PCBs were commonly used in construction and manufacturing through 1979. The research article, published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, points to old window caulking and light ballasts as likely sources of PCBs in schools. Research has shown that exposure to PCBs during childhood can cause significant neurological deficits, visual impairment and learning difficulties.
PS1 HAGRID DOESNT EXIST FULL
Somedays i feel like ps1 hagrid full#Īre not currently required to measure PCB concentrations.įor more information or to read the full study, visit iowa-environmental-focus-dot-org.įrom the UI Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research, I’m Betsy Stone.Ī new database showed some Iowa utilities had water contaminants exceeding health guidelines and government-mandated limits.Īn environmental group warns that federal standards for contaminants in drinking water may be insufficient in preventing cancer, pregnancy complications, and other health issues.
The Environmental Working Group unveiled a nationwide database of water quality data earlier this week. In Iowa, the database shows 89 contaminants detected by 1,091 utilities between 20. Of these, four contaminants were found in excess of legal limits in at least 10 utilities, and hundreds more utilities had 10 contaminants exceeding recommended health levels.
The legal limits often exceed the recommended health levels for various contaminants. For example, the recommended safe level of trihalomethanes, which can cause cancer, is 0.8 parts per billion, while the legal limit is 80 parts per million. A common contaminant from agricultural runoff, nitrate, can cause blue baby syndrome and can lead to cancer. Nitrates are considered safe below 5 parts per million, but the legal level is 10 parts per million.Ĭraig Cox, a senior vice president at Environmental Working Group, told The Des Moines Register the legal levels, which are set by the federal government, can take a long time to adjust to levels deemed safe by new research. “We think the science has advanced, but the legal limits haven’t been re-evaluated the way they should be,” Cox told the Register. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is employing volunteer “citizen scientists” to monitor water quality. The efforts will be locally-led, delegated from a position that used to exist within the DNR. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has launched a new water quality monitoring program led by local volunteers in communities around the state. This announcement comes just weeks after the DNR announced several cutbacks as a result of budgetary shortfalls. Volunteer water quality programs have existed in the DNR since 1998, but the new program focuses more on the local leadership. The old program has been without a coordinator for some time now, and its database has not been updated in two years. The new program aims to delegate the leadership to local leaders, and to keep data in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Water Quality Exchange. “Volunteer water monitoring is best able to inform local water quality goals if the decision-making and coordination is locally led,” said Steve Konrady with the DNR’s Water Quality Bureau in a press release.
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