Contamination

2023 - 3 - 26

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Image courtesy of "RNZ"

Warning of asbestos contamination in cyclone clean-ups (RNZ)

An asbestos removal company believes there could be people in flood and cyclone-affected areas exposing themselves to the toxic silicate mineral.

"They're ripping it off and it's only when someone else comes along and says 'hey guys, that might could be asbestos there', that's when they realise that they have to step back from it." "As it goes on and there's not enough people to help with the recovery, it could get bigger. "Because people are getting frustrated waiting and then attempt to start to remove some of the stuff themselves, not realising, you know."

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Image courtesy of "Toronto Star"

Opinion | Federal government failing to protect us from persistent ... (Toronto Star)

The federal government's attempts at protecting human and environmental health from PFAS and other toxics have been piecemeal, inadequate and delayed.

It will take all of us contacting our MPs to ask them to push for strengthened toxics regulations in CEPA to protect water, air, land, and our health. There are thousands of PFAS chemicals on the market that have not been tested for safety by the federal government. [linked to a range of adverse health outcomes](https://pfastoxdatabase.org/), including asthma, liver damage, immune suppression, thyroid disease and cancers. The chemical industry wants to increase production, although they already produce nearly 14 tons of chemicals per person, per year, in the U.S. Meanwhile, Canada announced draft PFAS “objectives” — which are weaker and do nothing to address the sources of this contamination, despite the discovery of these persistent chemicals in Quebec’s groundwater in 2021. PFAS joins a long list of pollutants, from pesticides to plastic, that have exceeded our planet’s ability to absorb any more harm.

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