Drinking water exposed 23 million Americans to ‘forever chemicals’: Study
A recent study found wastewater treatment plants are responsible for exposing 23 million Americans to toxic “forever chemicals” in their drinking water. These chemicals, known as PFAS, don’t break down naturally and are linked to a range of health issues, including various types of cancer and liver damage.
The study, conducted by a team of scientists in New York, included water samples from eight wastewater treatment plants across the United States.
Despite advancements in water treatment technology, the research reveals that PFAS are ending up in rivers and lakes. As a result, it is contaminating the tap water of millions of people.
While treatment processes are designed to remove impurities, the study found that PFAS can withstand filtration and enter the water supply.
The researchers estimate at least half of Americans consume contaminated tap water, as these chemicals are widespread in the environment.
PFAS are commonly used in everyday products such as non-stick cookware, food packaging, medications and fire suppressants.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) currently regulates six types of these chemicals. However, thousands of unregulated PFAS compounds remain in water systems, impacting an estimated 70% of the U.S. population.
“We’re identifying large amounts of chemicals that we know very little about,” said the study’s lead author.
The EPA has made some efforts to address PFAS contamination. However, experts argue current regulations are insufficient to protect public health.
PFAS accumulates in the body over time, leading to potential long-term health risks. Because these chemicals do not break down naturally, they have earned the nickname “forever chemicals.”
Additionally, the study suggests that climate change could exacerbate the problem.
Experts said widespread drought across rivers and lakes in the U.S. creates less natural water to dilute wastewater before it enters treatment plants. This could potentially increase the concentration of PFAs in drinking water.
Historic drought spurs Arizona to explore importing billions of gallons of water
With the Colorado River currently experiencing a historic drought, the state of Arizona, which derives about 36% of its water use from this source, is exploring ways to address the problem. Arizona’s two main in-state reservoirs from the river, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, have now been depleted to roughly 33% of their capacity.
This week, Arizona officials advanced plans to bring billions of gallons of water into the state from outside its borders, and invited companies to propose solutions to help meet the need. Approximately $430 million has been earmarked for the effort, which aims to import about 100 billion gallons of water annually, amounting to roughly 417 million tons and equivalent to the weight of 1,142 Empire State Buildings.
The Water Infrastructure Finance Authority (WIFA), the state agency managing the initiative, will need to identify providers capable of delivering the required water while working within Arizona’s financial constraints. In 2024, the WIFA had its budget cut by $500 million, a situation it said “could not come at a worse time.” An earlier proposal to desalinate ocean water from the Gulf of California for use in Arizona was abandoned due to its $5.5 billion price tag.
Next month, Arizona will begin reviewing the qualifications of companies interested in helping import water. The state aims to complete this initial phase by June 2025, but warns the project’s full implementation could take as long as 15 years.
Mexico’s president refutes Trump’s claim she promised to close the border
President-elect Donald Trump said Mexico has agreed to stem the tide of migrants flowing into the United States, but Mexico’s president is now saying that’s not quite accurate. And Amazon workers are using Black Friday to make a statement about their labor situation. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Friday, Nov. 29, 2024.
Mexico’s president refutes Trump’s claim she promised to close the border
As President-elect Donald Trump gets ready to return to office, he’s already making moves to follow through on some of his biggest campaign promises. After announcing this week his plans to impose tariffs on goods from China, Canada and Mexico, he turned his attention to another hot-button issue: immigration.
It’s a bit of a case of “he said, she said” after Trump had a call with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday, Nov. 27. President-elect Trump posted on his Truth Social platform after the call saying Sheinbaum agreed to stop migration into the U.S. through Mexico, “effectively closing our southern border.”
Sheinbaum appeared to contradict Trump in a post of her own on X, saying in part, “Mexico’s position is not to close borders…”
She did, however, lay out Mexico’s “comprehensive strategy” for addressing the migration issue. In a separate post on X, Sheinbaum said during the call, she told President-elect Trump, “No caravans are arriving at the border because they are being attended to in Mexico.”
