Asbestos sites made risky by some remediation strategies
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) largely remedies Superfund sites containing asbestos by capping them with soil to lock the buried toxin in place. But new research suggests that this may actually increase the likelihood of human exposure to the cancer-causing mineral.
“People have this idea that asbestos is all covered up and taken care of,” said Jane Willenbring, who is an associate professor of geological sciences at Stanford University’s School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences (Stanford Earth). “But this is still a lingering legacy pollutant and might be dribbling out pollution, little by little.”
Ag Giant Resisted Efforts to Change Toxic Weed Killer Formula to Protect Profits
A sign of Swiss farm chemicals powerhouse Syngenta is seen at the company s headquarters on July 23, 2015, in Basel.
FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP via Getty Images
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While the toxic weed killer Paraquat, branded by Syngenta as Gramoxone, is part of the daily routine for many agricultural workers across the country, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warns users on a government website that one small accidental sip can be fatal and there is no antidote. Regulators in the United States are grappling with a wave of research linking Paraquat to a less immediately apparent effect Parkinson’s disease. And Syngenta the Swiss-headquartered, Chinese-owned agrochemical company that now manufactures the weed killer is currently facing litigation on that issue, though it denies responsibility.
Gov. Newsom rolls out plan to end fracking, phase out oil extraction
Jae C. Hong/AP
FILE - In this Jan. 16, 2015, file photo, pumpjacks are seen operating in Bakersfield, Calif. alifornia lawmakers on Tuesday, April 13, 2021, rejected a bill that would have banned fracking in the state, succumbing to pressure from the powerful oil and gas industry and their labor union allies who warned the bill would have cost good-paying jobs. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
and last updated 2021-04-24 02:43:39-04
Gov. Newsom announced a plan to end fracking in California by 2024, and a long-term strategy to phase out oil extraction by 2045.
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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) largely remedies Superfund sites containing asbestos by capping them with soil to lock the buried toxin in place. But new research suggests that this may actually increase the likelihood of human exposure to the cancer-causing mineral. People have this idea that asbestos is all covered up and taken care of, said Jane Willenbring, who is an associate professor of geological sciences at Stanford University s School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences (Stanford Earth). But this is still a lingering legacy pollutant and might be dribbling out pollution, little by little.
Willenbring has published several studies about asbestos behavior and, most recently, turned her attention to the lack of information about how asbestos may move through the soils where it is stored. Through lab experiments with asbestos fibers, which were detailed in a paper published Jan. 27 in the
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U.S. asbestos sites made risky by some remediation strategies, according to Stanford researcher
Efforts to prevent human exposure to asbestos may be mobilizing the cancer-causing mineral so that it can reach water supplies, based on new findings about how the fibers move through soil. By Danielle Torrent Tucker
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) largely remedies Superfund sites containing asbestos by capping them with soil to lock the buried toxin in place. But new research suggests that this may actually increase the likelihood of human exposure to the cancer-causing mineral.
“People have this idea that asbestos is all covered up and taken care of,” said Jane Willenbring, who is an associate professor of geological sciences at Stanford University’s School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences (Stanford Earth). “But this is still a lingering legacy pollutant and might be dribbling out poll