Outraged about PFAS chemicals? Have questions? Let’s chat. Add your questions or comments below, and I’ll be here at 1 PM ET to answer as many as I can. (Yes, these are my boys!)
Final thoughts: I wish I could see all of you! Please keep asking questions, get involved in your community, give your so-called leaders HELL. We can do this constructively and thoughtfully... and stay with it. The change will happen with all of your voices. Don't forget that. We'll be here again and none of us can do this without each other. It's the truth. Thank you!!
How can DoD get away with this? I have found the 3M MSD Sheets (material safety data) that clearly warn of the risk of PFAS. The DoD has their own MSD (that I also have obtained a copy of) that list the risk. Most “regular” military aren’t privy to this information. They used AFFF foam without knowing the dangers. They are not just limited to ingesting them through drinking water, but also inhalation. In a 2018 report by DoD they acknowledge that they used AFFF and were aware of the dangers. The plan was to phase it out. The report indicates that they will continue to use it for both active fire suppression and training until another chemical can be found that works as well. There have been no changes to their procedures in regards to its use and disposal.
Currently there are approximately 700 US Military bases with contaminated water. One base is even giving bottled water to the residents of base housing.
How can they continue to get away with this? They know their actions are dangerous and potentially making people sick or even killing them. How is this different than murder?
The DoD’s continued use doesn’t just effect the people living on the bases, but the run off is potentially contaminating local water supplies as well. A perfect example is the contamination to the shallow aquifers in Virginia near Langley AFB.
We have to join together and fight this. We have to make our voices heard. That is why we formed Project Your Voice.org. We hope that we can create a data base of Military, Veterans and their families that have been exposed.
You are 100% right on. This is deplorable when you are looking at bases in Hampton, VA at 2.2 million ppt. This is happening on every base. I'm a military mom and this makes me sick. I'm testifying next week in front of Congress for this issue on closed bases. And we will continue to fight for other bases too. The DoD is gonna have to address it and that process is underway. We have to be transparent and upfront. The horse has left the barn and it's hard to forgive that. The damage has been done.
Stacy I would love to collaborate. I grew up a military brat, my husband just retired after serving 20 years as a forward operator and I'm appalled at what he's been exposed to with no warning. I picked our retirement town, Pittsboro, and our water supply has been poisoning us. He's already lost his gall bladder and is battling constant digestive issues. My best friend is serving now at Langley as nurse and I would love to share any and all information you may have to keep her and her family safe.
Hi Erin! Your doing these Q&A sessions is so great, thank you! Yes the PFAS are a big concern and what can we do? I am a Sustainability Commissioner in Palm Springs CA (yep, me again) and the issues of various toxic poisons is my big focus, obviously the water, air & soil are all suffering...what can we do locally? My next council meeting is April 20th....please advise, any help is much appreciated! be well always! Yours, Sandra G.
Hi! I have your email. Please forgive me, I can't back to everyone in a timely manner. Keep doing what you are doing. If someone calls you a PIA, that's a complement ;) Thanks for checking back in. I'm writing you back now.
Not directly, as a committee we interface w/ the CC and other local agencies...we study, advise, and try to help educate, and we focus on integrating sustainability issues and help to develop guidelines for submission to the CC and hopefully into city policy....yes, we are open to the public but we have no authority as far as dealing with complaints...but we can help refer people to the right office for that help. We are very interested in the needs and challenges of local businesses , and residents. Just single use plastic alone is a daunting problem.
Erin – I admire your work but I have to ask, are you willing to really get serious about water quality? It is an extremely complex issue. I work every day with small towns and communities and homeowners on drinking water issues. The problem is not only woefully under funded but people don’t value water. They are not willing to support water quality work financially. There is incredible inertia at EPA because of the fear created by the flint situation. There are millions of people on private wells and if they are dealing with contaminated water what solutions are offered to them? Treating for PFAS is expensive - Are we willing to invest in water treatment and distribution? Whenever you hear politicians talk about infrastructure it’s all roads and bridges and now broadband Internet. We invest much more in cell phone towers then we do in water. I’ve reached out to you in the past and would love to engage with your team about these issues. We have solutions, they involve leadership and regional approaches to creating a water grid that delivers safe reliable and affordable water to everyone within a reasonable distance of a reliable water source. Would love to discuss that with you. Thanks. Bill Senft- Executive Director NonprofitWater.org
Bingo! Spot on. I've always been about water quality issues. We do have a lot of complicated issues going on. Municipalities are not the polluters, they are victims as well. The water quality is deteriorating for so many reasons. Climate change. Regulations. Chloramines. Infrastructures. Budgets. We have to uphold and preserve our wells and our municipalities. I hope water becomes the biggest story that will protect our water quality. Email me anytime and glad you are welcome to email me: erin@brockvich.com. I sure as shit can't do this alone. I hope for everyone on: remember you will always have my support on this issue! Give yourself permission to act. Water is life. I stand with you and beside you and I have been for 25 years. All of us are fckked without it. Nothing is more important that water quality. We need to bring together all scholars, everyone in the field of law, chemists, biologists, economists, engineers, human rights, businesses, come to the table.
Bill, what's the best way to get ahold of you? My town needs assistance with this exact issue and right now we are looking into a GAC system to be installed at the end of the year with no real way to pay for this. We have no short term solutions in the meantime while we wait for things to be fixed.
On the show MASH, somehow sexist & cute & real & LOL with all the feels about war & what's real character Tapper John, Wayne Rogers, a self-made multi-millionaire invested in building homes & went to women for their opinions & decisions of what they wanted in a home because he said women know what they want & make all the major financial decisions. Happy Wife Happy Life?
We decide what insurance to buy, home to live in, schools to go to but have no choice or voice in what’s causing our kids & ourselves to get sicker quicker?