En nuestra conversación con el presidente Trump, le expuse la estrategia integral que ha seguido México para atender el fenómeno migratorio, respetando los derechos humanos. Gracias a ello se atiende a las personas migrantes y a las caravanas previo a que lleguen a la frontera.…
The two leaders also talked about how they’re addressing the U.S. fentanyl crisis.
The call was scheduled after Trump unveiled plans to slap 25% tariffs on all imports from Mexico to the U.S. as part of the effort to stem the flow of illegal drugs into the U.S. through Mexico.
Not only would that impact the prices of avocados and agave — both very popular in the U.S. — Mexico’s economy secretary said Wednesday 88% of all North American pickup trucks come from Mexico. Sheinbaum then suggested Mexico could retaliate with tariffs of its own.
“I hope he rethinks it,” Biden said. “I think it’s a counterproductive thing to do. You know, one of the things you’ve heard me say before is that we are – we have an unusual situation in America. We’re surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and two allies: Mexico and Canada. The last thing we need to do is begin to screw up those relationships.”
Economists forecast Trump’s planned tariffs would increase prices for American shoppers, costing the average U.S. household about $2,600 per year, according to an estimate from the Peterson Institute for International Economics.
Israel and Hezbollah both claim ceasefire violations
Barely three days into a 60-day ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, both sides are claiming violations.
Yesterday, Hezbollah had a precision-guided missile manufacturing site—today, they don’t.
Hezbollah’s largest precision-guided missiles manufacturing site, 1.4km wide and 70m underground, was struck and dismantled by IAF fighter jets yesterday.
Lebanese authorities also said two people, who were trying to return to southern Lebanon, were shot and wounded by Israeli forces. Lebanon’s health ministry said they were civilians, but the IDF claimed they were suspected of violating terms of the truce.
The agreement, brokered by the United States and France, includes an initial two-month ceasefire during which Hezbollah militants will withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border.
Thousands of Amazon workers to strike from Black Friday to Cyber Monday
Amazon workers in more than 20 countries, including the U.S., are on strike on some of the busiest pre-Christmas shopping days across the world. It started on Black Friday, Nov. 29, a day for bargain hunters to score some of the biggest discounts from stores across the country as holiday shopping kicks into high gear.
Organizers told the United Nations the so-called “days of resistance” are to hold Amazon accountable for alleged labor abuses, as well as “environmental degradation and threats to democracy.” According to ABC News, the strike could delay holiday deliveries.
The organizers said this is their fifth year of labor action against Amazon during the beginning of the holiday shopping season.
In a statement, Amazon said the group that organized the strikes is being “intentionally misleading” and promoting a “false narrative.” Management said the company offers great pay and benefits.
Canada sues Google over control of online ads
Canada’s antitrust watchdog said it is suing Google over alleged anti-competitive conduct in the company’s online advertising business. They’re calling for Google to sell off two of its ad tech services and pay a penalty.
The Competition Bureau said it’s necessary because an investigation into Google found the company “unlawfully” tied together its ad tech tools to maintain its dominant market position. Google insists the online advertising market is a highly competitive sector and is fighting the allegations.
This comes just a week after the U.S. Department of Justice asked a federal judge to force Google to sell its Chrome web browser, saying it continues to crush the competition through its dominant search engine.
America facing a live Christmas tree shortage again
As millions of Americans get ready to begin their search for the perfect Christmas tree, growers are having historic challenges getting them to sale lots, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The day after Thanksgiving is usually the biggest day for live tree sales, but since Thanksgiving came so late this year, it’s a very short selling season. On top of that, a nationwide shortage is expected thanks to severe weather across the country this year, such as a northeastern drought and North Carolina floods caused by Hurricane Helene. North Carolina is the second-biggest supplier of Christmas trees in the country.
Shoppers bought roughly 21.6 million real Christmas trees in the U.S. last year, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. The Department of Agriculture said the number of trees harvested in the U.S. has declined 30% since 2002, while the American population has grown 16% over the same period.
