S08.E25: PFAS

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Main topic: Chemicals/PFAS

Also: Congress activities including finsta questions and the build back better act; newscasters take issue with the term "leaf peeping"

Original air date 2021.10.03

[Annber03]

Well, the (comparatively) good news is that I looked at the link for the PFAS map that John mentioned, and that stuff seems pretty sparse where I live. Only one spot located here in Iowa had any of it, and it was down in the southern part of the state, on a military site. So...yay? 

But man, not surprised at that story from Michigan, 'cause looking at the map, a good portion of that state is covered in those dots. Between this story and all the news about Flint in recent years, I guess the main takeaway here is, don't drink the water in Michigan. 

I know I've heard a couple stories about members of the duPont family being involved in criminal cases, so that makes the company's shady business practices and lack of regulation not all that surprising. It'd be great if more companies did start actually doing away with that stuff, but yeah, we need much stronger regulation over this sort of thing. Amazing how so many companies' solution to dealing with waste and whatnot is to just keep dumping it into our water and land. God forbit anyone actually consider other alternatives. 

Other topics...Sinema and Manchin really need to get it together and get on board already. I honestly don't know what else the rest of the Democrats can do to get them to join up and support this legislation. It's absolutely insane that one or two senators can keep holding up such important legislation like this. 

As for the gas lines overseas, gosh golly gee, it's almost like those who were opposed to Brexit tried to warn everyone about these very sorts of issues beforehand! Once again, thanks for not listening, people!

"It's the kind of peeping that's legal." God...*Shakes head* You gotta love local news. 

[swanpride]

Huh, he was mentioning the latest mess Brexit caused after all...a week late, so I didn't expect it. But I guess that gave them time to find the funniest clip about it...

You know, after our elections ended up a set-up in which we will most likely end up with a three party parliament, there was a lot in the english speaking press portraying this as some big problem, and especially the british one was going on and on about a supposed "hung" parliament. But considering that our parties will sit together, come to an agreement and then draw up a coalition contract which will basically prevent this kind of haggling with the fates of the people...yeah, I think we are good. Didn't they claim that the advantage of  first past the post is that there is a clear majority for someone? I honestly don't see it....

What the hell is leaf peeping? 

Why am I not surprised that a story about dangerous chemicals ended up being a story about said dangerous chemicals being in the environment?  

[peeayebee]

10 hours ago, Annber03 said:

Well, the (comparatively) good news is that I looked at the link for the PFAS map that John mentioned, and that stuff seems pretty sparse where I live. Only one spot located here in Iowa had any of it, and it was down in the southern part of the state, on a military site. So...yay? 

Ahhh, I see. I went to the site, entered my address, and waited. It was just a map of my neighborhood. I didn't realize I was looking for dots. But since my neighborhood is fairly new, I wonder how accurate the PFA info is.

That whole story is depressing. I liked John saying that corporations ARE people: sociopaths.

Sinema and Manchin are so frustrating, esp Sinema. She's out of her depth and doesn't know what she wants. I guess I could google, but on what platform did she run?

Loved the guy on the horse singing the little song. "I'm on a horse. I don't need petrol 'cause he runs on carrots." As I understand it, after Brexit the workforce that comes over from Europe returned there, so bye-bye truck drivers.

[peeayebee]

I need to get new winter boots. On the site I was looking at was 'waterproof leather boots.' I feel sick as I think of buying them.

[ahisma]

9 hours ago, swanpride said:

What the hell is leaf peeping? 

It’s tourism to an area that has beautiful fall foliage. Horrible, horrible name for it—I hope these news commentators kill it.

32 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

She's out of her depth and doesn't know what she wants. I guess I could google, but on what platform did she run?

She’s been an environmentalist forever, so climate change is (supposedly) one of her issues (which would put her at direct odds with Manchin in negotiations). Her platform has been generally Dem causes, pro choice, etc., but now she’s playing this moderate card of the $ total of the bill is too big. Uh, no it’s not if you have the tax plan to pay for it. But she is cozying up to big donors, so nope. And she gets tons of funding from big pharma, so forget negotiating drug prices. 

[Brandi Maxxxx]

20 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

Sinema and Manchin are so frustrating, esp Sinema. She's out of her depth and doesn't know what she wants. I guess I could google, but on what platform did she run?

Are you trying to elicit one of her dad-joke answers?

[swanpride]

1 hour ago, ahisma said:

It’s tourism to an area that has beautiful fall foliage.

This is a thing in the US? Weird...it's called "looking out the window" over here in Germany. Or going on a "Herbstspaziergang" (autumn walk) if you wanted to go into nature....I agree, that name has to go. It's really not fitting for the beauty which fall can be. 

[JustHereForFood]

No surprise that there's another thing that has slowly been making its way into our bodies through food and water and is now basically everywhere. But nope, we still have no idea what causes cancer and various other new health problems.

The gas shortage in UK... the nasty part in me wants to laugh, because yeah, this looks like the human stupidity at its best/worst. But it's just so sad as well...

[rwlevin]

So now I have to get rid of my (25 year old)  raincoat and all my exercise clothes. I guess donating them is out of the question. 

[DoctorAtomic]

7 hours ago, swanpride said:

This is a thing in the US? Weird...it's called "looking out the window" over here in Germany. Or going on a "Herbstspaziergang" (autumn walk) if you wanted to go into nature....I agree, that name has to go. It's really not fitting for the beauty which fall can be. 

It is. I remember friends' relatives coming for a weekend visit to go look at foliage. That was a long time ago too so it's been a thing for a while. Which, there's nothing wrong with, whether going on a drive, or a walk, as you point out. I did it yesterday. I don't know who in their right mind thought 'leaf peeping' was a thing that should be said. 