Why not boycott the companies & demand DO NO HARM? On Bloomberg yesterday live talk show, the corporations being represented by women are sharing poison filled companies’ products so-to-speak. They spew how great it is for us to work for them but not what’s being sold & slathered & lathered all over our children’s skin or sprayed all over our homes & schools. “CIDE” means to kill be it a pesticide or germicide, it’s not different the damage it causes to insects & germ of what it does to people….. I asked them what was in the products they used today that may make them sick or have cancer tomorrow?
Our homes are built & filled with the un proven if it’s safe at all products. Since we can go to the moon & fly beyond the stars & make plans to live on Mars shouldn’t we couldn’t we demand that what we dump & pump into our water & Made in America bought & sold products be proven safe first?
Shouldn’t we make our politicians & CEO’s allowed to dump toxins into our Land, Air &Water also drink the water we drink from our kitchen sink?
Shouldn’t we teach in schools what impacts IAQ-Indoor Air Quality & BUILDING SCIENCE. All kid’s & teachers & staff’s lives are being placed at potential risk more than before from chemical exposures. Even more so now than before because of Covid 19. In addition, to other proven for decades health risks to lead, asbestos, molds & proven there is never any safe indoor molds, in addition to potential risks to the drinking water too.
These facts have been proven & aren’t a mystery. Why do we teach kids about science & math & history but reject the risks & harm from what our products can cause them preventable sickness, suffering & misery? Women stopped war by refusing to share their cookies so-to-speak.
Women should not be used & be tools for the changes we need for all our kids’ fate & sake. Don't you think? Men don't get the easy to read & follow message of shorter life spans or low sperm & no sperm counts & shrinking man parts so they are obviously not using critical thinking.... For all of us/US every day go online & socially media blast & demand what we want every day until the stock markets make is safe ofr all of us/US here across the pond & beyond?
SHOULD WE ALL COLLECTIVELY BOYCOTT STOCK MARKETS & CORPORATIONS TO STOP POISON ON PURPOSE PROFITS?
Can we start a complain campaign of sorts? Evidence, history, math & science all prove that healthy & safe communities & countries are economically successful. What's in the water CEO's are drinking? NoBODY is safe or immune & all exposures are cumulative & detrimental physically, mentally & financially. Do they think their homes are safe & they can escape? Even you know that's not true & finding a safe place to live is not probable & mission impossible. Why are real estate, insurance & pharma etc. allowed to do research & turn around & still deem us all collateral damage for political & economic gains? heir gain$ = ALL Our Preventable Pain. The only way they hear anyone is by banking on it & taking away all their profits. Can all of us come together to end our poison filled plumes of sickening doom? Made in America shouldn't mean more diseases, suffering cancers & death. Can AmeriCANs BOYCOTT CHEMICALS & PRODUCTS THAT ARE NOT PROVEN SAFE FIRST?
YES, Yes, yes, yes. Let's talk about PFAS, the companies knew in the early 60s that this chemical was causing harm to animals. Why do we let that chemical ever into the marketplace without studies first? The FDA requires it, not that they are a perfect agency. But why does the EPA let this happen? We need them to do the research first and see the impact it has on public health and welfare, FIRST. The system has failed. We are in a time that we are waking up to all of this. WE need to put the pressure on for these so-called leaders, who half the time don't know these things are going on. As more communities speak up, law gets involved, media gets involved, we will see how it's affecting all of us. Our infrastructures are failing that includes laws and policies! Now we are in trouble. We have to push to challenge them. And get to the source to stop pollution. They are banking, we are going to go away. Don't! The national picture is starting to emerge on this chemical issue. We are networking and growing.
Great q! It's getting more and more prevalent. In Michigan, they have found it in the deer meat and the fish. We are starting to confirm it in some eggs, cows... As the conversation grows, we will get more testing. Again, state by state, as the convo grows, we learn more. When science lags behind policies, we have a problem. But as more testing happens, we will learn more. It's it the water, the wells, the aquifers... and we are spreading the waste on the fields where we grow our food. Are you KIDDING me?? The more we push and the story gets out there, we will get more results. Look at the USDA confirmed they found it in the milk and those results were delayed. I wish you could hear my inflections with all the F bombs. It's maddening. It's wrong. Let's look at ex-Gov Rick Snyder. If you know something, you need to tell people. This didn't come out of nowhere... I believe it's up to we the people, it's our obligation to hold our agencies accountable.
There is fiberglass dust in food and water also. I will be building a chemical free house soon because my breathing is so bad. It’s the only way I can survive and get healthy to continue fighting. Your encouragement on Twitter has been so helpful. Thank You for all you do. My story is below.
So sorry for your misery & suffering! US TOO! There's millions of us here acorss the pond & beyond.... we should connect are you on any FB groups like MCS etc.?
This is not so much a question about PFAS, but your work on this issue got me started on research that ended up going beyond factory chemicals and I found myself learning a lot about how agricultural chemicals are also contaminating our water systems, as well as how our current food system is hugely detrimental to the health of us and the entire planet. I wonder if you've done much research on regenerative agriculture, or permaculture, and what you think about it. It seems to me that a switch to a system of agriculture without chemical fertilisers and pesticides is going to be a requirement in order to keep toxic waste out of our water systems because it seems like PFAS is only the half of it. I mean, looking at what's going on with Monsanto and their pesticides right now seems to be almost identical to the story of Dupont with PFAS. Holistic grazing management will also solve the issues of manure waste. Regen ag systems also have the additional benefit of producing more nutritious food and fostering a more resilient ecosystem. Even in organic systems, if you are tilling and using monocrops the soil is being degraded, which leads to weak plants more susceptible to disease and pests, reduced nutrients, more floods, droughts, erosion, etc. But most people I try to talk to about regenerative ag tend to look at me like I have two heads. So I guess my question is, is this something you've looked into at all? I'm kind of at a point where I'm trying to figure out how to start a movement in my community to raise awareness on these issues, but I feel a bit lost on how to do it and explain things in a way that makes sense without being too overwhelming for people.