Alaska native air drops Thanksgiving turkeys to families in remote areas
In the most remote parts of Alaska a Thanksgiving turkey is hard to come by. So, one woman made sure families in roadless parts of the state had their holiday feast.
Pilot Esther Keim calls it “Alaska Turkey Bomb.” She flies in a small plane to off-the-grid homes and air drops frozen turkeys for families to enjoy for Thanksgiving.
Keim said it’s a tribute to a family friend who did the same thing for her family when she was growing up.
She started the tradition in 2022 after somebody that she knew told her they did not have much of a holiday dinner — and no turkey at all. Since then, she has delivered 30 to 40 turkeys every year to families living in remote areas of Alaska.
Northeast faces threat to water supply as drought hits NYC and New Jersey
New data released from the U.S. Geological Survey on Thursday, Nov. 21, revealed water supplies are being threatened in at least one part of the country. In the Northeast, severe drought conditions have left rivers, channels and reservoirs at historically low levels.
Hydrologists are especially concerned because fall is typically when they see bodies of water at their highest levels as they replenish from heavy use during the summer months.
For example, the Cambridge Reservoir in Massachusetts, which can reportedly hold up to 1.5 billion gallons of water currently sits at just 50% capacity.
Officials warn that small communities that manage their own water supplies are at the greatest risk as water levels in smaller reservoirs typically dry up at much faster rates than larger reservoirs.
The dry conditions have prompted New Jersey to issue its first drought warning in nearly a decade and for New York City to follow suit by issuing its first drought warning in more than 20 years.
Earlier this week, NYC paused a $2 billion project to repair an aqueduct that supplies water to half its residents and other communities in the Hudson Valley as Mayor Eric Adams, D, cited extremely dry conditions.
Even with more rain in the forecast in the coming days, officials caution it may take months to recover from the drought, and if conditions worsen, they did not rule out mandatory water usage restrictions.
High winds combined with little to no rain have also fueled wildfires in New Jersey and New York, leading to at least one death, in a region typically known to be “water rich.”
Taliban invited to UN climate conference for first time
For the first time since taking over Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban is attending the U.N. climate conference, known as COP29. This year’s conference is being held in Azerbaijan and is one of the most important talks to host the Taliban which isn’t officially recognized as the ruler of Afghanistan.
Azerbaijan invited the Taliban-run Afghan Environment Agency officials to COP29 as observers. The Taliban won’t be allowed to take part in the proceedings of full member states.
A report from international aid agency Save the Children published in August said Afghanistan is the sixth most vulnerable country to the impacts of climate change.
Twenty-five of its 34 provinces face severe or catastrophic drought conditions, affecting more than half the population. The report also said Afghanistan had the highest number of children made homeless by climate disasters of any country as of the end of 2023.
Record 87% of US faces drought amid shifting weather patterns
A record 87% of the contiguous United States experienced dry or drought conditions as of Oct. 31, according to the latest data from the U.S. Drought Monitor. The widespread dry spell surpassed previous records of 85% in early November 2022 and 80% in July 2012.
The recent expansion of drought conditions followed an unusually dry October, which kept much of the nation parched. However, the month closed with some rainfall in the Central United States, signaling a potential shift toward wetter conditions in some areas.
In recent weeks, multiple rounds of heavy rain and severe weather swept through parts of the Central U.S., centered around Oklahoma. On Monday, Nov. 4, meteorologists warned of more rain and an elevated tornado risk after days of severe weather in the region.
The scale of drought doubled between late June, when it covered about 45% of the lower 48 states, and the end of October, when it spanned 87%. The Central United States saw particularly severe impacts, with large areas of the southern Plains suffering under moderate to severe drought.
However, recent rainfall provided some relief in those areas, raising hopes for an improvement in November.
“Drought is notorious for ending with a flood, as it often takes copious moisture to break a lengthy dry spell,” the U.S. Drought Monitor said. “But quick flips between intense rounds of dry and wet are being exacerbated by human-caused climate change.”
