Welcome to our April Newsletter |
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"The Earth is what we all have in common."
-Wendell Berry
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In this Edition
Forever Chemicals
Arbor Day: Plant a Tree for Cleaner Water
Buying or Selling a Home?
Industry News
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Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (also known as PFAS or Forever Chemicals), are a large group of chemicals that are manufactured and used in a variety of industries around the world. Of these chemicals, PFOA and PFOS have been the most extensively produced and are also very persistent in the environment and human body. This means that these compounds can take hundreds or even thousands of years to break down and can accumulate over time.
Today, there are more than 9,000 known PFAS compounds and 600 are currently used in the United States. Common everyday things like waterproof clothing, nonstick cookware, cosmetics, and firefighting foams contain these chemicals. Because of their widespread use, release, and disposal PFAS show up almost everywhere in the soil, surface water, deep ocean, and the atmosphere. Not only is PFAS found almost everywhere, but scientists are now discovering that there is a link between the chemicals and health concerns like thyroid disease, liver damage, immune dysfunction, and high blood pressure.
When it comes to our drinking water, PFAS can get into it in a variety of ways. Chemicals can percolate into groundwater from firefighting foams used at airports and military bases, can be leached from disposal sites, and industrial sites can even release compounds into the water or air surrounding it.
The good news is that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released an action plan to protect public health, there are water tests that can be done to show the concentration of PFAS, and there are now technologies that can remove PFAS from drinking water on residential and municipal levels. Some of these mitigation options include an activated carbon filter and reverse osmosis systems.
For more information on PFAS and its testing, please visit the A&L Laboratory and/or Granite State Analytical websites:
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Arbor Day: Plant a Tree for Cleaner Water |
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April is here and we are all thawing out from a cold winter. Birds are migrating back home; crocuses are peeking up from the soil and trees are beginning to bud. Arbor day wraps up this month on April 30th, a day where people are encouraged to plant and pay homage to the trees. Trees, as we know, provide a shady place to relax on a hot day, they filter pollution from the air and create oxygen and cleaner air for us to breath. Did you know trees play a vital role in the quality of our water, as well? Healthy forests are very important to providing clean water.
The strong roots of a tree hold the soil and protect against erosion, they absorb nutrients and keep sediment and pollution from flushing into streams. Trees provide a canopy to help slow rainfall, which also reduces erosion and stormwater runoff. This means the water has a chance to settle and soak into the earth, which aids in the replenishment of our groundwater supply. Trees act like a sponge and absorb rain water, they then filter it and release it back into streams, springs and rivers.
Water supplies with a healthy forest can also cut the costs and reliance of manmade filtration systems. In the late 90’s, New York City officials opted to invest in the conservation of over 1-million acres of forest surrounding the Catskills watershed, which cost 1.5-billion-dollars versus the 6–8-billion-dollar price tag on a new water treatment facility. California has taken similar action for the Plumas National Forest, from which melting snow and rainfall enters the Sacramento River, a drinking water source for millions of residents. Unfortunately, conservation is not always the route officials take, and many times artificial treatment facilities are constructed instead of using natural means. The US Forest Service estimates that over 40 million acres of forest could be lost within the next 40 years. Deforestation is caused by wildfires, construction, agriculture, insects and disease. One way we can all help to rebuild and protect our forests is by planting a tree this Arbor Day.
For More information on how forests help our drinking water supply, you can visit the USDA Forest Service Website: USDA Forest Service
For more information about Arbor Day, you can visit https://www.arborday.org/ this organization also has trees available to order based on your planting zone, so you can plant your own tree and create your own memories this Arbor Day, or visit your local tree nursery!
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Thinking of Buying or Selling a Home? |
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If you’re in the process of buying or selling a home, chances are that you’ll need a home inspector to inspect the home and test the water and radon. And believe it or not, Maine does not have any home inspector requirements that need to be met before becoming an inspector, and there are no licenses to earn. However, there are laws in place and fair-trade practices that home inspectors must follow.
The Maine Coalition of Home Inspection Professionals, or MeCHIPS, is a group of home inspectors who have met its membership requirements and are bound to abide by the bylaws, Standards of Practice, and Code of Ethics of the organization.
There is also the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors, or InterNACHI, which is a trade organization of residential and commercial inspectors. InterNACHI not only provides education and training, but their inspectors are also bound to abide by the Inspection Standards of Practice, Code of Ethics, and Continuing Education policies.
No matter which home inspector you hire for your buying and selling needs, make sure you get the water tested. Some loans require a more in-depth analysis than others, like FHA and VA loans. If you have any questions regarding what kind of water test you need, A&L Laboratory is more than happy to help to guide you in the right direction.
Follow these links for more information:
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NEWS THROUGHOUT OUR INDUSTRY |
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