Live data from Hacker News

Cancer-Linked Chemicals Manufactured by 3M Are Turning Up in Drinking Water

bloomberg.com

161–170 of 177 posts

Re: Cancer-Linked Chemicals Manufactured by 3M Are Turning Up in Drinking Water

#161
post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There isn't anywhere in the world where you can live without fear or worry of contaminated water or air. Microplastics for example have been found in: sea salt - https://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/stories/sea-sa... water - https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/mar/15/micropla... air - https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/may/09/people-m... poop - https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mic…

This sounds very fear mongery. I bet you'd get more radiation from eating a Banana than the residual radiation of every nuclear test combined.

You selected one of several points and took it entirely out of context adding your own bias. The point is, we've contaminated the entire planet with various things as a direct result of our actions.

Re: Cancer-Linked Chemicals Manufactured by 3M Are Turning Up in Drinking Water

#162
post #119
post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Great point, but the articles mentions extremely small areas compared to the entire state over the period of decades.

Unfortunately those extremely small areas do not exist in a vacuum and and connected to the rest of the state by things like watersheds, especially when we're talking about timescales like decades.

The areas are still very small including watersheds.

Re: Cancer-Linked Chemicals Manufactured by 3M Are Turning Up in Drinking Water

#163
post #106
post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This happens in many other areas of concern too. Yes, elected officials should also be required to spend 24 consecutive hours each month in the inmate population of the local jail, prison, etc. to ensure that it offers safe and humane conditions.

Not just elected officials, I'll also include in police officers, judges, juries, and, really, pretty much all members of the public in the list of people who would greatly benefit from such an experience.

I see a clear pattern here, and it is the loss of once common coming-of-age ritual.

You might add other modern suggestions in that spirit:

No Meat until you slaughter an animal yourself.

No pepper spray unless you try it yourself.

Spend a week living in the 'retirement community' before dumping those you claim to love there.

Etc. Basically dogfooding as gatekeeping.

Re: Cancer-Linked Chemicals Manufactured by 3M Are Turning Up in Drinking Water

#164
post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did anyone die while you worked there?

Not the OP but all those things can't be good for you at all. The worst part is that it may happen 22 years later and just blame second hand smoke or something.

Very true. My skin harshly reacts to many things that are just common place today. Don’t want to go near stuff like that. I fully back leaving a workplace like that. It’s sad our field relies on such harmful compounds.

Re: Cancer-Linked Chemicals Manufactured by 3M Are Turning Up in Drinking Water

#165

I'm a libertarian, and I believe in the free market above all else, so it's important to not regulate this, because whatever else happens will inevitably be worse.

Thanks for strawmanning libertarians. This is why I don't tell everyone to vote. Many people dont have the time or means to be educated on the issues.

Re: Cancer-Linked Chemicals Manufactured by 3M Are Turning Up in Drinking Water

#166

I'm a libertarian, and I believe in the free market above all else, so it's important to not regulate this, because whatever else happens will inevitably be worse.

There is no contradiction between a "free market" and the government regulating the production of goods and services so that the harm caused by such production (and by the goods themselves,) is factored into the cost of production. We know (and this article is just one example of many,) that companies(and governments) will cut costs in every possible way. Whether by disposing of hazardous waste in Love Canal, the Hudson River(GE, IBM and who know who else,) or down dry wells in Phoenix, AZ(Motorola,) or buried in landfills all over the country (including Minn.,) or skimping on product safety or skimping on worker safety. While the pursuit of a Dollar, Pound, Euro or Rupee is and amazing motivating factor, regulating to mitigate the harm done is a valid government (and it is government, industry has shown itself hopeless at self-regulation without oversight,) function. This should include the global supply chain as well. Moving low cost production to Bangladesh often(always?) means low cost hazardous waste disposal.

Re: Cancer-Linked Chemicals Manufactured by 3M Are Turning Up in Drinking Water

#167
post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not the OP but all those things can't be good for you at all. The worst part is that it may happen 22 years later and just blame second hand smoke or something.

Very true. My skin harshly reacts to many things that are just common place today. Don’t want to go near stuff like that. I fully back leaving a workplace like that. It’s sad our field relies on such harmful compounds.

Chemistry /physics are such maybe that we have no way out? Don't know.

Maybe robots can make both sides happy?

Re: Cancer-Linked Chemicals Manufactured by 3M Are Turning Up in Drinking Water

#168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don’t forget seed oils!

And oxygen. That stuff can be lethal. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxidative_stress

A lot of dead people--not to say 100% because I have no source--had been using oxygen before they died.

Re: Cancer-Linked Chemicals Manufactured by 3M Are Turning Up in Drinking Water

#169

There’s an auto supplier upstream of my town that was dumping PFAs into the drain. It’s containminated the whole river and all the lakes. The river is where my town gets our drinking water. They are installing carbon filters which should help. I use a carbon filter for all our water. The thing is we have a dixione plume approaching our water intake too. The parts per trillion is kinda mind blowing too. Take a large p…

You must be lying. President Trump tells us that all business will do the right thing and not poison the water, the air or it's customers.

Re: Cancer-Linked Chemicals Manufactured by 3M Are Turning Up in Drinking Water

#170
post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don’t buy synthetics is a start. Vote to pass legislation that taxes synthetics and the money is used for mitigation. Company’s make what consumers want.

I agree that it'd be better not to buy synthetics as they stand, but that requires manufacturers to shift their production to natural fibers. I think regulation / remediation sounds like a good way to encourage that shift. Consumers buy what's on offer - if everything in the market was natural fiber, consumers would choose accordingly, otherwise they are likely to choose whatever meets their needs (which maybe low-pr…

It seems challenging as full-cotton shirts seem to be more prone to shrinkage and aren't necessarily as soft and resilient like the cotton/poly blends that are all so prevalent in just about every fabric out there.
Post reply on HN