These rapid shifts in weather have had significant impacts. Last week, wildfires ignited in Oklahoma, Nebraska and parts of the southern and Central Plains, driven by gusty seasonal winds. Days later, some of those same areas were under flood watches due to incoming moisture.
Meteorologists said the latest pattern, with storm systems sweeping from the Northwestern to Central United States, could persist for a time.
The center of the driest air mass recently moved east, pushing record spells without rain closer to the coast. This evolving weather pattern indicates a stormier Western and Central U.S. may coincide with a drier Eastern region, according to forecasters.
A La Niña climate pattern, which typically forms over winter and brings cooler-than-average water to the equatorial Pacific, has not yet developed but remains likely, according to meteorologists.
They said La Niña conditions often bring a dip in the jet stream over the Northwestern U.S. and high pressure near the East Coast, producing cooler, wetter conditions in the storm-affected Northwest and warmer, drier conditions in the South.
The National Weather Service expects above-average precipitation in the Northwest and Central U.S. over the next several weeks, while the Northeast will likely stay dry. Warmer-than-normal conditions are also anticipated in the East.
The more affordable coffee beans aren’t so affordable anymore
A cup of coffee is part of many morning routines, but at night farmers are working overtime to keep coffee safe from crime. Coffee prices are abnormally high with robusta bean futures surging 65% this year and the lucrative trade is attracting unwanted attention.
A coffee farmers association in Uganda is reportedly urging farmers to hire security guards and dogs, and host bee hives to thwart thieves.
Around the world, adverse weather conditions are simultaneously hitting coffee crops, and the cheaper coffee bean is now reaching price records of more than double what some importers say it should be worth.
For more on how expensive coffee could get and what it will take to bring down prices, Straight Arrow News interviewed Steve Wateridge, head of research for Tropical Research Services.
Steve Wateridge: Robusta prices are as high as they’ve been since 1977, nearly at record highs. So there is an incentive [for theft] and I’m sure that farmers will do everything they can, not only to improve production, but also to make sure that the production they have gets sold by them and not by someone else.
Simone Del Rosario: What surprised me the most about what’s happening right now is specifically with instant coffee. You mentioned Robusta bean prices, and it’s surged 65% this year. Where’s the demand for this?
Steve Wateridge: Basically, we’ve had a problem with coffee supply for the last four years. The Brazil crop has massively underperformed. It started as an arabica problem, the higher-priced coffee. The arabica crop suffered from drought and frost for two consecutive years in ’22, ’23. Arabica prices went to a huge premium over robusta and that led to a very significant demand shift.
In 2023, we saw a 10% increase in demand for robusta coffee as people switched from higher-priced arabica to low-priced robusta. Unfortunately, we’ve still had another two years of supply problems.
We’ve had problems with robusta crop in Uganda, in Vietnam, in Brazil, and we’ve still got problems in Brazil and Central America with the arabica crop.
There’s basically a shortage of coffee and that’s why we’re seeing prices rise to such high levels. And at the moment, it’s robusta. There will come a point, if robusta continues to rally and arabica doesn’t, people will shift back towards Arabica. But then we just shift the problem from robusta to arabica. What we need is actually more coffee being grown around the world to increase supply.
Simone Del Rosario: So the price difference with what was happening with arabica was so significant that it did, in fact, switch consumer behavior?
Steve Wateridge: Exactly. There was a big shift in Brazil in the internal market but also internationally. We saw more robusta usage in North America, in Western Europe, and at the moment, robusta is still slightly cheaper than arabica, so there’s no incentive to shift back.
What happened is that we had an arabica problem. Initially, consumption shifted it into a robusta problem, but the way we solve it is by keeping prices high enough for long enough to incentivize higher production.
Simone Del Rosario: Robusta was an option consumers turned to because it was the cheaper option. Now, with prices going up in futures, has that price been passed on to consumers already?
