Tag: forever,
Scientists may have found an affordable way to destroy forever chemicals
A team of scientists may have found a safe and affordable way to destroy “forever chemicals.” PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are found in many household items, including non-stick Teflon pans and dental floss. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, at least 12,000 such substances exist today. They all share one common feature between them: a carbon-fluorine backbone that is one of the strongest known bonds in organic chemistry. It’s what gives PFAS-treated cookware its non-stick quality. However, that same characteristic can make those substances harmful to humans.
Since they’re so durable from a molecular perspective, PFAS can stay in soil and water for generations. Scientists have shown that prolonged exposure to them can lead to an increased risk of some cancers, reduced immunity and developmental effects on children. Researchers have spent years trying to find a way to destroy the carbon-fluorine bond that makes PFAS so stubborn, but a breakthrough could be in sight.
In a study published Thursday in the journal Science, a group of chemists from UCLA, Northwestern University and China found that a mixture of sodium hydroxide, a chemical used in lye, and an organic solvent called dimethyl sulfoxide was effective at breaking down a large subgroup of PFAS known as perfluoro carboxylic acids or PFCAs. When lead author Brittany Trang heated the mixture between 175 and 250 degrees Fahrenheit (about 79 to 121 degrees Celsius), it began breaking down the bonds between the PFAS molecules. After a few days, the mixture can even reduce any fluorine byproducts into harmless molecules. The sodium hydroxide is part of what makes the mixture so potent. It bonds with PFAS molecules after the dimethyl sulfoxide softens them and hastens their breakdown.
Professor William Dichtel, one of the study’s co-authors, told The New York Times there’s a lot of work to be done before the solution works outside the lab. There’s also the enormity of the problem. In February, scientists estimated that humans are putting approximately 50,000 tons of PFAS chemicals into the atmosphere every year. Another recent study found that rainwater everywhere on Earth is unsafe to drink due to the ubiquity of those substances. However, scientists are understandably excited about Trang’s discovery since it may help researchers find other novel ways to destroy PFAS.
Harmful ‘forever chemicals’ could be destroyed in simple way, study finds
These human-made ‘forever chemicals’ can last for thousands of years, impacting soil and making water unsafe to drink.
Read more: Harmful ‘forever chemicals’ could be destroyed in simple way, study finds
A new way to smash the ‘forever’ out of ‘forever chemicals’
“Forever chemicals” have a reputation for being indestructible, persistent, and just about everywhere — including many places where they shouldn’t be, like our drinking water.
But now, there’s excitement about a new way to essentially smash these molecules to bits so that they don’t cause environmental and health problems. It’s described in research published today in the journal Science. There are caveats to the process, but to many experts’ delight, it’s surprisingly simple for such a tough substance.
“It truly goes against everything I’ve known for the past 10 years. And that’s really cool because someone else can then take this information and exploit it and adapt it to technologies that we need,” says Shira Joudan, an environmental…
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Endling – Extinction is Forever is not afraid to hurt you
In a video game climate that bends over backwards to assure you the cute little creatures you play as or with cannot be harmed, it was shocking to hear the mother fox’s neck snap in Endling – Extinction is Forever. I was running with my trio of kits, trying to escape the murderous clutches of a furrier when he caught me. I struggled as he held me down before I heard the crack of the bones as the screen went dark, informing me I had failed as a mother and that my cubs were going to die. And while I thought that was a little too much, that kind of unflinching look at the reality of survival in a world ruined by climate change is exactly what the developers were going for.
“We wanted to put everything there,” Javier Romello, CEO of Endling’…
Dame Deborah James’ mum says she will miss her daughter ‘forever’ in tribute to late star
My dad used me as a human walking stick after his booze benders and his drinking changed me forever, says Vicky Pattison
HARD partying and heavy drinking is what Vicky Pattison became famous for when she first hit our screens in 2011 on Geordie Shore.
A decade on, Vicky has transformed her image, becoming a bestselling author, winning I’m a Celebrity! Get Me Out of Here…, and landing on the panel of Loose Women – but her success has come with a heavy price.
Vicky Pattison said she hated the person she became during her Geordie Shore days[/caption]
She is determined not to go down the same dark path as her dad John[/caption]
Geordie Shore painted its young stars as troublemakers and alcohol dependants when it first debuted.
And while many of its contributors, including Vicky and Charlotte Crosby, have gone on to become celebrities who have carved out successful careers in the media, it has also left them with a certain reputation.
Vicky’s five-year stint on the MTV reality series saw her gain the title as a wild party animal – drinking to excess in the pubs and clubs of Newcastle and snogging strangers.
Behind that good-time girl front, however, Vicky was dealing with a tough home life and a father who’s an alcoholic.
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She has been wondering for years whether her own relationship with booze is linked to her dad John’s problems.
And it’s this highly emotive issue that she confronts in a powerful one-off documentary this week.
“My dad has been largely removed from my life in the public eye because he’s struggled with his illness, it just didn’t feel right,” explains Vicky, in her exclusive chat with The Sun’s TV Mag.
“He’s a very poorly man and that’s part of him. I definitely wish things were different and I know he wishes he was different, too.
“He’s in a relatively strong place compared to how he’d been in more recent years, so he felt strong enough and ready to talk about his disease.”
Despite coming to terms with his illness, Vicky hasn’t always understood her dad.
Habit’s bad for health
By Carol Cooper, Sun Doctor
IT’S easy to slide into the habit of drinking too much alcohol.
But the bottom line is that excess booze is unhealthy. Alcohol affects every organ in the body.
It’s toxic to the liver. It can also damage the pancreas, the heart and the circulation.
Blood pressure can soar and the pulse can become dangerously irregular.
Over time, alcohol abuse can lead to stomach problems, as well as a higher risk of many cancers.
Heavy drinking is also linked with high blood pressure, heart muscle disease, strokes, gout, osteoporosis, depression, facial rashes, malnutrition and infertility.
It’s so important to recognise excess drinking and do something about it before there’s permanent damage.
For various reasons, alcohol abuse can run in the family. That can make a drinker more aware of problems.
Try the self-assessment tool at the website drinkaware.co.uk
She remembers parts of her childhood, including being used as a “human walking stick” for her dad after a bender, not seeming right.
“As a kid growing up, you absolutely assume that what you are exposed to is normal because you have no other point of reference – I assumed everybody spent their Saturdays and Sundays in pubs,” she admitted.
“But there are elements as an adult I feel I would prefer my child not to be exposed to, definitely.”
Vicky added that the process of making her upcoming documentary regarding alcohol abuse has allowed her to understand her dad better.
It’s also brought Vicky – who recently got engaged to her partner of three years, Ercan Ramadan – closer to her dream of becoming a mother.
“You know I’ve really put off having children for a long time because I didn’t want to make children like me, who are in some way broken,” she says with a crack in her voice.
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“I’ve felt that for a long time. For years I’ve said I wasn’t ready or wasn’t sure I wanted them.
“Since making this documentary and since meeting Ercan, I know that I’ve got so much more control than I’ve ever given myself credit for before, and I’ve got more hope now.”
Vicky Pattison: My Dad, Alcohol And Me airs on Tuesday, August 2 on Channel 4 and All 4.
Vicky recently opened up on her father’s addiction with alcohol[/caption]