Read the full article by Julia Maruca (TribLIVE)
“Wastewater treatment plants in Western Pennsylvania are dumping what’s known as forever chemicals into Pittsburgh’s rivers, a new study shows.
The report from the nonprofit Women for a Healthy Environment focuses on per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS), man-made chemicals used in many industrial and consumer products. It found a higher concentration of the chemicals where wastewater is discharged from a plant into a river, compared with lower levels just upstream of the discharge sites.
“It’s confirmation of another source of exposure and contamination,” said Michelle Naccarati-Chapkis, executive director of Women for a Healthy Environment.
PFAS chemicals have been linked to adverse health effects including compromised immune systems, cancers, poor reproductive health and child developmental issues, thyroid disease, liver damage and digestive conditions.” …