Trump Admin Cancels Programs to Protect Children From Toxic Chemicals

That's pretty cold! In the latest sweeping move against government spending, the Trump administration has decided it's time for kids fend for themselves. Leaked emails from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published by the New York Times reveal an intention to cancel thousands of grants for environmental research. Among the research areas affected: hazards affecting rural kids. This includes exposure to noxious pesticides, wildfire smoke, and forever chemicals released by industrial polluters. Forever chemicals, also known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), are a broad classification for thousands of chemicals that take a very long time to break down. PFAS are widely used in consumer and industrial products, and are found all throughout the world — from the bottom of the ocean to the icy waters of the Arctic. Troublingly, it's estimated that 97 percent of Americans have some level of forever chemicals in their blood. Many PFAS are carcinogenic in nature, and ha ... Read full article.