Steve Wateridge: The most recent price rises probably haven’t, and they will eventually, and that’s a function of price. That’s what the market is telling us, that if we if we can’t increase supply because of continual weather issues, and this is one of the big problems we have in coffee.
Historically, we’ve had weather problems, but they’ve resolved themselves very quickly. This time we’re potentially facing the fifth consecutive poor Brazil crop in a row, which is unprecedented. Temperatures are higher in the last five years in Brazil than they were 10 years ago, and they were higher than they were 10 years before.
There’s less rainfall in the coffee-producing areas in the last five years than the previous 10 years, and that was lower than the previous 10 years before. So climate is changing in Brazil and in other places around the world, and that is basically making crop failures more frequent.
Simone Del Rosario: So will we continue to see these inflated prices when it comes to coffee until we get a good weather year, or is there another way to get supply to reach the demands that’s needed?
Steve Wateridge: No, basically that’s what we need. We need a good weather year to give a bumper crop to replenish stocks, then we can move prices down to more reasonable levels, near a cost of production, where farmers make a living, but at the moment, they’re making fantastic margins. We’re seeing a big expansion in production in Brazil, in area under production. The problem is that the output is not reaching its full potential because of these weather issues.
Simone Del Rosario: Last time we spoke, we were talking about high cocoa prices. Now we’re dealing with high coffee prices as well. Is it the same thing plaguing these two different crops?
Steve Wateridge: Yeah, I cover cocoa and coffee and cocoa prices have been even crazier than coffee. In cocoa, it has nothing to do with climate; it’s actually long-term structural issues that need to be resolved. But in coffee, most people, whenever a crop fails, they always talk about climate change and the impact, and sometimes they over exaggerate.
I think that’s been the case in cocoa, but in coffee, there is definitely an issue. We are potentially on the cusp of the fifth consecutive poor crop in Brazil, which is, as I say, unprecedented. And we’ve got the data to show that in the coffee-producing regions, the climate has changed over the last 25 years and it’s not changed for the better.
Namibia hunting elephants, hippos to feed its population amid severe drought
In response to severe drought conditions, the government of Namibia has announced plans to cull over 700 wild animals to help feed its people. The animals include staples such as elephants, hippos, buffalo, wildebeest and more.
This measure aims to address acute food insecurity affecting around half of the country’s population due to the ongoing state of emergency. Officials from the African nation stated that the meat from these animals will be distributed among citizens in need.
The culling will be conducted in national parks and areas where wildlife populations are deemed sustainable. Additionally, this plan intends to alleviate overpopulation issues that strain available grazing and water resources, particularly in times of drought.
Last year, another severe drought led to the deaths of hundreds of elephants as watering holes dried up. With many of the nation’s elephants now again searching for water, the Namibian government is also concerned about rising conflicts between these animals and people as they compete for available resources.
“Elephant numbers need to be reduced as a measure to assist in reducing prevailing cases of human wildlife conflict,” said the Namibian Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism in a statement.
“With the severe drought situation in the country, conflicts are expected to increase if no interventions are made. To this effect, 83 elephants from identified conflict areas will be culled, meat will be allocated to the drought relief program under the Office of the Prime Minister.”
As of now, over 150 animals have already been culled, yielding more than 125,000 pounds of meat. Meanwhile, as Southern Africa faces its worst drought in decades, the crisis has led to soaring levels of hunger for tens of millions of people in the region.
Fueling home insurance crisis: Natural disasters rack up billions in damage
Ida. Ian. Idalia. Extreme storms are increasingly battering the U.S. at alarming rates and causing billions in damage.
“You want to live on the water, you got to put up with it, you know,” 77-year-old retiree John “Sparky” Abrandt said as he picked up debris around his Horseshoe Beach, Florida, home following Hurricane Idalia.
It’s not just on the water that homeowners are paying the price. The West is facing deadly heat waves and drought, wildfires are stretching far beyond their normal boundaries and tornadoes are leveling towns across the Midwest and South.