Yes! Don't give up. Other countries are already doing it. It's possible. We are breaking out of the old ideas. We do have to look moving forward at sustainable practices. I am optimistic and energized by these conversations. When we all act, we can make this shift. We are in it. I'm thrilled to hear from you and everyone today. Keep going! And it will grow. Keep reading this newsletter, as we share more stories of how folks are doing it.
Australia seems to be doing well against PSAFs. They have a PFAS contamination response protocol, and a PFAS national environmental management plan, and implemented guidelines to provide advice to government agencies involved in responding to PFAS contamination. A PFAS taskforce, established in 2016, coordinates these initiatives.
Given who it is with all other issues in the Outback chances are it's as bad there too..... I'm on many FB groups all of us sick form molds & chemicals etc. etc. etc. + they love coal etc. too....
OK, I can identify with the Black Mold issue as well. It's poisoning poor people all over, and it doesn't get much recognition. A person can die from it and it's called pneumonia on the death certificate. Mold isn't even mentioned, so there's no research and no recourse. Even doctors don't pay it much attention nor complaints about it.
BTW Erin Brockovich is a MOLD victim in her brand new home too... We have to be proactive EvolUtion & ResolUtions. Detect, Prevent & Protect must be our SOP. Love science & hate it's kicking our butts! Best Wishes Always! We should connect!
Yes. I'm stablilized now, but at a much lower level of health than I would have otherwise been. Heart problems, when I was told would never have them even 15 years ago. I had an amazingly strong heart. Men on my father's side ofthe family never died of heart attack. It was almost always stroke.
I have an ozone generator! It seems to help. Look carefully at the safety precautions if you start to use one. I think Tea tree oil can help. Not internally, but you can inhale the4 vapours a little without damage. I found 3 to 5 deep breaths waving the uncapped vial under my nose, a few times a day, would help me breath easier. Keeping the home dry and clean is absolutely necessary!!!
It's hard to get landlords to recognise the problem. I had one just stare at the sky and walk away while I was talking to them.
Yes! California has a big problem. We have a federal guideline of 70 ppt. This is a huge deal, there's a reason they are called forever chemicals. The pressure is on! Many states have adopted or proposed their own limits. NY & NJ by way of example have gone down to 10 ppt. Calif established new PFAS drinking water guidelines for water systems to follow. PFOA set at 14 ppt and 13 ppt for PFOS. It's a guideline, not an MCL, so it's not enforceable. We will continue to duke that out for a few more years, I'm sure. We are gonna have to fight for legislation and the science will keep coming in. The lower the better!
Hi Kelli, You can keep track of more California PFAS issues here: https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/pfas/ You'll find they have a news section and contact emails. Hope that helps too!
I'm in Canada and I expect we have the same PFAS threat as the U.S. So often we get treated as America's "branch plant." If we boycott the products that contain it, would we likely starve?
You could. The problem is bigger than that. We are learning in Maine, it's in the milk, and they are pulling that dairy from the shelves. It's like a recall, we get rid of what's contaminated and fix it. We have found it in the eggs, beef, milk, we have to go to source and correct the problem, i.e. clean it up. Get the food source off the polluted land. The bigger problem is what if all the cows become sterile? That's the bigger problem that we must look at and we haven't been dealing with this problem for decades. Boycotting always sends a message, but we need to get the powers that be to pull the tainted food and deal with the problem at hand and clean it up. Stop spreading the biosludge on the fields (as we do in all 50 states here and maybe/probably in Canada). We can use our voice. Call for accountability! When you find out that PFAS is in the milk, remove it from the shelves. Make sure the politicians are enforcing PFAS regulations. Ensure the pollution isn't in the water or the grasses that our animals graze in. Fix the source! Put the pressure on the leaders.
YAY! It makes sense that it's not just consumers worrying about this. If it's rendering cattle sterile, agri-business has a definite interest in cleaning up the stuff as well.
Thank-you Suzanne. I did see that earlier as I was preparing for the Chat today. It shows some awareness, but it's a very limited response. "around some firefighter training areas and a few airports." It doesn't really address the magnitude of the problem. But it is something, anyway.
I think we all have to get after our governments to take the issue more seriously. I am already using a water filter. I'm happy with that.
I’m in New Jersey and my house is offgassing formaldehyde and benzene due to damage done in storm Sandy in 2012. Fiberglass insulation was damaged and replaced but not contained. I’ve researched for six years, this affects 3% of population and makes us extremely sick with breathing problems. Drs and Government environmental agencies refused to help and have blocked me. My skin and mucous membranes actually burn 24/7. Can’t get anyone to listen. There are three support groups on Facebook for this condition, it’s Real. Please help. Thank You for all you do.
Can you clarify: Is there a water contamination offgassing or is this a construction material problem? I'm not sure what you are asking. Where is the benzene coming from? Are other neighbors experiencing the same issues?
we lived in a neirhgborhood that also did the same & it was the horrific with toxic releases penetrating up from the ground & the companies plagued us with TRI-Toxic Release Inventory to our land, air &wtaer supplies.... do you live near facilities a.k.a. fance line communities? Are you on well water? Have you checked you water reports where you live? EWG's Tap Water Database — 2019 UPDATEwww.ewg.org › tapwater
Since 2012, water utilities' testing has found pollutants in Americans' tap water, according to an EWG drinking water quality analysis of 32 million state water records. https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/
Do you think it's from potentially toxic drywall? There other folks noticing it too is it random of collectively? Have you tried cutting a sample of drywall to have it tested? Or Soil soli samples to see if it's migration of chemicals? There are also many possible leaking underground storage containers is it localized or wide spread complaints & sickness?
i am so sorry for your misery! Lee Ann Billings wrote a book, MOLD The War Within after Hurricane Katrina destroyed their health. She shares science, facts & what helped them heal too. It's appalling what's allowed to happen to all of us & that insurance companies know the facts & allow us to be intentionally made sick & harmed anyway. Our loved ones survived Hurrican Katrina but not the fall-out so-to-speak..... We're all impacted. It doens't take a major weather crisis events to ruin our health from toxic mold & poison filled chemicals inside our homes, schools, BLDGS & vehicles too. We have to learn promote, protect & prevent our IAQ Indoor Air Qualtiy = BLDG Science. Cheryl Ciecko Architect & MOLD Survivor is also teaching & sharing facts on youtube & teaching classes too.... FYI - Erin Brockovich is a mold victim surivivor too..... Even newer homes are made so bad that our qaulity of life is designed to get sicker quicker too.... So sorry for your & our misery. It's not a mystery either it's bad politics & greed. I hate that you're going through this Carol. Prayers for your health & help.
