Tag: pfas
PFAS Collaboration with Massachusetts Stakeholders
Defend Our Health is an organization rooted in grassroots environmental policy change at home, here in Maine. We work with Maine communities impacted by pollution to imagine a cleaner future, engage in the political process, and ultimately pass groundbreaking protections that make Maine a safer, healthier place to live. Recent successes include our first-in-the-nation legislation that… Read more »
Massachusetts Delegation Visits Maine
Defend Our Health hosted a visit from a delegation of Massachusetts legislators, department staff, as well as environmental and farm advocates on Tuesday, August 12th, for a day-long event. The event strengthened regional working relationships, garnered significant media interest, and laid the groundwork for Defend to support a bill introduced by Massachusetts Senator Jo Comerford… Read more »
Upcoming Event
You’re invited to join Defend Our Health and Island Press for our webinar Defend Our Health: Authors & Friends on Wednesday, July 15th, at 1 PM ET. Our second conversation will feature reporter Kristina Marusic, author of A New War on Cancer: The Unlikely Heroes Revolutionizing Prevention. An award-winning journalist, Marusic, shows that, collectively, we have the power to… Read more »
Authors & Friends Recap
We were thrilled to be joined by author Sharon Udasin last week for a conversation on PFAS in the context of her book Poisoning the Well: How Forever Chemicals Contaminated America. She was joined by Adam Nordell, our farmland contamination campaign manager, who joined our organization as a PFAS-impacted farmer. If you missed the webinar or… Read more »
What is PFAS?
Chances are, every one of us has encountered a chemical compound in the PFAS class today. Probably, in the last hour. PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, is a class of chemicals commonly used in consumer goods to waterproof or repel stains, grease, and dirt. Not only have we encountered them, but the CDC reports… Read more »
The Fight Against PFAS Contamination in Tennessee
Today, we focus our sights on Tennessee in our ongoing series highlighting PFAS contamination issues nationwide. In 2019, the company 3M admitted that it had illegally released toxic chemicals into the Tennessee River from its Decatur, AL manufacturing plant. 3M did this, although it had been barred from doing so under the US Toxic Substances… Read more »
PFAS Action Act: Sewage Sludge Contamination
PFAS contamination via sewage sludge has impacted the lives of many farmers in Maine and across the county, so much so that a sludge crisis has ravaged multiple states. The biggest question on your mind may be, “How does this happen?.” Sewage sludge is the leftover contaminant from treating wastewater. Whenever we flush anything down… Read more »
Defend’s 5-Year Reflection: Our Track Record on Solving The PFAS Crisis
Over the past five years, Defend Our Health has lived up to its name by consistently advocating for the right to equal access to safe food and drinking water. Defend has led the nation in effectively protecting public health and ensuring justice for people harmed by ‘forever chemicals’ known as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl) for… Read more »
The Fight Against PFAS Contamination in South Carolina
PFAS contamination is an issue that is impacting farmlands all across the nation. From Maine to New Mexico, the rise in PFAS contamination has reached a crisis level and is impacting U.S. citizens from all backgrounds of life. Today, we are focusing our sights on South Carolina. According to The State, recent testing in South… Read more »
PFAS Impacted Farmers Hold Press Conference in Michigan
Yesterday, PFAS impacted farmers from across the country are gathered to speak to the media about what the contamination has meant for their livelihoods and their businesses in a press conference. Impacted farmers and policy experts will speak about the economic and health impacts of the contamination of farmland with the so called ‘forever chemicals.’ Speakers… Read more »