B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
In a new study, scientists have developed a simple and cost-effective method for destroying a class of synthetic chemicals found in many consumer items and lasting in our water, soil and air for thousands of years when left alone.
PFAS, commonly known as “forever chemicals,” get their name because of their extraordinary resistance to most degradation mechanisms, possibly due to containing carbon and fluorine bonds, two of organic chemistry's strongest bonds.
Considered highly dangerous to humans, PFAS are found in most day-to-day products such as frying pans, cleaning products and even makeup. And humans’ increased dependence on PFAS has led to nearly every drop of water being contaminated by it, making even rainwater risky for consumption.
For years, scientists have been trying to find better ways to eliminate them, that don’t involve exposure to high levels of energy, including temperatures above 1,000 degrees Celsius.
But, new research by the U.S.-based Northwestern University and the University of California LA published Thursday has found that PFAS can be eliminated by mixing them with two relatively safe and inexpensive chemicals.
Humans are easily exposed to “forever chemicals,” through food, drinking water and house dust, with research showing that they can cause liver, kidney and immunological issues, as well as certain cancers.
For such reasons, the paper’s researchers say that finding easier solutions to removing PFAS from water has become “particularly urgent.”
Published in the Journal Science, the study found that when PFAS were mixed with a solution of dimethyl sulfoxide and sodium hydroxide and heated to a maximum of 120 degrees Celsius, it leads to a chemical reaction that “gradually nibbled away at the molecule” until the PFAS chemicals were gone, UCLA-based co-corresponding author, Kendall Houk said in a release.
There is no limit to the amount of water that can be treated at once with the straightforward technology because it uses relatively low temperatures without causing dangerous byproducts, according to Houk.
In the future, the technology might make it simpler for water treatment facilities to remove PFAS from drinking water, the study’s researchers said.
PFAS can currently be found around the planet, with researchers out of Europe concluding they could even find the chemicals in the rain drops of the most remote areas of the world.
In June, the U.S.-based Environmental Protection Agency revised the acceptable PFAS concentration levels in drinking water for agencies and businesses, in a health advisory to “reduce exposure” for civilians.
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.