Thanks Erin! "Q" Are you worried sending kids back into schools risks their health to more toxic IAQ-Indoor Air Quality risks & potential more harmful chemcial expsoures? Are ynou worried that scented products & cleaners are also full of "Trade Secret" PFOA & PFOS?
Been trying to go through your site to contact you and it won’t let me neither my neighbor. We have been struggling for years with bad water in our city and it’s only getting worse. We the residents of Sulphur La really need your help.
I'm writing my IT guy to get more clear on why folks are having trouble contacting me. Sorry about that! Thank you for letting me know that. Send an email: erin@brockovich.com.
Thank you for your constant fight and giving a voice to struggling communities. I live in Pittsboro, North Carolina down stream to the famous textile industry in Burlington, Reidsville and Greensboro. We are drinking the Haw River water which is contaminated with PFAS, 1,4-dioxane and who knows what else. We are consistently being ignored and I'm seeing people and pets alike struggling with health complications. I, myself, had to move off town water to help save my family. We were all suffering from digestive issues and my husband ended up losing his gall bladder suddenly. I've established an advocacy group, Clean Haw River, to help get my local citizens educated but I could use any and all help you can offer. I'm hopeful to get North Carolina regulations set but would love your guidance. Our DEQ is in the process now of deliberating over ground water standards for PFOA and PFOS but it's not enough....we need more. Where should I start? I feel lost in this process.
I recently had a local publication include my story and thought you might interested:
Hi Katie, email me and I will connect you with others working on this issue. erin@brockovich.com This isn't just about one town or manufacturer, it's gonna be in every textile, tannery, paper mill and on and on. You will have legislative work ahead for sure. What are we doing with our toxic waste? You've got the answer in your water. Keep growing the group and get local city council involved and local media too. Keep it up!! Keep up the good fight.
Katie, my name is Beth Markesino and I am the president of North Carolina Stop Genx in our water. Would love to work with you on North Carolina’s water contamination. Feel free to email me bethamarkesino@gmail.com
read your article & wow + so sad.... thank you for sharing your horrors of toxic poison filled waters.... prayers for courage & strength to get through this aweful preventable devestating & corrupted conseqeunces.... you're not alone, warmest wellenss wishes for you & your communites to find healthy & helpful solutions.... Thank You & y'all are also true #HeroesInAction
Hi Erin, my name is Beth Markesino and I am the founder/president of North Carolina Stop Genx in our water. In 2016 I lost my son Samuel due to placenta problems during pregnancy. Since then I have had a lot of endocrine problems. I am so sick rite now with an adrenal tumor and parathyroid/thyroid cysts. I am part of our Genx study and have had my blood tested for PFAS and I know for sure I have these chemicals in my blood. In North Carolina DEQ and Chemours signed a consent order that does not help our downstream communities. I am pushing for PFAS regulations in our state but our state is slow to act, unlike so many other states setting PFAS regulations. We are currently working on PFOS/PFOA groundwater standard, our state wants to set these limits to 70ppt, our community wants a much lower number. Chemours has violated the consent order with DEQ so many times, DeQ issues a NOV and that’s it. No fines or taking away Chemours permits. Any advice from you would be great. I wish to tell more people about my contamination story and how our communities are affected so we can get swift action. Thanks for all that you do, I really appreciate it.
Thank-you Erin & all. It's really nice talking to you, and I am gong to have to go now. If anyone wants to talk with me further on this I am as <fred@fredwilliams.ca>.
SIGH. What I believe is that it will take a movement. Millions of us. Whether it's a petition or a march... I'm hoping after all these years in the field, that the movement is starting and the message will be heard. The system is not working! It takes both sides of the aisle. Get Republicans and Democrats on the same side and get this agency up and running and coordinate a better agency. It may need new legislation... It needs a budget to start testing and mitigating these sites. Keep sending messages to our leaders that our water is failing us. Put the pressure on. The EPA has to change. I think they want to do it. We have a new EPA director and we can all start writing to him. Organize a petition drive and get it him. They have to change how they deal with the chemicals on the upfront and change from the inside out.
Thank you! The new EPA director is Michael Ragan. He has a long list, to address indeed, but protecting Air and water at the biological level may find advocates in science. Letters / Petitions to him John Kerry, and Senators Duckworth, Merkley. #ChangeFromTheInsideOut
Final thoughts: I wish I could see all of you! Please keep asking questions, get involved in your community, give your so-called leaders HELL. We can do this constructively and thoughtfully... and stay with it. The change will happen with all of your voices. Don't forget that. We'll be here again and none of us can do this without each other. It's the truth. Thank you!!
How can DoD get away with this? I have found the 3M MSD Sheets (material safety data) that clearly warn of the risk of PFAS. The DoD has their own MSD (that I also have obtained a copy of) that list the risk. Most “regular” military aren’t privy to this information. They used AFFF foam without knowing the dangers. They are not just limited to ingesting them through drinking water, but also inhalation. In a 2018 report by DoD they acknowledge that they used AFFF and were aware of the dangers. The plan was to phase it out. The report indicates that they will continue to use it for both active fire suppression and training until another chemical can be found that works as well. There have been no changes to their procedures in regards to its use and disposal.