“Make sure that you’re assessing the risk of where you live,” Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I) spokesperson Scott Holeman said. “The ocean views are great. The mountain views are great. But if there are risks in some of those areas, know that costs are probably going only up.”
Triple-I data shows natural catastrophes in the U.S. caused $100 billion in insured property loss in 2022. These costly natural disasters are becoming way more frequent.
Adjusted for inflation, there are more billion-dollar disaster events in the past 13 years than in the 30 years before it, according to NOAA.
“As we see conditions changing and more people living in those risky areas, there are more people exposed,” Holeman said. “You’re seeing some companies that are saying, ‘We’re not going to do any more of this kind of business in these areas.’”
The insurance pinch is squeezing out people around New Orleans, where nearly every home faces a high flood risk. According to real estate company Redfin, 15,000 more people moved out than in the past two years as insurance premiums price people out of what used to be an affordable place to live.
But migration out of New Orleans is a rare exception, as most population shifts are moving into harm’s way.
“There are people that continue to move to places where there are a lot of wildfires, or we’re certainly not seeing people really leave Florida,” Holeman said.
A Redfin analysis shows over the past four years, people are increasingly moving into the U.S. counties with the highest flood, fire and heat risks.
The pandemic prompted a lot of these moves to warmer areas with lower costs of living. Redfin’s chief economist says it’s human nature to focus on current benefits and discount risks that are tougher to measure, like climate.
It explains why Phoenix, Arizona, drew in 76,000 more people in the past two years amid scorching heat and a lack of water; while Lee County, Florida, welcomed 60,000 more people, though Hurricane Ian ravaged the coast last September.
“I guess all you do is put everything back together and try again,” Fort Myers, Florida, resident Luis Damone said while trudging through knee-deep water in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.
New Orleans braces for saltwater intrusion impacting drinking supply
Saltwater intruding upstream from the Gulf of Mexico into a drought-affected Mississippi River is alarming leaders in New Orleans and across Louisiana. Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) requested a federal emergency declaration from President Joe Biden on Monday, just days after New Orleans’ Mayor LaToya Cantrell (D) signed an emergency declaration of its own.
The saltwater is already impacting the drinking water in multiple sections in the southeastern portion of the state and could impact New Orleans’ supply within weeks. The saltwater wedge is expected to reach the city around Oct. 22. Officials say the river’s volume is forecast to fall to historic lows with minimal rainfall on the way.
This is not the time to buy large amounts of bottled water…there is not a shortage of bottled water around the state or around the country.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D)
In July, the U.S. Army of Corps of Engineers built an underwater sill — or levee — to delay the saltwater’s arrival, but that has already been overtaken by the intruding water.
The Army Corps is working to extend the height of the sill over the next three weeks which should delay the saltwater’s intrusion by 10 to 15 days. The Corps is also planning to ship up to 15 million gallons of fresh water to dilute the salt at water treatment plants.
“There is no need for panic. We just need to make sure that we are aware of the situation, that we don’t do anything that would exacerbate it. And if we bring to bear anything that we reasonably can as soon as we can to help us get through this period of time,” Gov. Edwards said. “This is not the time to buy large amounts of bottled water…there is not a shortage of bottled water around the state or around the country.”
Saltwater can be dangerous to humans if too much is ingested, especially to certain populations — people with high blood pressure, those who are pregnant in their third trimester where there is a higher risk for hypertension, and infants.
“You will stop drinking the water because it doesn’t taste right well before it becomes a danger to your health,” said Dr. Joseph Kanter, the state medical officer.
Salt can also corrode and damage pipes leading to harmful chemicals like lead contaminating the water supply.
Smaller communities already affected by the intrusion are using reverse osmosis to remove the saltwater. Officials in New Orleans — with a population of nearly 370,000 — are looking at different methods, including having fresh water piped in from systems upriver.
The last time saltwater reached the New Orleans metro area was in 1988. Though that water emergency lasted two days, officials say this one could last months.
