EPA Proposes First National PFAS Drinking Water Standards

On March 14, 2023, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its proposed National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR), which would establish legally enforceable levels, called Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs), for six PFAS in drinking water.  These PFAS chemicals are:

EPA described the proposed MCL of 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS to be the "lowest feasible level" for which PFOA and PFOS can reliability be measured and removed from drinking water. EPA has also proposed using a "Hazard Index" score as an MCL for a combination of four PFAS compounds - PFHxS, GenX chemicals, PFNA and PFBS. This is the first time that a hazard index approach is being proposed as a federal drinking water MCL standard. In short, a Hazard Index considers how toxic each of the four PFAS are and then uses a site-specific determination based on the specific drinking water concentrations (i.e., the calculation gets complicated).

Please continue reading at Michael Best & Friedrich LLP:

https://www.michaelbest.com/Newsroom/310007/EPA-Proposes-First-National-PFAS-Drinking-Water-Standards

Lack of Safe Drinking Water for City Dwellers to Double by 2050: UN Report

At the start of the first UN Water Conference since 1977, a global water crisis is imminent, according to a new UN report.

New research has found that the number of people living in cities without access to safe drinking water worldwide will double by 2050, with an 80 percent increase in demand for water predicted for urban areas by that time, The Guardian reported.

"Water is our common future and we need to act together to share it equitably and manage it sustainably. As the world convenes for the first major United Nations conference on water in the last half century, we have a responsibility to plot a collective course ensuring water and sanitation for all," said UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay on the UN World Water Development Report website.

In Support of World Water Day, the Department of Energy Announces Water-Related Selections, Resources, Partnership, and Competition Development

DOE - Today, we celebrate World Water Day 2021 , where nations across the globe are joining in conversations about the value of water. At the Department of Energy (DOE), we are discovering the endless possibilities water possesses. Water provides immense value to livelihoods, cultures, and economies across the globe. It is critical to human health and the health of our natural environment, and it is critical to energy. Energy and water systems are interdependent. Energy is required to extract, treat, and deliver water, and water is used in multiple phases of energy production and electricity generation.

"Water is a fundamental building block of our world and while it presents vast opportunities for economic growth, it is our responsibility to protect it," said Kelly Speakes-Backman, Acting Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. "We must understand the environmental and social impacts as well as benefits of water power technologies—such as hydropower or systems that convert the natural energy from waves, tides, or currents—and we must invest in the infrastructure and humans who will continue to drive technological progress at the nexus of energy and water."

On this day, DOE is proud to announce several ways we are supporting the continued sustainable use of our water-energy resources while identifying new ways to benefit of Americans.

• The Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) Provided $7M to 42 Hydropower Facilities Across the Country
  WPTO selected 42 recipients to receive a total of $7 million through the Hydroelectric Production Incentive Program's latest round of funding under section 242 of Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT). The program provides funding for projects across the United States that add hydroelectric power generating capabilities to existing dams, leveraging existing infrastructure and the power of water to help meet America's growing need for renewable electricity.
   
• A New Guidebook Supports the Valuation of our Main Form of Energy Storage
  The WPTO-commissioned guidebook presents detailed step-by-step valuation guidance that pumped storage hydropower (PSH) developers, plant owners or operators, and other stakeholders can use to assess the value of existing or potential new PSH plants.
   
• $7.1M in Funding Released to Enhance Marine Energy Infrastructure Across 5 National Laboratories
  WPTO announced a total of $7.1 million to 7 projects supporting marine energy testing infrastructure across 5 DOE national labs. With this investment, the national labs will be poised to support the development and demonstration of marine energy technologies designed at different scales and for different blue economy applications.
   
• Four Marine Energy Students Selected to Partner with DOE National Labs, Industry, and a Tribe
  Through its Marine and Hydrokinetic Graduate Student Research Program

, WPTO offered opportunities to four graduate students to conduct marine energy research outside of the classroom. The selected fellows
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) announced it will begin accepting applications for the 2022 Marine Energy Collegiate Competition

• (MECC) competition on April 5. Managed by NREL on behalf of WPTO, the competition encourages undergraduate and graduate students to unlock the power of the ocean, rivers, and tides to develop, design, and test the technologies that build resilient coastal communities and provide power at sea.

WPTO enables research, development, and testing of emerging technologies to advance marine energy as well as next generation hydropower and pumped storage systems for a flexible, reliable grid. Learn more about WPTO successes by reading the office's 2019–2020 Accomplishments Report.

for the program's 2021 cycle will work with DOE national labs, wave energy developer CalWave, and the Makah Indian Tribe.
 