Currently there are approximately 700 US Military bases with contaminated water. One base is even giving bottled water to the residents of base housing.
How can they continue to get away with this? They know their actions are dangerous and potentially making people sick or even killing them. How is this different than murder?
The DoD’s continued use doesn’t just effect the people living on the bases, but the run off is potentially contaminating local water supplies as well. A perfect example is the contamination to the shallow aquifers in Virginia near Langley AFB.
We have to join together and fight this. We have to make our voices heard. That is why we formed Project Your Voice.org. We hope that we can create a data base of Military, Veterans and their families that have been exposed.
You are 100% right on. This is deplorable when you are looking at bases in Hampton, VA at 2.2 million ppt. This is happening on every base. I'm a military mom and this makes me sick. I'm testifying next week in front of Congress for this issue on closed bases. And we will continue to fight for other bases too. The DoD is gonna have to address it and that process is underway. We have to be transparent and upfront. The horse has left the barn and it's hard to forgive that. The damage has been done.
Stacy I would love to collaborate. I grew up a military brat, my husband just retired after serving 20 years as a forward operator and I'm appalled at what he's been exposed to with no warning. I picked our retirement town, Pittsboro, and our water supply has been poisoning us. He's already lost his gall bladder and is battling constant digestive issues. My best friend is serving now at Langley as nurse and I would love to share any and all information you may have to keep her and her family safe.
Please do. We need all the help we can get. My email is projectyourvoice.org@gmail.com
Tremendous work you're all doing.... THANK YOU! #HeroesInAction
Thank you for all that you're doing- you're an angel.
Hi Erin! Your doing these Q&A sessions is so great, thank you! Yes the PFAS are a big concern and what can we do? I am a Sustainability Commissioner in Palm Springs CA (yep, me again) and the issues of various toxic poisons is my big focus, obviously the water, air & soil are all suffering...what can we do locally? My next council meeting is April 20th....please advise, any help is much appreciated! be well always! Yours, Sandra G.
Hi! I have your email. Please forgive me, I can't back to everyone in a timely manner. Keep doing what you are doing. If someone calls you a PIA, that's a complement ;) Thanks for checking back in. I'm writing you back now.
Hi Sandra. I'm just curious, do you have authority to develop guidelines, or follow up on complaints, etc?
Not directly, as a committee we interface w/ the CC and other local agencies...we study, advise, and try to help educate, and we focus on integrating sustainability issues and help to develop guidelines for submission to the CC and hopefully into city policy....yes, we are open to the public but we have no authority as far as dealing with complaints...but we can help refer people to the right office for that help. We are very interested in the needs and challenges of local businesses , and residents. Just single use plastic alone is a daunting problem.
Erin – I admire your work but I have to ask, are you willing to really get serious about water quality? It is an extremely complex issue. I work every day with small towns and communities and homeowners on drinking water issues. The problem is not only woefully under funded but people don’t value water. They are not willing to support water quality work financially. There is incredible inertia at EPA because of the fear created by the flint situation. There are millions of people on private wells and if they are dealing with contaminated water what solutions are offered to them? Treating for PFAS is expensive - Are we willing to invest in water treatment and distribution? Whenever you hear politicians talk about infrastructure it’s all roads and bridges and now broadband Internet. We invest much more in cell phone towers then we do in water. I’ve reached out to you in the past and would love to engage with your team about these issues. We have solutions, they involve leadership and regional approaches to creating a water grid that delivers safe reliable and affordable water to everyone within a reasonable distance of a reliable water source. Would love to discuss that with you. Thanks. Bill Senft- Executive Director NonprofitWater.org
Bingo! Spot on. I've always been about water quality issues. We do have a lot of complicated issues going on. Municipalities are not the polluters, they are victims as well. The water quality is deteriorating for so many reasons. Climate change. Regulations. Chloramines. Infrastructures. Budgets. We have to uphold and preserve our wells and our municipalities. I hope water becomes the biggest story that will protect our water quality. Email me anytime and glad you are welcome to email me: erin@brockvich.com. I sure as shit can't do this alone. I hope for everyone on: remember you will always have my support on this issue! Give yourself permission to act. Water is life. I stand with you and beside you and I have been for 25 years. All of us are fckked without it. Nothing is more important that water quality. We need to bring together all scholars, everyone in the field of law, chemists, biologists, economists, engineers, human rights, businesses, come to the table.
I sent email a while back but got no response. I’ll try again! Thanks!
Bill, what's the best way to get ahold of you? My town needs assistance with this exact issue and right now we are looking into a GAC system to be installed at the end of the year with no real way to pay for this. We have no short term solutions in the meantime while we wait for things to be fixed.
Hi - you can reach me at wwsenft@nonprofitwater.org
On the show MASH, somehow sexist & cute & real & LOL with all the feels about war & what's real character Tapper John, Wayne Rogers, a self-made multi-millionaire invested in building homes & went to women for their opinions & decisions of what they wanted in a home because he said women know what they want & make all the major financial decisions. Happy Wife Happy Life?
We decide what insurance to buy, home to live in, schools to go to but have no choice or voice in what’s causing our kids & ourselves to get sicker quicker?
Why not boycott the companies & demand DO NO HARM? On Bloomberg yesterday live talk show, the corporations being represented by women are sharing poison filled companies’ products so-to-speak. They spew how great it is for us to work for them but not what’s being sold & slathered & lathered all over our children’s skin or sprayed all over our homes & schools. “CIDE” means to kill be it a pesticide or germicide, it’s not different the damage it causes to insects & germ of what it does to people….. I asked them what was in the products they used today that may make them sick or have cancer tomorrow?
Our homes are built & filled with the un proven if it’s safe at all products. Since we can go to the moon & fly beyond the stars & make plans to live on Mars shouldn’t we couldn’t we demand that what we dump & pump into our water & Made in America bought & sold products be proven safe first?