[paigow]

9 hours ago, Brandi Maxxxx said:

Are you trying to elicit one of her dad-joke answers?

Sinema: My platform is a treadmill

[ahisma]

11 hours ago, swanpride said:

This is a thing in the US? Weird...it's called "looking out the window" over here in Germany.

Well, sure, Germany is the same latitude as prime fall foliage states in the US. Meanwhile, I live at the same latitude as Algeria. The US is HUGE and contains just about every climate region you can think of. 

[fruittree36]

Longtime lurker, I’m glad LWT finally did a PFAs story. I live in Western Michigan, and our local news has been reporting on the Wolverine Worldwide contamination for five+ years at this point. Based on everything we’ve been told about PFAs, I have to believe that a lot of areas aren’t thoroughly testing for it. Michigan’s been testing now for five-ish years and the first time I went to EWG.org, it looked like this was a Michigan-only problem. So while it’s sad to see, it’s good that other states (New Jersey, North Carolina, Colorado and Massachusetts) are testing for it as well. 

The worst contaminated places in our state are the Wolverine Worldwide area (where they just dumped the old scotchguarding chemicals in the 1950s and 1960s - which there was no law against at the time), a former Air Force Base in northern Michigan and a current Army National Guard Base. We have a seasonal residence near the Guard base and we have to get our well water tested multiple times a year for contaminants, including PFAs. They’ve also found contamination areas near airports (it’s the foam used to put out fires, which is what is used on military bases as well). 

As the show said, these are forever chemicals, they don’t go away over time. As such, I believe the problem is probably a lot larger than what the map indicates. 

Here’s a timeline of activities just on the Wolverine Worldwide Case: https://www.mlive.com/news/2019/06/timeline-the-wolverine-world-wide-3m-scotchgard-contamination.html

Also fall color tours (no one really calls it leaf peeping here) are huge in Michigan. I’m going north this weekend for that very reason. 

[swanpride]

Just to get this right: Are people who are living outside of the "nice autumn" areas actually travelling to Michigan aso in order to look (because I would get that), or are people living in those areas doing special tours instead of just, well, enjoying nature no matter what time of the year? 

[fruittree36]

1 minute ago, swanpride said:

Just to get this right: Are people who are living outside of the "nice autumn" areas actually travelling to Michigan aso in order to look (because I would get that), or are people living in those areas doing special tours instead of just, well, enjoying nature no matter what time of the year? 

Both. Fall is a huge tourism season for fall colors. It’s nearly impossible to book a hotel room up north for this weekend. And it’s people getting outdoors before the winter sets in. 

Also, the way fall goes here, color change lasts the entire month of October. The UP and the northern tip of the lower peninsula is what’s changing right now. Where I live won’t start change until the end of the month. And there are far more trees up north than down south. 

[DoctorAtomic]

Same for New England. You can make a weekend trip from CT to NH for a foliage tour. You're not necessarily getting that in the Rocky Mountains, for example. 

[AnnMarie17]

Another Western-Michigander here and I can second the comments about MI in the autumn, it's beautiful here and a lot of folks travel here this time of year to take in the colors...although no one I know calls it peeping!  😄  Where I live, in Grand Rapids, we are just barely starting to see color changes right now, but if you head to northern lower Michigan this weekend, you're in for a beautiful view!

Now, about that drinking water....😳

[xaxat]

Opioids, fossil fuels, PFAS. . . It's so depressing how many industries knew that their products would cause great harm and yet marketed the hell our of them in pursuit of profit.

[andromeda331]

For my parents going to look at the leaves or foliage was code for them going to the casino for the day or weekend.  

[Lantern7]

“Saddy Longlegs.” Awesome nickname for John.

More depressing stuff. Extreme close-ups of Danny DeVito as he breaks out into the creep did take the edge off. When you need someone to play a comedic scumbag, he’s your guy.

[Ailianna]

On 10/5/2021 at 3:44 PM, DoctorAtomic said:

Same for New England. You can make a weekend trip from CT to NH for a foliage tour. You're not necessarily getting that in the Rocky Mountains, for example. 

In the Rockies though, most trees are evergreens, so we never get that dead branch look either.

[paigow]

On 10/7/2021 at 10:41 PM, andromeda331 said:

For my parents going to look at the leaves or foliage was code for them going to the casino for the day or weekend.  

What did they say the other 11 months?

[xaxat]

On 10/6/2021 at 5:46 PM, xaxat said:

Opioids, fossil fuels, PFAS. . . It's so depressing how many industries knew that their products would cause great harm and yet marketed the hell our of them in pursuit of profit.

And as the most recent episode demonstrated, we can ad social media companies to the list.

[andromeda331]

2 hours ago, paigow said:

What did they say the other 11 months?

Flowers blooming in Spring and Summer was flowers or birds, and in the winter snow. If there was no snow it was look at the trees. 

[peeayebee]

On 10/5/2021 at 1:44 PM, DoctorAtomic said:

Same for New England. You can make a weekend trip from CT to NH for a foliage tour. You're not necessarily getting that in the Rocky Mountains, for example. 

We recently moved here to Colorado, about an hour's drive from the Rockies, and the thing to do is drive to Estes Park to look at the foliage. No way would we go on the weekend -- Too many "leaf peepers" -- but with our recent move and settling in we didn't have time to go. However, there are plenty of trees around us changing color. We're getting our fix. 

[xaxat]

Biden administration moves to curtail toxic ‘forever chemicals’

Quote

The Environmental Protection Agency said it will move with urgency to set enforceable drinking water limits on certain polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, more commonly known as “forever chemicals,” which do not break down naturally and have turned up in the water supplies of communities around the country.

Thanks John!