EPA proposes first-ever national limits on "forever chemicals" in drinking water
CBSN
The Biden administration is proposing the first-ever national standard for six "forever chemicals" in drinking water, the Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday. Per- and polyfluorinated substances are a group of compounds knowns as PFAS found in multiple water sources and can cause ailments like cancer, liver disease and more.
The planned regulation would establish legally enforceable levels for six PFAS known to occur in drinking water and builds on previous EPA proposals and regulations, the agency said in a news release.
The proposal, if finalized, would regulate two PFAS compounds as "individual contaminants," which would be regulated at four parts per trillion. Four other PFAS compounds would be deemed "a mixture," and would limit the combined levels of those substances in water. Systems would also have to notify the public and work to reduce contamination if levels exceed the proposed regulatory standards, the EPA said.
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden were honored at a state dinner in Paris at the Presidential Elysee Palace on Saturday, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and first lady Brigitte Macron marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day two days prior and the strength of the countries' long alliance.
President Joe Biden said France was America's "first friend" at its founding and is one of its closest allies more than two centuries later as he was honored with a state visit Saturday by French President Emmanuel Macron aimed at showing off their partnership on global security issues and easing past trade tensions.
The Consumer Federal Protection Bureau last week launched an inquiry into what the agency is calling "junk fees in mortgage closing costs." These additional fees, involving home appraisal, title insurance and other services, have spiked in recent years and can add thousands of dollars to the final cost of buying a home.
Retired Maj. Gen. William Anders, the former Apollo 8 astronaut who took the iconic "Earthrise" photo showing the planet as a shadowed blue marble from space in 1968, was killed Friday when the plane he was piloting alone plummeted into the waters off the San Juan Islands in Washington state. He was 90.