Shouldn’t we make our politicians & CEO’s allowed to dump toxins into our Land, Air &Water also drink the water we drink from our kitchen sink?
Shouldn’t we teach in schools what impacts IAQ-Indoor Air Quality & BUILDING SCIENCE. All kid’s & teachers & staff’s lives are being placed at potential risk more than before from chemical exposures. Even more so now than before because of Covid 19. In addition, to other proven for decades health risks to lead, asbestos, molds & proven there is never any safe indoor molds, in addition to potential risks to the drinking water too.
These facts have been proven & aren’t a mystery. Why do we teach kids about science & math & history but reject the risks & harm from what our products can cause them preventable sickness, suffering & misery? Women stopped war by refusing to share their cookies so-to-speak.
Women should not be used & be tools for the changes we need for all our kids’ fate & sake. Don't you think? Men don't get the easy to read & follow message of shorter life spans or low sperm & no sperm counts & shrinking man parts so they are obviously not using critical thinking.... For all of us/US every day go online & socially media blast & demand what we want every day until the stock markets make is safe ofr all of us/US here across the pond & beyond?
SHOULD WE ALL COLLECTIVELY BOYCOTT STOCK MARKETS & CORPORATIONS TO STOP POISON ON PURPOSE PROFITS?
#DoNoHARM #ProveItsSafeFirst #PoisonOnPurposeProfitsStopIt
Can we start a complain campaign of sorts? Evidence, history, math & science all prove that healthy & safe communities & countries are economically successful. What's in the water CEO's are drinking? NoBODY is safe or immune & all exposures are cumulative & detrimental physically, mentally & financially. Do they think their homes are safe & they can escape? Even you know that's not true & finding a safe place to live is not probable & mission impossible. Why are real estate, insurance & pharma etc. allowed to do research & turn around & still deem us all collateral damage for political & economic gains? heir gain$ = ALL Our Preventable Pain. The only way they hear anyone is by banking on it & taking away all their profits. Can all of us come together to end our poison filled plumes of sickening doom? Made in America shouldn't mean more diseases, suffering cancers & death. Can AmeriCANs BOYCOTT CHEMICALS & PRODUCTS THAT ARE NOT PROVEN SAFE FIRST?
YES, Yes, yes, yes. Let's talk about PFAS, the companies knew in the early 60s that this chemical was causing harm to animals. Why do we let that chemical ever into the marketplace without studies first? The FDA requires it, not that they are a perfect agency. But why does the EPA let this happen? We need them to do the research first and see the impact it has on public health and welfare, FIRST. The system has failed. We are in a time that we are waking up to all of this. WE need to put the pressure on for these so-called leaders, who half the time don't know these things are going on. As more communities speak up, law gets involved, media gets involved, we will see how it's affecting all of us. Our infrastructures are failing that includes laws and policies! Now we are in trouble. We have to push to challenge them. And get to the source to stop pollution. They are banking, we are going to go away. Don't! The national picture is starting to emerge on this chemical issue. We are networking and growing.
how wide is the testing for PFAS in our food? is all food screened for these things?
Great q! It's getting more and more prevalent. In Michigan, they have found it in the deer meat and the fish. We are starting to confirm it in some eggs, cows... As the conversation grows, we will get more testing. Again, state by state, as the convo grows, we learn more. When science lags behind policies, we have a problem. But as more testing happens, we will learn more. It's it the water, the wells, the aquifers... and we are spreading the waste on the fields where we grow our food. Are you KIDDING me?? The more we push and the story gets out there, we will get more results. Look at the USDA confirmed they found it in the milk and those results were delayed. I wish you could hear my inflections with all the F bombs. It's maddening. It's wrong. Let's look at ex-Gov Rick Snyder. If you know something, you need to tell people. This didn't come out of nowhere... I believe it's up to we the people, it's our obligation to hold our agencies accountable.
There is fiberglass dust in food and water also. I will be building a chemical free house soon because my breathing is so bad. It’s the only way I can survive and get healthy to continue fighting. Your encouragement on Twitter has been so helpful. Thank You for all you do. My story is below.
So sorry for your misery & suffering! US TOO! There's millions of us here acorss the pond & beyond.... we should connect are you on any FB groups like MCS etc.?
Yes, there’s a group on FB, People affected by fiberglass. My email is clglass115@gmail.com
This is not so much a question about PFAS, but your work on this issue got me started on research that ended up going beyond factory chemicals and I found myself learning a lot about how agricultural chemicals are also contaminating our water systems, as well as how our current food system is hugely detrimental to the health of us and the entire planet. I wonder if you've done much research on regenerative agriculture, or permaculture, and what you think about it. It seems to me that a switch to a system of agriculture without chemical fertilisers and pesticides is going to be a requirement in order to keep toxic waste out of our water systems because it seems like PFAS is only the half of it. I mean, looking at what's going on with Monsanto and their pesticides right now seems to be almost identical to the story of Dupont with PFAS. Holistic grazing management will also solve the issues of manure waste. Regen ag systems also have the additional benefit of producing more nutritious food and fostering a more resilient ecosystem. Even in organic systems, if you are tilling and using monocrops the soil is being degraded, which leads to weak plants more susceptible to disease and pests, reduced nutrients, more floods, droughts, erosion, etc. But most people I try to talk to about regenerative ag tend to look at me like I have two heads. So I guess my question is, is this something you've looked into at all? I'm kind of at a point where I'm trying to figure out how to start a movement in my community to raise awareness on these issues, but I feel a bit lost on how to do it and explain things in a way that makes sense without being too overwhelming for people.
Yes! Don't give up. Other countries are already doing it. It's possible. We are breaking out of the old ideas. We do have to look moving forward at sustainable practices. I am optimistic and energized by these conversations. When we all act, we can make this shift. We are in it. I'm thrilled to hear from you and everyone today. Keep going! And it will grow. Keep reading this newsletter, as we share more stories of how folks are doing it.