NREL Announces the Application Opening for the 2022 Marine Energy Collegiate Competition

Free Machine Guarding Courses via National Safety Education Center

Training for High-Hazard Industry Workers and Employers

Susan Harwood Training Grant Program

This training is brought to you through the Susan Harwood Training Grant, which provides under-served, low-literacy, high-hazard workers and employers with free training on workplace safety and health hazards, responsibilities, and rights. NIU is proud to receive this grant and provide you with these classes.

As part of the grant program, NIU offers two or four hours of machinery and machine guarding training for free.

The online courses are fully interactive and the use of a device with internet access, webcam and audio is required.

All courses will cover the same material focusing on lockout/tagout and guarding machines to prevent amputations and fatalities. The length of the class represents the depth of material it will cover, however topics are the same for 2-hour and 4-hour classes.

Training topics include the following:

• Operating stationary equipment
• Guarding point of operation
• Amputation prevention
• Control circuit systems
• Other general industry machine hazards

Register

There Are 21,000 Pieces of Plastic in the Ocean for Each Person on Earth

And plastic pollution has been doubling every six years...
Only 10 percent of the plastic ever made has been recycled. The material that doesn't make it into landfills can get swept into rivers or directly into oceans. It slowly breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces, known as microplastics, which are less than 5 millimeters in length and can be eaten by marine life. Plastic has been found near the summit of Mount Everest and inside the deepest point on Earth, the Mariana Trench — as well as in the human bloodstream.

Humans have filled the world's oceans with more than 170 trillion pieces of plastic, dramatically more than previously estimated, according to a major new study released Wednesday. The trillions of plastic particles — a 'plastic smog,' in the words of the researchers — weigh roughly 2.4 million metric tons and are doubling about every six years, according to the study conducted by a team of international researchers led by Marcus Eriksen of the 5 Gyres Institute, based in Santa Monica, Calif. That is more than 21,000 pieces of plastic for each of the Earth's 8 billion residents. Most of the pieces are very small.

Read full at:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/03/08/ocean-plastics-pollution-study/

Newly discovered enzyme that turns air into electricity, providing a new clean source of energy

Phys.Org - Australian scientists have discovered an enzyme that converts air into energy. The finding, published today in the journal Nature, reveals that this enzyme uses the low amounts of the hydrogen in the atmosphere to create an electrical current. This finding opens the way to create devices that literally make energy from thin air... Recent work by the team has shown that many bacteria use hydrogen from the atmosphere as an energy source in nutrient-poor environments. "We've known for some time that bacteria can use the trace hydrogen in the air as a source of energy to help them grow and survive, including in Antarctic soils, volcanic craters, and the deep ocean" Professor Chris Greening said. "But we didn't know how they did this, until now."

Read full at:
https://phys.org/news/2023-03-newly-enzyme-air-electricity-source.html

Exterior carwash care products containing PFAS pollution violations in " in parts per trillion"

Soaps, waxes, polishes...  anytime something is water repellent or water resistant or causes water to bead or has something akin to stain guard in the name. The safety data sheets are unlikely to list "PFAS."  If they do have PFAS, it might be protected under trade secret or be below de minimis amount. This is a growing problem that will catch millions off guard due to lack of understanding and regulatory information on products.

Car wash in North Hampton New Hampshire with high levels of PFAS in its effluent in parts per trillion
https://pfasproject.com/2018/06/06/car-wash-cited-for-pfas-pollution/

And in Connecticut
https://www.newtownbee.com/05092022/iwc-learns-of-pfas-at-car-wash-has-town-monitor-holly-estates-subdivision/

They've had trouble with PFAS contamination from car washes in Europe
https://regenesis.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/PFAS-Cost-of-Inaction-DIGITAL-051820_2.pdf

U.S. Averages One Chemical Accident Every Two Days, Analysis Finds

From spills to fires at industrial facilities to the recent train derailment in Ohio, it seems chemical accidents are making the news more and more. But it's not just your imagination — a map by the Coalition to Prevent Chemical Disasters shows that chemical accidents are happening at a rate of one every two days in the U.S. The Chemical Facility Incidents map allows viewers to see chemical-related incidents in their local areas. The coalition noted, "On average, there is a chemical fire, explosion or toxic release every two days in the U.S."

See map of incidents here:
https://preventchemicaldisasters.org/chemical-facility-incidents/

Source:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/feb/25/revealed-us-chemical-accidents-one-every-two-days-average