Toxic ‘forever chemicals’ ubiquitous in Great Lakes basin, study finds

MicroWave@lemmy.world to News@lemmy.world – 178 points –
Toxic ‘forever chemicals’ ubiquitous in Great Lakes basin, study finds
theguardian.com

PFAS chemicals present in air, rain, atmosphere and water in basin, which holds nearly 95% of US freshwater

Toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” are ubiquitous in the Great Lakes basin’s air, rain, atmosphere and water, new peer-reviewed research shows.

The first-of-its-kind, comprehensive picture of PFAS levels for the basin, which holds nearly 95% of the nation’s freshwater, also reveals that precipitation is probably a major contributor to the lakes’ contamination.

“We didn’t think the air and rain were significant sources of PFAS in the Great Lakes’ environment, but it’s not something that has been studied that much,” said Marta Venier, a co-author with Indiana University.

PFAS are a class of 15,000 chemicals used across dozens of industries to make products resistant to water, stains and heat. The chemicals are linked to cancer, kidney disease, birth defects, decreased immunity, liver problems and a range of other serious diseases.

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Fall of the Roman empire: lead. Fall of Western Civilization: PFAS

We already had leaded smog for decades when it was a gasoline additive. It correlates with a lot of the heightened violence in the 80s and could possibly explain boomerism.

Lead and expansionism. It’s a good thing we know better than to expect indefinite perpetual growth. lol