Thanks Erin! You're truly an inspiration and I am grateful for you. These conversations energize me as well. I won't give up!!
Australia seems to be doing well against PSAFs. They have a PFAS contamination response protocol, and a PFAS national environmental management plan, and implemented guidelines to provide advice to government agencies involved in responding to PFAS contamination. A PFAS taskforce, established in 2016, coordinates these initiatives.
I have nothing on how well it's working. (:-|)
Given who it is with all other issues in the Outback chances are it's as bad there too..... I'm on many FB groups all of us sick form molds & chemicals etc. etc. etc. + they love coal etc. too....
OK, I can identify with the Black Mold issue as well. It's poisoning poor people all over, and it doesn't get much recognition. A person can die from it and it's called pneumonia on the death certificate. Mold isn't even mentioned, so there's no research and no recourse. Even doctors don't pay it much attention nor complaints about it.
BTW Erin Brockovich is a MOLD victim in her brand new home too... We have to be proactive EvolUtion & ResolUtions. Detect, Prevent & Protect must be our SOP. Love science & hate it's kicking our butts! Best Wishes Always! We should connect!
Yes. I'm stablilized now, but at a much lower level of health than I would have otherwise been. Heart problems, when I was told would never have them even 15 years ago. I had an amazingly strong heart. Men on my father's side ofthe family never died of heart attack. It was almost always stroke.
I have an ozone generator! It seems to help. Look carefully at the safety precautions if you start to use one. I think Tea tree oil can help. Not internally, but you can inhale the4 vapours a little without damage. I found 3 to 5 deep breaths waving the uncapped vial under my nose, a few times a day, would help me breath easier. Keeping the home dry and clean is absolutely necessary!!!
It's hard to get landlords to recognise the problem. I had one just stare at the sky and walk away while I was talking to them.
Is there anything in the works to get CA on board with regulating PFAS in water supply?
Yes! California has a big problem. We have a federal guideline of 70 ppt. This is a huge deal, there's a reason they are called forever chemicals. The pressure is on! Many states have adopted or proposed their own limits. NY & NJ by way of example have gone down to 10 ppt. Calif established new PFAS drinking water guidelines for water systems to follow. PFOA set at 14 ppt and 13 ppt for PFOS. It's a guideline, not an MCL, so it's not enforceable. We will continue to duke that out for a few more years, I'm sure. We are gonna have to fight for legislation and the science will keep coming in. The lower the better!
OK, if there is a bill or anything I can call my reps about to support let me know. Thank you so much!
Hi Kelli, You can keep track of more California PFAS issues here: https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/pfas/ You'll find they have a news section and contact emails. Hope that helps too!
I'm in Canada and I expect we have the same PFAS threat as the U.S. So often we get treated as America's "branch plant." If we boycott the products that contain it, would we likely starve?
You could. The problem is bigger than that. We are learning in Maine, it's in the milk, and they are pulling that dairy from the shelves. It's like a recall, we get rid of what's contaminated and fix it. We have found it in the eggs, beef, milk, we have to go to source and correct the problem, i.e. clean it up. Get the food source off the polluted land. The bigger problem is what if all the cows become sterile? That's the bigger problem that we must look at and we haven't been dealing with this problem for decades. Boycotting always sends a message, but we need to get the powers that be to pull the tainted food and deal with the problem at hand and clean it up. Stop spreading the biosludge on the fields (as we do in all 50 states here and maybe/probably in Canada). We can use our voice. Call for accountability! When you find out that PFAS is in the milk, remove it from the shelves. Make sure the politicians are enforcing PFAS regulations. Ensure the pollution isn't in the water or the grasses that our animals graze in. Fix the source! Put the pressure on the leaders.
YAY! It makes sense that it's not just consumers worrying about this. If it's rendering cattle sterile, agri-business has a definite interest in cleaning up the stuff as well.
Hi Fred: here's more info/research on PFAS in Canada: https://ncceh.ca/content/blog/keeping-drinking-water-safe-new-guidelines-pfas-canada
Thank-you Suzanne. I did see that earlier as I was preparing for the Chat today. It shows some awareness, but it's a very limited response. "around some firefighter training areas and a few airports." It doesn't really address the magnitude of the problem. But it is something, anyway.
I think we all have to get after our governments to take the issue more seriously. I am already using a water filter. I'm happy with that.
I’m in New Jersey and my house is offgassing formaldehyde and benzene due to damage done in storm Sandy in 2012. Fiberglass insulation was damaged and replaced but not contained. I’ve researched for six years, this affects 3% of population and makes us extremely sick with breathing problems. Drs and Government environmental agencies refused to help and have blocked me. My skin and mucous membranes actually burn 24/7. Can’t get anyone to listen. There are three support groups on Facebook for this condition, it’s Real. Please help. Thank You for all you do.
Can you clarify: Is there a water contamination offgassing or is this a construction material problem? I'm not sure what you are asking. Where is the benzene coming from? Are other neighbors experiencing the same issues?
we lived in a neirhgborhood that also did the same & it was the horrific with toxic releases penetrating up from the ground & the companies plagued us with TRI-Toxic Release Inventory to our land, air &wtaer supplies.... do you live near facilities a.k.a. fance line communities? Are you on well water? Have you checked you water reports where you live? EWG's Tap Water Database — 2019 UPDATEwww.ewg.org › tapwater
Since 2012, water utilities' testing has found pollutants in Americans' tap water, according to an EWG drinking water quality analysis of 32 million state water records. https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/
Do you think it's from potentially toxic drywall? There other folks noticing it too is it random of collectively? Have you tried cutting a sample of drywall to have it tested? Or Soil soli samples to see if it's migration of chemicals? There are also many possible leaking underground storage containers is it localized or wide spread complaints & sickness?
