Florida company responsible for 215m gallons radioactive water leak admits delay informing public — RT America. 'Brockovich' carcinogen found at unsafe levels in tap water supplies of 218mn Americans – report — RT America. Potentially unsafe levels of chromium-6, a carcinogenic chemical associated with environmental activist Erin Brockovich, were found in the drinking water supplies of 218 million Americans, according to an analysis of federal water samples. A recent analysis by the nonprofit Environmental Working Group (EWG) reported potentially dangerous levels of chromium-6 found in drinking water supplies across the US — Phoenix, St. Louis County, and Houston being among the highest. EWG analyzed data from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concerning more than 60,000 water samples taken by local utilities around the US from 2013 to 2015.
More than 75 percent of the samples contained chromium-6, with drinking water supplies for about 218 million Americans containing the chemical at potentially unsafe quantities. In 2008, the National Toxicology Program, a division of the National Institutes of Health, reported cancerous-tumor development in rodents that drank large doses of chromium-6. 'Brockovich' carcinogen found at unsafe levels in tap water supplies of 218mn Americans – report — RT America. 'Virtually unregulated': Radioactive fracking-waste rules in the US slammed in report. States involved in the fracking boom employ a patchwork of laws to deal with radioactive drilling waste, according to a new report.
The US government does not fully regulate disposal, and industry is largely left to self-regulate. The Marcellus Shale in the Appalachian Basin is the center of heightened hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, activity in the US. States along the Marcellus include Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and New York. These four states handle many tons of radioactive fracking byproduct in a variety of ways, according to a new report by the Center for Public Integrity (CPI), and there is no federal agency that fully regulates drilling waste. Thus, energy companies and their interests end up taking control in the race to attract more drilling business in the region, experts told CPI. In order to unleash oil or natural gas, the fracking process requires injecting large amounts of highly pressurized water, sand, and chemicals into layers of rock.
Read more. Hazardous Waste: Agencies Should Take Steps to Improve Information on USDA's and Interior's Potentially Contaminated Sites. What GAO Found The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of the Interior (Interior) have identified many contaminated and potentially contaminated sites, but neither agency has a complete inventory. As of April 2014, USDA had identified 1,491 contaminated sites and many potentially contaminated sites, including landfills and shooting ranges.
However, USDA does not have a reliable, centralized site inventory or plans and procedures for completing one, in particular, for abandoned mines. Why GAO Did This Study USDA and Interior manage over 600 million acres of land, including sites contaminated from prior uses or events, such as mining or toxic spills. What GAO Recommends GAO recommends that USDA develop plans and procedures for completing its site inventories and that EPA clarify which USDA and Interior sites need an environmental assessment.
Criminal Probe Launched After Toxic Chemical Spill at Colorado Air Force Base. Get short URL Both the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and the US Environmental Protection Agency are investigating the improper discharge, which was discovered on October 12. Officials have stated that the chemicals ended up in the wastewater treatment system, but did not make it into the city’s drinking water supply. The water was contaminated with perfluorinated compounds, or PFCs, which is used the firefighting foam used on military bases. The chemicals have been linked to prostate, kidney, and testicular cancers — as well as other illnesses.
Since the wastewater treatment system in the city is not outfitted for the removal of PFCs, the water remained contaminated as it was released into a creek. The investigation is also trying to determine if Peterson Air Force Base is responsible for PFCs found in the well water of two other nearby communities, the Denver Post reports.