tampons at levels 40 times higher than the legal limit for drinking water. Traces of glyphosate, a pesticide linked to cancer, has been found at very high levels in menstrual products, according to a report by the Pesticide Action Network U.K. (PAN U.K.), the Women’s Environmental Network and the Pesticide Collaboration.
This is concerning, according to the authors, because chemicals absorbed through the vagina directly enter the bloodstream, bypassing the body’s detoxification systems. This means even small traces of chemicals in direct contact with the vagina could cause health risks.
The researchers tested 15 boxes of tampons from U.K. retailers across a range of different popular brands. Glyphosate was found in tampons in one of the boxes, at 0.004 mg/kg. The U.K. and EU maximum residue level for drinking water is 0.0001 mg/kg, making this 40 times higher than permitted levels of glyphosate in drinking water.
Are ‘Chemtrails’ a Conspiracy Theory? Poll Finds 60 Percent Want ‘Geoengineering’ Laws Regardless
Many observers say that those white trails often seen in blue skies are chemicals or other agents being covertly unloaded into the atmosphere for weather manipulation, mind control, or even population control. The question is: Are these “chemtrails” a danger to public health, used as a distraction to cover other nefarious undertakings, or just a conspiracy theory?
Regardless of the purpose, most American voters are taking the cautious approach.
In a new Rasmussen Reports poll, 60% of respondents said they favor legislation against such “geoengineering.”
The national telephone and online survey finds that 44% of Likely U.S. Voters consider it likely that government agencies have been secretly releasing chemicals into the atmosphere as part of “geoengineering and weather modification activities,” including 20% who think it’s Very Likely. Thirty-nine percent don’t believe secret “weather modification” is likely, including 20% who consider it Not At All Likely, while 18% are not sure.
When Airport PFAS Gets Jettisoned, Where Does the Forever Firefighting Foam Go?
You can clean the “forever chemicals” of PFAS from storage tanks and firefighting gear, but just like a nuclear radiation cleanup, now you’ve got tanks and piles of contaminated residue with no place to go. Denver International Airport (DIA) is handing over that problem to the state of Colorado’s hazardous waste experts, after spending about $3 million of airport money to flush out tanks and clean gear previously used to handle PFAS-laden firefighting foam.
DIA is touting its PFAS flush as a major step in protecting firefighters from exposure to the ubiquitous water resistant toxins, which can increase the risks of cancers, pregnancy issues and developmental delays in children. Runoff of PFAS-laden stormwater from runways, Air Force bases and firefighting training centers has also contaminated multiple community water sources in Colorado and in other states.
“This is a part of our bigger sustainability strategy at the airport,” said Scott Morrissey, DIA’s senior vice president of sustainability. “We’re all very excited that, having been working on this for the better part of five or six years, that we’re now to the point that we’re removing those final sources of PFAS at the airport.”
PFAS Bills Introduced in Brunswick Spill Aftermath Receive Sweeping Support, Await Funding
Though there are still funding details to sort out, a slate of proposals brought forward after 1,500 gallons of toxic firefighting foam concentrate spilled in Brunswick last August have been backed by the Maine Legislature. “Since August 19, 2024, hardly a day has gone by where our delegation hasn’t put work into an entire suite of legislation both to help Brunswick recover and, even more importantly, to make sure that what happened to us cannot happen anywhere else,” said Rep. Dan Ankeles (D-Brunswick) on the House of Representatives floor earlier this month.
On Wednesday, the Senate passed the last of a package of three bills that Ankeles crafted in the aftermath of the spill to help rid Maine of Aqueous Film Forming Foam, also known as AFFF, which was historically used for firefighting and has been linked to harmful effects to humans and the environment.
The final proposal to receive initial passage votes would establish a voluntary, statewide takeback program for the foam. The Senate approved LD 222 30-0, and it will now go back to each chamber for final enactment votes.
Oil and Gas Have Boomed in New Mexico. Its Schools Are Contending With Pollution’s Effects
On a Tuesday in March, Billton Werito drove his son Amari toward his house in Counselor, New Mexico, navigating the bumpy dirt road that winds through a maze of natural gas pipelines, wellheads and water tanks. Amari should have been in school, but a bout of nausea and a dull headache kept him from class.
“It happens a lot,” Amari explained from the backseat, glancing up from his Nintendo Switch. The symptoms usually show up when the sixth grader smells an odor of “rotten egg with propane” that rises from nearby natural gas wells and wafts over Lybrook Elementary School, where he and some 70 other Navajo students attend class. His little brother often misses school for the same reason.
“They just keep getting sick,” Amari’s father, Billton, said. “I have to take them out of class because of the headaches. Especially the younger one, he’s been throwing up and won’t eat.” The symptoms are putting the kids at risk of falling further behind in school.
Microplastic Pollution Is Everywhere, Even in the Exhaled Breath of Dolphins – New Research
Bottlenose dolphins in Sarasota Bay in Florida and Barataria Bay in Louisiana are exhaling microplastic fibers, according to our new research published in the journal PLOS One. Tiny plastic pieces have spread all over the planet — on land, in the air and even in clouds. An estimated 170 trillion bits of microplastic are estimated to be in the oceans alone. Across the globe, research has found people and wildlife are exposed to microplastics mainly through eating and drinking, but also through breathing.
Our study found the microplastic particles exhaled by bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are similar in chemical composition to those identified in human lungs. Whether dolphins are exposed to more of these pollutants than people are is not yet known.
In humans, inhaled microplastics can cause lung inflammation, which can lead to problems including tissue damage, excess mucus, pneumonia, bronchitis, scarring and possibly cancer. Since dolphins and humans inhale similar plastic particles, dolphins may be at risk for the same lung problems.