i am so sorry for your misery! Lee Ann Billings wrote a book, MOLD The War Within after Hurricane Katrina destroyed their health. She shares science, facts & what helped them heal too. It's appalling what's allowed to happen to all of us & that insurance companies know the facts & allow us to be intentionally made sick & harmed anyway. Our loved ones survived Hurrican Katrina but not the fall-out so-to-speak..... We're all impacted. It doens't take a major weather crisis events to ruin our health from toxic mold & poison filled chemicals inside our homes, schools, BLDGS & vehicles too. We have to learn promote, protect & prevent our IAQ Indoor Air Qualtiy = BLDG Science. Cheryl Ciecko Architect & MOLD Survivor is also teaching & sharing facts on youtube & teaching classes too.... FYI - Erin Brockovich is a mold victim surivivor too..... Even newer homes are made so bad that our qaulity of life is designed to get sicker quicker too.... So sorry for your & our misery. It's not a mystery either it's bad politics & greed. I hate that you're going through this Carol. Prayers for your health & help.
Thanks Erin! "Q" Are you worried sending kids back into schools risks their health to more toxic IAQ-Indoor Air Quality risks & potential more harmful chemcial expsoures? Are ynou worried that scented products & cleaners are also full of "Trade Secret" PFOA & PFOS?
Hi Erin,
Been trying to go through your site to contact you and it won’t let me neither my neighbor. We have been struggling for years with bad water in our city and it’s only getting worse. We the residents of Sulphur La really need your help.
I'm writing my IT guy to get more clear on why folks are having trouble contacting me. Sorry about that! Thank you for letting me know that. Send an email: erin@brockovich.com.
Hi Erin,
Thank you for your constant fight and giving a voice to struggling communities. I live in Pittsboro, North Carolina down stream to the famous textile industry in Burlington, Reidsville and Greensboro. We are drinking the Haw River water which is contaminated with PFAS, 1,4-dioxane and who knows what else. We are consistently being ignored and I'm seeing people and pets alike struggling with health complications. I, myself, had to move off town water to help save my family. We were all suffering from digestive issues and my husband ended up losing his gall bladder suddenly. I've established an advocacy group, Clean Haw River, to help get my local citizens educated but I could use any and all help you can offer. I'm hopeful to get North Carolina regulations set but would love your guidance. Our DEQ is in the process now of deliberating over ground water standards for PFOA and PFOS but it's not enough....we need more. Where should I start? I feel lost in this process.
I recently had a local publication include my story and thought you might interested:
https://www.theassemblync.com/long-form/silent-waters/?fbclid=IwAR1O8ijlyIu7AaV9T2FHBlDoEjPxPtkrnzDOpKg5IjgvnVhshimuvMbd_YQ
Thank you again for being an inspiration.
Hi Katie, email me and I will connect you with others working on this issue. erin@brockovich.com This isn't just about one town or manufacturer, it's gonna be in every textile, tannery, paper mill and on and on. You will have legislative work ahead for sure. What are we doing with our toxic waste? You've got the answer in your water. Keep growing the group and get local city council involved and local media too. Keep it up!! Keep up the good fight.
Thank you Erin! Emailing you right away...you're a gem!
Katie, my name is Beth Markesino and I am the president of North Carolina Stop Genx in our water. Would love to work with you on North Carolina’s water contamination. Feel free to email me bethamarkesino@gmail.com
You can find us on FB or our website ncstopgenx.org
read your article & wow + so sad.... thank you for sharing your horrors of toxic poison filled waters.... prayers for courage & strength to get through this aweful preventable devestating & corrupted conseqeunces.... you're not alone, warmest wellenss wishes for you & your communites to find healthy & helpful solutions.... Thank You & y'all are also true #HeroesInAction
Hi Erin, my name is Beth Markesino and I am the founder/president of North Carolina Stop Genx in our water. In 2016 I lost my son Samuel due to placenta problems during pregnancy. Since then I have had a lot of endocrine problems. I am so sick rite now with an adrenal tumor and parathyroid/thyroid cysts. I am part of our Genx study and have had my blood tested for PFAS and I know for sure I have these chemicals in my blood. In North Carolina DEQ and Chemours signed a consent order that does not help our downstream communities. I am pushing for PFAS regulations in our state but our state is slow to act, unlike so many other states setting PFAS regulations. We are currently working on PFOS/PFOA groundwater standard, our state wants to set these limits to 70ppt, our community wants a much lower number. Chemours has violated the consent order with DEQ so many times, DeQ issues a NOV and that’s it. No fines or taking away Chemours permits. Any advice from you would be great. I wish to tell more people about my contamination story and how our communities are affected so we can get swift action. Thanks for all that you do, I really appreciate it.
Much love to you, Erin. You are an inspiration for generations.
Thank-you Erin & all. It's really nice talking to you, and I am gong to have to go now. If anyone wants to talk with me further on this I am as <fred@fredwilliams.ca>.
What is the greatest measure we can do to improve the EPA in addressing real reduction of PFAS?
SIGH. What I believe is that it will take a movement. Millions of us. Whether it's a petition or a march... I'm hoping after all these years in the field, that the movement is starting and the message will be heard. The system is not working! It takes both sides of the aisle. Get Republicans and Democrats on the same side and get this agency up and running and coordinate a better agency. It may need new legislation... It needs a budget to start testing and mitigating these sites. Keep sending messages to our leaders that our water is failing us. Put the pressure on. The EPA has to change. I think they want to do it. We have a new EPA director and we can all start writing to him. Organize a petition drive and get it him. They have to change how they deal with the chemicals on the upfront and change from the inside out.
Thank you! The new EPA director is Michael Ragan. He has a long list, to address indeed, but protecting Air and water at the biological level may find advocates in science. Letters / Petitions to him John Kerry, and Senators Duckworth, Merkley. #ChangeFromTheInsideOut