No safe level of compound found in pesticides
The EPA finally acknowledges that there is no safe level of toxic “forever” chemicals in our drinking water. That means there is no safe level of exposure from other sources. The EPA has dragged its feet on this for many years, so this is a major development.
This chemical group goes by several names and acronyms–PFAS, PFOA, C-8, or best known as “the teflon group.” There are literally hundreds of these chemicals and the reason why they are so popular in industry is that they essentially never break down, thus the name “forever” chemicals. They are used in outdoor clothing and gear, “no-stick” cook ware, food packaging and hundreds of other consumer products. They have been connected to a long list of poor health outcomes, such as cancer, reproductive disorders, immunosuppression, poor fetal development, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and thyroid disease and many others.
“In effect, the agency now says, any detectable amounts of PFOA and PFOS are unsafe to consume. The announcement has massive implications for water utilities, towns, and Americans across the country…The number of people drinking what are, according to these new numbers, unsafe levels of PFAS, is going to grow astronomically.”
This is relevant to our fight against using pesticides, including those used by the mosquito abatement districts in Utah. Many new pesticides act essentially as “forever” chemicals, and specific mosquito pesticides have been found to be contaminated with “forever” chemicals. Our inquiry to Salt Lake City’s Mosquito Abatement District about whether their pesticides were contaminated with PFOS or PFOA chemicals was wholly unsatisfactory.
Under these updated guidelines, SLCMAD needs to ensure their practices are not contaminating the drinking water, and air of local residents. News reports have revealed that mosquito abatement pesticides are widely contaminated with this toxic group of chemicals, PFAS. This family of compounds has been linked to a long list of disorders and disease, including: liver toxicity, immune disruption, developmental disorders, birth defects, thyroid disease, ulcerative colitis, and cancer of the kidneys, testicles, and pancreas.
UPHE is determined to continue pursuing the issue and ridding the exposure of Utah residents to both pesticides and “forever” chemicals.